. .
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
  1. #11
    OOoooooo is that the ballscrew connected to a lovejoy coupler (and therefore directly to a stepper) with no AC bearings I see before me??!!
    Neil...

    Build log...here

  2. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by njhussey View Post
    OOoooooo is that the ballscrew connected to a lovejoy coupler (and therefore directly to a stepper) with no AC bearings I see before me??!!
    We have Winner.. (shared with Washout)
    There actually is Fixed bearing at other end but still it's not good design and shouldn't be like that on machine costing that much money. These machines use smoke and mirrors and people need to start looking deeper to see the real truth.!

  3. #13
    haha love it.

    So come on then Jazz...point me in a good direction?

    Ive been having a look through some of the build logs. I like the look of this one http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/6988-routercnc_MK3

    I feel I have a few long days of looking through build logs and the forums to get some sort of idea of parts that I want to look at. Happy days!!

  4. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by SweetAs View Post
    haha love it.

    So come on then Jazz...point me in a good direction?

    Ive been having a look through some of the build logs. I like the look of this one http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/6988-routercnc_MK3

    I feel I have a few long days of looking through build logs and the forums to get some sort of idea of parts that I want to look at. Happy days!!
    That's my machine. Glad you like it and for its size it will happily cut wood no problem although you will need 1610 screws not the 1605 ones I fitted (to get the feedrate up)
    But if you want to go bigger (1200 or 2400mm that you mentioned ) this would need some work. The gantry is only 80x80 heavy gauge profile and would need to be bigger or multiple profiles or steel box if double the width.
    I would also recommend the raised X style machine which many others have built as this removes the gantry drop down sides. Much stiffer and not much extra work to build. Keep the ends open to feed in the sheets.
    Also at this size you should look at the pros and cons of rack and pinion on the longest axes instead of ball screws, especially at 2400mm
    Building a CNC machine to make a better one since 2010 . . .
    MK1 (1st photo), MK2, MK3, MK4

  5. #15
    No probs, like I said it does look good

    Cheers for the info regarding the screws. What sort of feed rate and depth do you use for timber at the moment? Im thinking along the lines of Birch Plywood...

    In terms of beefing up the gantry, would 100 x 100mm suffice do you think or would I be better seeing if I could get a box steel frame welded together

    Forgive the ignorance, what do you mean raised x style machine?

  6. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by SweetAs View Post
    So come on then Jazz...point me in a good direction?
    I already did by telling you to look around the forum and have patience, do the research it pays off big time in the end. I don't do favorites so not recommending anyone over another but there are many on here that more than good enough to do what you need. All those that finish and endup with working machine are winners IMO.

    I will give advise on design etc. The best design will depend on your needs really. Some are better suited than others if working large sheets.

    Like been mentioned the high sided frame with Gantry sat directly on the rails is very strong design, one I've developed and used many times. Down sides are it does limit access to the front or rear which isn't always ideal for sheet work.
    However Combine this with strong gantry design like the "L" shape Gantry design made from HD profile and you'll have machine that will handle most materials upto steel. ( Edit: Don't mean will cut steel but upto ie Aluminium,brass etc.)

    If you want more access to the bed then a more conventional machine with raised gantry will suit better. Again if built correctly it will more than do what you need.

    Both these larger machines below are built from same materials (steel, profile) and do the same job of cutting woods, plastics etc. Both are strong strudy designs and Only reason the designs are different is because each had different needs. One needed flexiblty of cutting deep materials so uses an adjustable height bed, the other is mostly for panel work etc where access is more important.

    The other smaller machines will equally cut thru woods like butter but are built to work in confined space so need good access to bed while at same time not having parts hanging off sides etc so are designed such to hide parts away and save space.

    Then we have ultimate in space saving when we go vertical.!! . . . . Yes vertical machine gives lots of advantages and something to seriously consider if space is premium, or not.!
    I'm actually building an 8x4 vertical machine for sign maker at the moment that when done will look like the Cad model shown. At same time also building the other Cad model with 4th axis on side. Again both use Steel and HD Profile.

    Any of these designs will more than do what you need. And don't let any dodgy looking Bloke from spain tell you it needs to built like brick shit house and weigh the same has tank it doesn't.!

    Hope these help give some idea of design which will suit your needs and abilty's.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	4.jpg 
Views:	240 
Size:	362.9 KB 
ID:	20996   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	9.jpg 
Views:	223 
Size:	608.1 KB 
ID:	20997   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	End.png 
Views:	221 
Size:	254.7 KB 
ID:	20998   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	front.png 
Views:	222 
Size:	708.9 KB 
ID:	20999   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMAG0730.jpg 
Views:	227 
Size:	320.9 KB 
ID:	21000   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMAG0922.jpg 
Views:	237 
Size:	290.7 KB 
ID:	21001   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMAG1088.jpg 
Views:	240 
Size:	371.7 KB 
ID:	21002   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMAG1089.jpg 
Views:	233 
Size:	337.6 KB 
ID:	21003   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	pic1.png 
Views:	206 
Size:	343.2 KB 
ID:	21004   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	pic5.jpg 
Views:	225 
Size:	335.1 KB 
ID:	21005  

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	rear2.png 
Views:	193 
Size:	508.6 KB 
ID:	21006  
    Last edited by JAZZCNC; 07-03-2017 at 10:43 PM.

  7. #17
    In a production machine obviously you are paying for the development time and hope that that time was well spent.

    If you make your own the key is as said already in the electronics and later on software to drive it, when I built mine I experimented with the mechanics of the thing. First off I built a very cheap mechanical prototype and gradually improved it but good electronics is the key.

    I got lucky in many ways, I built my electronics BOB and drivers from kits supplied by Luc Degrande a very cost effective (if not easy) way of doing it and they have proven to be very reliable (touch wood) over what must now be several thousand hours of often 2 hour long runs.

    Like many things the more you read the forums the more confusing it can be and in the case of CNC people get quite snobbish about design.

    For example mine still uses plywood as a main ingredient but the use of linear rails and bearings has negated that to some extent.

    Good Luck


    Dave
    Last edited by davo453; 08-03-2017 at 04:28 PM.

  8. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by SweetAs View Post
    No probs, like I said it does look good

    Cheers for the info regarding the screws. What sort of feed rate and depth do you use for timber at the moment? Im thinking along the lines of Birch Plywood...

    In terms of beefing up the gantry, would 100 x 100mm suffice do you think or would I be better seeing if I could get a box steel frame welded together

    Forgive the ignorance, what do you mean raised x style machine?
    I haven't cut timber for a long time now - been cutting aluminium parts for 6-12 months, but from memory cutting depth probably ~3 - 6 mm and feed rates ~1000 - 1200 mm/min (limited by 1605 ballscrews and analogue drivers). This is a bit slow for wood but worked OK and I was only doing bits and pieces / small one offs.

    I don't want to prescribe a specific gantry size until you have sketched something and have decided on gantry span, but 80x80 aluminium single profile is too small for 1200/2400mm wide, and 100x100 profile is also a bit on the small side in my view.

    Raised X axis means that the longest X axis rail is supported up at gantry level by structural members which are part of the bed. It can therefore be made very rigid. The gantry is then a simple beam which rides on this. Couple of examples:
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	router.jpg 
Views:	294 
Size:	162.6 KB 
ID:	21015 (Clive)

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	image1001.jpg 
Views:	284 
Size:	183.8 KB 
ID:	21013 (Toomast)

    Opposite of this is where the X axis is level with the bed and the gantry then has to be supported by drop down sides. Although these drop down cantilevers introduce some loss of stiffness, they can still be plenty stiff enough and allow 'all round' access to the bed for big sheets. Good examples posted by Jazz/Dean:
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMAG1088.jpg 
Views:	280 
Size:	371.7 KB 
ID:	21011

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMAG0923.jpg 
Views:	270 
Size:	264.1 KB 
ID:	21016
    Last edited by routercnc; 08-03-2017 at 09:08 PM.
    Building a CNC machine to make a better one since 2010 . . .
    MK1 (1st photo), MK2, MK3, MK4

  9. #19
    The raised sides machines have many benefits for the DIYer. Stronger, easier to level and build. Plus if you fit there thin sheet it will keep the dust more or less in bed. Cause a dust shoe in a sheet scenario works well, not so when cutting deep shapes, 3d jobs, stuff raised on vacuum table or fixture and so on.
    Last edited by Boyan Silyavski; 09-03-2017 at 09:56 AM.
    project 1 , 2, Dust Shoe ...

  10. #20
    Thanks to all for the info. Apologies for the late reply but it didn't pop up in my email and we have been mega busy this week.

    Jazz - Thanks for the info and the reply. The vertical machines sound interesting. I've not heard of them before so I will have a look around.

    Davo - Agreed, the more I read the more questions it raises and I know what you mean about the snobbish crap but it's all good. I'm big enough to read between the lines 😃

    Router - Cheers for pics and explaining the X-Raised gantry. I think we will pretty much looking at 4x4 for the time being. I'm not too fussed about the raised sides, my supplier will chop the 8 x 4 sheets down to 4 x 4 for no cost before delivery anyway so it's not a big issue. I don't do a huge amount of work with steel but I do know a couple of welders and a blacksmith so chances are I could get a good deal on getting a frame welded together!

    Boyan - Point taken. I think some sort of surround would be a good idea. Especially if I end up doing a bit with ally sheet.

    So just out of interest, I've been quoted a feed speed on 6000mm on Birch Plywood with a depth of at least 6mm on one of those machines. Do we reckon I will be able to match that or get close?

    Thanks again for the input guys...its a big help!!

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 4
    Last Post: 16-05-2016, 09:13 AM
  2. BUILD LOG: my router build - advice needed
    By thomashomer1986 in forum DIY Router Build Logs
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 02-12-2013, 11:45 PM
  3. Looking to buy a ~4'x4' CNC router, advice welcomed
    By Franco in forum Marketplace Discussion
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-06-2013, 10:05 PM
  4. Help / Advice is this cnc router worth £666 plus £100 for postage
    By dannyj2009 in forum Marketplace Discussion
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 10-04-2013, 01:29 PM
  5. Advice on which cnc router
    By Xenophya in forum Milling Machines, Builds & Conversions
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 08-10-2012, 11:25 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

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