That looks like a nice little machine, but I'm needing something that can handle metre long lumps of beech.
Current situation depending, I'm hoping to spend a few days further south in the next couple months, so if it happens, I'll give you a shout.
Printable View
If it's long, narrow bits of beech you have in mind, like guitar necks for example, then taking that entire fixed gantry and putting it on rails might let you build a machine with a very stiff Z axis, though you might need control software that can do auto-squaring on two axes at once.
Kit, that is next on the list. The design as been in the works for over a year but I keep scrapping it and starting again as I just can't make it work as I would like, but i think I've got it sussed now.:thumsup:
Edit: Oh and doesn't need dual-axis motor slaving as the screws are connected with belts and use just one motor.
Great minds eh? I realised about the belt drive about an hour after I wrote that. You can see the single motor in the pictures. I assume the long axis would be done the same.
For long thin work that's going to be a very solid design and with the option of a fourth axis up the middle would be the bees knees for fancy furniture legs and a myriad of similar stuff. With the right gantry design you might be able to achieve an unusually high Z axis lift without seriously sacrificing rigidity which would help with that kind of work.
Attachment 29045
Well a tear down for a creaking noise is proving interesting.
It's not the best camera angle, but has that snapped, or have they shortened it with a hammer and chisel then buffed it grinder?
Attachment 29047
You can see it better here
I've seen a Chinese-built router where a lot of holes looked as if they had been drilled freehand, and the target for a proximity switch was a broken tap. Did have a locknut on it, though! And by the standards of these things, that was a fairly good router that's been doing a good job for a few years now. If that's what you find on a machine a step or two up, you realise that a few corners get cut to bring the price down. Cheaper to re-drill a stepper motor flange than scrap the badly drilled bit it bolts to?
Another thing I see lurking in the back ground is where it mounts looks like there is no hole for the flange so it's sitting directly on the un-machined surface of the boss..!!:dejection: