El Beast - Initial design phase, comments and critique welcomed!

**Chaz** · 18-04-2017

Great build. Looking forward to seeing the end results.

What CAD software do you use out of interest?

Also, where did you get the foam from? I'm thinking of doing the same for my garage / setup.

Thanks

**Zeeflyboy** · 18-04-2017

Cheers,

Using Fusion 360, foam was from www.efoam.co.uk and I got the downcut router bits from www.cncroutershop.com

**Chaz** · 18-04-2017

Originally Posted by Zeeflyboy

Cheers,

Using Fusion 360, foam was from www.efoam.co.uk and I got the downcut router bits from www.cncroutershop.com

Many thanks. I assume you use a single flute or similar for the foam? What speeds / feeds please?

Thanks

**Zeeflyboy** · 18-04-2017

I found the best cutters to be single flute down cut (I used cutters by Belin), up cut gives you a crappy top edge. Had good results from 3000mm/min and 18-24,000rpm depending on bit diameter. You must use conventional milling too, climb milling gives an awful edge....

**Chaz** · 18-04-2017

Originally Posted by Zeeflyboy

I found the best cutters to be single flute down cut (I used cutters by Belin), up cut gives you a crappy top edge. Had good results from 3000mm/min and 18-24,000rpm depending on bit diameter. You must use conventional milling too, climb milling gives an awful edge....

Thanks. Which of the foam option did you take? The 'firm' one?
I had found this whilst googling ...

http://www.polyformes.co.uk/azote_fo...densities.html

**Zeeflyboy** · 18-04-2017

LD33, pretty middle of the road in density.

**Zeeflyboy** · 13-05-2017

So been busy with work and doing stuff in the garden, but I have had time to re-do my coolant system... the previous was a bit ramshackle and I only had air cooling as I hadn't got around to re-installing the coolant side. It's now built into the table so I figured it was worth getting sorted before I did any serious machining as it works for both the current machine and the new one.

I'm using a sil-air compressor & tank, two electronic solenoids for air/coolant control, a pool filter for the coolant reservoir (with it's own regulator) and an air gun for free hand chip clearing and clean up.

I run the air at 20psi and the coolant is just pressurised to around 2psi as that's all that's needed to get it flowing out the end of the nozzle. Coolant wise I got some kool mist #77 which I'm looking forward to having a go with.