[Grunblau]

Simply amazing work - thanks for sharing gets me pumped up to work on my #2 machine!

How's the racking - are you seeing any?

I really dig the rotating nut idea - my latest is 60" long and that's going to really work for me I think (I was getting a lot of whipping with the 1/2 acme rod) - are there any disadvantages to that idea?

I would imagine that the major disadvantage would be the cost of the assembly. Two aluminum timing pulleys, belt, bearing with set screws in the collar, and a brass nut from Roton. You can fix the ends however you want, I chose to use two more nuts so that I could tension the leadscrew..

Not seeing a lot of racking, I intend to use a "mayline" approach to eliminating all racking. Like a drafting ruler.

[idtkid]

That is an amazing first mdf build, that machine looks solid! Great job!

[gavztheouch]

Awsome machine and I love the renders too, such a nice project overall. If you ever decided to release the plans to the public, please let me know as I would love to have a go at building one of these.

Cheers
Gav

[vondoom88]

Great job! I would like to see a video of it cutting some MDF when you get a chance.

[Grunblau]

I decided to use the machine to make itself better... Here are a couple quick shots to show my process...

After actually using the machine for awhile I realized that there was no reason the weight couldn't be moved closer to the center of the bearings. I also wanted to double up the thickness of the MDF sides but I didn't want the extra thickness on the profile.. so I tapered it from 3/4" at the ridge to about 1/4" at the sides




Trying to resolve the motor mount a bit more than just slapping on a couple layers...




View of the back...




The two layers cut out...




Glued together...




Another view...




View of the profile...



Now I just need one more...

[FandZ]

For all of us struggling to build our first machine, it's like a cruel and unuasual torture to see someone make cnc parts on a cnc machine. Good job though man!

[eloid]

any video of you making these parts....
also... can we see the electronics .....
love to see what other do for cabinets
and how they got it layed out...

[Grunblau]

any video of you making these parts....
also... can we see the electronics .....
love to see what other do for cabinets
and how they got it layed out...

Check out page one for a couple pics of the controller box.

Here are a couple vids, tho

drilling holes...



3D finishing...



Milling some foam...



Check out the size of the endmill!

[Grunblau]

I knew when I built the machine I wanted to be able to mill 4" foam... the gantry clears by like a 1/16", whew...

Couple pics of the end result in foam...

[ttjarrett]

Hi Grunblau,

Very impressive build! I like the level of design you are putting into your new parts. Moving away from 'square' and putting some smooth lines, edges and joins into your machine is a nice touch.

I am in the process of my first build, and I am in the process of looking into CAM software. What program are you using?

My thread:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71807

Thanks

Toby

[mikie]

Grunblau,

It is threads like yours that make people want to try their hand at making their own machines.

As a first time build, the quality and thought that has gone into this is amazing. I expect you are handy at CAD or just very smart


Well done and I hope you achieve everything you desire from you wonderful machine

/M

[thkoutsidthebox]

Fantastic build, and those look like really nice quality cuts. You owe yourself a big pat on the back. I only wish either of my last tow builds turned out so good. What kind of speed can she get up to?

[Grunblau]

Fantastic build, and those look like really nice quality cuts. You owe yourself a big pat on the back. I only wish either of my last tow builds turned out so good. What kind of speed can she get up to?

Right now I have it set to do 150 IPM rapids. I am happy to wait for a more perfect part, tho. When I was milling the foam my acceleration profile for the steppers was set too low resulting in painfully slow cutting speeds. I am still messing with these settings. I think the motor settings for the MDF was 150 IMP at 20 in/sec/sec.. with a cut speed of 40-60 IMP for the MDF. This was with a dull 1/2" cove router bit.

[Grunblau]

I am in the process of my first build, and I am in the process of looking into CAM software. What program are you using?

I have used Rhino for years so my natural choice was RhinoCam as it is seamlessly integrated into Rhino.

[Grunblau]

I finished the 'drafting ruler' anti racking mod last night. I didn't think I had much racking before but now the gantry is rock solid! I highly recommend this!!!

that is all.

[eloid]

I finished the 'drafting ruler' anti racking mod last night. I didn't think I had much racking before but now the gantry is rock solid! I highly recommend this!!!

that is all.

show us what you mean or take a pic?

[FandZ]

show us what you mean or take a pic?

I know the mod and what you mean but a picture is worth a thousand words

[Grunblau]

show us what you mean or take a pic?

Here are some quick pics..

Normally the eye bolt is turned 90 degrees so there is no conflict with the gantry. I am a little bit depressed that there was no black coated 1/16" cable at Home Depot... I guess I can live with green. Wheels are part # 3434T23 from Mcmaster.





This is the basic diagram...

||
X
||

with eye bolts at the fixed ends to allow for tensioning.

[svenakela]

Very nice build, I'm amazed how good it looks even though it's pure MDF. Thumbs up!

Out of curiosity, why so long table? I get a feeling there's something special you want to cut...

[Grunblau]

Very nice build, I'm amazed how good it looks even though it's pure MDF. Thumbs up!

Out of curiosity, why so long table? I get a feeling there's something special you want to cut...

Thanks!

I guess my thought process was...

4'x8' cutting area is ideal as this is how big most all stock is in the US.

In furniture and architecture being able to edit material relative to the dimensions of the body is important.

~6'- height of the body
~3'- height of the waist
~18"- bend of the leg etc...

This gives a basic starting point for considering bed size.

For example, a profile for a lounge chair might need to support all 6'. Another chair might have a side profile that has a 18" tall front leg, 20" wide seat and a 24" tall back. Combined, to cut a seamless side profile, the cutting area needs to be at least 20" X 42" assuming everything is 90 degrees....

So given this, it looks like a 6' x 3' cutting area would be fine... but as I mentioned before, all stock is 4'X8', so anything less than these dimensions, I would have to modify the stock to fit on the table.

If I have to modify the stock, there are a few sizes that make sense. If I was okay with making two cuts, 2' x 4' would be the ideal size (notice the size of my MDF stock). For long pieces, one cut would yield (2) 2'X8' or maybe a 1'x8' and a 3'x8'. Bedsize 3'X8'

I am also interested in milling some hardwoods that usually come in 8'+ sticks
And maybe some pure white corian that is 30" wide.

So when I started laying out my basic sheets for Home Depot's panel saw, I knew I only really needed a 36" wide cutting area because to have bigger would just mean more racking potential in the gantry...so I had them rip three sheets at 6" for the side beams leaving me with a 43"X98.5" table top (3/4" MDF is 49"x97") two legs and the cross beams. Another sheet was ripped at 4" giving me 45" wide stock to span the gantry.

With a gantry that is 45" between the uprights and a Z axis that is 8" wide the cutting area is 37" X 89" Works for me!