Gerald,
Thank you for posting these videos. It really inspires people like myself who are in the process of building one of the Blue Beasts.

thanks again

Gerald,
Do you know what the first video is cutting out? Looks almost like a wing rib or something. Just curious.

My turn at the guessing game...

I am guessing that it is modular furniture like a stool or chair that goes together without fasteners.

Apparently it is some type of step stool for short people to reach high shelves.

It struck me today that those cuts are not that "spectacular". I've asked Sean to let me know when he is cutting something more interesting - eg. a V-carved sign.

Gerald,
The cuts look spectacular no matter what the project! A sign would be nice to see as well. :)

Gerald, Thankyou for posting the video's. Its no longer a mystery if it works or not. I have been sourcing out the parts for the machine and getting my ducks in order. I have to learn how to weld but I have signed up for a vocational class. Again thanks for the videos and all the hard work in design it!

Thanks Gerald. Super cool. I'm really motivated to get mine running.

Gerald,
If I remeber right all your mechmates are direct driven steppers? Have you tried a geared vextra either 3.6 or 7.2 on one of your machines?

No, I havn't tried them - couldn't get them out here. But, I am looking at getting a set now. (Our big machine has a lone 3.6 motor on the z-axis - you can hear it on the video)

thanks for the video gerald now i am more move to make my ASAP

hello can some one tell me if this router can work with
alluminium?

thanks

pac

Any router will work with aluminium, but you have to go a lot slower.

Gerald,
Have you or Sean done any work with aluminum on any of your Mechmates? Just wondering what your experiences were on this subject. :)

I cut alum plate on my Multicam all the time. I try not to ever exceed 3/8" .375" material....but cutting is VERY slow. A 4x8 sheet with a lot of holes takes hours to cut. Many Passes and usually more than 1 bit change. But, It does do a really nice job. I guess the moral of the story is - patience. Each cutting tool/material choice has it's own parameters to work in.
Sean

No, we havn't seriously cut thick aluminium. He has cut some MDF that about 1mm of alu on it - that was very easy. Very few ShopBotters cut alu - they have a lot of discussion on their forum about it. One if the big factors is the grade/type of alu - there are huge differences in "cut-ability".

Great site, and thanks.
 

Hi Gerald, thanks for putting together a great site, and sharing your designs with us. Just out of interest, did you copy the shopbots measurements and design, or did you work most of it out for yourself?

I have already made a machine based loosely on the shopbot principles, and a bit on my own ideas too.

The machine I built is very crude in appearance though.

I have decided to make a machine from your plans. That way I can be assured it will look a lot nicer, and cleaner.

I like your humor in this site, and the way you write. keep up the great work.

Here is my machine. Lets hope the new one looks as good as the MechMate.

Regards Benny

http://www.youtube.com/v/1HxwgAV8On0&rel

Great pictures. I only wish they were bigger so I could print them out on A4 and study them closer, (Not via the monitor)

2 thumbs up for the brilliant work though.

Hi Benny, welcome!

This all started as an "upgrade" to a ShopBot. The constraints were that the original motors had to fit and that it all had to fit on the existing x-rails. The broad proportions were kept, but everything was metricated for local materials. V-rollers went bigger, rails thicker, gantry tubes deeper, z-slide totally re-worked, holddown different, etc. Then, when the Americans got keen about the MechMate design, I had to change many dimensions again so that both metric and inch could be accommodated. (ShopBot have since discarded the "crane beam" gantry and are now following the herd with a single member as a gantry). As we speak, our original ShopBot (minus table) has been recovered from various dusty corners and reassembled - it is up for sale as of 2 weeks ago.

Lots of folk don't get my humour (or the way I spell it) and take me too seriously - you ozzies would understand me better, just a pity you can't play rugby.

Cara muito legal sua maquina!!!!!!!! Parabens!!!!!

Obrigado