Man I'm having fun with this machine #101 - St. Louis Mo.
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Having been a lurker here for 18 months or so, (downloaded and printed the plans well over a year ago.) and having gathered a few bits together, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the laser cut parts from MetalHead.
I'm a full time remodeler/ part time cabinetmaker and currently have a very small homemade tabletop CNC machine I bought used, and ended up rebuilding most of. That machine taught me the basics of Mach3 and i do quite a few Vectorart carvings with it. I have decided belt drive is the way to go, and have spent the last 3 hours re-reviewing bookmarked threads trying to find details of the parts necessary to complete the belt drives. Having 4 20' long C channel beams, I'm still debating size, but am intrigued by the idea of utilizing the entire 20', and machining sheet goods on each end. Seems I could unload and reload a new sheet on one end, while a panel was being machined at the opposite end. This evolved from the idea of two machines with one operator cycling back and forth between them, loading and unloading. One long machine not only saves on motors and electrical components, but also allows the occasional big project that 2 smaller machines wouldn't. I have 2000 sq. ft. to devote, at the rear of my shop,so space isn't an issue.:) Thanks in advance to Gerald, Mike and everyone else here who have contributed so much to make my journey easier. Darren |
I'm thinking a 5'x12' table size will allow me the ability to cut radius work out of stock, finally retiring my shop built "compass" router jig.
Bearings are ordered from Superior, laser parts should be here this week, and I'll be picking up some more steel next week. BIL is a commercial electrician and is on the lookout for an enclosure box. And so it begins..... |
Welcome to the club!
Regarding size, you might also want to accessing the cut parts in the middle of the table without climbing onto the table top... I made the mistake of going for the largest possible table size but after advises from Gerald & others also after I dry fitted the table that I realised that 6' x 16' is insane... Consider this as a reality check. |
A very good reality check. Thank you for that.
My scenario: I have a supplier who drives past my shop to have a competitor cut the occasional job on a 5x10 machine.(Who buys nothing from him) He has stated they sometimes have to creatively position at an angle to fit the material he needs cut. He has further stated he can throw some work my way, and a bigger table might make it easier to make me the go to guy for all of it... As an aside, I have 4 (+1 spare) Chinese 12 MM diameter x 4 MM detection proxys from Ebay on the way. |
Darren,
The two tables I use frequently use all of the 5' x 8' or 5' x 10' area. MDF is available stock sizes in 4 x 8, 5 x 8 and 5 x 10 and 5 x 12 in my area. Only once in the past 2 years did I wish I had a 5' x 12' table.(acrylic comes in 5' x 12' sheets) ...the rest of the time, 5x8 was plenty. I will say though, having that 2' of extra "not used" space on the end of the machine makes it nice to leave duty specific blocking and hold downs for small parts. I often have to cut plastic in small sizes for prototyping parts....thus nice to have a little are to work with. Just my thoughts. Sean |
Wow. Over a year has passed and I'm just now getting back to this.
Welded up the Y car this weekend and made a cutlist for a 5x12 table. Pulled all the stuff I've been accumulating for the past year off the shelf and inventoried it. Heres to continued momentum.http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...72000x1500.jpg |
Glad to have you back. I have added a good bit of stuff to my offerings, so let me know if you need anything.
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A little progress last night. They are flat but the 1/4" plywood laying on the horses is bowing and they look bent.
http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...02000x1500.jpg |
Got the main beams cut to length today (14')
Ends mitered. Need to get some material for end caps. Put a laser along the top edge and they are very straight. How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time. |
Gantry all clamped up ready to weld
The gantry is all leveled, squared, checked and double checked ready to weld together.
http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...12000x1500.jpg |
Another Gantry shot
This shows the far end of the gantry ready to weld.
you can also see the main beams up on the sawhorses in the background and the legs underneath them. Also shows what a mess my shop has become in the last week. Next week should show some serious progress on the table. http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...22000x1500.jpg |
Lookin' good! :)
Two tips for your gantry welding: 1. make sure the holes are countersunk for the motor bolts. It's easy while the parts are loose, and a right pain after the gantry is welded. 2. I used threaded rod inside the gantry tubes to hold the end brackets flush to the tubes while I tack welded. Easier (and more out-of-the-way) than clamps. |
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Here are some shots of the bushings I made Darren for his motor plates.
Yeah Darren I'ma little slow :) but these will be in the mail Monday !!! Thought you'd like some pics of them being made. |
Thanks for the great service, Mike!!
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Started welding the legs and spreaders onto one of the main beams.
Still need to add the diagonals. http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...32000x1500.jpg |
Haven't welded anything major in quite a few years, but these should hold, even if they aren't as pretty as some I've seen here. http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...42000x1500.jpg
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So your joking huh :D . Mine look WAY worse than that !!!
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@Darren: I think my best weld doesn't look half as good as that. Great Job!..
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I think for stick, I would be happy with that no problem!
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Welding in the bearing spacers Mike sent me....
http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...221320x990.jpg |
Should be able to finish these as soon as the pulleys and belts arrive..
http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...201320x990.jpg |
Wait a minute. Weren't we suppose to just use locktite to attach those bearings to the plate????.Kidding..
Good job. Looks like it's coming along nicely. |
Thanks.
I've been watching your build closely, and have used it as inspiration. Putting my skate together now. |
1 15' rail cut down......
2 to go..... |
All 3 15' pieces of rail cut down.
Guess I start grinding them tomorrow night. Leg closure plates all cut out, drilled and a nut welded on for the levelers. Guess since I went with 6 legs, I'll have to talk to Mike about getting a couple more rubber feet. Nothing sexy, but progress none the less. |
Darren
Thats great. Grinding had me a little scare but it ended up being pretty easy. Just be careful and take plenty of breaks with the grinder as you dont want to burn it. When I was grinding my rails if I felt the grinder get hot I took a beer break. With the 3 rails I probably had a six pack :) are you using the sanding paper on the grinder? That worked great for me. |
Yes, I'll pick up some this afternoon, and get started this evening. Guess I'll grab some beer too.:)
Cutting the rails was certainly more pleasant than I had anticipated. My 10 yr. old Dewalt grinder had no problems keeping up, but I still didn't force it. |
Everyone seems to have a picture of their v-rollers sitting on the ground rails, and I now know why.
While it was by no means a difficult task, I'm certainly glad to have reached what to me is a milestone. Rails are all cut and ground, with the obligatory picture..... http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...82000x1500.jpg |
...did you use the 36 grit sanding disks backed by the grinder disk?
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Yes I did.
Used two 36 grit discs per 15' rail and 1 50 grit to dress all 3. Worked like a charm, and my 10 dollar Harbor Freight grinder lives to tell the tale. |
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