Reis I think the word your are looking for is "Tramming" or "Indicating".

Setting the Z-slide square (perpendicular) to the table top

But, first check that all screws are tight and that the z-slide is firmly pinched in its V-rollers. With the router/spindle OFF and the stepper motors powered up, grab hold of the collet and push/pull it hard in all directions. It should feel rock solid.

Great thoughts and leads which is what I was looking for. I will double check the "stiffness" aspect as it is the easiest to check.

The pattern doesn't seem to be so much as a router tilted (due to zslide not being perpendicular to table, router mount, etc) but more like the router cuts deeper and then shallower (around the entire bit). As this was checked during that portion of the build (could have gotten moved so it is worth checking).

Think something like this.....(grossly overexaggerated vertical length).... Where the "higher" cuts are one direction and the "lower" cuts are the other direction.

Granted that the pattern may be caused by a combination of factors..

Onto the trammel.. Obviously one probably should not attempt to build one that is several feet long from the rotation axis nor just an inch or so, but is there a "sweet" spot range of length?

Stan

A 4" to 6" trammel should be plenty accurate enough.

Next Issue...
 

Now that the scallop issue is dealt with (much easier than I expected)...

The next one just plain sucks.... dust collection.... read and read and read....

What've got... single stage DC system running 4" hose.

First attempt at a dust foot/shoe was miserable, actually never happy with the one on my other cnc router either...

Basic question is this which pvc-to-hose adaptor are people using. Rockler has two (assuming one inserts into a female pvc fitting and the other inserts into the pvc pipe)?

stan

Stan as far as a dust shoe have you seen JesseJames "Split Shoe" I have never owned one but looks like a great design. Here is a Video on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8ehF...eature=channel

Link to the Thread Post 27 has all the info on it.
http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showt...6&postcount=27


Can you stretch the Vacuum hose over the Pvc. It would seem to me a large hose clamp would work better than any of the fittings. I might not be thinking the right way.

Stan,

I'm using the corrugated vinyl hose, 90 degree elbows, blast gates (I can select which of two routers the dust collector is to work with by opening one and closing the other) and straight couplings from Woodcraft in Raleigh,NC. The hose will fit snugly over schedule 40 PVC pipe, but as I recall, it does not fit into the next larger size coupling so as to not make a restriction in the hose. My dust shoe has a straight PVC pipe coupling glued into it. To keep the joints together I just used a layer of Gorilla tape. The coupling is tight enough in the hose to not move. (At least not with my puny 1hp Delta dust collector.)

Drop by here and take a look at it this week.

Richard

I shrink my 4" pipe to go into the flexible hose & clamp it with hose clamp.
I don't glue all my fittings. & small leaks has no detremental effect on the performance.
I also started with SCH40 pipe & then I realise it is stupid of me to waste money on thicker pipe, now my choice is thin uPVC pipes. The vecuum is too little to do any damage to even paper pipes...

First Part - Dust Shoe.
 

made this out of 3/8 lexan (polycarbonate). This is the second. The first I tried to cut like acrylic doh....

Too much fun....

Now to try and resurface the table again (too much dust everywhere the first time)

Stan

Stan

A quick release cam lock, nice touch !

Regards
Ross

Niceeeee I like it !!
Cheers
Tony.

Yeah, I "borrowed" the idea from someone else. Tried it out yesterday. It sucked :D

But I've got to make another one because the dimension between the router and the DC pipe is too small.

I'm getting all this experience making parts for myself that I wonder if I will ever make parts for someone else :rolleyes:

Stan

Which machine are you using to cut the parts.....your old cnc or your new MM?

We are cutting with the yet to be painted MM!!! Our first job is almost at hand, so we are going to finish that job and then add blue paint. :)

Think of our paint-less MM as a car that is getting restored that's being driven in primer only..... Here in the US it happens a lot :p

Actually most cars being restored are required to have multiple colors of primer:D

Where did you get the vinyl skirt?

I've asked a chick in a bar that once.:cool:

Ok, I lost my last post, let me try again.

My build partner made the vinyl skirt from some sheet vinyl.

I love the post above, it made me think of the time I saw some blue jeans with vinyl back pockets....yes they were in use......and they were on a girl.....

As far as the present vinyl skirt, it needs to be adjusted, it was too long and got in the way thus it was ripped off in the process....

It's all in the interpretation:D

If the vinyl strips are not stiff enough, they get sucked into the cutter!
I had to convert my 1st shoe to bristle brushes like MM #1 to keep that from happening.

I had that style vinyl on my first shoe but it wasn't that long. Also it had 2 layers and the cuts were staggered so one piece wuld seal the next

The vinyl came from McMaster (or is that MechMaster :D)

From building this shoe and the one before that (and the one before that on my old machine), it is compromise....

Large dust foot to vinyl strip length, more of a measure of distance from cutter centerline. Also amount of suction is a consideration (harder to suck the vinyl in when it is pointing outwards).

Then there is the 3d issues....

and I thought the building was over...

After visiting JR, I think that there is no such thing as a completed MM ;)

mine will ever be complete too ;)

never complete.....

I'm doing the research for zero plate and laser crosshairs... Too cool on JR's machine, kudos to Greg et. al. for all the work....

Will post some q's in the appropriate section..

Z Zero Plate and Laser XHairs....
 

Got them both working ... sort of...

Laser is great and dirt simple...

Zero Plate is giving me a bit of heartburn.. Everything works right in pieces (ie. macro, plate, BoB). Put together it gets more than a bit flaky.

Like right after touching at a nice smooth (and slow) pace, mach3 tries to g0 the bit down about a 0.5 inch OUCH.....

Time to troubleshoot some more. any thoughts on "debounce" settings to give Mach a bit of room to work with?

try 2" copper wire 10 or 12 gauge clipped to the bit - it will bend much better than your bit

cheers

got the zero plate worked out... several things that I forgot to get right when putting the pieces together..

first production mold. still needs work on some areas.

Looks good Stan,

The ren board molds I have been working with the past 5 years (made elsewhere) have varied all over the place from smooth to full of chatter marks. These are on the better end of the scale. Nothing that a little body filler and sanding can't fix.


Richard

Time to Beg.... for a serial #
 

OK guys (and gals sorry), Ted (aka crashingsucks) and I got pushed into painting the MM :D

We needed a few high quality pictures to be used for display... So Ted cleaned up the garage.. I cut a few more vinyl logos so that the machine would look more finished. Put the logos on the machine...

THEN it happened..... We touched up a section using some flat black spray bomb (sorry aerosol can) paint. We looked at each other and said DANG..

Looks too good to stop (never hear that around a MM ehh)...

Painted the MM, using flat-black (yes we know it isn't standard), but it is kind of hard to find Ford Tractor Blue at 8:30 pm...

Check out the pics... We took some cool shots with low light/directional light but needed a tripod so we won't show them yet....

We are making parts (soon money... :cool: )

A Mechmate video game, I like it. :)

But $0.25US per "play" is getting costly. We hate it when is says "Game Over" before the part is finished..... Almost enough in the coin box to buy us a soft drink (just one, not one for Ted and myself)....

:D

Seriously, we wanted everything together in one cabinet and on wheels. I have a buddy that deals with video/pool tables and he wanted this out of his shop.

Next ticket item in the never finished MM is a new cabinet with touch screen.

But money needs to come in, first.....

Wow Stan!! (MM blue or not)

Something's wrong with these photos. That just can't be Ted's garage 'cause I've seen it before. Where did ya move it to? :D

Doc's been real busy and everything is out in the driveway for these photos if it is his garage.

Richard

Looks like you get #67 !!!

Well done Stan!

(especially with all the covering sheets in the background) :)

Congrats on the new serial number!

Looks great Stan, I wonder if the flat black will hold the dust in, like not brush off as easy as a gloss,But I do like the look!! Retro!

Congrats on Number 67! :)

Pragtig

Ok they are not all sheets, one is a tarp and another is the canvas for a tent, but in the end they are just like the spray bomb, not pretty but it gets the job done.

Now let me see, I moved a almost moveable Triumph TR3 out of my garage and now I have a chunk of steel that weights as much but I can't ride it,let alone move it......wait it does have a Y-car and we do have a remote control...I think the y-car could hold another 220 pounds....right.


Ok did any of you all notice my last build suggestion, look close, Stan and I hooked up the lights for the coin slots. Hey they were there and I just know the MM will just work better with the lights on....

Oh, after moving all the scrap steel, I think we can build another one!!!! Ready Stan?

I'm up for the task now that we are "what you call experts"...

"Ex is a has-been and a spurt is a drip under pressure."

The sheets cover proprietary stuff just like at my garage proprietary stuff covers my MGB :D

Yeah, we may find the flat black doesn't release dust well.

Retro.... talk about all the retro stuff that we threw out of the Vid Game console...

Ted wants to build a MAME vid game console, will use the coin door for kicks.. Any ideas on what we could use to cut the console parts with :rolleyes:

Congratulations on Number 67. Now, who is closing in on the much coveted #69?:)