Kitchen Table Project Underway !!! - Suffolk, UK
 

After sketching measuring and working out a cutting plan for the steel last week, I ordered it on Friday and it arrived Monday. I hope to start cutting and welding this week. I didn't realise just how heavy it would be till I helped the delivery person unload it.

It all looks nice and straight.

Attachment 15408

It looks a trifle damp mate !
You must be in England.
Welcome and a speedy build.

Good luck on your build David!

That's not rain just moderate humidity :) As Sir Rannulph Fiennes once said "There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing."

I started cutting today and sawing through the 200x75 PFC finished the blade off in my chop saw. So I am going to pick another blade up. The steel company wanted an obscene amount to cut it so I thought it was worth giving it a go. Even cut in half it is horribly heavy, the neighbours are looking at me like I'm mad.

A cutting disk in the grinder will make short work of the PFC, alot cheaper than chop saw blades :) All you need is a line to follow and a steady hand :)

Good luck with the build.
It will go faster than you think...enjoy.

Love that saying!

The neighbors do that. Mine works construction and he was watching with a slightly raised eyebrow. Good luck and enjoy. :)

...don't worry about the look - they will get used to your success and want you to build "favors"

Cheers.

Hit a hold up today, the table is coming together and I hope to get it finished by next week, but m-machine who do the laser cut parts in the UK are not doing a production run till the end of the month. This means I can't even begin grinding the rails or assembling the gantry unless I can find someone local who can make the kit sooner or I can find someone who can lend me their skate so that I can at lease get on with the grinding. I would welcome suggestions?

Orig cutting dolly was wood
 

Not suggesting it is as good, but you could hack one together with some plywood if you want to get going sooner. But the waiting will help you get primer, paint, welder, and other tools lined set to be ready!

Quick update
 

Still waiting for my laser parts but getting on with other stuff. table needs another coat of paint. I seem to have skipped the kitchen table project for the control box and I just started building it. Not 100% happy with the recycled PC I am using as its jitter is nearly 32000 which is apparently a bit higher than ideal for LinuxCNC 2.7. It is adequate for testing though and I have got the drives moving and running code. Slaving the x axis motors seemed to be horribly complicated at first, but turned out to be simple. My motor drives came with a cheap 5 axis BOB which I was going to bin as I assumed it would be rubbish, but it was so easy to get running I think I might use it for the final solution.

Looking good!

How progress?
 

Hi I have been watching your build, find it very inspiring as i too would like to build one, soon here in the uk.
How is progress?

It is finished, and the workshop has never been that tidy again. Probably not completely true as I am not sure it will ever be finished. I keep thinking about putting a 3:1 reduction on the steppers and I am attempting to sort out the dust collection. My gantry is not quite square, not enough to cause me any problems at the moment but it annoys me. Once you take the leap the process is not too bad. I did it all on my own without any assistance even for shifting the metal and if I have any advice it is don't do what I did. The beams are bloody heavy and I was lucky not to cause myself a serious injury.

I am curious as to what you used for your "V" rails they look really shiny
The machine looks awsum by the way.

Thank You
archie

Just ordinary unequal angle. All I did was burnish them with a wire brush attached to a cordless drill. They seem to have maintained the shine even a year later and I had fully expected them to corrode where they were not being rubbed by the wheels. I had originally intended to paint them black but I mounted them to test alignment with every intention of removing them to paint and I just got carried away putting everything together and so no paint.

Inspirational work.