New Website, R/C Flight Boxes & Custom Pendant #25 - Minnesota

[Rad Racer]

Hi,

Just getting started on my MM build.....although this is not my first CNC machine build, it is the biggest build to date.

I should probably introduce myself before I start rambling on about this project. I am electrical engineer by trade...have been for ~25years, but really enjoy mechanical engineering. Seems the two go together very well, electro-mechanical engineering :)

I am hoping to build this machine on the cheap, by using many of the parts collected over the years. The attached photo's show some of what my wife affectionately calls junk :rolleyes: This stuff came from various machines I have disassembled.....much will work perfect for this project.

If you look close you will see a box of new (14) BWC dualvee wheels, unfortunately they are 4x size.....l hope to save a little money and somehow make them work.

Looking forward to meeting you guys and learning from those that have already completed their machines

Wayne

[Rad Racer]

My pile of junk;) to be used for my MM build.

[Rad Racer]

Here's my other machines.

The MDF router is a little crude, it was built about 6 years ago......the MM will replace it.

The mini CNC is rev. 3, I had to build two others to get it right:o

[Rad Racer]

These are my other machines, they will be used to build the MM.

The first is a Van Norman #12, ~1950's machine that is built like a tank. Got this from a guy on Craig's List for $500usd delivered:eek:

The other is my Logan lathe, got this one for free:p It needed a lot of cleaning, but it turned out great.

Well that's a little about me and my machines.....really looking forward to this project.

I will stop showing off now and get down to work:D
Wayne

[Kobus_Joubert]

Welcome RR, like your junk....R/C Model aeroplanes and is that a motorcycle tyre in the last picture ?

[Rad Racer]

Yeah, I love model airplanes been building them for most my life. Only build electrics, got rid of my nitro stuff years ago. The Katana is a one of my largest, it's a 2KW 10lbs pattern plane. To be honest, the equipment I have mainly supports my addiction to RC airplanes:p Seems I outta fiqure out a way to make some money with these tools.

Motorcycling is my other passion,the tires are for my KLR650. The wife thinks we have too many bikes.....but I tell her "to many" is not possible:D

[Gerald D]

Welcome Rad, with all that "junk" you should have your MM finished by Xmas! :)

[kaartman]

Welcome Re-cycle expert, nice junk
I don’t think the wheels will work on the MM, have a look at the dimensions regarding the outer diameter and the Spider plate unless you use a narrow Z slide, the same go for the Y gantry, might be a tight squeeze between the Y tube and location holes, the inner diameter of the wheel bearings will need some bushes, but you have the junk to make it work

[Rad Racer]

Gerald - before xmas:o I was thinking more like spring.

Kaartman - Figure I will give the wheels a try, if I can't make them work....I can purchase the correct ones and sell these on Ebay.

I priced the steel for this project.... ~$1100:( Sure wish I could find a source for surplus steel.

[hennie]

Welcome Rad,put some wings on your MM.

[Gerald D]

Old, used steel is just as good as new for our application. We are putting low stress into the system to keep the flex down.

[Doug_Ford]

Wayne,

Virtually all of the steel in my machine came from a couple of local scrapyards. The only new steel I purchased was for the rails. Scrap in my town is going for 25 cents per pound. You ought to check the scrapyards in your area.

[Rad Racer]

Good idea Doug, we do have a couple of scrap yards located near me, I'll check.

I Did talk to the steel yard today, I ask them for current prices on the steel required for the MM. Turns out the crappy economy has driven down steel prices in recent weeks, so building isn't quite as expensive....should be in the $800-900 range.

Wayne,

Virtually all of the steel in my machine came from a couple of local scrapyards. The only new steel I purchased was for the rails. Scrap in my town is going for 25 cents per pound. You ought to check the scrapyards in your area.

[Rad Racer]

Started on the control box tonight. Since this used to be part of a O2 monitoring system....it needs a little disassembly. I believe this box should fit all the components needed to make the MM run.

The breakout board was created by my friend a couple of years ago, it was designed to interface with Mach3 software.

The board connects directly to the parallel port(s). It has a built-in 5v supply and supports conections to (4)axis, (3) limit switches, auto Z sensor, Tach, and (2)SSR relays.

This should save a bunch wiring hassles and time;)

[Rad Racer]

Started to build the MM today. For practice, I setup my mill and cut a "short" v-rail. Turns out the Van Norman mill is perfectly suited for this type of cutting....as the head can route any angle from 0-90deg.

It is only 30deg F today.....and my garage is not heated:eek: so I have to work fast to keep warm:D

Included a few pictures of the milling setup and finished rail.

[William McGuire]

Looks good, Wayne.

Can't tell from the pictures what the maximum length of the mill is without readjusting the rails, but I remember reading in some of the posts a year or more ago that it might be a good idea to offset one side of each pair so that the rollers don't travel across the section ends at the same time. That will minimize any difference in elevations you might get from the milling "joints"...

[domino11]

Wayne,
Those rails look mighty nice. You sure lucked out with that mill in your stable! :)

[Rad Racer]

Bill,
Good idea to stagger the rails and minimize the section bump. I will keep that in mind as I make the rails.

Heath,
Yeap, got lucky with the Van Norman:D I may automate it someday...it would be nice to have a machine that can hog metal.

[Doug_Ford]

Wayne,

I also milled my rails on a vertical mill and learned a valuable lesson AFTER I finished them. Make sure you clean off all of the scale from the back and bottom of the angle iron. I indexed off the back and bottom and since I didn't clean the scale well enough, some of the cuts weren't as good as I would have liked them to be. It hasn't affected the performance of my machine that I can tell but it still bothers me. I also removed my vise and clamped the rail directly to the table and backed them up every 6" with support to increase rigidity. Finally, let me give you one last thing to think about. My vertical mill table is pretty much worn out and will not hold close tolerances for the entire length of the table. Maybe your's is better. If it isn't, here is what I did. I clamped a straight piece of metal on the table and set up a dial indicator in the spindle to determine the maximum length of angle I could machine and hold .001" then I marked the table with a black marker. I kept my cutting inside those marks.

Good luck.

[Rad Racer]

Doug,

Appreciate the milling comments...always to hear from someone with experience. Not sure about the milling table, seems tight but will check to make sure.

Wayne

[Rad Racer]

Making some progress....did a little machining and welding yesterday.

Gantry welding is complete, next up the Y-car.

[smreish]

Wayne,
Did you countersink the gantry end plates yet for the motor swing plates? I can't tell from the photo, but don't forget to do it!

[Gerald D]

Good progress! Looks like the MM building season is taking off. This forum goes quite in your fall/autumn while folk prepare for the winter, but I guess you are starting to see snow now?:)

[Rad Racer]

Sean,
Good catch on counter sinks.....I did the Y-car plates but not these.

Gerald,
You are correct.....the lakes are frozen and the is snow is flying. There's no better time to work on projects:D

[Rad Racer]

Making some headway on my MM.

Completed the Y-car welding and the machining of both the Y-axis Vrails.

[gmessler]

Looking good Wayne.:)

[Gerald D]

I love the look of metal being worked :)

[Rad Racer]

Agree, it's fun to see how easy it can be cut.

The carbide endmill cuts through that 1/4" angle like a hot knife through butter :)

Wayne

[Rad Racer]

Made some more progress this weekend. I finished cutting down the angle for the X-rails and completed the "V" milling on both Y-rails.

The weather turn REALLY cold on Sunday, so I decided to work on the control box since it can be built inside the house. Looks like the rest of the week is supposed to be cold......it's -10F(-23c) right now and predicted to be -15F(-26c) by morning:eek:

I believe I have most the parts needed for the control box, so it should go together quick. I got the big heat sink with (4) centents from Ebay a couple of years ago.....should be perfect for this project.

[hennie]

Wayne we have some nice old South African sun shine would you be interrested in having some:) ( 25c and up)
Your half way there once the angles on the rails are done.

[Rad Racer]

Completed my power supply/control system this morning. Everything functions perfectly and the voltages are right on :)

I still have to connect the step controllers. Unfortunately I will need to replace my Centent CN0142's with the higher voltage Gecko drives. Turns out my steppers require a higher voltage than the Centent unit can deliver.....142's have a 60V limit.

Now that this is complete, I will continue working the mechanics....hope to have it cutting by late January mayby early February.

[isladelobos]

LPT two ports in the Breakout board?
What is the function? Two drivers for each?

[Rad Racer]

Yes, Mach3 software supports (2) parallel ports. This break-out board was designed to work with Mach3.

The extra port is used when your machine uses a lot of inputs and outputs, like control switches, MPG's, tach, spindle and vac control, etc... I believe my MM will only need one port.

[Rad Racer]

After a month frigid weather, (not one day above freezing in January) I am finally able to continue building.

Here's the base, the cutting and welding is nearly complete. Just need to add the end braces...working on them this afternoon:D

[Rad Racer]

I made some cheap leveling feet for my MM....they are made from used hockey pucks:D They are very robust and should work good on the MM.

To make them you simply drill a 1/2" (M12) hole in the center of a hockey puck, then counterbore the hole just big enough to fit the head of your leveling bolt. Only took about 1/2 hour to make.

Wayne

[lunaj76]

That's cool!

[HomeMadeCnc]

Well, I'm going to have to incorporate your idea on my machine. Great Idea Wayne.

Tim

[Rad Racer]

Made some good progress in the last couple of days. The table welding is complete and the X & Y rails are installed.

Next up....the spider plate.

[Rad Racer]

About finished with the z-slide assembly, all holes have been drilled and threaded.....just need to cut the "V". Think I figured out how to clamp it to the milling table, I will try cutting the V this weekend.

The Z & spider assembly is the last major part of the machine I have to build.....should be ready for paint in the next week or so :)

[Rad Racer]

I received my 203V controllers yesterday.....installed them last night. I mounted the whole assembly the the box. It's good to have this part of the project done.

3806

3807

The orange items are automotive air filters...they clean the air before it enters the control box. There is a fan on the top of the control box, inside the filters. Mounting a fan like this actually pressurizes the box a little, which helps to keep dust or other debris from being sucked into the control box through holes, seams or gaps.

Wayne

[Gerald D]

Lot's of good work and great photos!

[Robert M]

I especially like the air flow approach to it : 2 huge 4 barrels carburetors air filters breathing nice, cool... snowy winter air... :eek:
No way this baby will ever see warmth !
Why think small ?
Kidding… V-Nice work, Amicalement Robert ;)

[Rad Racer]

Robert, this winter has been so cold that I probably don't even need a fan....all I need to do is put the controller outside:D

Here's a picture of the airfilter cover. It is made from expanded PVC, the stuff cuts really nice. I engraved the filter part# into the top, so I won't have to try and remember a year from now;)

[Rad Racer]

Attached is the motor calculation worksheet I used for my MM electronics. It's basically a collection of motor & power supply formulas that I found on this site and put into one place. Thought it might be useful for some of you guys that are just getting started.

The resulting numbers are for the Parker Automation stepper motors (VS32B) I purchased from Ebay. The calculations were made using the factory motor specs and these formulas. This was done before making the purchase......as I wanted to besure they would work before spending any money.

[liaoh75]

Great Job Wayne, I really like your window on the control box and the filter is great filter.

[Rad Racer]

Thankyou, glad you like it. The window was in the box when I got it....it will be handy to see what's going on inside.

[Rad Racer]

Yahoo, I have completed all the parts required to build a Mechmate....the machine is ready for paint.

Here's a few pictures of the completed unit. The last picture is me dressed to work in a cold garage.....I am finally getting used to working with gloves on:rolleyes:

My friend is going to paint it this weekend. Since he normally paints custom motorcycles....I had to remind him that I did not want any flames or skulls painted on the Mechmate:D

[Alan_c]

Flames would look cool, as long as they are only painted on...:)

Nice work, you'l be cutting soon.

[domino11]

Wayne,
Looks really good! :) Have you gotten movement yet or are you waiting for paint before you do that? I finally see some pics of people that work like I do in the garage in the winter. All of these other guys in warm climates complaining of "cold" garages have me envious. :rolleyes::eek: Your garage looks like you should be able to hold some heat in there though? Maybe a nice woodstove?;)

[Rad Racer]

Alan - Agree, painted on flames would be much better than the real thing.

Heath - No movement yet. I want to get it painted before installing the electronics (motors, sensors, wiring, etc..) this saves a lot of rework.

My garage is insolated and ready for a heater....in-fact the wife just gave me the go ahead to purchase a new gas heater:) A woodstove would work, but it's a lot nicer to just turn the thermostat up and get to work.

[HomeMadeCnc]

Great job Wayne, you will running in no time. We will have to start a new thread "Pimp my Mechmate"! I look forward to seeing flames.

[Rad Racer]

"Pimp my Mech" I like it :)

The final assembly will start as soon as the paint drys. So with a little luck....I should to be making dust by mid-week.

[Rad Racer]

I purchased this dust vacuum from a guy on Craigslist for $75. It has a lot of suction and should be perfect match for the mechMate.

This unit does require a seperator or torit, so that will have to be one of my first projects for the MechMate. I will probably build a Phil Thien seperator, it's simple and appears to work well.

[Rad Racer]

Powdercoated most of the mill this weekend. My brother (shown in the pics below) has a large powder oven....his oven is 4' x 4' by 8' deep, perfect size for this project.

The first picture shows Dave appling Ford blue to the spider assembly. The second shows the Y and Z assembles powdered and ready to be put in the oven. The 3rd and 4th pictures show the oven and oven rack.

We worked for 8 hours yesterday, cleaning and powdering....the results made it all worthwhile :)

[Rad Racer]

Here's the finished Y and Z assembly.

We used chrome and black powder for the Z slide. Black for the rails and of coarse, Ford blue for everything else.

[Rad Racer]

Of coarse, we did not work all weekend;).....we took a little time out to play in the snow:D

This is my brothers Polaris Razor. With tracks, this 4 wheeldrive goes anywhere and through anything. Here's a couple of pictures of the Razor climbing a snow hill.

[Gerald D]

Great fun!

[domino11]

Wayne,
Can you remove the tracks and go back to regular tires with that model or is it tracks only? Were the tracks standard with that model or an add on?

[Rad Racer]

Yes, you can switch from tracks back to tires....it's simple and quick, about like changing a tire.

The tracks were an add-on. There are a couple of mfg's that offer kits for this unit, they aren't cheap but are worth it if you intend to take your machine off the beat'n path.

[Rad Racer]

The base was too big for the powder oven, so my friend sprayed it for me. He did a good job paint matching, it's hard to tell which has powder and which is liquid.

[javeria]

Wayne - real impressive!

[Rad Racer]

Thanks Irfan....appreciate the comment.

[Rad Racer]

Carriage idler wheel is installed. Amazing how tightly the spring assembly holds the carriage to the rails.

[Rad Racer]

The Z assembly is installed and adjusted. The slide rolls through all 6 wheels very smoothly, can't even feel the transition:D

I made the z-up and down stops ajustable. Thought a little flexablity might be useful in the future. As you can see the stops are currently set to the middle of the range.


The last photo shows the spindle / router head mounting pins.

[javeria]

The last machine which was finished like this was may be JR's - How I hope my brush would get me that finish :)

think you are a day away to movement!

Have fun - and the next serial

RGDS
IRfan

[gmessler]

BEAUTIFUL machine Wayne:)

[Rad Racer]

Irfan - I had hoped to have it running today, but found I was short a couple of nuts and bolts so it will have to be tomorrow.

Glad you like the machine Greg, appreciate the comment.

[Rad Racer]

After almost 30 hours of work this weekend:eek: ....my Mechmate is nearly complete, just need a few more nuts and bolts. I believe the electronics will go quick, since the control box is already built and tested.

[myozman]

Wayne,

Awesome looking finish, the black really looks good. Take lotsa picture before you get it dusty. Congrats.

[smreish]

...I want to see lot's of pictures of it dusty! :D

[hennie]

I agree it doesn`t stay clean that long

[Rad Racer]

No problem, I look forward to getting it dusty......that's the fun part:)

[Rad Racer]

I completed the wiring of the machine today. All that is left is to connect the machine to the control box:D

I made a special effort to run as much of the wiring through the machine as I could, this should prevent wiring damage once the Mechmate is put into service. I also ran a 1/4" air line to the Y-car, thought I might have a use for it in the future.

The control boxes were ordered from DigiKey....I like them,they fit perfectly. The buttons were removed from some surplus equipment that I aquired a couple of years ago. The start stop engraving was done on my small mill.

[Alan_c]

Truly impressive machine Wayne, nice attention to detail. I see J.R.'s idea of black rails is catching on, it makes a nice contrast.

I see your motors have shafts out the back, are you going to add encoders or were they just conveniantly available?

You may want to bend the anchor plate for the Z spring up a bit, (or mount it with the short tab on the Y-car and the long end attached to the spring) that spring angle is a bit steep and you will not be getting the optimum pressure of the pinion into the rack. Yor spring is pulling "down" instead of "across".

[Gerald D]

Nice detail work Wayne. I am a little concerned at the apparent lack of screening on the pushbutton wires?

[Rad Racer]

Alan,
The motors are new (old stock) that I bought cheap, the shafts serve no purpose on this machine. Good call on the spring bracket, I did not notice the angle until you pointed it out. I will flip the bracket as you suggest. Agree, J.R.'s idea of black rails is great....it adds a nice "factory made" feel to the machine.

Gerald,
Not sure I understand what you mean by screening, do you mean electrical shielding? If so, all the wire used in the machine is shielded (except the EMO). The pushbutton wiring is actually twisted pair w/shielding.

[Gerald D]

That's fine then Wayne!

(It appeared to me to be discrete wires, and that's why i said "apparent")

[Rad Racer]

Ok, I see it now.

There are a lot of functions in the control box, that's why there is so many wires. I also wanted to have extra conductors for future functions like air solenoids and lighting.

[Rad Racer]

After completing the controller connections this afternooon....I threw the power switch and made the MechMate move:D

I still need to clean up a few wires and finish building the router mount.....before it's truly complete.

Here's a couple of short clips of the machine in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46mir5E6iNM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHvUkAbT5Uo

[Gerald D]

Well done Wayne!

[gmessler]

Great job Wayne!:)

Now start making some dust to cover that overly clean floor:D

[Rad Racer]

Thanks Gerald. I appreciate all the effort you put into the design and plans....it's an extremely well designed machine that was a pleasure to build.

Greg, it will be making dust soon....just need to fabricate the router mount. I spend this afternoon playing around with the machine.....tuning and testing. The machine runs super smooth after nulling out the Gecko's :)

I am currently uploading another YouTube video that simulates the highspeed cutting of 32 holes (bolt-hole pattern) at 300ipm and a triangle at 500ipm. Even at that speed the machine runs very smooth. I will post the link once the load is complete.

[Rad Racer]

Youtube link to highspeed cutting video (simulated cut)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOWbhc7-8gw

[Gerald D]

Nice video, thanks

[Rad Racer]

I cut my first part night:D It's an RC dragcar chassis that was to big to be cut on my small mill.....but not a problem for the MechMate:eek:

I mounted the laminate router from my other mill.....not a lot of power but it cut well. I will use this router for making smaller items, because I have 1/8",3/16" and 1/4" collets for it, so it's perfect for those small endmills. My larger router will be used when I need big bits and more horsepower.

I have a couple of short videos, I will post the link once they are uploaded.

[domino11]

Nice going Wayne,
Looks like another serial number is coming up. :)

[Rad Racer]

Thanks Heath, I hope it passes inspection:)

Here's the finished chassis....since it's a prototype, I cut it from pressboard. The final version will be cut from composite material.

[Kobus_Joubert]

Nice work Wayne, I hope the non- symmetrical holes are planned and not something loose on your machine ;)

[hennie]

1 st April,April fools number for you Nice going!:)

[Gerald D]

Well done Wayne!

(Hennie, his local time was still 31 March)

[jhiggins7]

Wayne,

Congratulations on Serial #25. Great looking (and working) machine.:)

Here's the updated Builder's Log (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pLoxg8wu4WnsBc2_U5yEaQw).

Please let me know the size of your MM. Looks to be a 96" X 48" or 97" X 49".

Also, please provide any comments you'd like for your entry.

Regards,
John

[sailfl]

Wayne

Congratulations on #25.

[Rad Racer]

Thanks guy's, I appreciate all the kind comments. This build was very fun and rewarding. I really like the fact that we all built (or are building) the same machine, it's a real opportunity for users from around the globe to share ideas and build techniques.

Gerald, A special thank you goes to you. Without your generosity in both time and resources, we would not have the opportunity to build this great machine or meet so many wonderful people.

[Rad Racer]

Nice work Wayne, I hope the non- symmetrical holes are planned and not something loose on your machine ;)

You have a very keen eye. The machine is working perfectly...the non-symmetrical holes are by design:D

[javeria]

and U got a nice Serial "25" - show us some more of your RC hobby!

[gmessler]

Congratulations Wayne!:)

[Rad Racer]

Thanks Greg.

Strange as it may sound....I am almost sad that it is complete. I spent so much time constructing it over the last four months, that I kinda miss heading out to the shop to mill, grind and drill the parts needed to make the machine.

The machine is now truly complete. I put the final touches on the wiring yesterday....connecting the limit and home sensors, also hooked up my auto-z circuit and built the touch plate.

The touch plate plugs in using a standard bananna jack...this allows for various styles of touch sensors to be quickly installed. The touch plate shown in the picture is solid copper, it is machined to exactly .25" thick.

The copper came from piece of test equipment (ground bar).....it was originally 8ft long:eek:

[Rad Racer]

With nothing left to do on the machine;) I decided I should probably start using it and test the capabilities.

This is my first 3D carving on this machine. It was a free sample downloaded from www.vectorart3d.com. I also used their (free) milling program to generate the g-code required to cut this sample.

The sample was rough cut with a 3/16" endmill, and finish cut with a 1/8" ballmill. Total cut time was about 15mins.

[Rad Racer]

Made a couple more tools for my MechMate today.

This is a corner finder, it can also be used to set z-hieght. I saw one of these on CNC Zone....thought it was pretty neat so I made one.

To use this tool, place it on the corner of your material and center the cutting bit over the copper pipe. Lower the bit so it is just inside the pipe and run the centering script.

Note, the bit does not have to be exactly in the center of the pipe just close. The script will determine the exact center for you and set the Mach3 dro's:eek:

[Rad Racer]

I was struggling with the best method to clamp small parts to the bed of the Mechmate.....this is my solution:D

The whole assembly can be screwed down to the milling bed, or held in place with c-clamps. The small item you wish to clamp is held in place with the cam locks shown in the picture.

Since it is made entirely from wood (except the bolts) your cutters will be safe if you have a mishap;)

On the bottom side you can see that holes were machined to the depth of the nut so the assembly sits flush on your cutting table. The holes are slightly smaller than the nut so they hold themselves in place....once pressed into the wood.

[jhiggins7]

Really nice work Wayne. Very creative. Thanks for sharing.:):):)

BTW, do you have a link for the corner finder? I looked on the Zone, but didn't find it.

Regards,
John

[Rad Racer]

John, here is the CNC zone thread:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56079

This is a YouTube video showing the operation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOXY4O0UkRM&feature=related

This video shows the centering tool variation I built.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcHgKazSjyA&feature=related

Hope this helps, Wayne

[jhiggins7]

Thanks Wayne. Very helpful.

[the_affliction]

wow your videos on youtube are really inspiring thanks for taking the time to post them I think I am going to give a go on the davidlaser scanner and your corner finder too simple effective

[Rad Racer]

Glad you like the videos Kelsey.

Although it's interesting to watch CNC's cut, it's really interesting to watch your own Mechmate CNC cut :)

[Gerald D]

I hadn't see a video of a CNC router cutting (nor had I seen any CNC router in real life) when our first machine started cutting in the year 2000. Since then have looked at a couple of videos and fully agree with Wayne - a video is positively boring in relation to the real thing!

[Gerald D]

Just quick comment on your cam clamps; they work very well with "down-cut" spiral bits, but they can be risky with "up-cut" spirals which lift the work off the table. The up and down forces of spiral bits are a very signicant factor in deciding on the workholding method.

[Rad Racer]

Gerald, you are correct about the clamps. Anything more than a light cut with a up spiral bit and it lifts from the holder. I found out the hard way:o

For my gear reduction components (shown here), I taped them down to the table with double faced tape. Holds tight but still can be removed from the spill board without much effort.

[Rad Racer]

Tabs can also be used to hold the part in place when cutting. Tabs can be used to prevent the cutter from hooking the loose part and causing damage.

[J.R. Hatcher]

Wayne nice looking parts. What is the material ..... delrin? You're going to like what they do for your machine.

[J.R. Hatcher]

To hold mine down I machined 4 holes in the material (out of the way of the parts) then screwed it down. Next I machined the 2 center bolt holes in all the plates. Then moved the the cutter out of the way, screwed them all down using these holes, then finished the rest of side 1, flipped it over screwed it back down (nice and referenced) and machined side 2. All of this was incorporated in the cut file. No tabs or tape to deal with.

[Gerald D]

When screwing the motor to plastic, I would consider adding a 2mm thick alu plate in between, being oversized all around, to help with heatsinking. The alu could be bent channel-shaped, with the bent flanges vertical to get more exposed fin area.

[Rad Racer]

J.R. - Yes, this delrin....nice stuff to machine. I like your idea for holding the parts down. Not having to reference again certainly saves time and the chance for error. Perhaps we should make a tool plate for making parts like this....that could be bolted to the table and referenced once per use. Here is the front and back if my plate.....these were cut with just two operations:D

Gerald, I wondered if heat conduction would be a problem.....so far today the motors temps are about normal. I think I will just remake these from aluminum if temperature becomes a problem.

[Rad Racer]

Here's a couple of pictures of the complete reduction units...all axis's now have a 3:1 reduction drive installed.

There is a noticable difference in the smoothiness of operation and cut. Definently a worthwhile upgrade.

[Rad Racer]

My current project is a lowcost "brushless" spindle. Here's a teaser photo of the prototype:D

Don't know how well this will work.....hope to complete and test the prototype this weekend:eek:

Spindle spec's:
2000watts (~2.5hp)
10,000rpm
ER-16 collet

[Gerald D]

VERY interesting stuff!

[Rad Racer]

I have been working on a pentant design for a couple of weeks.....this layout seems to be usable, so I cut the front panel. Thought to use the control pendant for awhile and see how it feels and change it if necassary.

The box is really cool....I got it from EBAY for 6 bucks plus shipping.:D

[sailfl]

Wayne,

Very nice. What do you think you have spent on your new control box?

[domino11]

Wayne,
Looks good. Could we get a little more info for the technical guys?

[Rad Racer]

Nils - I do not have much invested, most the switches and knobs are from old equipment. The joystick is from one of my old radio control transmitters. The only money spent (besides the box) was the the electronic interface....it cost $79 + shipping.

Heath, I am using an interface device that emulates a keyboard. Windows(mach3) does not know the difference....it believes you are pressing key on the keyboard.

Here is some information about the U-Hid device.....I copied it from their website. www.u-hid.com

hope this helps
Wayne


What is a HID?

HID stands for Human Interface Device. This is a term used to describe certain types of PC peripheral, usually connected via USB.
Windows and Mac OS support a number of "native" HID devices using in-built drivers. The U-HID board appears as the following HID devices on the PC:

Keyboard
Gamepad (including analog and digital controls)
Mouse
LED outputs

The way in which the board emulates natively-supported devices means it requires no special drivers or host software, with the exception of LED output control.
The board has 50 connections which can be configured to any of these HID device types providing a truly universal interface. For example, you can connect pushbuttons to generate keyboard keystrokes, trackballs to act as a mouse, pedals to act as analog game controller joysticks, or hundreds of other device types. The PC will see all the devices as something it recognises, so all standard applications will work.
The menu headings on the left give more details of each type of device.

[domino11]

Thanks Wayne, Looking forward to more info on your spindle results. :)

[Rad Racer]

I finished my prototype 3ph spindle. Here you see I have it mounted on my little cnc for the first test run.

Currently uploading a Youtube video.....I will post the link once it is complete.

If this all works out well, I plan to purchase a Sherline spindle built for ER16 collets. This will allow me to use bits up to 3/16" dia.

[Rad Racer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPLdHeRQp_w

Here is the Youtube video link.

[Robert M]

Isn’t it beautifully what a can achieve with proper mindset!!
Nice going Wayne, Robert ;)

[lumberjack_jeff]

Awesome!

What's your target budget, do you think cooling will be adequate, and do you anticipate the ability to control speed through g-code?

[Rad Racer]

Jeff,

The items required to build this spindle cost about $400. Cheaper motors and controllers exist, but I prefer to spend a little extra and be sure of the quality.

The finished project will use an industral Sherline spindle....they are good for 10,000 rpm continous. www.sherlineipd.com/spindles.htm

The motor and controller will require cooling, a simple muffin fan will do the trick.

I believe speed control through Mach3 is possible, but will require PWM frequency conversion. Mach3 produces a base PWM freq of about 5-10hz. a typical RC speed controller operates with a 10x higher base freq (50hz). I am sure a simple microcontroller w/some code will solve the problem....but like everything else it takes a little time and thought to get it to work. For now, I will use a little timer circuit to drive the speed controller...simple and cheap:)

[domino11]

Wayne,
Wow that looks impressive, have any video of it cutting stuff yet? :)

[Rad Racer]

No cutting video yet....need to mount it to the Mechmate first.

[Rad Racer]

My brother and I made this plate for his ATV. (shown in previous pictures)

We took a 3/8" aluminum plate, powdercoated it red, then machine the plate using a Onsrud O-flute bit. The engraving was accomplished with a 45deg carbide V-bit.

The acrylic plate was our prototype, we cut it to verify our machine file.

[Leko]

Looks good. I have to ask a question with the risk of sounding stupid. How do you get the square inside edges on the lettering using a v-bit?

[Gerald D]

You raise the tip of the bit right up to the surface so that it gives fine detail.

[sailfl]

Wayne,

Very nice. Great job....

[J.R. Hatcher]

Not trying to sound like a wise but ;), but more specifically the cam software produces G-code that raises the V bit as it moves the X & Y axis to produce the square corners, after all it's a cnc machine capable of .001" moves. Gerald your answer may leave the impression that one would do it manually:confused:.

[Gerald D]

http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/vcp/vcp_vcarving.htm

[mikefoged]

Just learning about that myself, here is an good example (http://www.vectric.eu/support/VCarvePro/V5/videos/3D_Bevel/Bevel_Letters.html).

[PEU]

I finished my prototype 3ph spindle. Here you see I have it mounted on my little cnc for the first test run.

Currently uploading a Youtube video.....I will post the link once it is complete.

If this all works out well, I plan to purchase a Sherline spindle built for ER16 collets. This will allow me to use bits up to 3/16" dia.

How did I miss this thread???

I made a drilling spindle for a non MM related machine. Spindle is based on a straight shank ER-16 collet holder with outside diameter of 20mm (vertex brand) Since spindle was used for drilling I used regular quality bearings (FAG brand) and used a metabo grinder as the motor.

If the spindle were to be used with a router, the bearings should be angular, I found the german branch of ebay have a whole section for spindle bearings: Ebay.de Spindle bearings Category (http://business.shop.ebay.de/items/Spindellager__W0QQ_armrsZ1QQ_dmdZ1QQ_mdoZBusinessQ 2dIndustrieQQ_msppZQQ_pcatsZ131703Q2c110840Q2c1180 4Q2c12576QQ_sacatZ131706) You can get a couple of angular bearings, quality brand at around $100

Your motor solution looks far better and with the proper design it could be made to fit inside the spindle casing.

Here are some photos, I'll ask some questions below them:

http://peu.net/mods/spindle01
http://peu.net/mods/spindle02
http://peu.net/mods/spindle03
http://peu.net/mods/spindle04

My questions:

1) Can you post some motor models that would work? lets say for a 3hp spindle
2) Can this motor speed be controlled by mach3?
3) if not how do you set speed? Servotester?
4) does this motor require forced ventilation?

Thanks!


Pablo

[Rad Racer]

Sorry for the late reply.... have not looked at this link for awhile. Just going to post when I saw your questions.

1) Can you post some motor models that would work? lets say for a 3hp spindle. Most any 2000 watt, rc motor should work.

2) Can this motor speed be controlled by mach3?Not easily, the PWM outout of Mach3 is a lower freq than required by the rc speed controllers available. It's possible to develop a interface using a microcontroller that would take the output of Mach3 and convert it to a rc compatible signal.
3) if not how do you set speed? Servotester?My proto uses a rc receiver, but a servo tester could be used.
4) does this motor require forced ventilation? yes, a fan will be required.

Project update. I was not happy with the power output of the motor spindle combo....thought it would be more powerful at the low end. I will probably just brakedown a purchase a factory spindle:(

[Rad Racer]

As part of our wood flooring installation project....I made some floor vents that match our floor. We looked at purchasing "factory" made units, but quickly found that store bought vents are very cheaply made and do not come in white oak.

The wood used for the vents is the actual flooring, so when sanded, they should not be noticable or basically disappear:D

[Rad Racer]

I also posted a couple of YouTube videos of the vents being cut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p43H4eugKlU

[Rad Racer]

Haven't posted for awhile....so I thought I would share some of the new Mechmate stuff I have been working on.

First we finished our floor project. Although not really a Mechmate project.....I did use the machine to cut the floor vents;) We are real please with the floor, turned our better than we expected.

Second, I gave up on my "homemade spindle" project and broken down and purchased a Colombo RV90. The difference between the router and spindle is dramatic....much less noise and more cutting power. It's been a great addition to my MechMate. I purchased the spindle and controller from Ebay, was a little nervous, but the seller offer full money back if not satisfied. Turns out the spindle and controller function perfectly....and I saved a ton of dough:D

Third, I have a new Youtube video showing the spindle cutting some 1/2" polypropylene plastic at 100"/min. The spindle is running at 10K rpms, the cutter is a 1/4" Onsrud (63-725) which is designed for soft plastics. Cut's like butter :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3hdE17KwHI

Well that's it for now
Wayne

[domino11]

Wayne,
That floor looks awesome. Did you do the inlay work on the mechmate? Can you post a closeup of the inlay work? :)

[sailfl]

Wayne,

You just need a hoop to go along with the shinney new floor. Nice job on the floor and inlay. How many coats of poly did you put down?

[Rad Racer]

Heath - I did not make the inlay, purchased it from a guy who makes them in Wyoming. Thought about making one (The Mechmate is certainly capable) but really could not take on any more projects this summer. I will take a close up and post it....give me a day or so to get it done.

Nils - Appreciate the comment, we do like the way the floor came out. The (super) shinney picture was taken when the poly was still wet.....it is actually a semi-gloss finish. The 2nd picture better represents the look when dry.

There are 3 coats of poly on the floor, should be enough to protect the it from shoes, the dog, or a little sliding of furniture.

[sailfl]

Wayne

I did my floors with semi-gloss and then the next time I did them with gloss and I will always use gloss from now on. I agree about the three coats. It gives the best protection.

[Rad Racer]

We built the cyclone part of a dust collection system this weekend. The cyclone was built from Bill Pentz plans (available from his website)

Checkout the dust managment forum for more photo's.

[KenC]

Nice sheet metal work! Should be up in no time!

[Rad Racer]

Thanks Ken.

Been awhile since we made anything from sheet metal, so our skills were a little rusty. So you know.....we used paint to hide all the mistakes:D

[domino11]

Wayne,
Dont feel so bad, your rusty skills are better than my best. :) Let us know when you have it all running.

[Rad Racer]

Seems I am always running to the work bench looking for a pencil, collet wrench, router bit, etc.... So I decided I would build a little cabinet to store all the stuff I need when using my Mechmate.

The cabinet is made from .5" MDF, the drawers are white oak. The cabinet was made entirely with the MechMate, the drawers were made using conventional tools (tablesaw, plane, shaper, etc..).

This was designed to fit flush with the first cross member so you don't hit your legs when working in the front of the machine. This location is very accessable when changing bits or when setting up a job.

[Rad Racer]

Pictures of the completed cabinet.

[Rad Racer]

With pictures this time:D

[sailfl]

Wayne,

Nice idea and nice work. You have inspired me.

[domino11]

Very Nice Wayne,
You can never have enough storage. :)

[jehayes]

Nice job. Thanks for sharing this idea. How did you attach it to the cross braces?

[Rad Racer]

Thanks, glad you like it.

I used brackets made from 1" angle iron....simple but effective. I will take a photo tomorrow.

[Gerald D]

It is a nice cabinet, but it occupies space that we often use for G-clamps to hold workpieces down onto the table.

First thought that you could set the cabinet further back so that the clamps can work in front of it, but then realised that the long end of the clamp hangs down and would obstruct the drawers.

Still is a nice cabinet though, just needs a good location . . . . :)

[Rad Racer]

Haven't posted for awhile, so I thought I would share some of my latest projects.

First is the finished tooling cabinet. (never supplied final photo as promised)

Next is a couple photo carvings. These are for the end of the year banquet, held by my RC flying club. Shown are the orignal photos and the wood carving. One of the photos is flipped, so it does not look exactly like the carving.

Wayne

[Robert M]

Nice work and nice of you taking time to share these
Amicalement, Robert ;)

[Rad Racer]

Taking the lead from Greolt(Greg), I finished my 4th axis and starting carving Lithophanes. I saw what greg did and had too try it for myself.

I used Photovcrave and CNCWrapper just as Greg did with his carvings. The last photo is not focused, but gives you an idea of the detail. It is amazing to see these things with back lighting.

[martin77pl]

Wow, beautiful work. What material are you using? Is it white pipe made of plastic.

[Rad Racer]

Yes, it is plastic (PVC). PVC pipe is very common here in the US, it's used primarly for plumbing.

[Rad Racer]

Here's a YouTube link......it shows the 4th axis in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIk-41dQYzg

[javeria]

Wayne - can you tell us more about your mach settings on this one - probably detailed snapshots would help. - and did you set any backlash settings? - what is the reduction you are running

I am planning for a 1:16 reduction using double timing belt setup.

btw - very nice work

RGDS
Irfan

[Rad Racer]

Hi Irfan,

The settings for Mach3 are pretty straight forward.....I have a few screen shots that should help.

Be sure to slave your "X" axis on the MechMate to either the "B" axis or the "C" axis. You need to use the "A" axis for the rotory table.

Setup your ports and pins to support the "A" axis. (see ports and pins photo)

Make sure that both your "A" and "B" axis are enabled. This is done on the "Settings" tab. (see axis enable photo)

Setup the "toolpath" to enable Mach3 to display your rotory work. (see toolpath photo)

My rotory axis is built from a Sherline rotory table, I just mount a stepper motor. The Sherline table has a gear ration of 72:1 (5deg/rev.)

Hope this helps,
Wayne

[Castone]

That looks nice, might have to try that.

[Rad Racer]

Thanks, glad you like them.

I made some more today, they will be the table center pieces at our end of the year banquet.

The details with backlighting is amazing....take a look at lithophane of the guy holding the plane(me :D)

[Greolt]

They look great Wayne. The detail certainly comes through.

What sort of tool and stepover are you using?

And what is the range of thickness of material left?

Greg

[Claudiu]

Wayne,

these look absolutely awesome.
I`m impressed of the details which are possible with this technique, especially the guy holding a plane!
These are the things which push me more going back to work...

How thick is the PVC tube (wall thickness )? I see you have machined it in some places up to 2,5 mm - 3 mm ? Is that corect?

Great work.

[Rad Racer]

Greolt,

For the rough cut I am using a Onsrud 1/8" tapered ballnose (77-104). The rough cut is up to .180" deep (in areas with very light features), with a 50% stepover @ 50ipm.

The finish cut is with a 1/16", 2 flute, ballnose cutter. The finish path takes an additional .02" material. The stepover is 15% @ 40ipm.

The total cut depth of both passes is .200", the PVC is ~.240 thick....so the lightest areas have a material thickness of about .04".

The cut time is about 2hrs......15min. for the roughing and 1hr 45min for the finish cut.

Wayne

[Rad Racer]

Claus,

I appreciate the kind comments, thanks. The PVC is ~.240" thick (~6mm), some areas are as thin as .04" or about 1mm.

The MechMate is a great design! For me, these fine details sure highlight this machines capablility to hold tight tolerences.

Wayne

[Kobus_Joubert]

I like I like.. Well done and keep them comming, I like to see this kind of stuff.

[jehayes]

Wayne, thanks for sharing these, they are an inspiration to those of us who are following along in your footsteps.

[Rad Racer]

Thanks Joe. Greolt gets the credit on this one, his YouTube video got me started.

[Robert M]

Defiantly nice. An inspiration to keep in mind when my indexer will be ….soon !
Good work and thanks for sharing those, Robert ;)

[Rad Racer]

Been awhile since my last post, so I though I would provide a quick update.

Been using my Mechmate like crazy, logged nearly 100 hours of cut time in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Most of this time was spent cutting lithophanes. They have turned out to be very popular, seems that everyone that see one, wants one. We have sold about 40 of them....most for Christmas gifts. If the orders keep up....the Mechmate will have paid for itself in no time:)

In an attempt to drum up some more business, I created a website. Although not quick....webpage creation was certainly easier than I first expected. The page still needs some tweaking, but am pretty pleased for a first attempt.

If you got a minute, check it out, let me know what you think. www.radcut.com

I am currently working on a new RC airplane. It is a scaled down version of an RC airplane build in the 70's. Of coarse, all the parts will be cut with the MechMate.....he's my buddy:D

[domino11]

Wayne,
The website looks good, I did have some overlapping text issues with firefox and my font settings though. I really like those lithophanes.

[Gerald D]

It all looks good Wayne :)

[lumberjack_jeff]

The site looks great on Google Chrome, Wayne. Very nice.

[Sergio-k]

Wayne you 've done a fantastic job !!!
congratulations, you have inspired a lot of us in this forum.

Just another example that multithousand cnc machines
doesn't make you a better crafter.
Imagination, creativity and a Mechmate could do the job.

[Claudiu]

Great Site, great Work! :)

[Robert M]

Inspiring this lithophan.
Another trick thing I’ll want to make when I’m up & moviing axis :D
Web site look good, keep on tweaking it, nice marketing tool !
Good luck. Amicalement, Robert ;)

[Rad Racer]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the kind comments and feedback on the webpage.

[Kobus_Joubert]

Wayne, when you use your indexer, is the X-axis stationary? Once in position in the centre of the workpiece, does it ever have to move?... Just thinking for the time I do indexing I can make use of one of the X-axis Gecko's...will be some plug and play system.

[Rad Racer]

Kobus,

Yes, once the X is in position, it does not move until all the A-axis work is complete. See no reason why the plug-n-play method won't work.

Be careful when you hot switch your motors, not sure how well the Gecko's tolerate this.

[aniljangra]

Don't know how tough Gecko are but switching in inductive load like that is BAD for the driver (though motor is stationary, the chopping/switching current is flowing through coils)

[jehayes]

Wayne, the site looks very good on Firefox, not problems noted. Your product is also very impressive. Can I send you a photo for carving?
Joe

[Kobus_Joubert]

Thanks Wayne I thought that would be the case. Therefore my thought is to bring my X-axis in position while power is off. Lock the gantry in place. Undo the one X-Axis Stepper, connect it to the indexer...configure Mach-3 and do my indexing work. I know it sounds like extra work, but if I can save on another Stepper and Gecko to try indexing so be it. If I find it works for me, I might consider another stepper and driver at a later stage

[Rad Racer]

Kobus,

You may want to shop EBay for another step driver. I have purchased\used the Centent brand on my other mills with good success. I believe Centent's were designed by Marius (Gecko creator) in a previous life.

Look for a CN0142 or CN0162 unit. The primary difference is the max voltage. see www.centent.com for details.

I have never paid more than $50 USD for a controller. Not sure about shipping....it may not be practical for you.

Wayne

[domino11]

Wayne,
I believe Centent is now designed / operated by Mariss' brother. I remember Mariss speaking of Centent on some of his old posts.

[Rad Racer]

I designed these boxes around some surplus power supplies that I found. These are industrial switching supplies that will work perfect for charging the Li-Po batteries we use in our RC airplanes. I decided to built boxes for all (5) of the powersupplies....thinking my RC buddies will want one of their own;)

The tab and slot design makes the boxes self-aligning....and really easy to assembly:D The first two boxes were cut one at a time to test the G-code, the parts of the last three boxes were nested, so they could be cut in one operation.

[Regnar]

Very nice, I like the fan cover I might steal it for some of
my future projects!

[KenC]

Awesome! No nails! love the fan cover too!

[domino11]

Nicely done Wayne.

[Rad Racer]

Ken, I really like designing with tabs. They allow you to assemble the whole project, make sure it is square, then hit each joint with CA glue (or other) to make it permanent. No nails:)

Glad you like the fan cover. Although it looks cool, it isn't very strong, so I changed the design on the remaining boxes so I could use a traditional wire fan cover.

[Claudiu]

Great boxes, I like the tab design. I'm working on wine boxes with those tabs...

[Rad Racer]

Wow, those will be some classy wine boxes. My wife likes wine in a box.....but the box is usually cardboard.:D

[Rad Racer]

My latest project. It's a foldable flightstand or table to be used at the RC flying field. Saves you from working on your knees.

The design is based on a picture I found on the internet. The entire project was designed in 2D, then modeled in 3D so I could determine how the assembly would foldup and check for proper clearances, before cutting any material. I find this technic not only saves time, but it saves a lot money because I do not need to makes parts over because of design mistakes :)

The material is baltic birch plywood. This is a high quality plywood, often used to build cabinets or furniture.

This project was cut in two operations. The first op used a 1/8" endmill to cut the pockets, grooves and holes...the second op used a 1/4' to cut out all the parts.

[KenC]

Awesome! Having a few of these in the workshop would really come in handy too...

[MetalHead]

What are you drawing these plans in?

[domino11]

Wayne, that looks awesome!

[Travish]

I wanted to ask the same thing. What program are you using to do the tabs/slot, and nesting in?

Travis

[Rad Racer]

I primarily use MasterCam for the flat work.

I have tried the auto nesting function, but still prefer to manual place parts on the panel.....you have better control of the machining operations.

[Robert M]

Nice little table Wayne, surly the envy of other RC fellows !
I Like.... ;)

[Drad98_98]

Cool tables Wayne, I might need to steal your dxfs, I posted some new pics of mine tonight, check it out. Still on for March 6th for the tuning and first cutting session!

[chef des jeunes]

Hi Wayne,

You have build a great machine.
I have no experience with CNC machine but I would like to build one. I 'm in Minnesota(Saint Paul) and would like to visit you and have a discussion if that's ok.

[Rad Racer]

Sure, I would be happy to talk with you, perhaps we can grab some lunch.

Are you just visiting Minnesota? If so, what are your travel dates?

[chef des jeunes]

Call me: Gaston

I'm not visiting. I leave here with my family. Having lunch will be a great idea. I'll give you a call(I got your number from your website).

[Rad Racer]

Been busy with my MechMate, thought I would post my latest project.

This is an autogyro I am building from plans. The first thing I did was to translate the paper plan into CAD....is was a very manual process that requires all lot of measuring and guessing:) The tabs were added to the original design to make it easier to assemble.

The blades were also cut on the MM, took awhile to figure out exactly how to develop a cut file...it worked in the end.

enjoy,
Wayne

[Rad Racer]

Here's a picture of the finished model.

[jhiggins7]

Very cool!:cool: It's great when you can combine two interests.

Thanks for sharing your work...keep it coming!

[sailfl]

Wayne

That is one weired looking machine. Did you add the lower motor or is it designed that way?

[Drad98_98]

That is so cool Wayne, awesome job! Can I fly it and do a loop? lol

[Rad Racer]

Nils - It's designed that way, autogyro's have been around a longtime - remember the MadMax movie:)

Dave - You can only fly it.....if you do a loop ;)

[domino11]

Wow nice job Wayne!
So how is your website doing for you?

[AuS MaDDoG]

I like it!! :D
Nice job.

Cheers
Tony

[MetalHead]

Cool machine !!!! I'd like to see th MM working on a rotor like that !!!!

[swatkins]

Nice work! How balanced are the rotors?

[Rad Racer]

Thanks Mike, Thanks Tony....the MM is perfect for building models like this.

Steve, 2 of the blades were identical in wieght, the 3rd was only 2grams heavier. Each blade was cut from the same piece of stock (Basswood and balsa), that really helps with material differences.

Just a side note: I put the gyro back into kit form this afternoon:o It's off to the hobbystore to get more wood.

[swatkins]

Just a side note: I put the gyro back into kit form this afternoon:o It's off to the hobbystore to get more wood.

Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt :( So sorry...

[domino11]

Some guys might not know that means Crash. Sorry to hear that Wayne. At least we got to see it in all its glory here first. :)

[Kobus_Joubert]

We used to have a black garbage bag with us in the truck in case we put the plane back into KIT form..:D
Those were the day's

[Rad Racer]

This is one of my latest MechMate projects; it's part of an animal call my brother ask me to help make. I used this project to push myself to learn and better understand the 4th axis operation.

I have been keeping the MM busy, quite a few projects have been on the machine since my last post...in the future I will try to do a better job posting photo's and such.

Wayne

[Rad Racer]

Heres a link to a YouTube video showing the 4th axis in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E2ekUN-w_k

[Kobus_Joubert]

Nice, have not watched the video,....does not allow me at work..... but does your head swivel ? In the 2nd photo it looks like it is at an angle ?

[domino11]

Nice work Wayne. Could you do that piece in lathe mode vs indexer mode? Just wondering if you had done it that way for a particular reason.

[Rad Racer]

Hi Kobus,

The cutting head does not swivel, it is mounted vertical.

Wayne

[Kobus_Joubert]

Liked the video Wayne. Do you have a normal motor on there also to spin and polish up the cutting marks left by the indexer ?

How did you draw that piece and in which cam program.

[Rad Racer]

Heath-
Not sure about lathe mode, I am unaware of this feature. To date all of my rotary axis experience has been with indexing.

Kobus -
I really can not add a highspeed motor to my indexer....it's a converted Sureline rotary table with a 72:1 ratio. That really isn't a problem though, because the resolution is so fine, that I can almost eliminate the mill marks if a small step over is used. Anything left can easily be removed with a light sanding:)

For example, I cut my lithophanes using a .006" step over. This leaves them ready for sale, right from the A-axis...no additional sanding or work is required.

[David Bryant]

Wayne
How did you cut the gyro blades? Any hints on what you learnt? Have you tried a blade that is not flat on the bottom?
cheers
David

[Rad Racer]

Wow, just noticed the date....been awhile since my last post:eek:

Here's a picture of my newly, redesigned pendant. The original has been in service for over a year. I thought I would add a few features and the next thing you know....I have a whole new pendant:D

This is controlled by the Pokey55 device. You can find lots of user discussion over on the Mach3 site.

The software took the longest.....worked a bunch of hours to get it to function correctly.

Wayne

[Rad Racer]

Here is a couple of pictures of my latest project. These are baords for the "Bean Bag Game". We made 9 sets a couple weeks back....great Xmas gifts.

Wayne

[Drad98_98]

Pendant looks great Wayne.

[smreish]

...hey Wayne, is that a 4th axis already set up laying under the table?

[Rad Racer]

Good eyes Sean!

Yep, that's where I store it when not in use. Since it is primarly used for making round litho's, I only install it when I get orders.

[Regnar]

"Bean Bag Game" I think the proper name is Corn Hole ;)

There are a lot of bars down in Florida that have them along with tournaments. Another popular game is Drunken Jenga or Super Jenga.

Now put in a team logo and go tailgating and sell it for a few hundred dollars. I know the sets down here go for good money and there is nothing to them.


By the way nice looking pendant.

[Rad Racer]

Yeah, I have heard various names for this game...."corn hole" just seems wrong:o

I currently sell assembled, unfinished boards, for $80/set. For that price I also engrave their name into cross member between the legs. People like it....adds a nice personal touch.

My design allows the use of 1/2" plywood and still have the proper stiffness. The is nice for two reasons; (1) the boards wiegh less, (2) the plywood is cheaper than 3/4" material.

[cleyte]

Being somewhat unfamiliar with the game, I searched for the rules. I was surprised to find an "official" game organization along with specific rules, construction requirements and competition requirements.

http://www.playcornhole.org/rules.shtml

Something I will look to build with my mechmate (in the spring of 2011 - I hope).

This forum is certainly a wealth of information!

Clayton

[Rad Racer]

Yep, I have seen this site before. Infact these boards were designed to conform to the official specifications:D

[Rad Racer]

These picture where taken as I was making a cribbage board for a Christmas gift.

People have ask how these inlays are done, so I thought I would take a few pictures and document the process for those that are interested. Although I am sure there are other methods....this seems to work for me.

The basic inlay process starts by creating a pocket file and a contour file of your inlay shape. (ex. cut a 1" square pocket that is .1" deep, than cut a 1" square shape the is .15" thick) It is important that the pocket and shape are exact same size so the shape can be pressed into the pocket.

Photo1 you see the first inlays are already placed and sanded.
Photo2 cutting the pocket
Photo3 the pocket is cut, the shape is ready to be pressed in
Photo4 press shape into pocket
Photo5 ready for sanding.

to be continued....

[Rad Racer]

inlays continued.

Once the shape is pressed into the pocket, I use CA glue (aka crazy glue) to glue the shapes into place.

Once complete, I sand down the excess shape material with a belt sander (it sands really quick)

Photo1 - you see the shape is sanded and has a perfect fit.
Photo2 - the cribbage board is finish sanded and then completed with a little coat of finishing oil.


If this process is not clear, please ask questions, I will do my best to provide answers.

enjoy,
Wayne

[jessyjames]

Wayne just curious of what bit you are using? Looks like a .0625" bit. Please let us know if you don't mind.

Thanks in advance,
James

[Rad Racer]

Yes, I used a .0625 (1/16") carbide endmill.

[jehayes]

Wayne: Thanks for the tips on doing inlays. When you make the inlay, how do you cut it, i.e., do you cut it into a solid block and then saw the block to release the inlay, or do you use the MM to profile cut it from thin stock, or some other method?

Thanks

Joe #53

[Gerald D]

. . . do you cut it into a solid block and then saw the block to release the inlay. . . . .

From what I understand, the solid block is glued to the panel and then the block is planed/sanded down to reveal the inlay.

[Robert M]

Joe, Gerald

Inlay is a minimum of two parts “profile cutting”…… no sawing to “release/reveal” the inlay pattern.

A pattern is lay “in” ( or in other words “down in the profiled pocket”)to the main pieces!
Minimum of two pieces of wood is needed:
A - The main pieces of wood which will receive the pattern ( in Wayne photo, the pale pieces of wood ) that gets some pockets machined .
B – The patterns itself which is cut with a thinner pieces of woof that will serve as the “inlayed part” to be fitted in the pocket relief. Must be a little thicker than the depth of the pocket allowing height room to be then flush sanded to a nice leveled surface.
Some may go more intricately by inlaying additional pieces over some already done ”inlay” pieces, meaning, a second or more inlay steps I just above describe over the previously is done !

Hope this clears some interrogations?
Amicalement ;)

[Gerald D]

Robert, it is easier to clamp and hold the inlay section (Part B) if it is part of a block of solid wood (or plywood)

[jehayes]

Robert/Gerald: Thanks for your replies. However, I guess my question was not well put. It is - How do you cut the piece to be inlaid?

If it is cut from thin stock how do you do so without leaving tabs (which will interfere with a tight fit into the socket)

Joe

[Drad98_98]

Joe,
What Wayne does is pocket the first board to accept the inlay, then (depending on the inlay pocket depth), he either double face tape or glue the 2nd piece (to be inlayed into the first piece) to a flat piece of hardboard kinda like a secondary spoil board and cuts out the design. Usually he works with a 1/4" piece for the inlay mainly it is easy to come by or cut yourself. As long as it is taller than the pocket to allow for finish sanding. I did some that were larger and for those you can use tabs and just sand them off, just sand carefully. Hope that helps, wayne must either be busy or slacking lol
Dave

[Drad98_98]

A pic of my first time with inlay, I used thin Lauan (sp?) plywood for the inlay and I ended up sanding off the first ply so it didnt turn out that great. You should use solid wood but I was playing around with what I had for scrap.

[firechief]

That still looks nice, it will only get better from here
Tim