Project Beaver

[MikeyC38]

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So more or less finished massive thanks to Dean for all his help and the Forum for all the information – pictures of anything being great – when your studying the detail.

Some changes to the original design being the 50 x 50 x 200mm ball screw housings because of the
problem of getting at screws on the original RM2020 Housings.

Just drilled and fixed the mdf bed down and surfaced it – its a learning curve, you have to move at
fast speeds and feeds to prevent burning (1500mm/min and 24000 rpm)

Guard for the end belt and cover for the Z axis to fitted, plus a dust shoe to be made or purchased.
Extraction system to be fitted and probably a vacuum plate.

Now to get to grips with Mach3 and do some CAD drawings.
I have a queue of neighbours and friends wanting house signs – I'd rather eat worms than do them, but SHMBO will make me.

Congratulations on completing the build and doing your surfacing. Dean is right about the feed and speeds. I surfaced mine at 15000 rpm and 3000 mm/min at 0.7mm doc and it was fine using 1.25 inch dia bottom clearing bit. Love the cabinets and the neatness of everything!

[OMLCNC]

Congratulations on completing the build and doing your surfacing. Dean is right about the feed and speeds. I surfaced mine at 15000 rpm and 3000 mm/min at 0.7mm doc and it was fine using 1.25 inch dia bottom clearing bit. Love the cabinets and the neatness of everything!

Thanks, its not that neat when you study it closely (and compared to others on the forum) but should do the jobs I want. If I turned the camera around you would see the normal total devastation in the workshop, I'm too busy making stuff to tidy up and I'm sure its a medical condition.

Like you and Dean say, I will try more feed next time. Being a novice it took me a while to realise that you could vary the speed and feed while running the programme in Mach3. The doc (depth of cut?) was 3mm max.

[Davek0974]

I'm sure its a medical condition.

Nah, it's pretty normal ;)

[Nickhofen]

I read the whole thread at once, grate build and nice machine!!!
Have you make sawdust, or experiment with aluminum cut yet?

[OMLCNC]

I read the whole thread at once, grate build and nice machine!!!
Have you make sawdust, or experiment with aluminum cut yet?

Thanks Nickhofen, yes I have, but been very busy with other things so not had much time on the CNC. I made the dust cover for the machine Z axis in aluminium sheet on the machine but it did not cut great but scored well for folding. I think I should have scored it all out and then cut it with air shears as you get a cleaner cut on thin sheet.
I have also made cam clamps, jigs and fixtures for the machine and first paid commission job was the meat board with wooden spikes in English Walnut. I think it would have been very difficult to do the spikes conventionally with a router.
I've also done some dovetails which is what I built the machine for and will post some pictures when finished.

[Nr1madman]

I like the cutting board :) truly nice machine aswell!!

[Nickhofen]

Nice cutting boards!!!
I read and search in the forum to gather info for building my cnc that is why I ask.
Thanks for the reply. It looks like you nail the purpose you build the machine for, happy cncing!!!

[MikeyC38]

Thanks Nickhofen, yes I have, but been very busy with other things so not had much time on the CNC. I made the dust cover for the machine Z axis in aluminium sheet on the machine but it did not cut great but scored well for folding. I think I should have scored it all out and then cut it with air shears as you get a cleaner cut on thin sheet.
I have also made cam clamps, jigs and fixtures for the machine and first paid commission job was the meat board with wooden spikes in English Walnut. I think it would have been very difficult to do the spikes conventionally with a router.
I've also done some dovetails which is what I built the machine for and will post some pictures when finished.

I like the idea of the dust cover on the Z axis. Dust gets everywhere especially cutting wood. I've made a dusthood for mine which connects to my Cyclone filter - see here post #56 and it helps. What type of endmill, feeds and rpm did you use on the Walnut?

Thanks
Mike

[OMLCNC]

I like the idea of the dust cover on the Z axis. Dust gets everywhere especially cutting wood. I've made a dusthood for mine which connects to my Cyclone filter - see here post #56 and it helps. What type of endmill, feeds and rpm did you use on the Walnut?

Thanks
Mike

Dust Cover is a copy of Dean's, there's a picture of it somewhere on the forum. I did add a flat piece of sheet on the bottom of the Z axis to try and stop chips and dust going up inside as well.

The Walnut I used 3 router bits, 18mm end mill for surfacing and cutting the hand hold pockets and profiling the edge of the board (12000rpm 60mm/sec), a 19mm ball nose bit for the well, spot and gutters (12000rpm 40mmm/min), a 12mm v 90 degree bit for the spikes. (16000rpm 40mm/sec).
I'm still experimenting and getting lots of things wrong (you can see were I forgot to check the tool hight and it dived into the board near the well - I did a repair - and lots of swearing)
You need lots of scrap material - I have made about 8 of these boards before I got one acceptable. They take about 45 minutes start to finish with tool changing and 5 minutes of sanding to clean up.

I have made a couple of dust shoes and seen your cyclone set up (I have read your entire build).
I have a double bag dust extraction system 125mm dia pipe. The latest dust shoe is made out of a piece of drain pipe and works well even if it looks a dodge. I will take a picture for you to laugh at some time. I tend only to use it when I'm happy with the program, so I can see when the tool has broken or dived into the job!

[OMLCNC]

Dodge dust shoe to laugh at.

Question - I am thinking of adding 4th axis to make twisted lamps. Could be 200mm diameter and 1500mm long in the future. (Standard Lamp)

I am assuming you just buy another motor controler am882 (tyre lever into cabinet) and a 4th axis such as http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NO-VAT-CNC...IAAOSwCXxZp8JT?

Wire it all up, then set Mach 3 up and away you go?

Any thoughts appreciated.