I'm working on a new MM quietly in the corner #5 - Orlando. FL

[smreish]

Greetings MM fans.
...pending my final dwg exchanges and release of cap rail modifications that are graciously being checked/verified by Gerald, I will start my build in the next couple of weeks. Of course, I have to get accounting to agree to let me spend company money! :) So, it might be month or so.

Parameters of build:
[list]
5' x 10' net cutting area
8" channel main beams
Architectural Alum / Hardened steel cap rail rail system
Gecko 203V drives
G100 controller (what the heck....sounds like a great challenge!)
Mach 3
PK296A2A-SG7.2 geared steppers (chosen to match 203v inductance per the forum)

Current projected cost's are $6818.32 US plus labor, plus tax.


Pictures and such will commence during the build.

See ya'll soon.
Sean

[Gerald D]

Sean, I think you are going to do very well! Well, . . . . . welcome! :)

[Richards]

Sean, check the Gecko forum on Yahoo groups for some information on the Gecko G100. The Rabbit controller is failing (without cause) on some units. Mariss has contacted Z-World, but an acceptable solution still hasn't been found. (Neither my G100 nor my G101 have given me any trouble, so I'm hoping that Z-World may have just had a batch of flaky modules.)

[smreish]

Mike,
I was following that thread as well. Thanks for being on the look out for me. My biggest concern was a few folks were having a big issue with the rabbit module a few months ago and loosing the tcp/IP connection and unable to reset the firmware. The most recent threads from Mariss seem to have fixed that issue. I really would like to use the G100, but I might just K.I.S.S. for now. I haven't purchased the Gecko components yet.

Thanks in advance.
Sean

[smreish]

...started Phase one of kitchen table. This is actually really fun. :)
Power supply - check
drive enclosure - check
PMDX-122 card - check
laser cut parts - check.

...Finish taxes that are due on Monday....Then back to ordering and such.
Sean

[Hugo Carradini]

Sean, It feels like you are having a great time.:D

[thesaent14]

hey i will like to fallow this one close

[smreish]

All the kitchen products are ordered.
- motors
- drives
- contactors
- fuse blocks
- power supply
- e-stop pendants
............looks like next week will be a busy time for the UPS man!
Sean

[driller]

what did you do for the main power switch ?

I see that the design shows a switch mounted on the rear panel, but the operator is to be mounted in the door.



Dave

[smreish]

Dave,
I will din mount the 40a rotary switch on the rail and then match the mating half on the swing door in front. This is a very easy installation and will look very similar to Geralds MM control cabinet on the MM home page. If you want a quick look at the specs...AutomationDirect.com 40A/3pole/ with 200mm connecting rod and operator.
Sean

[driller]

Thanks. I had seen the AutomationDirect unit when I was looking.

I have used DPDT relays rated for 10A before on my other units. (not MechMate).

Dave

[smreish]

Hello MM fans.
To date - everything for the kitchen project is ordered and I am anxiously awaiting delivery of Gecko's, Oriental motors and drive enclosure. I have made many runs to SKYCRAFT Surplus (yes, you can visit them online, but I have the luxury of going to their store and rummaging around the bins!) Anyway, since I am waiting for things to arrive, I decided to draft the table layout to verify all my steel dimensions and sizing for shop fabrication. Note, I am making the table as a "gated" perimeter w/ the spoil board purlins bolted in place. Since 3" channel is readily available in my shop, I have substituted it for all the pipe in the lower setup. I have attached a quick little doodle for review. Sean

[Gerald D]

See you have drawn it symmetrical. Remember that the router/spindle is likely to sit offset in the y-car and this has a huge impact on the table symmetry.

Those extra crossmembers between the legs may get in the way when you consider the symmetry issue, or when you maybe want to put in vacuum table piping.

[smreish]

Gerald.
Nice catch. I was working from dwg 10 10 310 for the elevation of the table support legs and such. This appears symmetrical. What I don't see, is the offset distance for the channel -spoilboard- offset dimension. Did I miss it somewhere in the package? See drawing for location in question.

[gmessler]

Hi Sean,

I spent some time looking for it as well. I finally found it in 10-10-300W. 3.9"

Good luck with your build!

Greg M

[smreish]

Greg,
Thanks for the quick reply. Yep...found it at the Centerline of the table. I see the 0,0 corner shift of 3.9" (100mm). Gosh - that's plain as day!

Gerald..if it was any clearer, I wouldn't have missed it :)

Of course, I probably shouldn't be drafting at midnight either!
Thanks.
Sean

[Gerald D]

The non-symmetry comes from having the router/spindle sitting next to the dust hose. Blame the dust hose! :)

[smreish]

Gerald.
Thank you for the observations. I have revised the doodle for comment. I have moved the spoil board by 3.9 inches and adjusted the leg base for future access of vacuum table - which I will install asap.

Just like all good designs...you have to go back to the original to get it right!

....note, almost all of kitchen table project is in. Waiting on enclosure and motors to arrive, but I have everything else on hand. The shop started cutting steel for the gantry yesterday.

Sean

[Gerald D]

That's more like it!

There is a cyan line in the front view, just under the "purlins", running x-direction . . . . . does it mean anything?

[smreish]

Gerald.
No, errant construction reference line that is on the wrong printing layer. It's now turned off. Oops...drafting mistake. :)

[smreish]

I feel like Steve Martin with a new phone book!
...Just checking my layout with all the parts and enclosure. Finally, UPS delivers the goods!
Sean

[Regnar]

Sean I was wondering if I could come and check out your build when you are done. I am over in Tampa and frequent up to Orlando for the theme parks. I have never seen a large cnc in action and would like to pick your brain and have a good look over the machine. I'll even bring the beer:)

[smreish]

Russell,
You or any of the MechMate community may come by my facility at any time when the build is complete. As I mentioned to the forum, I am building quickly. The steel order went in today! Controller is in fabrication. Hopefully, I will be done in about 4 weeks.

Sean

[Regnar]

Thanks Sean, One month is alot quicker than my timeline. That would put you around Thanksgiving time for being finished. Goodluck and I'll be watching the thread. Russell

[smreish]

Just in....
Laser cut parts from Donald - thanks again...they look perfect.
Igus Chain from EBAY (box lot of 16'-0" with 2 brackets
K2CNC #7518 mount - EBAY
Dell computer - EBAY
Final wiring components to assemble drive cabinet - skycraft surplus.
505

506

507

[Regnar]

Sean what do you think you have so far into the project money wise. Its amazing what acouple of phone calls can do as far as price goes from one shop to another. Tried to price all the steel today but I think I have to go in a little more educated for the type of quality and hardness.

[smreish]

Steel all cut and laser parts in. Looks like I will have a busy week in the shop!
Gerald, you may notice the 45 degree angles on the small channel. I was able to optimize my yield with that extra 2" per cut! Now it's off to de-scale the steel before clean and marking. Sean
515

516

517

[smreish]

Russell,
To date I have spent 5K and only have the rack and pinion left to purchase. So, All said and done, I will be right at $5,500 with a complete 5x10 machine. That includes the *new* computer, screen and software.

[Regnar]

Not bad at all you should be able to earn that back in no time at all. Where were you able to save the most from your projected budget?

[smreish]

To date the big $$$ saves are as follows:
"new computer" $142 with XPpro (I had an extra 17" flat screen monitor at the shop)ebay
K2Router Mount $50 ebay
IGUS chain $120 ebay
Wire and control box electrical components - skycraft surplus (about $500 savings) *they are local to Orlando, but can be reached online.
Steel on hand (did not have to purchase 2x4 rect tube or pipe)
Mach3 license on sale at CnC4Pc for $139.00
Use ground MM rail option and NOT cap rail as previously budgeted (about 312.00 savings)
So, in summary - being thrifty and shopping on Ebay saved me about 1K in total.

[smreish]

Here is a couple of pics to show what I have been up to for the past 24 hours.
Sean
527

528

[smreish]

I added a small detail for future use. If you notice, I drilled the 6mm pilot hole thru both legs. This will allow me to 1) pilot hole from underneath the table to the MDF spoilboard in place - while I have the rest of table clamped square. 2) I am going to TAP these lower leg holes 5/16 so I can attached the vacuum plenum underneath the spoil board. Just thought I would share my thinking.
Gerald, For what it's worth - yes the drill bit did skid while drilling into the beveled edge, but it was very consistent. I only had to deal with about 1/16" of deflection in centerline from the top ledge hole.
Sean529

[Marc Shlaes]

Sean,

Did you drill both at the same time so that you only had one setup?

Can you elaborate on your vacuum design / thoughts?

I use vacuum clamping and gluing a lot and I am very impressed with how well it works. (Maybe I'm easily impressed:p). I would love to hear your concept.

Thanks.

[smreish]

Marc,
I did drill them at the same time. Actually, I drilled all the holes at the same time with a small 1/4" bit and then step drilled 1/4, 3/8 then 9/16" ends. To maintain the tight tolerance on the beam geometry, I drilled the main X beams with a 1/2" dia and the cross members with a 9/16" I was able to maintain a perfect parallel alignment on bolt up! The key to drilling was a really good layout - THE TAPE METHOD WORKS VERY WELL - and a very sharp center point punch to mark with. I know Gerald mentions this on the drawings, but to achieve a consistent layout on structural steel one must work from Centerline dimension and not from the end of a piece steel. Those 1/32" of an inch in cut variation can add up in a hurry! I had to have a quick class on layout dimensioning with my employee's to remind them of that! I hope to have the table completely welded my Monday morning. Then I have to flip it! Anyone up for helping? I'll bring the coffee & donuts. Sean

[smreish]

Attached is a little detail of the vacuum table plenum I plan on using for the MechMate. This is best built with the MechMate for you to practice on your part making/cutting ability!

[Gerald D]

We have a crude holddown system that is mainly used for flattening wavy boards. 40mm [1.5"] pvc piping that penetrates the table at 8 points. No valves - all 8 points tee'd to one vacuum motor (ala Fein/Shopvac). A bit of a bowl is routed out around the mouth of each table penetration.

The valving, or turning on/off of each point is extremely high-tech. The secret is revealed here (http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-07,GGLD:en&q=bath+plug&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi). Ssssh, please don't tell anyone else. ;)

[Marc Shlaes]

Sean,

Are you planning to make it out of melamine for the sake of airtightness or MDF and simply paint it. Also, if you are going to silicone it to the spoil board, I assume that you are never going to fully replace the spoil board. Just surface it down to a specified thickness and glue another layer of MDF to it (using the vacuum). Also, is your manifold going to be on the end or the side? What are you going to power the whole thing with?

Gerald,

how well does the Fein do? I am personnally only familiar with the little vacuum pumps used for vacuum bagging and gluing. I have some pucks that I also use for clamping. I don't have any experience with large area clamping.

The first time that I attached a puck to MDF and could pull a vacuum through to hold another piece of MDF, I couldn't believe it.

[Gerald D]

. . .how well does the Fein do?

This is another whole can of worms . . . . . how long is a piece of string? :)

We don't have a Fein "Shopvac" - we do have some other Fein tools and they are top quality. There is one particular model of Fein "ShopVac" that the SB'ers rave about, think it is the Turbo III, but Fein also has some models which nobody raves about. So, let's not help the myth that all Feins are fine.

The Fein that is so popular has a reasonably good performance on paper, in terms of suction pressure vs volume, but the major outstanding feature is the sound deadening. It is a very quiet "ShopVac". So, if noise is a major feature in your specs, get the Fein. Otherwise, you could get a naked vacuum motor (http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-07,GGLD:en&q=vacuum+motor+ametek&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi) and have the same performance. Our system is based on a generic vacuum motor.

[smreish]

Marc,
A couple of notes:
- most likely 3/4" 7/9 core ply - because I have units of it and use it on almost everything I build.
- silicon is easy to reseal if you have to reseal the boxes to the Spoil board. Of course, A really good silicon based weatherstrip would probably work as well too.
- remember, I am attaching the vacuum plenum's to the steel. Once they are placed, removing them is easy. So, replacing the spoil board from top side is fairly simple. I am going to use capture nuts on the steel (or tap) so the spoil board can be replaced from Topside.
- Shop vac's work well, but I will most likely buy a surplus vacuum pump motor to get the adequate suction (about 12-14mm HG) a normal shop vac creates about 5-6 on a good day. Shop vacs work, but they are loud.
- additionally, a vacuum pump in line with manual gate valves, is easy control. The motor is small enough that you can put it in a "blimp" box..which is a fun name for an insulated enclosure to reduce db.
- I am only vacuum boxing the 5' x 8' are of the table. The last 2 ft is for indexer and "fun stuff to try with a router table" My experience tells me that the surface area of 40' is plenty to hold down the last 2' unheld by vacuum. Plus, the rare times I am actually cutting material that large, a big G clamp is sufficient.
- note: if you glue down an additional layer of MDF to the spoil board, you risk sealing it's porous properties...then you will have no vacuum hold down at all. I have made that mistake before and couldn't for the life of me figure out why the board wouldn't stay on the table. :-/

Hope this helps...Gerald, if the forum wants to continue this, can we move the vacuum stuff to the other part of the forum for ease of the rest of the members to find it? Just my 2 cents.

[Regnar]

Sean I have the same questions as above to with maybe some advice. From you photo's it kinda looks like you making boxes inbetween each C channel that goes the length of the of the y. I only suggest that you install some bracing going the lenght of the x across the y axis. I would do full pieces with lighting holes glue and screw them in. The braces do not need to be air tight but I would bring them up to the underside of you spoil board.

I mention this because if you are able to pull 2.3hg over a 12"x48" area you will be pulling 1psi, so in reallity you would be placing 2,880 pounds or a car within that area. 2.3hg is not hard at all to achieve seeing that over on joewoodworker.com and the zone people are able to get 17hg to 21hg.

Some good links about vacuum
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/vacuum-converter-d_460.html
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Vacuum_application_FAQ.html#woodworker
http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/welcome.htm

The build is looking great.

[smreish]

Russell,
You caught my other thinking. :) Yep, I did that quick 3d this morning for Marc's benefit. I didn't show all the internal bracing-nor plumbing. Yes, you could suck the walls in pretty quickly if built "as-shown". NOTE: drawings are for reference only- refer to disclaimer on main page of MechMate.com

[Gerald D]

Gerald, if the forum wants to continue this, can we move the vacuum stuff to the other part of the forum for ease of the rest of the members to find it? Just my 2 cents.

You might have noticed that I hack a lot of these off-topic discussions out into their own threads when the traffic dies down. I can't move them if someone is busy replying, otherwise his reply is left stranded.

[smreish]

Gerald,
I ran across your vacuum hold down on the shopbot forum last night....sexy! Simple and easy to use! Keeping it simple....
If the notation was correct, it was 2001 when you installed that plumbing. 6 years is a good testament.

[pksharma]

Smreish.
It seems that you bolted cross bars with taper washer. For dismentling and easy transfers ? Then why legs of table welded ? Should not be the cross bars welded or table legs bolted ?
Actually I was thinking of bolting all these together for ease of transfers.

[smreish]

PK,
The MM table I am fabricating disassembles in 12 parts. 2 sides, 2 ends and 8 cross members.

This was specifically done as a "proof of concept" due to shipping requirements here in the US. For a reasonable shipping price, I can send a complete table on a single standard 48" wide x 12' long (super pallet) standard freight.

I want to make sure that what I build can be easily shipped. The legs are welded to the main members for 2 reasons.

1. So I can use the cross members to "adjust parallel" on the table before the spoil board is attached.
2. The leg and stretcher assembly is a very STIFF section once complete. This will ensure that the 8" channel and subsequent rail attached to it remain straight and true. I would hate to have a shipper bend my main beams because someone can't drive a forklift properly!

I know your new to the MM club, after further study of the drawings you will begin to understand the true gestalt of this great design.
Sean

[pksharma]

The MM table I am fabricating disassembles in 12 parts. 2 sides, 2 ends and 8 cross members.
How you are going to disassamble ends while they seems to be welded (arrows)
Isn't it possible to build a frame (yellow lined) and bolt (red) them with legs. This box arrangement is very rigid. For ease of dismentling (though we do not do it often). The door of my converted garage is only 3' wide :)
The spoil board can also be bolted with cross bars and can be lifted as one ?
Your decision of welding main members is correct.
With bolted sections don't we need very even floor ?
You are right I have to read/study/understand a lot, which I am doing right now before start.

[smreish]

PK,
This dwg should clear it up.
If you look closely at the picture, I added a 50mmx50mm angle iron section to the bottom of the cross members for bolt attachment.
The end frames are smaller and lighter. Keeping it simple, lighter and less steel. Which means less $$$$.

Sean

[pksharma]

Sean,
Oh yes, I magnified the image and doubt cleared, of course this is not welded as I prefer and rigid like box type and <$$$$$.
Thanks.

[smreish]

I built the Beta version of the skate from Gerald's plans.

DO NOT USE the BETA drawing files if you have them - A few modifications are necessary.

I have to say - it works really well.
I did have to do a few tweaks, but they were minor. Gerald, I will have to send you the dwg file I updated, the hole centers need a little adjusting.

The good.

- easy to fabricate
- Instead of laser cutting, I just printed the dxf file full size and spray glued it to a piece of "COLD" rolled 1/4" plate and worked from it.
- drilled all the holes
- cut along the lines with a band saw.
- after all machining and dressing, I parted the plate on the bend line and then welded back together @ 45 degree angle. Simple, quick...
- Welding hardened the plate which made re-drilling a couple of holes REALLY hard. (I guess I shouldn't have quenched it to be in a hurry:)
- adjusting nut/rod assembly aft of the grinder is amazing. Super easy to set the grind angle. Bravo.

In the photo's below, I haven't even adjusted the grind angle yet and it's almost dead on perfect from the assembly setup.

The challenges.

- the eccentric bolts from Superior are 12mm - not 1/2" as indicated. Thus, I had a bearing problem that I ordered from VXB. If you order your bearings, make certain that you get 12mm ID - NOT 1/2" To correct this I had to make up a .030 flanged bearing sleeve. Not fun, but not a hurdle either.
- Brass bolts for height adjustment....they wore down after 1 pass and were sticky to move on. Changed to Hardened Stainless Steel.....zippie skippy! Yahoo.....worked like a champ!
- I don't have a bosch grinder like Gerald, but the home depot Ryobi AG402 has the same bolt circle as the bosch. To use the Ryobi, you must enlarge the clearance hole to a slightly larger diameter and add 1/4" standoffs to the frame for the plate to bolt down securely. All in all, easy change.
- have to add a guard. It's really easy to want to grab the grinder body to push with. Glove's and the proper safety gear was a blessing today.

I have 2 really nice handles that will go in the holes just below the adjusting rod. This will keep my hands on centerline. I will post photo's of it with the rail grind later in the week.


The pictures tell the rest of the story.

[Gerald D]

Picture no.3 . . . . . never in my life have I seen such a collection of screws, nuts and washers! :D:D
(Wouldn't say this is one of my prettiest designs, but rates high on function.)

Sean, glad to hear we are heading in the right direction. I can't believe I got those hole centers wrong while the ones for the long screws actually worked out :o

Is there enough space to remove the disk? Somebody will assemble the whole skate before they put the disk on.

The hole can be enlarged for the larger grinder, but I think to leave surplus metal at the back for each user to trim to his own grinder.

Before someone asks, the unused holes in the top pic are for when grinding the height of the rail down......when the grinder is rigged horizontal to the table

The correct bearings for the wheels on the eccentrics are 6001-2RSR

[smreish]

Gerald,
I have already transfered the hole pattern on the front to the "moving bed" for the cutting down sequence. I knew what they were for the moment I saw them....like the trash can thread you had started a few month's ago!

My craftsmanship on the band saw was a little shaky! I didn't have the correct saw tooth arrangement and I was forced to be a little aggressive in my cuts! That plate looks I had it for lunch:)

I'll try removing the disk soon and let you know.
This one's a winner. I have added the Bosch layout with the adjusted holes to the laser part list. If you have any further corrections, I will add them too.
Sean

[Gerald D]

Took me a while to figure out the reference to "trash can" . . . . . . . aaha! the background of these pics (http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?p=351&postcount=1)! :)

A safe(ish) "handle" could be formed by enlarging the upper plate and bending its lip up. I havn't got the feel of the device, so I don't know quite where one has a tendency to grab it.

Hardened stainless screws are a bit exotic for the average DIY guy. Would standard allen cap screws do? (Allen caps are a good bit harder than normal screws).

Further discussion on the grinder moved to:

http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?t=479 (http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?t=479)

[Regnar]

Hey Sean, just checking to see how the progress is going. You only have 2 weeks until your deadline. Hope its all going good for you. Josh

[smreish]

The day job has slowed progress a little this week. I still think I can make Dec 1st. The base of table is fully welded. Rails are almost ready to be ground now that I have dialed the grinding skate in. I have to admit, setting the grind angle and depth with Gerald's skate is a piece of cake. It only took me about 15-20 minutes to fully adjust and check the runout with a dial gauge. That's better than most manual machine shop mills!

I most likely will need that long holiday weekend to work all the bugs and details out without any interruption from the rest of my shop crew. So, keep your fingers crossed.

[gmessler]

I can relate to your day job issue. Between the day job and the wife having me build a new vanity for the bath I think I've got the DTs/shakes from not being able to work on my machine.:eek:

Good luck making your deadline.

What were your plans for the placement of your control box?

[smreish]

Stick it on the wall next to the machine like Gerald's. It's a perfect place and keeps it fairly away from the dust fall-off. Interestingly enough I visited my old Multicam4896 yesterday. It's cabinet is on the end, under the machine. The dust has begun (again) to destroy the stepper cards. That location is good for about 1 card replacement every year! I guess good for the Multicam service rep...bad for the owner. Thus, I like up and out of the way. I don't feel like buying new gecko's every year.

[gmessler]

Point taken.:) On the wall it goes.

Thanks Sean

[Gerald D]

MultiCam's position is good for shipping a pre-assembled and tested machine from the factory, and also for guys who have 5 MultiCams in a shed with no walls nearby. I think us DIY'ers have a slightly different perspective. :)

[Doug_Ford]

I've been careful to incorporate everything Gerald and Mike Richards have told me because I want a machine that is as bulletproof as possible. That's also why I love this design. It's industrial quality. All my visitors have asked how heavy it is so I just tell them to try to pick it up. No one but my son has been able to get one of the legs off the ground. He'll be handy to have around when I get ready to move it out of the garage.:)

[smreish]

The shop degreased and painted the Mamba today. They even bondo'd up the ends for me so they are nice and smooth.....I'll thank them later after I crash into the end chasing a broken bit!

It's nice to see some parts of the process happen without me actually doing it! :)

[Gerald D]

Hey, that looks familiar. :)

(The nearest cross-support; you might want to turn it around for looks)

[smreish]

Gerald,
Revision 2 will be a turn about. If you remember, that pipe welds at about a 7 degree angle. I had to "stretch" to make that weld sound and keep the end frame removable. Thus, the end frames are "handed". The Next table I will change that 2.5 x 2.5 angle to channel for easier welding and better vertical alignment.
Hey Doug....that eagle eye in SAB catches my stuff too! :)

[Doug_Ford]

Beautiful Sean. I'm anxiously watching your progress.

[Gerald D]

Sean, I am not talking of the support with the pipe frame under - Look at the nearest (to camera) support ;)

SAB? That is South African Breweries (the guys who own Miller beer). We are commonly known as SA. However, we are "officially" known as ZA when we put it on vehicles (cars, trucks, aircraft). Call-signs for SA registered ships and planes start Z. And our currency is abbreviated ZAR (for South African Rands). Strangely enough, this Z has nothing to do with all the Z's in Africa (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Azania). . . . . it comes from the Dutch "Zuid-Afrika". . . . . unless the other Z's also come from Dutch?)

[smreish]

...right! Cross member, not support. Got it...Yep - shouldn't post late in the evening! But, Guess what - I am really glad you caught that because now I realize I put all the cross members back during reassembly the wrong direction. All the open faces of the c-channel should face centerline - not away. Good Catch. When all else fails - look at the drawings. (apologies for the slight of abbreviation - my world geography and nomenclature is lacking) heck, I live in the south. Which in the USA is an entire separate continent from the rest of the world anyway:D

[sailfl]

Looking good Sean. I am eager to be able to come over for a up close view.

For everyone else, I am fortunate to live about 20 mins away from Sean's shop and he has be kind to offer me his help in building my MM. He is fortunate to have a very large area that he can use to build his MM.

[onemonkeyhh]

Good Good Study Day Day Up

[Regnar]

Hey Sean, you havent updated in awhile. Should be working on you vacuum table by now:)

[smreish]

Russell,
Well, I was sidelined for the past 10 days with work, work and more work. Thus, today is my first day back at doing anything. I spent the day setting up the workbench to cut and grind rails. Additionally, I set up my backup drill press with my new :) tapping head. Now all those holes will go a little quicker! Thanks for checking in....Now I hope to be cutting by Christmas with the recent interruption. Sean

[Regnar]

Its always better to be work busy. If you own your own company that means more money coming in and if you are just a employee that means job security.

It also means that things get put to the back burner. I wish that I could offer to come up and help but I am in the same boat as you. With all the holidays the work load doesnt get lighter and if you want the time off you need to get the work done faster. Sorta a catch 22 becuase they espect the same pace after the holidays to.

I will keep watching and whatever you do dont rush. I always seem to put out poor quality when I get anxious or tired of a job.

[smreish]

The much anticipated kitchen table project is mostly complete.
I have to put the temporary plugs on the steppers and I am ready for a test run. Hopefully I will free up some time later this week to iron out all the bugs. All you electronic experts be nice! I haven't wired in a few years:rolleyes:
651652653

[sailfl]

I like the blue.... looks good. I'll stop in next week.

[Bill McGuire]

Sean...
Looks GOOD!

BTW: Is that an aluminum plate in the back, or did it come with a steel one?

[smreish]

Bill, I ordered it with a powder coated white steel back plane. It taps 6-32 very nicely! :) I personally like the steel back planes - they are cheaper and don't warp as much when you really start torquing heavy components down.
If your at all wondering what goes in the holes...
- left side under the twist-lock flanged recptacles is the 220/40A in.
- right side is the 9 core control cable to the table button boxes.
- PMDX cable is marked, but not drilled yet until I am really ready to commit on it's final location based on computer placement in the shop.
- the little black item on the right above the 4-pin XLR field is the 1A fuse for the Estop circuit. I wanted to be able to service this fuse without opening the cabinet.
- lights on front panel are "router/spindle" active & "dust collector" active.

[Doug_Ford]

Wow!! I'm not posting pictures of my junk anymore. I don't want my work compared with yours. It's gorgeous.

[gmessler]

I'll side with you Doug. I think the standards have been set as high as the moon. Only select few will be able to reach. Bravo Sean!!:)

I have a question about the xlr connectors you used. What I recall from reading through the forum the connections from the Gecko's to the motors is very critical. Any interruption can cause a blown Gecko and possibly the motor as well. XLR connectors are not a very reliable connection as anybody in the sound industry knows they can on occasion cause noise. Additionally they are only designed to carry a very small voltage/current. I believe that the contacts are only rated to 1.5A/125vac. While I love the idea… do you think that using these will cause any issues?

[BHawthorne]

Nice wiring job. :) I hope to aspire to that look for my controller enclosure in a few weeks. It's a lot to figure out at the moment though.

[Gerald D]

That's a nice big blue box! (b³) :)

One smallish comment; the door interlock switch should be further away from the door hinge, if possible.

Very nice attention to detail - even have the ground wire across the hinge! :)

[Alan_c]

Nice going Sean. very neat.

I also share Gregs concern regarding the XLR connectors, they are not electrically reliable.

[Gerald D]

XLR connectors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XLR_connector) are apparently made by various producers these days - there is probably a quality difference from one manufacturer to the next. I am sure that high-quality XLR connectors must be available.

[smreish]

Consolidated reply:
Alan, you concerns are well noted. After many years in the entertainment industry I have found no real cause for alarm on reliability. Actually, the amphenol modular shells have a tendency to crush or melt on me. The XLR, is a standard for me (and I have A lot of them :) I only use Swithcraft or Neutrik with the 14 GA pins and extra large solder cups. Typically for machine use I use 3 pin xlr for Estop loop, 4 pin for power, and 5 pin for drive control. This is an Audio/Visual standard that I adopted years ago. It helps to be standardized when your 4 pin xlr is missing and you can go the vendor next to you and borrow a cable that will help the Rolling Stones start their concert on time!

Gerald, I played with that darn rotary disconnect position for days! Your right...it works where it's at, but alignment was a pain in the *&^ to get perfect. Next round I am going to put it dead center and have it as the separator between DIN component fields. I was too far along in the wiring process to go back....as always, you miss nothing. And I like it that way ;)

Greg, Well see if any issues arise. The make-and-break frequency of XLR reliability comes from the repeated use of the shell on a daily basis. I really plan on making the connection a couple of times a year - if that. Personally, I have had great success using them. I still have 30+ axis' of automation gear running on Broadway with the aforementioned 3,4,5 pin set up that I built in 1995....10+ years and no report of issues. Hopefully, I will have the same luck.

[domino11]

From the switchcraft website www.switchcraft.com

for their xlr connectors

SPECIFICATIONS

ELECTRICAL

Contact Resistance: 50 milliohm maximum, per pole.

Current Rating:
3 pole - 15A, 4 pole - 10A,
5 and 6 pole - 7.5A,
7 pole - 5A @ 125VAC.

Insulation Resistance: 1,000 M(omega), minimum.

Dielectric Withstanding Voltage: 1,000 V (rms).

Capacitance: 2 pF between pins and 4 pF between
pins and shell, maximum (AA3M and AA3F).

MECHANICAL

Insertion/Withdrawal Forces: 7 pound maximum,
5 pound nominal, insertion; 7 pound maximum,
5 pound nominal, withdrawal.

Wire Size: #12 wire gauge solid; #14 wire gauge stranded (3 contact).
#14 wire gauge solid; #16 wire gauge stranded (4 contact).
#16 wire gauge solid; #18 wire gauge stranded (5 and 6 contact).
#18 wire gauge solid; #20 stranded (7 contact). (Q-G and QGP).


These look like they would work well. I have also used them in the past for professional audio solutions with good results. You do need a good quality one as Gerald suggests though. Switchcraft has always been good for me.

[smreish]

Heath,
Thanks for the backup data. I was pulling the white paper from the website when you post popped up to verify what I already knew from experience.
To add to you data - The 4 pin XLR is 10A @ 60V. Plenty of headroom!

[smreish]

Doug...please! Your wiring is spot on. Each baker in the kitchen uses different pans and pots, but the result is pretty much the same. Keep up the good work yourself. I hope your cutting wood before me! Ready - set - go!

[Charlie]

Had to say high to you stagehand superstars.
**waves**
10 years on broadway ?? I thought they closed "Cats" lol :) har har.

I.A. member.

[domino11]

Sean,
Yeah the 4 pin is in my post but I didnt see the 60V on the switchcraft website. I only saw reference to 125V AC. Do you have data that gives different voltages for the various pin counts? 60V might be a little low for guys using the higher voltage supplies.

[smreish]

Direct from my Switchcraft database from my vendor. My rating at 60 Volts was the cross reference chart I was using for Nuetrik. The rating on the connectors I am actually using is for Switchcraft. There is a significant difference in the series and model number on XLR's. Some do have a lower ratings, but if you look, you can find the right ones at Mouser, Newark and other suppliers for reasonable pricing.

Note:
Q-G® CONNECTORS
Q-G®AUDIO CONNECTORS A, AA, AND QGP SERIES
AA Series Only

* Rugged 1-piece cable clamp to relieve pulling and twisting stresses on terminations.

* No Screws flex relief retention system.

* Integral bump shell grounding system.

SPECIFICATIONS

ELECTRICAL

Contact Resistance: 50 milliohm maximum, per pole.

Current Rating: 3 pole - 15A, 4 pole - 10A, 5 and 6 pole - 7.5A, 7 pole - 5A ALL RATED FOR 125VAC.

Insulation Resistance: 1,000 M(omega), minimum.

Dielectric Withstanding Voltage: 1,000 V (rms).

Capacitance: 2 pF between pins and 4 pF between pins and shell, maximum (AA3M and AA3F).

MECHANICAL

Insertion/Withdrawal Forces: 7 pound maximum,
5 pound nominal, insertion; 7 pound maximum, 5 pound nominal, withdrawal.

Wire Size: #12 wire gauge solid; #14 wire gauge stranded (3 contact). #14 wire gauge solid;
#16 wire gauge stranded (4 contact). #16 wire gauge solid; #18 wire gauge stranded (5 and 6 contact).
#18 wire gauge solid; #20 stranded (7 contact). (Q-G and QGP).

[domino11]

Sean,
Ok thats great, Looks like the same info I copy and pasted from switchcraft. Good to know that switchcraft connectors are good for 125Vac but others can be only good for 60V on multipin configurations. Will have to go with the quality vendors like switchcraft. 60V sounds marginal for some of our applications. No good for the 240V mains guys on the other side of the pond but good for the steppers.:)

[gmessler]

I stand corrected.:D
Maybe I just needed to stir the pot a little bit.:p

[smreish]

Heath,
My intention is XLR use only for steppers and estop/button use only. For big power I still like the NEMA Hubbell Twistlocks - like the flange receptacles I have in the bottom of my box. McMaster has a wonderful assortment of the Leviton and Eagle brand that are affordable.

[domino11]

Sean,
Yes I like the twist lock style connectors for mains wiring as well. I just meant that for the mains voltage the xlrs were not my first choice but would be fine for the stepper connections! The twist lock connectors offer a much higher voltage rating which is perfect for 120V or 240V and lots of current capability.

[smreish]

..I should have learned from Doug. Yep, As you can see from the attached photo I finally have all the electronics up and running and debugged. It would have all worked if I had read Doug's post closer and realized that the a1/a2 coil contacts are not labeled on the EIC CN22 contactor's. I had the system wired to the wrong contacts and had no coil activity for 2 days. I spent the better part of friday night tracing every wire against my schematic and all matched. It wasn't until I decided to just hot wire the coil for some activity when I noticed that I wasn't pulling in the coil. Long story short - NOTE the location of the coil connections early on on your relay's. In my 20 years of wiring these things have I never been so dumbfounded over a really fundamental wiring error. All wiring working. XLR's worked really well. Mach 3 talking well to all the drives. All drives responding under Jog. All motors moving in jog mode. Next step is to route printer cable and finish dressing the interior of the Control cabinet.
Hopefully, I will start the rails and welding the x & y components on Wednesday.
658

[Doug_Ford]

Congratulations on your progress!!! Those terminals are easy to miss. Sorry you wasted so much time but I'm glad to know I'm not the only guy to miss seeing them.

[Greg J]

Sean,

That's nothing (mis-wiring). I haven't documented 1/2 of my mistakes. ;)

Your progress is looking good. :)

[J.R. Hatcher]

I have a question, what is the feeling about the reliability of computer 9 pin serial connectors where the wire from the driver and motor pigtail connect?

[Richards]

J.R.,
If I've read your post correctly, you're thinking of using DB-9 connectors at the motor to connect the motors to the wiring that goes to the stepper drivers. If that is what you're asking, don't do it. The DB-9 (and DB-25, DB36, DB-50) connectors was designed to just carry a few milliamps of current. Although that connector can handle more current, at first, eventually the contacts will erode, connections will become erratic, and you'll be one of many who spend their days and nights talking to themselves in a padded room. Maybe that's just a little extreme, but I've worked on a lot of equipment from Lucht Engineering and from Bremson Data Systems that used DB-xx connectors to carry current. Both companies redesigned their products and used heavy-duty plugs and receptacles on their second version controllers.

[J.R. Hatcher]

I'm standing at the door of that padded room as it is. I surely don't need a push:D. What would be the reccommended 4 wire connector for inline?

[smreish]

JR,
It's good to see you back. Usually I use the Amphenol modular backshell and crimp pin, but I had all the XLR in stock and on the shelf.
Modular pins connectors I like (in no particular order)
- Nema L series twistlocks...many configurations, great current capacity..but large in form factor. I used these for the Router and Dust collection on my box...See photo in post 92
- Amp crimp pin for the 3 to 28 pin connectors
- XLR, because they are metal and last and carry "a decent amount of current"
- Molex - if the twist connection type
- phoenix 4 and 5 pin (like the modbus and device net used on PLC networks for machine control

Don't like
Wegman 4 pin (like the shopbot once used and not anymore for many reasons)

[Richards]

J.R.,
I normally just use DIN terminal blocks. They are big and bulky. They are are not quick-disconnect, but, they are secure and inexpensive. I've had zero failures with DIN terminal blocks.

[J.R. Hatcher]

Check out this site for XLR connectors. Is there a better place to order? I'm thinking NC4FX and NC4MX or A4F and A4M.
http://www.markertek.com/p/fullpage.php?page=021

[smreish]

JR.
The Silver contacts are fine. The "gold" contact series is really for the marketing people. Nuetrik is a great choice. The modular back shell "twists" on to act as a strain relief and insulator. Good for machine work and fairly robust. I order from Markertech often, you won't be disappointed in their service. Please make sure you order some very small 3/32" or 1/8" shrink tube for the solder joints. It's easy to get a stray fiber or two in these connectors if your not really careful.
Sean

[J.R. Hatcher]

Sean, thanks for the recommendation. I ordered 10 pcs NC4FX and 10 pcs NC4MX last night and they ship today, as per e-mail confirmation. I think you are right, I'm going to like www.markertek.com (http://www.markertek.com) , thanks again

[Doug_Ford]

Mike,

Can you give us a link to the DIN terminal blocks you use?

[Richards]

Doug,
I buy my DIM terminal blocks locally. You can find terminal blocks at www.factorymation.com or www.automationdirect.com. Typically, you will need the terminal blocks, rails, end-covers, end-brackets, and jumpers.

Locally, terminal blocks cost about $1.00 each. On line they cost about $0.50 each, but you have to buy them by the box.

[Doug_Ford]

Mike,

Thanks. I misunderstood the earlier post. I thought Sean was talking about connecting the wires from the motors to the cables. I thought you were using some kind of terminal blocks for that. I get it now.

I'll try to read more closely in the future. Thanks again.

[J.R. Hatcher]

Sean, nice connectors, they came today. thanks

Sean, thanks for the recommendation. I ordered 10 pcs NC4FX and 10 pcs NC4MX last night and they ship today, as per e-mail confirmation. I think you are right, I'm going to like www.markertek.com (http://www.markertek.com) , thanks again

[smreish]

Markertek delivers quick again. The real reason I use them. Sometimes not the best price-but they have it in stock and quick delivery. Like mcmaster

[smreish]

...Today was a record day. 28 degrees in Orlando. With it this cold (I know it's all relative to where you live) I figured I would help warm up my unheated shop with a little welding. Y - car all welded up and off to bondo and paint.
676

677

[Greg J]

Looking good Sean,

Just received my hardware for mounting the V-rollers. McMaster is the best for delivery (ordered Monday, delivered today, regular ground ). Actually, they have the best prices when it comes to fastening (nuts, bolts, etc) hardware.

A couple of barley sandwiches (American for beer) after my day job and off to the shop for some fun time :)

[domino11]

Sean,
Your shop sounds a lot warmer than mine. Last night it dropped to -28 C or -18.5 F for you US guys. That concrete floor gets pretty cold that way. :( Welding wont warm up that one. :) Your Y car looks good. Keep sending us the pics. How did you find the Bondo for filling in the cracks? Did you have to sand after or did you just tool it and let it set?

[smreish]

Heath,
I only bondo'd the plug weld areas on the car. The fillet area's - for the time being - are just naked. I didn't do the caulk or bead filling. Maybe later, but the car looks pretty nice painted.

[domino11]

Sean,
Cant wait to see what you are going to be making with the beast. :) More pics please

[smreish]

...off to Home Depot...I just burned up my grinder cutting down the rails.:eek:

[domino11]

Sean,
Are you planning on using the capped rails or using the skate method? Just wondering. I am still debating which way I will go.

[Marc Shlaes]

I plan on only using the skate to grind the angle. I bought a SteelMax saw. It cuts through 1/4" steel like butter. Amazing. Steel isn't the slightest bit warm after the cut.

[smreish]

grinding is working...but require patience and a lot of time. Not to mention really dirty. Knowing what I know now, I would most likely spend the $ on the cap rail. If your building as a true DIY, the cutting and grinding method with the skate is easy and a great learning experience. Definitely worth doing it once for the experience.
My 2 cents. Sean
...lack of patience has cost me one cheap grinder. Small price for learning. I can't wait until Gerald gets back and gives me the fatherly...I told you so. LOL

[sailfl]

How many 2 cents do you think you have in the grinding of the rails if you count the cost of the jig, Grinder and your time?

I am all in for the experience but I am starting to think that I may use the cap rail approach.

You have made a lot of progress on your machine this week. I will have to stop in and give a third party progress report.

[smreish]

Nils
I wasn't planning on doing any work on the mm. It just fit in during the few down hrs I had. Sneaking in shop time around the real work is a heck of a challenge.

[sailfl]

Sean, When you get back from your trip, I will stop by.

Seriously, how much do you think you spent grinding the rails yourself? It just seems like good way to go, buying the caps.

[sailfl]

Sean,

Thanks for taking the time today between your work on your MM and waiting for the Baby.

First, NO Baby news.

Sean has to finish grinding the rail for the Gantry, paint the Gantry and install the Z. It will not be long before Sean will be cutting.

[smreish]

...still waiting...got the rails done & mounted. Placed the gantry & y-car on the machine. Cool seeing everything together. Boy, it seems bigger in person than it does in the pictures :)

[smreish]

743
...and yes, I know I have to trim the rails to length. This is a good example of the overhang needed for the skate to adequately clear the "usable" portion of the rail.

[Greg J]

Sean,

Nice looking "beast".

I agree with your "bigger in person" comment. The pictures also don't do it justice.

I guess that's why we are building one. :)

[Doug_Ford]

She's beautiful Sean. You're moving along smartly. Congrats.

[cncb]

Sean, thats a nice looking blue beast. Its already looking like it wants to make chips fly.

[smreish]

...spent most of the afternoon making end stops, stop brackets, proximity switch holes and cutting down Rack Rail.
- now, if those darn contractions on the end of the phone line would just hold off a couple more days :) I could get this all assembled!
Sean

[Doug_Ford]

I think you're going to set the record for the fastest build. I can't believe how fast it's coming together for you. AND you're doing beautiful work.

[smreish]

Doug,
Thanks for the kind words. Heck, I would have been done by now if I didn't have to do my real job all day :)
I ordered from McMaster friday a 12mm washer and shim kit for the Vee Rollers. On initial set up, it looks like I need about 1.2mm per bearing to get the spacing just right to center up on the rail. Any one else want to share how much space they ended up with between the Vee and rail centerline on both the X and Y axis?

Gerald - do you have a torque spec for the preload on the bearing or do you just "that feel's about right" tighten it up?

[Doug_Ford]

Sean,

I'll be happy to measure mine but I don't understand what you mean by "space between the Vee and rail centerline." Can you rephrase it?

[Gerald D]

Sean, the bolt does not affect the pre-load on the bearing (does not affect the clearance between the balls and raceway)

[J.R. Hatcher]

Sean that's a good looking machine. congrats are in order.

[smreish]

Doug - how much room do you have between the bearing and the end plates?
1 washer, 2 washer, a full jam nut? Just curious. All of my bearings ended up about 1/8" off the plate to adequately mate with the rails. I haven't taken the rails back off the machine yet and painted, thus I will have a chance to reset it all again here very shortly.
Gerald, Thanks for the pre-load answer. It appeared as if there was no affect from tightening the center race fully, or loosely, but I thought I would check.
JR - thanks, getting there...slowly but surely.

[Gerald D]

The actual amount of space, whether 1/8" or 1mm is a moot point - it depends on many variables. The main point is that there is space and not a foul. :)

[smreish]

Thanks Gerald. All rolling fine here!

[smreish]

Today was mount the motors to the x and y axis day.
*please note, I already know I need to get shorter set screws for the pinions* :D I know that Gerald's keen eye will miss nothing.
The springs work REALLY well. Once to motors are engaged, there is not a millimeter to be moved - nice :)

758

759

760

[Greg J]

Looking good Sean !!!!!

It's not a race because quality is more important, but your way ahead of my progress. And, it's looking like top notch workmanship.

[gmessler]

Hey Sean,

Your machine is really looking great! :) Thanks for the pics. How's the baby situation going????? Has the "stork" visited? Are congrats in order? Tell Tell I'm sure J.R. won't be too upset if you are too tied up.

J.R.

No smoke allowed....:D and WAAAAY too much free time. Beautiful job on your "cable runs". You've kind of set the standard here in the States.


Greg J,

I can understand your excitement about your z-plate. I'm going to attempt to grind mine on the (ouch) :eek: table saw.....poor thing.....

Doug......pics......what's up


Starting Friday I'll FINALLY get the chance to work on my machine. Watching everybody's progress has been killing me. :):)


Who would have ever believed one man could create such a stir around the world? It's great isn't it?

[Gerald D]

Yes Sean, I was looking at that set screw, but the rest of the neat job told me it was temporary. :)

But, it is worth discussing that screw a bit . . . .
- if it is too long, it could foul with the framework above it.
- a "common" problem is that the setscrews come loose. They have to be tightened down really hard with a new allen key. When the allen key starts to bend then the screw is tight.
- Loctite can be used on the screw and the shaft. (Loctite is loosened by heat)

When I unpacked my geared motors today, I saw for the first time that they only have one flat on the shaft. The direct motors have 2 flats 90 deg. apart. I am very tempted to touch a grinder to the motor shaft . . . .

[smreish]

Gerald
I too, may grind another flat on the shaft. At minimum, I ordered the knurl point set screws that "bite" a little better than the standard brad point. Additionally, I didn't feel comfortable with size of set screw the pinions came with 6-32, so I bored up and retapped to 10-32 for comfort.

Sounds like you made it to the bottom of the your care package?:D

FYI. I ground my rails to 1.25" and was able to still use without conflict the laser cut mounts from the pre-mamba files. I am using 20t pinions. What a great, configurable design!

[Gerald D]

Yes, I got to the bottom of the box, thanks. :)

The set-screws bite into the shaft whether knurled or not (shafts are softish non-magnetic steel) - unknurled screws should tighten down harder because less energy is used to gouge the knurl.

The bite marks make it difficult to remove the gear unless that bite is on the pre-made flat portion. This is probably the bigger reason to make the flat spot first - so that the reference round part of the shaft is not damaged by the screw.

I can see your motors hang below level with Mamba rails and older motor plates. Realise that the metric guys with 5/8" square [16mm] racks might not be so lucky to get it all to fit first time.

[smreish]

I do plan on changing to Mamba plates when I make the part run in the couple of weeks. Based on interest, I will most likely run 16-20 sets of parts and keep on the shelf for those in need later on.
Now - its time for baby - this time for real!
...running to car quickly. Sean

[sailfl]

Sean,

Time for REAL Baby pictures!!!!

[Gerald D]

Just remembered that the Mamba motor plates have the same hole spacings. The mod was made on the plates to which motor plates are mounted. ie. gantry ends and y-car sides.

[Leko]

Just heard from Sean, his new daughter has arrived!

All is well, pink & wiggly. He sounded very happy & tired.

Congratulations!

[javeria]

Congrats Sean,

Do post pictures of new "lady in your life"

RGDS
Irfan

[Doug_Ford]

Congrats Sean!!!! Daughters are great.

[gmessler]

GO Sean !!!:D

Congratulations and best wishes.:)

[J.R. Hatcher]

Congratulations to you and your wife.

[Roadkill_321]

Sean,
Congratulations and all the best to your new addition to the family!

John

[Alan_c]

Congrats Sean (and missus) thats great news.

Alan

[Gerald D]

Congratulations for the Reish family!

Hope to see you back here sometimes between diaper duties . :)

[sailfl]

Sean,

Congratulations!!!!

[domino11]

Congrats Sean,
Hope you can get some sleep soon! :)

[cobra427mnsi]

Congratulations Sean

Children are a blessing from the Lord. Enjoy your new family! Those sleepless nights will seem endless, but take it from someone looking back from the other end of the spectrum, the time will fly by and, before you know it, you will be babysitting (sorry, my wife tells me we are Grandparenting) your babies' babies. Presently, we are "up north" (Huntsville, Ontario) grandparenting our 3 little ones (ALL UNDER 3 YEARS OLD) while daddy is working and mommy is in Florida at a work conference. We are making memories with our grandkids.
The best time in your life is always the present moment! Have fun !!

Paul

[Marc Shlaes]

Sean,

Is this your first? WOW! My advice... Start teaching them early on that mirrors are often used for more that putting on make-up and doing your hair. My second (and last) just learned to drive. Adding up the female members of the family...

3 females ->> total number of times they backed into the wall of the garage :eek::eek: :eek: :eek::eek::eek::eek:

No names but they are grouped youngest to oldest.

Seriously. Hearty congratulations!!!!!!!!!

[Greg J]

Sean,

Congratulations !!!!!!!

Kids are a blast. Not the teenage years, but before and after teenage, its fun.

Our boy (26, will always be the "boy") is a saturation (deep sea) diver. We can actually sit down over a beer and talk now. Very proud of him.

[smreish]

This is my second
Son - Cael is 2
Girl - Colby is new!
I think were done. I don't want to be outnumbered like my parents. I'm last of 5 kids :D
Its pretty cool typing on my blackberry and feeding the little girl at the same time! Just neat.

[sailfl]

Sean,

Very nice name your wife and you picked out. Thanks for sharing with us and lets see the pics.

[stefanv]

Congratulations with Colby Sean !!!

[revved_up]

Congrats on your new daughter, I find it incredible that you are still have enough energy to respond to the board, my question in particular withen minutes. As the proud father of a 17 almost 18 year old daughter, they truely are always daddy's little girl.

[Jay W]

I also want to offer my congratulations to you Sean! I can't remember anything in my life that tops or will ever top when our children were born. Congratulations again to you and your wife.

[Hugo Carradini]

You can recognize God in the children.:)
Congratulations Sean

[smreish]

Update:
Finished making all the cable chain mounts and e-chain support rails. Remember, my machine is pre Mamba, so I did it old school - shoot from the hip!
Anyway, all the cable chain mounted and working well on the x and y axis. Just a z slider and wiring and I am up and running!
Sean

[Greg J]

Sean,

If you did it (cable chain mounts) different than J.R.'s, would you mind posting pic's.

Greg

[smreish]

Of course I will post pics! I left my camera at home last night, I' ok try to get them up in the morning. Mind you, my routing is simple - not sexy keeping with the mm mantra.

[Greg J]

Sean,

Thanks. I've been working on the Z slide this week in the evenings. I don't know why it is, but a warm shop (currently snowing), music and a couple of resting dogs sure makes for a peaceful mind.

Should get started on the cable mounts this weekend.

[smreish]

Cable chains installed.
838
Configuration changed since this pic - see later post


839
Configuration changed since this pic - see later post


840
Configuration changed since this pic - see later post

[Greg J]

Looking good Sean,

Boy, I didn't realize that you had some paint going. Your way ahead of me. :)

I'll take parts of yours and J.R.'s, mounts and fab something tomorrow.

[sailfl]

Sean,

Looks good. Soon, I will be coming over to see it cut.

[Leko]

Sean,

Looks great, can't believe your wife has been letting you out long enough to work.

Note:
Can't you invert the last piece of the longer chain so that your wires come out on top of the "cable tray" running to the other chain?

See ya soon

[smreish]

Matthew
the clearance is tight on the chain loop, thus I underhung the chain to keep it flush with the bottom of the gantry and main beam. Leaving room for the indexer tailstock on the other end of the machine. (photo left for those followin along) What you don't see is the 3 holes that are marked to chase the cable up to the same plane as the y chain. Were on the Same page! Btw, I had to sneak out to get some CnC fun in last week :D

[smreish]

862

863

Okay,
I put the x chain back were I started with it. This is what I get for trying to make decisions while sleep deprived.
Gerald, Please delete the previous "bad location" cable chain pics in Post #167
Thanks

[Greg J]

Sean,

That looks like a very tight bend radius coming out of the cable chain. Is there more to the picture.

[Gerald D]

Sean, if those pics are deleted then some of your subsequent posts will become strange. I'll try to add notes to them and then you can decide if you still want them removed.

Greg, I see his cables exiting the chain below the metal bracket (overshooting to right and then wrapping anti-clock to top of bracket.)

[Greg J]

Ah, I see it now.

Thanks, Gerald.

[Greg J]

Is there an advantage to Sean's cable routing over mine (coming straight out and route along Y axis).

Just want to make sure I'm not missing something.

[Gerald D]

Greg, I don't see a major difference. Your chain has a much bigger natural radius than Sean's, so it stands up taller when you keep the bottom leg in line with the bottom of the main beam. I am not wild about the idea of the chain standing up taller than the rail because you may want to load the table from that side. If you already know at which point you are loading heavy sheets (and they can be very heavy) then you will work around the chain.

Have another look at this thread (http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?t=561) to see a tighter radius chain below the x-rail.

Realise that I havn't used x-chain yet - we have umbilicals hanging well clear of the table top.

[Greg J]

Yea, I really didn't like that either.

I'm going to lower it like Sean's and figure out a clean way to route the cable. I looked at the Mamba design, but I really don't want to go to an outside source for a special part. Don't get me wrong, I like the Mamba design allot, just getting to the point where I want to start cutting wood. :)

[Gerald D]

The lower "tray" can be hung off the legs & uprights of the table - it doesn't have to attach to the beam.

[Greg J]

Thanks Gerald,

Stay tuned. Lets see what I can dream up. :)

[smreish]

Gerald,
Thank you for adding the notes to the original chain post. I like the idea of having the brackets "some what" adjustable vertically for the x chain. Therefore, you can still hang the chain from the main beam, but "pick-a-hole" for height depending on the chain that you order. Ideally, one should order the proper radius chain. As for me, I happened to have about 16' of the appropriate chain here at the shop.
I tried to emulate the mamba location on the chain attachment to the gantry. I REALLY like this location and it seems to not induce any weird yaw or drag on the carriage. Plus it makes the cable runs up to the gantry and z axis really easy.
Back next week - traveling this week.
Sean

[smreish]

...today was grind the vertical z slide day. About 3 hours of work and I have a really nice profiled z-slide. Tomorrow, drill some holes.
* note *
Because I used the Mamba skate to grind the z-slide, I started with a 30" length of cold rolled flat 1/4 x 4 tool steel and ground the entire edge. I will trim the z-slide to length tomorrow to remove the skate runoff area to the correct length (22.4") as noted in dwg #10 40 334.

Sean

[McMark]

Heath,
Thanks for the backup data. I was pulling the white paper from the website when you post popped up to verify what I already knew from experience.
To add to you data - The 4 pin XLR is 10A @ 60V. Plenty of headroom!

I was thinking of using 4 pole Neutrik Speakon connectors for the motor runs. 30A continuous capacity per pole and they twist lock. Any reason not to???

Sean, that's a nice looking build. *thumbs up*

[domino11]

Sean,
Is Tool Steel harder than angle or tubing? Was it more difficult to grind than the rails with the skate grinder? I have seen a lot of posts from people saying they had the z slide plate done at a machine shop. I thought it was due to the hardness.

[smreish]

Heath,
Tool steel is "a little harder" the brinell and rockwell ratings suggest the real values. Standard Tube and Angle is A36 carbon steel and is "soft"...tool steel is similar in composition, just formed or hardened (either induction or heat). I personally used for my z slide A36 Cold Rolled flat. From working with the plate yesterday and today, it was very easy to grind and the drilling hasn't been an issue. I actually thought it ground better than my rails! So far, drilling all the holes went fine. Although, I haven't countersunk the plate screws yet.

Speakon connectors are really nice connectors. They tend to have a larger form factor than xlr....but easier to solder and make the wire connections in. It's really a user choice. I use speakons often and like them. No reason not to use them except if you make the cable connections before you run the cable thru the cable chain...you might find that it doesn't fit! I would double check the internal clearance and the OD of those connectors before I got to far on wiring the motors.

Sean

[domino11]

Standard Tube and Angle is A36 carbon steel and is "soft"...tool steel is similar in composition, just formed or hardened (either induction or heat). I personally used for my z slide A36 Cold Rolled flat.

Sean,
Is A36 cold rolled flat the same as tool steel? Is that what I should ask for, or is that a sub you did? If it is a sub, is there any downside like wearing and such? You can tell steel is not my best subject. :(

[smreish]

If you want whats specified in the drawings,
ask for "tool steel" which is usually a D2 grade, but a little pricey.

CHARACTERISTICS -D-2 is a high carbon, high chromium heat treatable tool steel intended for applications requiring high wear resistance.
WORKABILITY - Machinability is medium. Grindability is medium.
APPLICATIONS - Blanking Dies & Punches, Thread Roll Dies, Trim Dies, Mold Inserts, Injection Screw Components, Draw Dies, Forming Rolls & Dies, Gauges.

Sold only in 18" standard lengths.I used Cold Rolled Flat and ground 1/4" x 4" because I could get it in a longer length so I could grind the finish using the Mamba Skate. D2 was not available at my supplier in anything but 18" lengths. I used a 30" length and cut it to the Metric Length of 19.7"....I liked the extra on top like in the Sketchup model.

Gerald has made provision for using the stock length using a grinding method described in the other parts of the forum using a table saw, grinding disc and some ingenuity.

The tool steel will wear better....the Cold rolled was an easy substitute to get me cutting until I change over the z-slide later to use with a spindle.
Additionally, the cold rolled is not any softer or will wear any differently than the rest of the machined/ground rails on the MM. Thus....steel is steel for now! :)

A good source, if you can't find it locally is http://www.metalsdepot.com/

[Greg J]

Sean,

I'm ordering Ferrules (and crimper) from ferrulesdirect.com (how cool is that). The starter kit has 3 series, W, D, and T. What does series mean and which one is best for the MM?

[revved_up]

cut and paste from ferrulesdirect:
(found here:http://ferrulesdirect.com/singleinsulated.htm)

Q. What’s the difference among Series W, D and T?

A. The only difference among the three series listed below is the color of the insulation. All other physical and dimensional features are the same.

[Greg J]

Thanks Craig.

[smreish]

Greg,
I ordered my ferrules from ferrulesdirect. I got the starter kit and was pleasantly surprised how few I actually used! Invaluable making the very small wires to the PMDX look clean, isolated, insulated and better for my large hands to handle on final termination. You won't be dissappointed. I think the cost was around 25 bucks for the kit plus crimper.
Happy wiring :)

[Greg J]

Sean,

Thanks. Shielded cable is 3 weeks out. Got plenty to do until then.

Painted first part tonight. Geeez, can you image someone from the "outside" reading these posts. They must truly think we're nuts. Put a coat of primer on some metal. Big whoop.

I could care less what anyone thinks. I'm having a blast. :p

[Gerald D]

. . the cold rolled is not any softer or will wear any differently than the rest of the machined/ground rails on the MM. Thus....steel is steel for now! . . .

I think the cold-rolled is a good option as well, but I didn't spec it for the drawing because that size is not common here.

Just a small correction to Sean's assumption that the z-rail doesn't need to be different to the other rails. Not quite true because the z-rail gets loaded and worn over a very small distance all the time. With the ShopBot, the z-rail wear was a big headache. But that was with 3/16" thick mild steel and the rollers were a lot smaller in diameter.

[domino11]

Gerald, Sean,
Thanks for the reply. I might try the cold rolled as then I could use the skate as well. I could always change to a machined tool steel slide later.

Sean,
From metalsdepot, which one would you recommend for cold finished steel, the C1018 or the 4140 alloy. They also have hot rolled, geez there is a ton of different steels avail. :confused:

[Gerald D]

Tool steel grinds quite easily - the skate will have no grinding problem with it. But you will have a length problem. The skate's wheels need extra distance at each end, past the finish ground surface.

Table saw grinding is so easy and so quick. It won't damage the bearings of your saw at all if they are the sealed type (as they should be for sawdust)

[domino11]

Thanks Gerald.:)

[smreish]

I made quite a bit of progress this week:
-finished the z-slide and is mounted on the y car
-mounted motor and spring mount
-made custom holddown for y car. I substituted a 1.625" of cam follower with stud for the roller per plan. I will post pics later tonight.
-all painted.

Only thing left to do is wire it up. Shielded cable arrives on Monday. Maybe I might be cutting by next week if I am lucky.

Sean

[smreish]

As promised, a few photo's from the dusty shop!
944

945

946

[Greg J]

Sean,

Nice progress. Would you mind taking another picture of the router mount (when its convenient). I had to cut the back corners off mine because they interfered with the fastening hardware on the V-rollers. Not a big deal, just curious why yours fits better.

Started painting parts this week. Cleaning up shop tomorrow and making permanent home for the beast.

Looking forward to your first project. And they thought Picasso was good :)

[smreish]

Greg,
First of all, that is a K2CNC porter cable 7518 mount.
It has 6 - 10-32 mounting bolts. To make the clearance, I just put in a machined spacer 3/8" long on each spot to achieve the proper clearance.

As far as the first job - I have already built all the cabinet files that need to be cut asap. Lots and lots of cabinets and specialty fiberglass core shapes.......I can't get this beast done quick enough.

[Greg J]

Sean,

Don't worry about the pic, that's good enough.

Trust me, I know how you feel. :D

I would much rather see pictures of your cabinets.

[Gerald D]

Good going Sean! :)

That roller cam follower seems to have a potential problem; The difference in diameter between the roller, and the shaft, needs to be quite big. The roller needs to reach in behind the car and fill the space where the rack has been removed.....if that makes sense??

[smreish]

gerald,
your concerns are noted. As you mention, the roller height needs to reach up and under the rail to "capture" the rail. The roller as you see it is undersized in diameter by almost 1/2 inch. To make up the difference, I offset the shaft mounting hole in adapter plate vertically 3/8. On my machine it appears to work with no modifications. The cam follower "touches" 3/4" of the underside of the angle iron and "hangs" off by 1/8 due to its width being 7/8" This change is not for everyone, it was an item I had in stock at the shop.
I don't recommend anyone try this modification unless they know all the implications.
Thanks for all your great advice and oversight - its really nice to have an owners/assembly manual with feedback.

[Gerald D]

It is the yellow plate on the right that worried me:

http://www.mechmate.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=447&d=1191607508

In some cases that plate nearly touched the motor shaft. Pre-Mamba that plate got a notch to miss the shaft. Doug also had a problem with the bearing OD being too small. The first I did it, I had a foul there - so I ground a notch in the shaft! :)

Anyway, if yours is going to miss, that's great. :D

[smreish]

its close! But for now it works. If not, I have the proper bearing per plan with the 50mm OD. It would just take a few
minutes to mount it. Thanks for the follow up. I am certain all the lurkers on the forum are watching!

[Gerald D]

The forum seems to have died down a lot over the last two days - do you guys now have grass that needs mowing? :D

[DMS]

I have, I am posting pics for suggestion in my personnel page.:)

[smreish]

Today was a good day.
Leko was in florida visiting and came by to help with the Orlando Mechmate!
We got all the shielded cable for the steppers and the 12/3 SO cable run through the cable chains.
Next, is to get all the connectors on and button stations mounted.

Gerald,
The cam follower ended up being to close for comfort on clearance. I mounted the proper bearing today and all works well. I will post pics when I remember my camera!

Thanks Matthew for helping....a good 2 hours well spent on the MM!

[smreish]

Finally,

In the immortal words of Dr. Frankenstein .... IT'S ALIVE!
That day has come when the blue steel in my shop sings, moves, dances and even remembers when to go home!

I have a little Mach 3 debugging and set-up, but otherwise all working well and responding to program feed.

I have to tune the motors and a little wiring clean-up....but we just might try and cut something tomorrow....we will see!

Oh happy day. :cool:

[Greg J]

Very cool Sean,

Pictures as soon as you can. :)

[Roadkill_321]

Congratulations on getting it moving! I'm still dreaming about that day.:)

[Doug_Ford]

CONGRATULATIONS bubba!!!! I'm really happy for you. Feels good doesn't it?

[gmessler]

Go Sean! :)

[revved_up]

Congratulations Sean!! Pretty soon Gerald is going to need to add a section on the forum for showing off projects completed with the working MechMates.

[domino11]

Sean,
Congratulations. Hope to see some more of your great pictures and your first cut. :)

[stefanv]

Good going Sean!! :cool:

[OBXCNC]

Congratulations Sean!!! As a fellow NCSA alum, the "build" has been interesting and looking forward to seeing the "performance". "Break a leg" !!!

[smreish]

Proof is in the pudding guys and gals.
We have officially cut the Roadrunner.tap file and the first part of the MechMate logo file. There seems to be an issue with the License copy of Mach3 I purchased, and is only allowing me to cut 100 lines of code. Tech Support is working on getting me a new license number.

Anyway...here's the pics!

[smreish]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. But the congrats go to Gerald. This machine is easy to make, use and set up. Heck, I have already tried to break it and have successfully failed!
Now it's time to pack it up and move to it's new home in Bay #4 of my plant...about a 600 FT move, then the squaring / leveling process begins.

Sean

[Gerald D]

So, it's blue and it cuts wood, but does it have the logo? Swop you a serial number for the logo! :D

Well done! Actually didn't expect anything less...;)

When you have more time on it, would like to hear your impressions vis-à-vis the Multicam that you have some experience with.

[Greg J]

thanks for the pictures Sean.

That looks GREAT !!!!

The excitement is too much for me, so I took a day of vacation to work on the beast. :)

[Alan_c]

Its alive, and its almost No 5 - well done Sean

[stefanv]

Sean, remenber on Oct 7th in your post #1 you said you calculated a bill of $6818.32? So how many cents were you off? :)

[smreish]

Stefan,
It was close, but I was under budget!
6482.00. I guess I have a few dollars left over to buy some new router bits now!
Of course, I will use all the 300 or so dollars left in the budget to put limits on the machine.
So, the original number is a real budget for me using 5 geckos, 5 motors, new computer, Mach3, a couple of grinders and lots of time.
Sean

[stefanv]

Sean, with the risk of you disappearing now that you no longer need us :)
I'll be in Orlando mid next month, if you are open for a tour and a chat, I would love to stop by and see the Mechmate. I can bring a Haitian bottle of rhum to celebrate! Let me know and I'll send you a PM.

Stefan

[smreish]

disappear. Never, I have to start on machine #2 now for my brother. Same 5x10 with spindle, vac holdown and dust collection. No indexer on his. He cuts only plastic sheet.
Your welcome to stop by. Just pm me the dates. Next month is busy, but I am sure we can fit it all in.
Sean

[smreish]

update.
I ordered the proximity sensors, relays, wiring tonight from factorymation. I also sent the plot files for all the logos off to my sign shop. I should be properly logo'D tomorrow.
I ran some cutting tests today.
Statistics.
25khz
203 geckos
7.2 sg motors
20t pinions.
Average cutting speed max@ 150 ipm
45khz @ 190ipm.
Performance at 5 ipm really smooth and slow.
So far, so good :)
if I feel I really need more speed, I'll change to larger pinions. But for now, I am really pleased with the cut chips on the mdf and birch core ply with the 1/2" end mill.

[Marc Shlaes]

J.R. and I were routinely cutting mdf at 120ipm with a 1/4in downcut spiral (solid carbide). We got a pretty good cut at 240 also.

[cobra427mnsi]

Marc
Did you cut through 3/4" mdf in one pass or multiple passes? If multiple passes, at what depth per pass were those cuts?

Paul

[smreish]

My experience with my MechMate was using 1/2" carbide bits and cutting MDF or Ply in the 90 to 120 ipm routinely. The 1/4" bit does let me cut faster. But, as all cutting tools know, it's about the chip, not the speed! Typically, I used 2 passes on my other table due to the vacuum hold down didn't like that much side force. 1 was easy to do, but I often sacrificed tool life due to the heat generated by cutting that much MDF in one pass.

Mr. Richards had written as nice thread earlier in the year on "tearing paper" sounds....

[Marc Shlaes]

We cut usually in 2-3 passes. We were just learning and wanted to minimize side forces using minimal clamps.

We cut some 1/2in. CPVC (the solid not the expanded stuff) pretty much in one pass just to experiment. Got a fair amount of chatter. Didn't have enough clamps on it and pulled it out from under two clamps resulting in a broken bit. The only bit we broke but we learned what we could and couldn't do.

[cobra427mnsi]

Interesting. Thanks for the reply.

Paul

[smreish]

Leko came by the shop tonight to help me tune the drives, do some squaring of the machine and take a few photos. As you can see, it's official. MechMate Blue with pretty white logo's!

Thanks Gerald! I can't wait to start machine #2 and build a bonified Mamba to match this one!

May I have a number please?

1001

1002

1003

[Gerald D]

There you go! Number 5 is yours! :D

[smreish]

Well, I found out a few things tonight.
1) I realized how fast you can really drive the machine before you de-rail the gantry....it's about 210ipm with a 1/2" double flute carbide dull bit :eek:
2) How quickly this is going to get to work....2 units of MDF ordered and ready for cutting on Thursday - about 88 sheets.
3) How really well the machine sets up. I did the "squaring" sheet cut, flip and check as in the Gerald tutorial (http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?t=231) - I was dead on parallel and square first try. NO shims necessary! I was truly flabbergasted that I built this baby this square. Less than a .020 change between 0,0 and 0,48.

[Gerald D]

How quickly this is going to get to work....2 units of MDF ordered and ready for cutting on Thursday - about 88 sheets.

That is the thing that gives me the most satisfaction. This beast can earn its keep. It might not give the finest of finishes, or have fancy shiny alu frames, but it is a workhorse that you build and maintain yourself.

Sean, I would still like to hear your comment on this animal compared to the Multicams you have some experience with.

[smreish]

Gerald,
You can count on it. I actually will visit my old 4896 multicam next week and take photo's as a reference to post with results. Additionally, the other machine we had here the shop, A 4896 Warthog will be in the pros/cons review as well. I will post a nice summary and "shoot off" in the next couple of weeks once I have run a few units of product through the tool bit :)

[Gerald D]

Looking forward to it, but don't rush.

[sailfl]

Sean,

Congratulations. Looks great!!!

[J.R. Hatcher]

Congratulations Sean. There was a time when I considered going after that #5 number.:rolleyes:
I think I'm going to stay under 210 ipm, thanks for the warning.

[cncb]

Sean, nice work. With that load of MDF coming in be sure to snap a few photos of the beast at work if you can. Maybe even a video? :) So this is what I thought of when Gerald said #5. It's alive!

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/images/johnny5.jpg

:D

[domino11]

Sean,
Congratulations on #5. :)

[Greg J]

Sean,

Congratulations !!

[smreish]

Brian.
And #5 is alive is exactly the reason I titled my forum entry as such. #5 alive brings back WAY to many memories of jr high school and the 80's.
Thanks for the photo.
Sean

[cncb]

haha glad so, just as long as you don't get down to your shop one night and find that your machine is talking through the stepper motors? :)

[smreish]

All proximities and relays installed in machine. A little wiring action to do tomorrow and all the proximity switch limit/homing will be done.
Gerald, I had to enlarge the 5/8" diameter hole you have in the top plate of the y-car for the connector to pass to the 12mm proximity sensor.
I enlarged it to 20mm for the QD fitting and cable to pass to the sensor. Minor....very minor.
I will post pics when I am done.
Sean

[smreish]

Proximity limits installed on all axis.
Works perfectly. "ref all" in Mach, and the machine finds home, then set my g54 (work offset) to the spoil board x/y o,o. Thus, the machine finds mechanical home, then moves to the spoilboard "soft home" and is ready to cut.
Schematic for installation:
prox_layout.pdf (http://www.mechmate.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=987&d=1203305487)

Details: FactoryMation
qty description
3 SI12-C2 NPN NO H (http://www.factorymation.com/s.nl/c.415232/it.A/id.5200/.f?category=14129) m12QD proximity sensors, 10-30vdc
3 PIR6W-1P-12VDC (http://www.factorymation.com/s.nl/c.415232/it.A/id.5416/.f?category=11127) slim relay
3 MOD.14/4 LC5 (http://www.factorymation.com/s.nl?c=415232&it=A&id=5270&category=) 5m qd cable. I extended each cable with 4 core cable to meet my needs.

I wired all in the control box via the 12vdc tap on my antek transformer.
Currently, I have only 3 sensors wired, so all the x, y and z work. The second x axis will be wired next week when I have the time.
NOTE: to keep the same logic as the rest of the machine, I bored a 19mm hole in the back side of the z-slider and attached it to the spider via 2 10-24 tapped holes so it finds "up". Also, I have ordered a smaller, 25 mm barrel length version of the same sensor to replace the one in the photo. The one shown in the photo "may" interfere with the dust collection, I have about 5" clear, but I would prefer a smaller form factor to keep everything neat and tidy.

Easy, about 4 hrs worth of work and around 125 bucks and I am in business.

Note all the dust on the machine....she has been working hard for the past 2 days :D

[Greg J]

Sean,

Thanks for all your hard work and information.

[Gerald D]

Ah, it's great to see a plan come together! I have been dreaming of this approach for a couple of years. :)

In the drawing set, there is a "washer" with an off-center hole. The idea is that you drop the washer in the hole and use the eccentric effect to "tune" the target point for trigger distance. Does that make sense?

I could try and include a position on the spider for the proxy . . . .

What I don't like about this is all the extra (expensive) cabling from gantry to control box. Since the switches are all effectively connected only to each, the bulk of the wiring (plus relays), should ride on the gantry.

[domino11]

Sean,
I have seen a lot of posts with you mentioning how hard your new beast is working. How about a few pictures of some of your cuts if you get a chance. :)

Heath.