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18-10-2011 #1
Best thing to do is wait for the 5th of november then BURN IT.:heehee:
The only place in CNC for MDF is to be used as spoil board.!! Even then I'm reluctant.
Seriously now you'll be far better of using Ali or steel the result will be machine massively more ridged and accurate and wont shape shift in front of your eyes every time you show it a cup of steamy coffee.!
Personally I'd go with steel due to it being far cheaper than profile. . . Don't have to be a welder and With just a few key tools like drill press etc it's very possible to build an accurate and repeatable machine. . . Welding will help speed the job up but Not required.
What sort of size cutting area and what material do you mainly want to cut.?
Edit: Opp's scrap that bit didn't see the 4x2 bit.
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18-10-2011 #2
I agree entirely. Perhaps keep the MDF as sacrificial piece.
The frame for my machine is the first thing I had welded (done some brazing before but that's about it)... it's not fallen apart so all is good! Aluminium is a good choice for the gantry due to the lower density.
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18-10-2011 #3
Thanks for the response so far.
Over the last few years i've done loads of research into mdf based machines...it was only 18 months ago that I finally had space to build one after collecting electronics etc over a period of years.
So i've had a learning curve already - ultimately I can see that mdf is going to limit me (as well as annoy).
Right now, after having a quick look into material costs a bit more closely, I don't think I can go for a new full ally profile build as I simply don't have the funds. From a quick glance - ally box & steel box don't actually seem to work out that much cheaper.
My current thinking now is to start upgrading my existing machine into more of a hybrid - then keep upgrading as & when I can.
The biggest problem I have at the moment is the main table/base - it just isn't up to the job. So i'm thinking about making some sort of metal frame for the table - then attaching the rest of my current setup to that.
Tool wise I have most hand held power tools (inc angle grinder & jigsaw) with a circular saw mounted as a table saw & also a router table....no pillar drill. I plan on getting a better table saw & also a chop saw at some stage soonish as well.
I have very little experience working with steel...i've done much more with aluminium & would be more confident working with it as a result.
As welding isn't an option - how would you suggest creating an accurate solid frame out of box stock?
I have a metal supplier near me that could in theory cut pieces to length for me - but how best to join them?
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18-10-2011 #4
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18-10-2011 #5
You'd be surprised. I know when I priced a project earlier this year, there wasn't that much difference in price for the box section that I needed. It was all the brackets that bumped the price up. I still went for the alloy though, as it was lighter with less flex which suited the application, and the company cut it all to length so all I had to do was bolt it together, which saved me a lot of time.
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18-10-2011 #6
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18-10-2011 #7
Equipment = hacksaw (takes a while but it works), or get the supplier to cut it. The place I got mine from cut it without charging, and also gave me a load of free bits :). I worked it out so that each piece would fit in the car, then did the rest of the cutting myself to make sure it was accurate. If I recall correctly the 60x60x3 steel box section I got was £25 for 7.5m.
Sell the spare on eBay, it goes for lots there!
Then get one ... you're not going to get very far in life without a pillar drill. Well... I wouldn't! Surely you would need both for aluminium or steel.
Also to get the same strength in Ali you'd need more than 3mm thick...so comparing like with like would make the difference in price even greater. Also I think Tom was comparing aluminium profile to steel box, and profile is a lot more expensive than box (though also significantly stronger for the same outside dimensions).
Two weeks ago... does this mean you've started the next machine?
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