Added belt transmissions #16 - Demotte, IN

[myozman]

After looking at my laser-cut parts and other parts all summer, I finally picked up my steel for my table. I'm planning on a 50" x 120" machine. Steel was a little more than I figured, but I was told that it had gone down in price.

I have already purchased:
rack and pinions
v-bearings
steppers
drives
controller
power supply
cable chains
router
router bracket


Mike Yozman

[Gerald D]

Okay Mike, you have our attention now! :)

[robertmonroe]

Oh yeah that steel looks good! :eek:

[myozman]

It's funny how you just can't leave a pile of steel alone. I took a little longer for lunch than usual.

Note: Not a good idea to put together upside down and turn it over by yourself. Not as young as I used to be, just think I am. Nothing like a clean and jerk of the table. She's upright now.

MIKE

[Gerald D]

Okay, that was the easy part. :D

Must say that a big frame standing in the garage like that is a big motivator to keep going and get finished.

[kanankeban]

Hi Mike,
Nice Table,what size are you going for?
Did you bolt or weld the cross bearers?
And finally what's the size of the profile used for the main beams?
Regards,
Hector

[myozman]

Hi Mike,
Nice Table,what size are you going for?
Did you bolt or weld the cross bearers?
And finally what's the size of the profile used for the main beams?
Regards,
Hector

Hector,

The table is going to be 50" x 120". The cross bearers are bolted, but once everything is squared, I'll lay a weld on them. The main beams are 8" channel.

[myozman]

Okay, that was the easy part. :D

Must say that a big frame standing in the garage like that is a big motivator to keep going and get finished.

Gerald,

Other than wrestling the stuff to the drill press, It was pretty easy. Will see if I'm still saying that after I cut down and grind the angles. I'm going to give it a go this week with the angles.

It takes up to much space to be ignored now.

MIKE

[myozman]

I cut the rails with a tct blade. I would have never though they would have cut so easy and smooth. I clamped the angles to my main beams, leaving about a quater inch gap between the beam and the angle. I let the guide of the saw ride on top of the angle and the saw hang down the side. Keeping the weight of the saw pulling down to keep the cut as straight as possible. This worked pretty good. Did not have to do to much work to it before grinding.

THe grinding took a little messing with to get it to cut well. Used a new disk on every rail. The whole trick is getting the skate tipped right. The first 12 footer took about 45 minutes, adjusting and figuring it out. The others went alot faster. When changing disks, I had to take the skate apart. I scribed the skate as to put it back where I'd found the sweet spot for me.

I have mounted one side of the X rail with rack, keeping it straight. I need to put the other side on yet.

The part I was dreading the most,:eek: The Grinding, actually wasn't as bad as I had thought.:)

I need to cut and weld the gantry and keep things moving. Will post some pictures when I get a chance.

MIKE

[myozman]

I was really hoping to complete more this weekend, But between the freezing rain and loss of electric and now high winds and temps around zero.

Anyway, I hookrd up the generator at the house and one down at the shop. Shop is heated with wood and kerosine(torpedo heater). I managed to get some things done, just slow when it's cold.

I attached rails, welded gantry, and set the y-car. What a great feeling getting the gantry and y-car to roll smoothly. I lucked out and my gantry sat right down on the rails, no adjustment. I took the advise of others and welded it on a tablesaw.

Can't wait to finish the build. It rolls so smooth for being such a big heavy piece of steel. I think I'm a little short on my X cable chain, so I'll have to order more. I also have to get the shielded cables and control enclosure.

Here are a few pictures of the progress.

MIKE

[domino11]

Mike,
Your table is looking really good. I know what you mean about the cold, its been -25C here for the last while. Makes working in an unheated garage pointless. :(

[Gerald D]

Nice work Mike. I like your temporary end-stops to prevent the cars from going off the rails. :)

[smreish]

...funny you noticed the end stops. I welded washers on the rails so I would stop driving the skate off and crashing to the floor. I broke 2 cutting disk's just flying off the rail! :D I like to learn the hard way.

[Gerald D]

David in Taiwan had a big fan going in the workshop . . . . . turned his back on the machine and the gantry blew right off the rails onto the floor. :eek:

[myozman]

I'm just about to a point where I'm ready to take the thing apart and prep for paint.

I still have to come up with something for an idler pulley on my Y-car. I'm thinking of using two of the bearings that I used for the skate, in a trolley-like configuration. I also did my stops different, using cutoffs from the rails.

Does there have to be stops on both sides of the gantry? I have only put it on the motor-side, but if I need to, I'll make another.

[servant74]

Looks great!

[myozman]

I wish I would have bought a satin finish paint instead of gloss to hide the flaws.:D

Maybe that krinkle finish or under coating.

[sailfl]

Mike,

Looks good. You are making good progress.

[Gerald D]

Looks good!

The bearing needed as a roller for the idler/holdown is dicussed here:
Idler holddown roller bearing (http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1262)

Stops are only placed on the motor-side rail of the gantry.

[HomeMadeCnc]

Nice job Mike. Don't worry about the paint, the sawdust will hide th flaws!:)

Tim

[myozman]

Painted everything BLUE, received MechMate decals from Joe, Received control wire, Got motors turning. Just need to put everything back together and start cutting.

Can't hardly wait. Was this the fun part for everyone else? I'm really getting excited about finishing. I think I can see the finish line.:D

MIKE

[Gerald D]

Good news Mike! You have me on the edge of my chair dusting off the next serial number! :)

[myozman]

It was a little cold today to mess around in the shop. To cold to feel the ends of my fingers for motor hook up.

Mike

[kanankeban]

Congratulations....that mechmate really looks nice ;) I see your integrated other motors, could you comment on your experience with those....

[myozman]

Hector,

I'm using Keling motors, KL34H295-43-8B. I went with these because of cost. They are direct drive, but I also have the motor plates for geared steppers for future upgrade. They seemed to work fine on the bench, Just need to run them on the machine.


Mike

[Kobus_Joubert]

Amazing to see how these MM's looks mostly the same....if you just follow the plans as supplied...Nice going Mike and I am still happy to used my ungeared motors....for me the thing cuts what I want.

[Don_Kellogg]

Mike that looks awesome.

[jeffa]

Mike,

Congratulations. You have built a beautiful machine. Please show us more pictures as you get it up and cutting :).


Jeff

[jhiggins7]

Mike,

Great table. I hope those motors work for you.

I have a mundane question. I see the tops of some rattle paint cans. I like the color. I'm not happy with the "Ford Blue" from Tractor Supply. Looks too dark.

What paint did you use? Did you just use rattle cans or did you also use sprayable/brushable paint. What about hardener?

Regards,
John

[sailfl]

John,

Buy the rattle cans from Home Depot. They are Safety Blue from Rustoleum. That is the color I used and it is a nice color. I recognized those tops......

I think Lowes has the same color. It is the professional cans.

[myozman]

Nils is right, it's safety blue. It also matches my forklift, so I had some to start with. I think I bought it by the gallon also from HD. I'm hoping to get the motors wired tonight.

Mike

[kanankeban]

John,

Buy the rattle cans from Home Depot. They are Safety Blue from Rustoleum. That is the color I used and it is a nice color. I recognized those tops......

I think Lowes has the same color. It is the professional cans.

Any body knows how many cans are needed?

[myozman]

Any body knows how many cans are needed?

About a dozen for two coats plus touchup. Don't forget the primer, I only used 5 cans. Rustoleum really covers well, and is still oil based. I think you can shoot it directly on metal, might take more coats to cover.

Mike

[smreish]

...about a dozen is right & a good respirator.

[Gerald D]

. . . . and one clip-on handle:

3338

[myozman]

Cut my first Roadrunners and a couple mini skull and crossbones.:D:D

Mach3 is going to take a little time before I figure a few things out. I need to figure out how to scale things first.

I'll get some pictures of the cutting. Just practicing on some sheets of particle board I had around.

Still have a few things to get straightened out, need a heat sync for the geckos, need a solid state relay for the router, need my e-stop buttons.

Hey Gerald, I'm I under #20 ?

MIKE

[myozman]

Here are a couple pictures cutting.

Mike

[servant74]

Congratulations!

[HomeMadeCnc]

Congratz! More motivation for the rest of us to get going. . . .

[myozman]

Congratz! More motivation for the rest of us to get going. . . .

Just start with one part, It will get you going, and you'll want to get the next and then the next. Pretty soon you will be to the point where it's all down hill. I had most of the parts and laser parts, but it took me buying the steel to get myself going.

Mike

[myozman]

Here is a brief video of the first cuts. Quality of video is a little shakey, shot it with a sony digital camera in movie mode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRrfiEkz_84

Mike

[domino11]

Mike, Looking really good, that should get you a serial number!

[Gerald D]

Well done Mike! #16 it is.

[Kobus_Joubert]

Nice going Mike, now for pictures of ALL the thing you are cutting..;)

[sailfl]

Mike,

Congratulation on #16. Welcome to the club.

But cut some more things. The machine is too CLEAN. You are making us look bad!

[myozman]

Thanks Guys,

I suppose now I'm going to have to show a picture of me and my facial hair.:D

That part of the club requirements I've been ready for.

[jhiggins7]

Mike,

Congratulations on Serial #16. Nice machine, and a fast build too!:)

The updated Builder's Log is here (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pLoxg8wu4WnsBc2_U5yEaQw).

Regards,
John

[hennie]

Congratulations John , enjoy your MM.

[myozman]

Mike,

Congratulations on Serial #16. Nice machine, and a fast build too!:)

The updated Builder's Log is here (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pLoxg8wu4WnsBc2_U5yEaQw).

Regards,
John

John, it seemed to take a long time. I wish I could have worked on it every weekend and every night. It also makes it easy when so many have done and asked questions before me.

Thanks again to everyone who conveys their thoughts, ideas, and questions so well on this forum. All you have to do read and search for answers, They are all here.

Mike

[myozman]

Still trying to learn software. Mastercam X3. Still trying to get it to cut all the way through. It took a jigsaw and belt sander to finish the emblems.

Mike


Oh yeah, I can see a dust collection system is a must with MDF...

[dcozort]

Mike , I am toying with building my own mm or buying a cnc I guess the biggest guestion is how much do you really save by building your own. I know there is a great deal of satisfaction in building anything yourself I have built 7 homes and several kitchen cabinets which is the primary reason I am dying to start cnc work getting to old to keep nailing houses together.. So if you would not mind me asking what do you think the materal for the whole machine cost.. I live in ky so our prices would probably be close.. Thanks Dennis

[domino11]

Dennis,
Dont forget if you build it yourself, if and when something goes wrong, you know exactly what is up and what parts are needed. Not being held ransom by some company that could go bankrupt or disapear in a year or two is a big plus in my book. :)

[dcozort]

I am 90% sure I will build my own looks way to intriguing not to. I am real curious as to the cost this would let me know if I should buy a spindle or stay with a router if you look at true cnc web site he has a few extra things on his machine like lasers and a sensor to zero the bit.. Items I would like to add if money permits..... Does anybody have a ball park figure for material all together?? Thanks Dennis

[myozman]

I have not posted in a month on my machine. Updates include dust collection and dust foot.

The dust foot was done a litle different than everyone elses. Had to try something different. I designed a top and a bottom with a reinforcing ring to help hold the upright pvc tube. The bottom is only opened around the bit to increase suction there. The sweep goes all the way around the dust foot. Here are a couple pictures.

Also I have a plastic drum to collect the bulk the the dust, about 99% plus goes into the drum and keeps the dust bag clean and pretty much empty. Alot easier to dump a barrel than fight that bag.

[myozman]

More info on the dustfoot.

The dust foot has three pieces. Top, bottom, and ring. I really like designing in solids with Mastercam. I bent a piece of aluminium arund the foot to hold the sweep. The front comes off to changebits with two screws.

[sailfl]

Mike,

You designed you duct foot so that the pipe (PVC) fits into one of the circles and the router body fits into the other circle. Both of these are fitting in so there is a tight fit.

My question for some air flow engineer or some one with more experience at this, does this concept improve the sucking capability over the design where there is a small hole so that the collet has space to spin but that is open so air from above is also being pulled in.

Or does it matter?

I have also seen designs were the downward air from the router fan is not allowed and is divereted upward to stop it from interfering with the dust collection. Mike's design, I think, forces that air into the foot and I would think would reduce the suction of the foot. Mike have you noticed any that?

May be it is not enough that it matters.

[myozman]

Nils,

I have only done it this way, so I have nothing to compare it to. I'll have to do some more testing. I do know that my shop stays alot cleaner cutting MDF than before.

Originally I had planned on the foot moving seperate from the router, but then changed my mind and fastened to the router mount.

I'll turn the router and vac on and see what kind of suction I'm getting later today. My thinking was that all the air pull would be concentrated around the bit. But maybe the air flow is being disrupted because of the router.

[myozman]

Working on and off this afternoon, I managed to assemble and install the 3 to 1 belt drive gear plates I bought from Castone (Leo). Everything seems to move and jog well. Now I can't wait to do some test cuts early this week. Need to do a little paint touch-up when the weather warms up. Really went together pretty easy. Just wish I had a better hardware selection in my town.

[Castone]

Looks good mike.

[Castone]

Mike, I like the use of the drum, I guess all of the big chunks of wood fall in too? Instead of going to the bag. I still have not added a dust collector. I think I will try the same thing, when I add mine.

[swatkins]

I also like the drum!

In fact it gives me an idea for remote locating my delta dust collector to the second floor and keeping a small drum beside the table saw and location for the future MM.... IF I move it to the second floor I can enclose it and cut down on some of the noise...

Thanks for the Idea :)

[swatkins]

Working on and off this afternoon, I managed to assemble and install the 3 to 1 belt drive gear plates I bought from Castone (Leo). Everything seems to move and jog well. Now I can't wait to do some test cuts early this week. Need to do a little paint touch-up when the weather warms up. Really went together pretty easy. Just wish I had a better hardware selection in my town.

What part of the hardware are you unhappy with?

[myozman]

I was happy about the plates and design. I was unhappy with the local hardware store. I don't have a very good selection of fasteners near me. So I had to do a little brain storming to make things happen. I don't have a machine shop, so I take a different approach than others sometimes.

I used threaded rod couplers, smaller than the space between the plates (because that's all I could get) and a nut, so I could adjust the distance with my calipers to make the plates parrallel. Alot of extra messing around to get the job done.

I guess it's no different than building the Mechmate. Everyones has it's unique features to accomplish the same result.

Mike