New Machine Build Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine


Page 1 of 8 1234 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 152

Thread: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    841
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    I received notice from Nate this evening that my machine will ship in the morning, so it's time to start my build thread. And yes, there will be photos.

    Although I've talked about it in other threads, the Saturn 2 is my 2nd machine. My present machine is an FLA 4x4 80/20 kit. It's an okay machine that has served me well over the past couple of years. I spent a lot of time tuning it, and have been generally satisfied with the results. However, I've lusted after the Saturn 2 for sometime now, and am glad I waited for the bugs to get worked out.

    Sorry, but this build will not include electronics. What I currently have works fine, and will swap over to the new machine without missing a beat. Note: FWIW, I bought components and assembled the control system myself. For anyone who might be interested, I'm running the following:

    PMDX 126 Bob
    SmoothStepper
    PMDX 107 Spindle Control
    Gecko 203V Stepper Drivers
    NEMA 34 Steppers (960 oz-in) - Bought from FLA
    2.2KW Water Cooled Spindle with HY VFD. (An Hitachi may be in my future)
    Mach4

    I don't have any photos of the control boxes at the moment (I have the controller and VFD in separate Boxes). I will include some in future posts.

    I've been busy while awaiting word of the shipment. The first order of business was figuring out how to get the machine to my home, and from my driveway down a moderate hill to the door to my shop. I have a utility trailer, but it's too small. It's 4' x 8' with low (about a foot) sides. I decided to make up a couple of boxes that just fit inside the trailer, and were high enough to just barely clear the top of the sides. The boxes are bolted together and each box has 9 legs. At least the weight should be distributed well. Once the pallet is put atop the boxes, my plan is to use an impact driver to screw the pallet down to the boxes. I'll then add ratchet down straps and should be on my way.

    When I arrive home, I will swap my vehicle for my lawn tractor and drive the trailer down to the patio adjacent to the entry to my shop. Once there, I will use the gantry crane I just built to get the machine from the trailer to a dolly I have yet to build.

    On the subject of the gantry crane, which I've talked about in other threads, I have some photos of my build. All credit for the design goes to Frank Howarth, who has a YouTube video about the crane, and included a nice drawing with dimensions. Mine isn't quite as tall. My wheels, while of the same type as Frank's, are a little smaller. I also added two extra braces on the horizontal beams. Probably overkill, but it only involved 2 extra pieces of 2 x 4 and a couple extra bolts. No big deal.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-01gantry-brace-jpg

    This is a photo of one of the leg assemblies. The topmost square piece with the 2 bolts running through is where he casters attach.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-02pad-caster-jpg

    The same as above, except with all 4 bolts installed. Note that the bolts go through the top pad and all the way through the 2x6s under it.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-03-caster-mount-jpg

    This photo shows the caster being added. It is held in place by lag screws.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-04adding-vertical-post-jpg

    Here, I'm adding the vertical post.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-05securing-vertical-post-jpg

    Here, I'm securing the post to the legs with 2 bolts. The bolts go through the 2 2x6s and the post.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-06adding-45deg-braces-jpg

    In this photo, I've added 45 degree bracing. All the bolts you see are through bolted.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-07adding-extension-horizontal-beam-jpg


    Here, I'm adding an extension on top of a horizontal beam. The hole is where a pipe goes through for mounting a chain hoist. Yes, that's my current CNC in the background.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-09installing-horizontal-beams-jpg

    Here, I have the uprights on their sides tor bolting on the cross beams.

    I've reached my attachment limit, so I have to move to a new post.





    Similar Threads:
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-01gantry-brace-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-02pad-caster-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-03-caster-mount-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-04adding-vertical-post-jpg  

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-05securing-vertical-post-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-06adding-45deg-braces-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-07adding-extension-horizontal-beam-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-09installing-horizontal-beams-jpg  

    Last edited by GME; 10-23-2018 at 02:31 AM.


  2. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    841
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Gantry Crane Continued:

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-10installing-45deg-support-post-beam-jpg

    In this photo, I'm adding a 45 degree brace to the cross beam.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-11crane-move-upright-jpg

    Here I have the crane upright. Two of the four 45 degree braces are in place. The sliding door behind it is the door I have to pass through with the CNC. (Ignore the kegs. They are from an old home brewery project. I've since built an electronically controlled brewing process capable of making 15gal/batch, along with two 15 gal temperature controlled fermenters.)

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-13chain-hoist-installed-jpg

    The photo shows the completed crane with the chain hoist in place. Sorry about the ladder. It's right behind the chain, making the chain hard to see. The hook is between the 2nd and 3rd rungs.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-14chain-hoist-jpg

    Last photo in this series. Just showing the chain hoist mount.

    Okay, I know that, strictly speaking, this isn't exactly a CNC build. However, in my defense, it's an integral part of the build. Without the crane, or something similar, the Saturn 2 would never be a reality for me. Also, before anyone suggests that an engine hoist would have worked, I built the crane with other uses in mind. I have an engine hoist. Too may workarounds for my liking. Everything's too low for the legs to go under.

    More to follow . . . .

    Gary




    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-10installing-45deg-support-post-beam-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-11crane-move-upright-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-13chain-hoist-installed-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-14chain-hoist-jpg  



  3. #3
    Community Moderator difalkner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    729
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Good looking gantry crane, Gary! I drew one in CorelDRAW and planned to build it just prior to our Saturn arriving but right before I started the build a friend offered to bring his engine hoist and help set the CNC frame on the stand. Perfect timing and perfect tool for our setup.

    Can't wait to see the new machine and photos of you moving it into place.

    David

    David
    Romans 3:23
    CurlyWoodShop - www.etsy.com/shop/CurlyWoodShop
    David Falkner - www.youtube.com/user/difalkner
    difalkner - www.instagram.com/difalkner


  4. #4
    Member PLJack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    251
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Agree. Great work Gary.
    Anything holding the pipe from coming out?

    Jack.

    Jack
    Ponder Labs (https://tinyurl.com/y96aky5x)


  5. #5
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    841
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Quote Originally Posted by PLJack View Post
    Agree. Great work Gary.
    Anything holding the pipe from coming out?

    Jack.

    Excellent question, Jack. Short answer: Yes. The pipe is threaded on both ends, and I have a threaded pipe cap on each end. The cap is larger than the hole the pipe slips through. The pipe is not coming out, unless I want it to.

    Gary




  6. #6
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    841
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    My Saturn 2 was ready for pickup today. No problems on the road; no problems getting to my shop door with my lawn tractor. I was a little light on the tongue weight, that worked out okay when I unhooked from my Highlander and rehooked to the tractor. It's still sitting on the trailer, but under cover. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so it will probably be Sunday before I get it into my shop.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-arrival-2-jpg

    You can see that the pallet wouldn't fit inside the trailer. As I mentioned earlier, I made a pair of boxes to fit in the trailer bed, so the pallet would sit less than an inch above the trailer side. After the nice young fella at FedEx, I set to work sinking screws though the pallet into the boxes with my impact driver. I wasn't conservative about the number of screws. I drove in plenty. Then, I ran a ton of straps all over the place.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-arrival-1-jpg



    I pulled the oxbox off to take a look. I just couldn't help myself. The first thing I noticed were broken zip ties that no longer holding the gantry in place. The second thing I noticed was it took way too much effort to move the gantry, and the bearings were kind of grinding when I forced it. The third thing I noticed were 5 thick washers under the left gantry mount. All 5 were on the inside (spoilboard side) and the bolts were put through them (as opposed to just being put under an edge). The gantry mount on the left outside (gear rack side), there were no shims, and the welded mounting plate and gantry were down tight against the aluminium plate attached the bearing blocks.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-gantry-mount-left-1-jpg
    Left inside gantry mount. 5 thick washers (not shims). Quartering shot taken from the front.


    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-gantry-mount-left-2-jpg
    Pardon the poor focus. Another shot of the shims. A quartering shot taken from the rear angle.

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-gantry-mount-3-jpg
    Left side, outside. No spacers. All down tight. Along the front edge, you can see the large gap on the inside. Also, note the largish area of chipped paint on the outer brace. Surface rust is already setting in.


    The right side was tight fitting with no washers. This implies to me that there is something very wrong with the gantry - something that goes beyond welding warp. How do have the gantry sitting down tight on the right side (both inside and outside rows), and sitting tight on the left outside row (5 bolts, including 2 under the gantry beam), and yet have a gap under all five bolts on the inside, including the 2 under the gantry beam? The beam looks like one heavy chunk of steel. I wouldn't expect the process of welding on a front bracket and 2 braces to cause the gantry beam to distort (bow) upward enough to cause that sort of gap. I could understand distortion of the front bracket, but I don't understand distortion such that the gantry beam doesn't set flat on the aluminum mount.

    Oh, and the sensors I ordered weren't included in the shipment. On Oct. 23, I received a tracking notification. The purchase info did not include the sensors, so I sent Nate an email about it. My account showed them ready to ship, but not actually shipped. No reply. I sent a second request on Oct. 27. No reply. Now I have my machine, and still no reply. Customer service remains a challenge.

    I am going to need some time to get the machine inside, mounted to its frame, and to perform a fairly thorough diagnostic review. Once done, I will be in a better position to further engage with Nate. As you can probably tell from my tone, I'm pretty unhappy. This gantry thing seems worse than PLJack's, and his seemed pretty bad to me. I cannot help but wonder how Nate could let something this bad go out the door. As least I didn't see any obvious signs of shipping damage.

    More to follow.

    Gary




    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-arrival-2-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-arrival-1-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-gantry-mount-left-1-jpg   Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-gantry-mount-left-2-jpg  

    Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine-gantry-mount-3-jpg  


  7. #7
    Member Ntl's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Posts
    621
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Sorry to see your having issues too. My paint is messed up too and the rust is probably from when it came over on the boat from the saltwater. Or the tube wasn’t cleaned properly prior to paint. It’s odd though that my frame looks good minus a couple paint chips it came with. It looks like the frame on mine was powder coated the gantry was painted or like I said it wasn’t prepped properly. Hopefully he gets some touch up paint ordered for the unfortunate ones that got a machine with messed up paint.

    Anyway looking forward to seeing your router when it’s done, hopefully I finish mine first though lol.

    Dan



  8. #8
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    841
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Quote Originally Posted by Ntl View Post
    Sorry to see your having issues too. My paint is messed up too and the rust is probably from when it came over on the boat from the saltwater. Or the tube wasn’t cleaned properly prior to paint. It’s odd though that my frame looks good minus a couple paint chips it came with. It looks like the frame on mine was powder coated the gantry was painted or like I said it wasn’t prepped properly. Hopefully he gets some touch up paint ordered for the unfortunate ones that got a machine with messed up paint.

    Anyway looking forward to seeing your router when it’s done, hopefully I finish mine first though lol.

    Dan

    Thanks, Dan. The paint looks like bad prep to me. The paint appears to have come off in one large chunk, which shouldn't happen with proper prep. If you look at the area adjacent to the bare stop, you may notice that it doesn't look quite right. I'm thinking that the paint may be bubbled there too. I haven't poked at it yet. but I plan to. If it's bubbled, it's going to come loose anyway, so a little poking and picking won't do any harm.

    On our respective builds, the odds favor you reaching the finish line first.
    At least I don't have to build out my control system. I got that done when I built my 80/20 CNC kit.

    Did you ever hook up with Nate, or are you still waiting? I'm curious to hear what he has to say about your gantry. I want to go over everything, before I engage with him. I prefer to go to him once, rather than doing it piecemeal.

    Gary




  9. #9
    Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    1740
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Hmm, I can see when welding the mounting plates warping a bit but there is more than that with those shims. The plate with the rust, there appears to be rust under that powercoat. Very poor job on the gantry. Yes I would be ticked.

    Mine did not have wire ties but plastic banding holding the gantry.

    1000x750 Workbee CNC - Mach4 - PMDX USB - Windows 10 Pro


  10. #10
    Member PLJack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    251
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Well Gary... I'm surprised too. Also confused about the "foot" of the gantry. I based all my shimming from the heavy tubing that makes the foot.
    Fortunately, or unfortunately, I have some experience with this subject matter. Happy to help. AMA.

    If I remember correctly you are going to remove the gantry to get it into your shop. Yes? If so you might as well start fresh with the shimming. don't follow my steps verbatim that was a learning processes for me.
    First get your base in place, leveled and secured. No point in shimming until that is done. Next with the gantry in place and all bolts loose, not snug, you should be able to slide the gantry easily with that sweet smooth bearing sound.
    We can help you from there.

    Jack.

    Edit: meant to mention, if you are going to leave that machine out in the rain place a light bulb or some other safe heat source under the tarp to keep surface rust off the rails.

    Jack
    Ponder Labs (https://tinyurl.com/y96aky5x)


  11. #11
    Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    236
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Sorry to hear about the issues with your machine. I had a similar problem with the zip ties breaking during shipment and letting the gantry move. Mine has 1/4" plates welded to the frame for the hard stops, and two of them were bent due to impact. I told Nate about the problem (over a year ago) and recommended that he use something better to hold the gantry in place. Apparently he forgot that lesson.



  12. #12
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    841
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Quote Originally Posted by PLJack View Post
    Well Gary... I'm surprised too. Also confused about the "foot" of the gantry. I based all my shimming from the heavy tubing that makes the foot.
    Fortunately, or unfortunately, I have some experience with this subject matter. Happy to help. AMA.

    If I remember correctly you are going to remove the gantry to get it into your shop. Yes? If so you might as well start fresh with the shimming. don't follow my steps verbatim that was a learning processes for me.
    First get your base in place, leveled and secured. No point in shimming until that is done. Next with the gantry in place and all bolts loose, not snug, you should be able to slide the gantry easily with that sweet smooth bearing sound.
    We can help you from there.

    Jack.

    Edit: meant to mention, if you are going to leave that machine out in the rain place a light bulb or some other safe heat source under the tarp to keep surface rust off the rails.

    Thank you, Jack. Yes, you are correct. I will have to remove the gantry. It will be interesting to see how the gaps look when just setting loosely on the base plate. Also, thank you for the kind offer of help, and the suggestions you provided in your post. I'm sure I will need your help going forward.

    After sleeping on the gantry gap issue, I had another thought. Could it be that the steel tubing for the frame was welded at an angle? It could be that the gantry and mounts are fine and it's the frame that's off - welded at an off angle. That won't change what it takes to fix the problem, but it might better explain the problem. Did you check your frame members for level and plumb? That's the first thing I'm going to check when I unbox the router again.

    Gary




  13. #13
    Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    1740
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    After sleeping on the gantry gap issue, I had another thought. Could it be that the steel tubing for the frame was welded at an angle? It could be that the gantry and mounts are fine and it's the frame that's off - welded at an off angle. That won't change what it takes to fix the problem, but it might better explain the problem. Did you check your frame members for level and plumb? That's the first thing I'm going to check when I unbox the router again.


    Funny I was thinking the same thing, but is it the gantry or the frame? Regardless it should have never been shipped out that way.

    1000x750 Workbee CNC - Mach4 - PMDX USB - Windows 10 Pro


  14. #14
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    841
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Quote Originally Posted by wmgeorge View Post
    After sleeping on the gantry gap issue, I had another thought. Could it be that the steel tubing for the frame was welded at an angle? It could be that the gantry and mounts are fine and it's the frame that's off - welded at an off angle. That won't change what it takes to fix the problem, but it might better explain the problem. Did you check your frame members for level and plumb? That's the first thing I'm going to check when I unbox the router again.


    Funny I was thinking the same thing, but is it the gantry or the frame? Regardless it should have never been shipped out that way.


    Two great minds with but a single thought????

    I couldn't agree more. The unit should not have shipped with such an obvious defect. If Nate is having problems with his fabricator, it should be between the two of them and not left to the consumer to try to sort out. The washers are clear evidence that Fineline knew full well that the work was unacceptable when the machine went out. Nate (or his surrogate) installed the linear rails, which necessarily required assembly of the gantry, including inserting the washers. In concept, the Saturn 2 should be a fine machine. The execution is another matter. Disappointing. Depending upon how it all sorts out, Nate's reputation could be on the line.

    Gary




  15. #15
    Member PLJack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    251
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Quote Originally Posted by GME View Post

    Did you check your frame members for level and plumb? That's the first thing I'm going to check when I unbox the router again.
    Gary
    Yes. Level in X and Y directions. Ran a string across the rails during gantry mounting.

    Jack.

    Jack
    Ponder Labs (https://tinyurl.com/y96aky5x)


  16. #16
    Member Ntl's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Posts
    621
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Quote Originally Posted by GME View Post
    Thanks, Dan. The paint looks like bad prep to me. The paint appears to have come off in one large chunk, which shouldn't happen with proper prep. If you look at the area adjacent to the bare stop, you may notice that it doesn't look quite right. I'm thinking that the paint may be bubbled there too. I haven't poked at it yet. but I plan to. If it's bubbled, it's going to come loose anyway, so a little poking and picking won't do any harm.

    On our respective builds, the odds favor you reaching the finish line first.
    At least I don't have to build out my control system. I got that done when I built my 80/20 CNC kit.

    Did you ever hook up with Nate, or are you still waiting? I'm curious to hear what he has to say about your gantry. I want to go over everything, before I engage with him. I prefer to go to him once, rather than doing it piecemeal.

    Gary
    Nope on hearing from him and I doubt I will, I’ve dealt with guys like him before and I don’t expect to hear back from him. It’s all good though I just won’t due business with him again and definitely won’t give him another referral. I feel bad that I already had a couple guys contact him since it makes me look bad. Water under the bridge at this point, I’m just happy I got my machine and didn’t get burned on the money. Hopefully someday he gets things figured out since he seems like a nice guy.

    Dan



  17. #17

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Hi. There seems to be a major construction flaw that they try to fix with those washers. How much is this "washer joint" reducing the force it takes to displace the gantry? It should be a face-to-face force fitted connection.

    If they couldn't level out the x axis without using washers this is nothing that should be shipped to customers.



  18. #18
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    841
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    I spent pretty much all day Sunday lifting the machine off of my trailer, pulling the gantry, getting it up on one end, onto my dolly, and into the house. Lots of time, and even more stress. Sorry, but no additional photos this time around. Too much to do and too little time to photo document this phase.

    On Sunday, I wasn't able to figure out what was going on with the gantry and/or frame. I did make some progress today, though. There may be some issues with the gantry, but if there are, they are probably minor. The principle problem appears to be some very bad frame alignment prior to welding (so much for welding in a jig). Trying to find good point of reference confounded me for a while. Then, the light came on, and I put a long straight edge across aluminum plates mounted to the bearing blocks. The straight edge hit the outside edges of both mounting plates, and revealed a sizeable gap on both inside edges. I believe there are a couple of things that could account for that condition: 1. each side is rotated inward, or 2. the horizontal tube supports were cut at an angle, causing the top, horizontal tube to be welded at an angle. There may other things, but they don't jump out at me. I wasn't able to photograph what I've described, because I haven't move the CNC from my rec room to my shop yet, and space was too limited. Also, I couldn't manage the straight edge and camera at the same time. The frame is on end on its dolly, so I had to use both hands to hold up the straight edge. Photos to follow after I manage to work out the logistics.

    I'm pleased to announce (and it's about all I'm pleased about) that my gantry crane worked flawlessly. Not so much as a creak or groan out of it. The only downside was how slowly the chain hoist moves. Seems to take forever to lift or lower something. Then again, there's the issue of control. No problems there. It's not my design, so I can't take credit for it. However, from my experience with it, I can heartily recommend it to anyone needing a higher lift capacity than afforded by an engine hoist. On the downside, its side makes a bear to maneuver around in a crowded shop. Note: I had to take off the top rails to get it from the outside to inside my shop. It took about 4 hours from disassembly to reassembly. If I had a helper, I probably could have done the job in just over an hour or so.

    Finally, the CNC stand I bought from Fineline has turned out to be a treat to assemble. The some of the holes in the steel joining plates did not line up with the threaded holes in the legs. The problem with the misalignment was not in the joining plates. When the plates were stacked, the holes all lined up and were probably punched. The problem was with the threaded holes. Some were off by 1/8" or so. Also, some of the holes were threaded at an angle. Several were at least 15 degrees off - probably more. Obviously, whoever did the work didn't bother to use any guides. No quality control whatsoever. Another disappointment, especially given the cost. Anyway, I have a very aggressive carbide burr that made short work of enlarging the holes on only the offending edges (versus drilling out the holes, leaving a larger than necessary hole).

    More to follow ---- with pictures.

    Gary




  19. #19
    Member PLJack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    251
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Sound like progress. Keep on keeping on.
    Looking forward to the pictures.

    Jack.

    Jack
    Ponder Labs (https://tinyurl.com/y96aky5x)


  20. #20
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    841
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

    Thanks, Jack. Could it be that your gantry issue was actually a frame issue? Following your build, it never occurred to me that the easiest diagnostic would be put a straight edge all the way across the width of the machine on top of the aluminum gantry mount. That allows you to know whether it's frame or gantry. When I saw your issue reappear in mine, it hit me that it might not be the gantry at all.

    Did you consider shimming between the bearing blocks and the aluminum gantry mount, instead of shimming between the plate and gantry. I ask, because it might be easier to square the gantry, if you didn't have all that shim stock trying to slide while you're making adjustments. You didn't mention it, so I thought it worth asking. At this point, I'm pretty unhappy with how the machine was constructed. It certainly doesn't live up to its advertising. At this point I am reluctant to push forward much further with the build. I need to photo document my observations and get in touch with Nate. I like the Saturn 2 concept, but I want a machine that's built right. Others here are more than satisfied with the construction of their machines, and enthusiastically tell purchasers that they are gonna love them. Others aren't talking about poor build quality. Either folks are not talking about poor build quality, or poor build quality has just started happening and Nate is keeping closed lipped about it. Whatever is going on, I didn't get the machine I paid for.

    Oh, and did I mention that I ordered P&F sensors, and they didn't come with the machine? I asked Nate about the sensors, when I got the tracking info on the CNC. First request by email on 10/23. Second request sent on 10/27. Still awaiting a reply, although I have my answer. I don't have the sensor, though. (Yes, I'm pretty ticked off).

    Gary




Page 1 of 8 1234 ... LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


About CNCzone.com

    We are the largest and most active discussion forum for manufacturing industry. The site is 100% free to join and use, so join today!

Follow us on


Our Brands

Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine

Saturn 2 4x4 - Building 2nd Machine