[jnnewton]

So I started building a router a couple of days ago, so far:
1. I have a welded steel frame, fairly flat and straight for the size
2. I have a semi-constructed carriage

Problem: I don't know how to align everything. i have everything clamped together right now (as you can see by the clamps hanging off), aside from the sides, which are bolted to the bearing blocks, and one rail that is screwed 2x to the frame. Ideas on how to get everything squared up? pictures attached (probably bad quality, camera phone)

[jnnewton]

Oh, and I want to be able to get down to around 150-200rpm for face milling aluminum / steel, but i am not sure how to do this on the cheap, I am not extremely interested in the 10krpm spindles for wood (or i would just use a router) but still want to do it on the cheap (100-150 bucks for the spindle / motor, kind of like what a router would cost)

[arizonavideo]

Oh, and I want to be able to get down to around 150-200rpm for face milling aluminum / steel, but i am not sure how to do this on the cheap, I am not extremely interested in the 10krpm spindles for wood (or i would just use a router) but still want to do it on the cheap (100-150 bucks for the spindle / motor, kind of like what a router would cost)

I take it you have not face milled with a 3" cutter in AL before?

Your machine looks fairly strong for a router table but swinging large tools may prove to be a problem.



Many have used a X2 spindle with good performance.

[jnnewton]

I have a single indexable insert face milling tool, a older style, I run it at 150 on my mill, I take it you have not used the same style tool, and the speed seems off? No matter, I would like an r8 spindle as I have collets/ tooling for this size. As for the stiffness, I am only part way there, but need to get this thing squared up. Any links to a procedure of some sort?

[EBC]

where did you get the sides for the gantry?

[jnnewton]

I scavanged them from an old machine (robotic assembly machine), it was one plate (1/2"), then painfully cut with a recip, bolted them together and finished on the manual mill. the bottoms and back are perfectly square, but the height / front edges are not perfect by anyone's standard.

[jsheerin]

Try this for a head:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showth...ead#post693759

You can buy the complete head with motor and speed control from Little Machine shop for around $300 I think.

For squaring, one way would be to go with a machinist's level and machinists square. Square the frame and then level all the pieces in both planes. It's a pain in the rear, but it works. Although with your rails on the outside of your frame, that will be a little tougher... If your frame is level across the top in both planes, the sides are at the same angle to the top on both sides and the frame is the same width along its entire length, you could just measure down from the top of the frame to locate your rails. You can get cheap machinist's levels from Grizzly and similar places, or bigger more expensive ones from companies like Starret for significantly more money. I think I bought my squares from MSC and they were Spi's on sale for reasonable prices. Basically the same deal there - the bigger and more accurate the square, the more it costs.

[jnnewton]

Try this for a head:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showth...ead#post693759

You can buy the complete head with motor and speed control from Little Machine shop for around $300 I think.

Sold!!!

For squaring, one way would be to go with a machinist's level and machinists square. Square the frame and then level all the pieces in both planes. It's a pain in the rear, but it works. Although with your rails on the outside of your frame, that will be a little tougher... If your frame is level across the top in both planes, the sides are at the same angle to the top on both sides and the frame is the same width along its entire length, you could just measure down from the top of the frame to locate your rails. You can get cheap machinist's levels from Grizzly and similar places, or bigger more expensive ones from companies like Starret for significantly more money. I think I bought my squares from MSC and they were Spi's on sale for reasonable prices. Basically the same deal there - the bigger and more accurate the square, the more it costs.

I have a machinists level, and I believe the top of the table is fairly flat, but it's just the frame, I was hoping to do some shimming for the rails, however, they are very far apart, so although leveling across the table is unnecessary, parallelism is of extreme importance for lowering friction and flex in the machine. I feel as though I could make each side of the frame extremely flat, and check / shim one rail to it, but that doesn't mean the two sides are parallel, or even at right angles to the top. not that they need to be, but twist and parallelism could be a problem that could be measured if i was able to prove the top was square...aha, that's what the squares are for!...ok, off to get some machinist squares. And I see you even mentioned that.

[jsheerin]

The other thing you could do is once you get the rails parallel to each other in the vertical plane (so they're both parallel to the top of the frame for example), then you could mount the linear bearings on one side and some type of roller bearing on the other side of the gantry to ride on top of the rail. Then mount a dial test indicator and run the gantry along to see if the rails are parallel in the horizontal plane. Or you could just mount the bearings and see if you have binding, but the dti would tell you were the binding if you had some.

[Phife]

I used a combination of a machinist level, machinist square and a regular tape measure.

Like everyone else said, make sure everything is level and fairly square.

Then use the tape measure to measure the distance from one corner to the opposite side corner (diagonally) and the repeat with the other corner to corner. They should equal each other, if they dont then its not square.

I use a large pipe clamp to pull on the longer side until the 2 diagonal measurements were equal.

Hope that made sense..

[jnnewton]

I used a combination of a machinist level, machinist square and a regular tape measure.

Like everyone else said, make sure everything is level and fairly square.

Then use the tape measure to measure the distance from one corner to the opposite side corner (diagonally) and the repeat with the other corner to corner. They should equal each other, if they dont then its not square.

I use a large pipe clamp to pull on the longer side until the 2 diagonal measurements were equal.

Hope that made sense..

All of it except the pipe clamp part, as this thing is welded, there is no way a pipe clamp is going to move it, bend it, or otherwise squeeze it. How Equal are we talking here, within 1/8? 1/16?...

It does seem that i am going to have to weld another cross member, as the x-axis tubes seem to be slightly bowed inward toward the middles.

Alright, i have ordered the spindle housing assembly and the belt conversion from a mini-mill. Off to make it all square and flat.

[Phife]

I have mine nearly exactly the same. I'd say there is no more than 1/32 difference in the cross measurements anywhere on my frame.

If yours is off by more than 1/8 I'd try to look into ways to improve it.

[gd.marsh]

You might be surprised how much you can still move that frame around even though it's welded. I'm not the expert, but I've done plenty of welding and with enough persuasion that thing can be tweaked all over the place. Do your best to make the sides of your frame parallel by adding cross braces. (you need them to keep the wood deck from sagging anyway) Then shim the linear rails to exact width as you bolt them on. Don't trust a tape measure for that .. make a gauge that lays across the frame and just fits over the outside of the rails at the widest point .. work your way down the length of the rails shimming the narrow points then go back to check again after finishing, you'll feel where the gauge slips over just right and where it's too loose/tight .. re-shim where necessary. As for vertical alignment of the rails, level the frame carefully with a machinist level before attaching the rails .. just be sure to keep checking the rails for level also as you go and you should be fine. Surface the spoil board after it's running and you got it!

Gary

[hemsworthlad]

Gary is spot on right your frame will bend and flex more than you think.

If you look at my build post 3 you can see that i used threaded rod to tweak the frame to help with squaring.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showth...t=92404&page=3

It is a slow frustrating job aligning every thing but it's worth the time and trouble.
I used a combination of levels, squares, tapes and laser plus a gazillion hours and gallons of beer. . . . . Erm maybe the beer didnt help. .:cheers:

I made a simple trammel bar that spanned the rails to accurately align them parallel, It consisted of a length of 3/8 steel round bar and 2 pieces turned on lathe that slide along and fit into the mounting holes this made sure they were exactly parallel, then just bolted the rails down in the next hole and worked my way up the rails. Although your rails are mounted differant a similar setup would work and very accurate and easy.

Good luck.!!