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  #31  
Old Tue 16 March 2010, 04:30
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
McMaster-Carr, search for gear rod.
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  #32  
Old Tue 16 March 2010, 20:42
JLFIN
Just call me: Jim
 
glenwood iowa
United States of America
looks good Jim,
if you indicated them to .0002 you didn't need me,
but if you do alot of 4 jaw work take some of that dykem i saw in the picture and paint the chuck key holes on jaws 1 and 2.... makes changing parts out much easier
i agree with your set screw plan, are there flats on shaft? if not when you set in place take the root dia. drill into that hole and drill about .05 dp that will set that setscrew so she won't let that gear spin on the shaft... and if your gear has enough meat on it put a second screw on top as a lock screw.
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  #33  
Old Tue 16 March 2010, 23:36
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
Those gear rods come in 12" lengths, so there is plenty of material to make your gears longer and provide space for a second row of set screws:

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  #34  
Old Fri 02 April 2010, 20:51
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Happy Easter everyone! I hope to work on my controller this weekend but I have also begun to lookfor steel and hav a question. The plans call for 7" c-channel but I can only source 8" locally. It seems to me that I should be able to use 8" provided I get a similiar per foot weight and width. It would also yield additional Z axis travel with no interference. Any cons that I have not considered? Anyone else done this?
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  #35  
Old Fri 02 April 2010, 22:22
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
8" channel is fine. You can thicken your table top by 1" if you think the z-axis is getting too flexible, but the the standard z-axis should still reach the table.
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  #36  
Old Sat 03 April 2010, 08:36
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Gerald, thanks for the reply. I was pretty sure but it helps to get other input. Also, thanks for the great design and website, I would not have done this if not for knowing this great resource was available.
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  #37  
Old Sun 25 April 2010, 17:33
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Controller Works!

Hello from Kansas! Hope everyone had a happy Easter. I have been working on my controller for the past month and it is mostly complete. By mostly complete I mean that I have one axis moving under computer control. Since I am having to purchase things as the cash is available I focused on getting the x axis running. Then it is a simple matter to purchase additional Gecko G203 drives as finances permit. I went with a slightly different component arrangement as I wanted to build a controller that can grow to 6 axis control in the future. I purchased six heatsinks on ebay but only used two of them for this controller. By cutting them in half and mounting them vertically I am able to accomodate six gecko drives. I cut a section of fins off and mounted the bridge rectifier to it along with the dc power bus. I also incorporated a 12 VDC power source that powers the BOB and also powers the E-Stop circuitry. I did not like the idea of putting 110VAC out on the table if not necessary. Next, I'll focus on welding the car assy. I posted some pictures of the control box.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg ControlBoxClosed.jpg (55.6 KB, 1708 views)
File Type: jpg ControlBoxInterior.jpg (94.4 KB, 1710 views)
File Type: jpg ControlBoxOpen.jpg (96.7 KB, 1710 views)
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  #38  
Old Sun 01 August 2010, 11:50
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
While I have not posted for a while I have managed to get some work done. My y-car is welded and primed, I have purchased all of the required fasteners, started on the rails, purchased the V-rollers, and purchased some steel for the table.
My work on the rails so far consists of cutting the height down to 1.1 inches using my mill/drill. Since the mill/drill could not cut the entire lenght of the rail down to height I had to cut the rail in several sections resulting in slight steps where the movement was made. After the entire lenght was cut to height I used a file to remove the "steps". Next, I will cut the 45 degree angles using the grinding skate.
I decided to use I-beams instead of C-channel because I found the I-beam at a good price and, as it turns out, better accuracy. My next step of table related construction will be to assemble the gantry.
I did not get many photos but I have attached a photo of the I-Beams as they wait for more work. Enjoy!!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg IBeams.jpg (71.4 KB, 1578 views)
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  #39  
Old Wed 25 August 2010, 19:34
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Hello All!
After getting my grinding skate setup to grind a true 45, I finished grinding the 45 degree angles on my Y rails. I started with the Y rails (shorter of the two) in case I fouled one up I would have less work to redo. I clamped the Y rails to my I beams for stability and proceeded to grind. The grinding was not that bad just repetitive. Tonight I took a v-wheel and, with some pressure on it, rolled it along the lenght of one of the Y rails and noticed that it felt slightly rough and noisy so I spent the next hour and a half sanding the 45 degree surfaces on both Y rails. I used a cheap machinist v block which has a machined 90 degree valley built into it, and adheisive backed sandpaper to sand the 45 degree surfaces smooth. I cut strips of each grit of sandpaper and stuck it to the walls of the 90 degree valley on the v block. Then I let the v block ride inverted on the rail and used a sanding motion to sand along the lenght of each rail being careful to keep the v block in true contact with the rail surfaces. After each pass the sandpaper was loaded with sanding debris so I removed the sandpaper from the v block, cut the loaded portion off, and re-applied the sandpaper to the v block. I started with 80 grit and worked progressively through finer grits until I got to a 600 grit. When sanding with the 600 grit I used wet/dry sandpaper and a small amount of oil. This gave me a very smooth finish and the v roller now rolls without any roughness. It also reduced the noise made by the v roller by 80 or 90 %. Now, on to the x rails...

PS: over the weekend I went to a surplus yard in Wichita and, among other things, I scored a great deal on a set of all metal, heavy duty feet for my mechmate.
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  #40  
Old Fri 26 November 2010, 22:27
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Have not posted for a while but I have been working on my mechmate. I was able to source most of the metal (70%) for the table for little or no cost by checking salvage and being patient. In some cases I had to use short cutoffs but my son was able to weld these short pieces into long sections. I am building a "bolt together" version consisting of welded sides and bolt on cross members. I used 4" square thick wall tubing for the legs and 2" square tubing for the smaller cross braces and diagonals. My design incorporates a open front that will allow me to store material underneath the table. At this point the the table is built and assembled. I completed the drilling of the X and Y rail assemblies and drilling and tapping the I-beams. This allowed me to mount the X rails so I could start the gantry construction. I hope to complete the gantry over this weekend.
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File Type: jpg _DSC1961.jpg (62.3 KB, 1336 views)
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  #41  
Old Sat 27 November 2010, 00:21
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
I wish I can weld like that...

Well done!
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  #42  
Old Sat 27 November 2010, 07:22
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
I wish I could to!

My son is doing all the welding on the mechmate.
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  #43  
Old Sun 28 November 2010, 12:52
rcboats1
Just call me: Kelly
 
Everett (WA)
United States of America
Your build is looking good.

I like how you did the open front, I have been trying to figure out the best way to make mine so I can use it for storage. I may have to "borrow" your idea .
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  #44  
Old Sun 28 November 2010, 20:26
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Kelly
Thanks for the compliment feel free to borrow, after all, that is the purpose of this forum. Does rcboats mean what I think it does?
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  #45  
Old Mon 29 November 2010, 17:25
Regnar
Just call me: Russell #69
 
Mobile, Alabama
United States of America
What is the plastic tray piece that is mounted in the Kurt Vice? It has me wondering what it is. That and the Box with all the air filters. LOL

Build is looking good. If you are able to mount a sheet of mdf under the table it will make a nice place to lie down on when you bolt down your spoil board.
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  #46  
Old Mon 29 November 2010, 19:06
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Russell, the plastic is cut from a plastic package. I used it to catch the majority of the chips while drilling. Saves clean-up.
This room doubles as my finishing room and the box with all the air filters is a exhaust fan (3 gang squirrel cage) that fits in one of the doors. My woodshop is separated from this room with double doors that have filters mounted in them. When I want to spray a finish I open the woodshop windows, close the double doors between the woodshop and finishing room then place the exaust fan in the door to the outside and I have nice clean airflow in the finish shop.
There are 3 cross tubes that connect the lower sides of the table (not currently installed) and will make a nice place to lay.
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  #47  
Old Mon 29 November 2010, 23:48
rcboats1
Just call me: Kelly
 
Everett (WA)
United States of America
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesJ View Post
Kelly
Thanks for the compliment feel free to borrow, after all, that is the purpose of this forum. Does rcboats mean what I think it does?
Yea Jim, it does, I have been building and racing radio control boats for over thirty years and also fly RC planes, most anything RC. One of the things I will do with my MM is molds and parts for boats and planes.
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  #48  
Old Tue 30 November 2010, 04:23
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Sounds like you will enjoy your MM! I used to race R/C boats in the central US so that is why I was curious.
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  #49  
Old Sat 21 May 2011, 13:01
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Once again I have been away for some time. Fortunately not having posted does not mean that no mechmate work is getting done. Even when circumstances don't allow me to post I am always watching the forum so I can learn from the other builders. I had progressed to the point of needing to setup my rails and I did manage to take some photos the process. I started with the x-axis with the idea of using the same methods on the y-axis. Lacking any accurate 10' long straight edge I settled on the wire method. This method involves supporting a wire of known diameter at two distances of known separation while having the wire under a known tension. Since my rails are of a uniform height, the wire can be used as an accurate reference when setting the x-axis installed rail height provided that I compensate for the wire sag. Suitable wire sag tables can be found on the Internet.

This photo shows the overall setup in place on the x-axis.


Here are several photos of the setup I used to support and tension the wire.




By slotting the wire support bars where the bolts pass through, I can set the wire to the correct height above the top surface of the x-axis rail at each end. I started with the bar too high and by leaving the bolts snug but not too tight I was able to tap the bar downward while checking the distance above the x-rail top. Since I did not want the wire to touch the rail due to sag I chose to set the wire .025 " above the rail tops at both ends. When using a wire as a reference it is important to avoid touching the wire as doing so will displace the wire and result in inaccurate results. I also took the time to align the wire laterally to each end of the rail. This was accomplished by bending the support bar to one side or the other slightly until the wire was positioned in the center of the flat area of the top of the rail. I then proceeded to use feeler gauges to determine the distance below the wire of the rail top at each location where the rail is bolted to the table beam. I used a .025" feeler gauge that I mounted on a fixture to account for the initial wire distance above the rail top.

Here are a couple of photos of the fixture in use.


I then added feeler gauges by slipping them under the .025" feeler gage until I could add no more without touching the wire. This gave me a initial measurement of how thick the shims beneath the x-rail needed to be. The next step is to account for the wire sag by adding the wire sag value to the initial measurement in order to arrive at the correct shim height needed. In my case the wire sag was approximately .006" at the mid-point of the wire. Example: If I had to insert .020" of feeler gauges at the mid-point I would need to add .006" to this to account for wire sag which would then require .026" of shims be placed under the rail to bring that point to the correct height. Once a shim was put in place I then re-checked the distance and, if necessary, made additional adjustments. I followed this procedure for each bolt location by interpolating wire sag charts to come up with wire sag values for each location.
Once I had shimmed each bolt location to the correct height I then used the wire to do my lateral rail alignment to insure that the rail is straight. I found that by using a magnifying glass it was easy to get the rail aligned and straight.
I hope you will find explanation this useful. I have received so much assistance from the mechmate community I wanted to add to the community for a change.
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  #50  
Old Sat 21 May 2011, 15:25
aussie_mick
Just call me: Mick
 
Nowra
Australia
Jim

Very nice and some excellent work.

Mick
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  #51  
Old Sat 09 July 2011, 14:51
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
I have my machine 95% done and ready to tear down for paint. Before do that I want to do some test cuts. I want to cut a roadrunner but I don't know what v-bit geometry to use. I tried a 90 degree bit but it cuts too much detail out. Does anyone know what bit to use? Thanks.
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  #52  
Old Sat 09 July 2011, 15:05
smreish
Just call me: Sean - #5, 28, 58 and others
 
Orlando, Florida
United States of America
Any bit will work. The cheapest and ideal bit would be a 45 Degree chamfer type bit. Carbide, 2 flute from the Big Box Home center will do fine.

If you looking to see the detail, then only set the depth of cut to about 1mm or 1/16" inch to see the detail your looking for.

Good luck

Sean
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  #53  
Old Sat 09 July 2011, 15:15
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Thanks Sean I'm on the hunt for a 45 degree bit now.
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  #54  
Old Sat 09 July 2011, 17:34
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Ugh! I could not find one in town. I have ordered one and should get it next week. I was able to cut some circles with a 1/4 inch straight bit. I am going to do some more reading so I can try drawing something in CAD. I also am registering at the local vo-tech school for a intro to CAD course starting next month. I have a lot to learn!
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  #55  
Old Sun 10 July 2011, 04:24
MetalHead
Just call me: Mike
 
Columbiana AL
United States of America
Jim I made your rail alignment post a "Sticky" under Rails and Rollers. What sag chart did you use?
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  #56  
Old Sun 10 July 2011, 08:25
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Used the one here.
http://www.millwrightmasters.com/Sch...wire-sag_1.htm
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  #57  
Old Sun 10 July 2011, 20:13
MetalHead
Just call me: Mike
 
Columbiana AL
United States of America
Made a PDF and posted it in the sticky.

http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showt...74&postcount=2
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  #58  
Old Sun 10 July 2011, 20:22
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
Looks good, thanks.
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  #59  
Old Sat 20 August 2011, 20:13
JamesJ
Just call me: Jim #104 (retired)
 
Kansas
United States of America
I enrolled in a CAD course at the local community college but they have not filled the class and there is only two weeks until it starts. I sure hope the class gets filled. In the meantime I have been taking care of a few odds and ends prior to teardown for paint.
I purchased the 2010 screenset so I could take advantage of the auto-zero macros. After wiring a ground wire from the BOB to the junction box on the back of the gantry I needed to have a zero plate and a tool change plate installed on the mechmate. I tackled the zero plate first by running wires to the 0, 0 end of the mechmate. I ran several wires in case I later need more wires in that area. I terminated the wires in a small plastic box mounted on the inside of the left I-Beam.



I mounted a small terminal strip inside the box and attached the wires to it's terminals. I needed wires for the plate and, after some rummaging around, I found some pieces of proxy wire that I had left over from the proxy wiring. These wires were very flexable and well suited to this application. Each cable had four wires in it so I connected all four together rather than using just one of the conductors. I used some 1" x 1/4" flat alum. bar for the zero touch plate. I put a slight bend on one end and drilled and tapped it for the screw that attaches the wire lug.



I made a bracket for the zero touch plate and mounted it to the bottom of the I-beam. To store the zero touch plate I wrap the cable over the bracket and insert the zero touch plate in a slot at the end of the bracket.
I then focused on making a tool change zero plate. The plate needed to be isolated from the machine in order to work correctly so I came up with a way to do just that. The phote below shows the parts used to isolate the tool change zero plate from the mechmate frame.



I found a set of plastic snap bushings that would allow a 8mm bolt to pass through yet keep the bolt from touching the metal of the plate. They are manufactured by Heyco and the part number is SB-437-5. Here is a link to the webpage. http://www.heyco.com/products/sec_04/4-01.html#. I removed the "fingers" in the snap bushing as they were in the way in this application.



I was able to locate some plastic spacers in my junkbox to use to hold the plate at the needed height. Any non-conducting spacers will work. I then drilled and tapped holes in the table cross support at the location that I wanted the touch plate at. I attached the ground wire and ran it back to the plastic box/terminal strip. I will route the wire inside the cross support tube after the mechmate is painted.



Close-up view of finished install.



Another item I needed to take care of was powering a laser cross hair for the Z-axis. I wanted to avoid having to use batteries and, after some thought, I realized that the button box on the Y-car already had +12 VDC in it because I chose to use a dc voltage on my e-stop and other buttons. I decided to try and find a dc to dc converter to power the laser with. A quick search on Ebay resulted in a DC to DC converter with the correct output voltage (+5 VDC) and small in size. I wanted to be able to switch the laser on when desired so I placed a toggle switch in the +12 VDC input lead. I found that the Y-car button box had plenty of room in it for the converter and switch. I mounted them in the box and drilled a hole for the converter led to fit in. I am currently working on a dust foot and plan to mount the laser in the dust foot.



I used some more of the left over proxy cable to run the output of the converter to the Z-slide where I placed a terminal strip. Once I have the laser mounted and wired I will connect it to the terminal strip and I will be able to switch it on/off with the switch mounted on the Y-car button box.

Well that brings me up to date so see you next time!
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  #60  
Old Sun 21 August 2011, 02:31
Alan_c
Just call me: Alan (#11)
 
Cape Town (Western Cape)
South Africa
Send a message via Skype™ to Alan_c
Nice work Jim, and good clear pics too, thanks.
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