AndyUK's Build - 1.2x1.0m Gantry

[fer662]

Hi fer662,

Thanks :) Although my table is welded, and won't be coming apart without a grinder! The bolts were used to position everything for my first time welding, and are mostly aesthetic now. If I did need to separate the frame I'd need to repeat the epoxy levelling - its something I've mulled over, as we're considering building an extension which might trap the CNC in the workshop for good...

Happy to send over any pictures of the model you'd fancy and provide dimensions, but the CAD is such a sprawling mess its a nightmare to get everything together to share. I'm also not sure of the benefits - if you're serious about building, designing the CAD model yourself is very helpful in organizing your thoughts, and helps your understanding how it all fits together, and it needs to be specific to your components. There are also a number of improvements I'd make now I've gone through the process, so if you start a build log you'll get a lot of suggestions from all directions.

Oh, for sure I would be making my own CAD, but since your design is pretty similar to what i had in mind i'm bound to stumble upon the same problems and decisions and thought having a tried and tested design would help me resolve those at some point. The most significant difference is I don't have access to a mill... I do have my current tabletop CNC that i intend to use to machine the aluminum flatbar into whatever plates I need, and I also have a hobby lathe (not the crappiest kind, I think its the same as the Warco you might be more familiar with in the UK).

Oh, so you essentially welded the sides, then assembled the table with screws and taps, and then welded it together? was it mostly to prevent it from moving?
What about the legs, did you solder anything below the open 80x80 tubes? I cannot bolt the table down to the floor because i have floor hitting and i'm sure i'll be unlucky enough to hit a hose with the drill. Probably won't be necessary as the table will weight a shit ton.

Sorry my reply is a mess! Yes, i'd appreciate any pictures you could send about how all the frame is attached.

Attaching a pic of my baby. I started this years when I didn't even have a workshop, let alone a proper one. It literally spent some time in the coffee table in the living room until i stole the laundry room from the wife. Now that i do and i've had time to see the flaws it's time for an upgrade. I already have all the hiwin style rails and longer screws. I'll be reusing only the longest axis rails that are now in X for the Y gantry (1m). I've already redone the control box and electronics and added the extra driver for dual X screws.

[AndyUK]

Ok sounds good - let me see what I can do about the CAD model to help you out.

Oh, so you essentially welded the sides, then assembled the table with screws and taps, and then welded it together? was it mostly to prevent it from moving?
What about the legs, did you solder anything below the open 80x80 tubes? I cannot bolt the table down to the floor because i have floor hitting and i'm sure i'll be unlucky enough to hit a hose with the drill. Probably won't be necessary as the table will weight a shit ton.

Looking back over the photos in my thread, I can see why you thought it was just bolted. As it was my first time welding, I wasn't at all happy with how the process was going - I thought the welds were coming out pretty ugly and I had a number of "retries" grinding out bits that felt crappy and weak and doing them over again. As a result, I just didn't take many photos of the build during this stage, I was quite disheartened with it. It wasn't until I had something I was happy with (after lots of grinding, welding, regrinding, smoothing with some filler, sanding, then finally painting that I started taking photos of the frame again.

Lets start back here - October 2018, all the frame steels (bar one!) were cleaned up, tapped, bolted together into an assembly I was happy with.



I then turned the frame over, and started welding the caps on the bottom of the square tubing for the feet. I'd drilled and tapped these prior - but in hindsight I'd have welded a nut on the inside first to give more thickness to the thread. It was at this point I set my crotch on fire. ;)



By the end of the day I was quite happy with how it was sitting on its new feet. I'd also started preparing the steels for the adjustable height bed.



Then I started to tack weld the joints together all the way around, being sure to do one tack, then move around the machine to try and reduce distortion. Once that was done, I came back to each one in turn and gave it a full bead. Rinse and repeat.

I was so unhappy with it I literally don't have a picture of the frame until it was painted.... and even then I wasn't happy with the brush marks in the first coat, so that took a while to sort out!

[fer662]

Ok sounds good - let me see what I can do about the CAD model to help you out.



Looking back over the photos in my thread, I can see why you thought it was just bolted. As it was my first time welding, I wasn't at all happy with how the process was going - I thought the welds were coming out pretty ugly and I had a number of "retries" grinding out bits that felt crappy and weak and doing them over again. As a result, I just didn't take many photos of the build during this stage, I was quite disheartened with it. It wasn't until I had something I was happy with (after lots of grinding, welding, regrinding, smoothing with some filler, sanding, then finally painting that I started taking photos of the frame again.

Lets start back here - October 2018, all the frame steels (bar one!) were cleaned up, tapped, bolted together into an assembly I was happy with.



I then turned the frame over, and started welding the caps on the bottom of the square tubing for the feet. I'd drilled and tapped these prior - but in hindsight I'd have welded a nut on the inside first to give more thickness to the thread. It was at this point I set my crotch on fire. ;)



By the end of the day I was quite happy with how it was sitting on its new feet. I'd also started preparing the steels for the adjustable height bed.



Then I started to tack weld the joints together all the way around, being sure to do one tack, then move around the machine to try and reduce distortion. Once that was done, I came back to each one in turn and gave it a full bead. Rinse and repeat.

I was so unhappy with it I literally don't have a picture of the frame until it was painted.... and even then I wasn't happy with the brush marks in the first coat, so that took a while to sort out!

These are going to be really useful. I appreciated it! I'll post my table on my own thread whenever I have time to start it.