CNC Router V1.0 (For Cutting Multiple Materials)

[Lee Roberts]

Hi Dave,

Yea tack it all up in sections keeping any eye out for square, once your happy fill them in, alternate the areas your working on so they have time to cool down while you work another area, it's the heat build up your trying to avoid.

If you can clamp stuff down so it's less likely to move or distort, if you want to get really into it, do some googling on preheating, Jody over at http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com has a pretty comprehensive website and youtube channel.

Where did you get the jig from?

.Me

[Neale]

Speaking as a pretty second-rate welder, I found it really useful to build the bulk of the frame using just one spot of weld at each joint. I then used a series of Spanish windlasses, sash cramps, etc, to pull it all square before going round and building up the welds. Diagonal bracing followed. I cut all the box section as accurately as I could using an angle grinder in a cheap stand but it wasn't perfect. Your cutoff saw might do better. And if it goes pear-shaped (literally!) then there's always the angle grinder to cut the weld to start again - another reason not to weld too much before you're happy with the shape. The great thing about welding is that for something like this, it is very forgiving. I cut one piece on the wrong side of the line, but built back up with weld and ground back to dimension...

[biketrialsdave]

Good tips! Hopefully I will get some time over the weekend to practice with my new tools :) Still got a LOT of design work to do...I'm thinking of moving away from the FF blocks + aluminium plate for the Y axis and maybe just using steel channel (or angle) welded to the box section and mounting BK blocks to it? One of my biggest concerns for the whole project is actually drilling accurate/straight holes! I have a pillar drill but it is pretty useless as there is a lot of slop in the chuck.

This is the jig I bought, got to be worth a punt at £21!:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1114096787...84.m1497.l2648

[biketrialsdave]

Good tips! Hopefully I will get some time over the weekend to practice with my new tools :) Still got a LOT of design work to do...I'm thinking of moving away from the FF blocks + aluminium plate for the Y axis and maybe just using steel channel (or angle) welded to the box section and mounting BK blocks to it? One of my biggest concerns for the whole project is actually drilling accurate/straight holes! I have a pillar drill but it is pretty useless as there is a lot of slop in the chuck.

Anyone got any opinions on the above? I appear to be coming to a point where I'm not sure where to go next. Still not happy with the X motor on the outside of the gantry plate either :(

[Wobblycogs]

I wouldn't worry too much about the stepper sticking out the side of the gantry (I'd have called that the Y stepper but there's no hard and fast rules) as it's just basically a metal lump there's not a huge amount to go wrong as you have it. If you can't design it such that it's internal maybe consider sticking a bent aluminium box around it. I managed to squeeze my Y stepper inside the gantry (see here) but it's pretty tight and I expect to be replacing the belt more frequently that usual. That's not quite the final design that I've gone for but it shows the basic layout.

[Lee Roberts]

Cheers Dave.

[biketrialsdave]

I really need to pick this project back up! Been having some thoughts recently and have come to the realisation that what I really need is a machine capable of cutting aluminium more than anything else. I'd really like to mill enclosures for my many electronics projects. Perhaps I need a re-think on the complete design!

[JAZZCNC]

I really need to pick this project back up! Been having some thoughts recently and have come to the realisation that what I really need is a machine capable of cutting aluminium more than anything else. I'd really like to mill enclosures for my many electronics projects. Perhaps I need a re-think on the complete design!

The design you had wasn't too far away from cutting aluminium. It could benefit from a better/stronger base and the the linear stage for the Z axis isn't really up to aluminium but the general layout of high sides with gantry sat on rails is perfect for aluminium. Gantry design is nice and strong enough for aluminium.
If you sat that lot on nice piece of machine tooling plate or better still Granite base the frame would be sound for aluminum. Ditch the linear stage and put a conventional Z axis with decent rails etc and your sorted.

[biketrialsdave]

Some encouraging words there, thanks Jazz! When you say "sit the lot on machine tooling plate or granite..." which bit are you referring to?

[JAZZCNC]

Some encouraging words there, thanks Jazz! When you say "sit the lot on machine tooling plate or granite..." which bit are you referring to?

Your design doesn't show any base and looks like it sits directly on table.? So I mean put EVERYTHING on solid flat foundation.