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mx0forever · 27th Jan 2013, 17:31

well i finally got round to building a cnc table .

i have had the idea for some years now, but when i got a decent drill-press i discovered the vibrations when milling .., so that put me off for a while.,
but now i have invested in a plasma cutter , and the cnc table is planned to be mainly used with the plasma ( and as the plasma doesn't really touch the working surface , so there will be no vibrations )

but i am building the table strong enough so that sometime in the hopefully near future i can install a high speed router and mill some wood and hopefully even aluminium..

the key features i am planning

4 stepper motors 425oz
controllers ect are from ebay ( china )
software will be mach 3, on some old computer i have layng around
several PSUs

all of the rails will be angled iron and small ball bearings
the "drive" will be threaded rod ( M10 ) until i can afford acme or some other fancy stuff
all will be build out of steel and welded / bolted together
work area will be approximately 120*80*20-30 cm ( at the moment only like 5-6cm instead of 20-30 )

at the moment im studying,
so the budget and time , are minimal ..
and this is my first thread ..,

( and as some people migth notice, my native language is not english , english isn't even my second language, its third ...)

but im known for making something out of nothing ...

current progress:

built by : my hands
sponsored by : my wallet

mx0forever · 27th Jan 2013, 17:45

And here come the first pictures of the weekends work :

testing the smoothness ect with some weight ( 40 kg , to be exact)

the material for the main frame 5*5 cm square box

cutting :

these are the raild for the x-axis

just love the plasma , here im slicing through 80*10mm flat steel, lite a hot knife thorugh butter

all that driling resulted :

the adjustment for the x-axis

the dolley 1 of 2 for the x-axis

Cheapskate · 27th Jan 2013, 18:55

Awesomely heavy duty. I'd hate to have to use that adjustment system, though. I have a saw someone knocked out of true, and I've yet to get it straight.
I think the first thing you need to make are precision-fit replacement parts.

For cnc plasma cutter.

mx0forever · 27th Jan 2013, 19:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheapskate

Awesomely heavy duty. I'd hate to have to use that adjustment system, though. I have a saw someone knocked out of true, and I've yet to get it straight.
I think the first thing you need to make are precision-fit replacement parts.

For cnc plasma cutter.

hehe well i might but ,first i have to get the basics going , then i can make more precise parts
and when you weld metal it tends to heat warp.., so i cant really get rid of the adjustment systems all togehter

morgansk · 27th Jan 2013, 20:57

Cool - I love a bit of Heavy Metal.

mx0forever · 28th Jan 2013, 18:53

time for the second bash of pictures ..
the x rails are in place , as are the dolleys , and the y-rail

the holes behind these 2 bolts are big, so that i have even some more adjustment
( planning to weld in set skrews so the adjustment will be even easier )

as usual , im testing the smoothness with my little weight

and a view from above..

you need a good set of balls (in your bearings) to build an awsome cnc machine
( i got a 50 pack from ebay dirt cheap )

the top slider for the y axis

got lucky the first time ( the bearings touched the pipe right in the middle .. )

if it does not fit, then i'll make it fit!

small distances to clear the lower square pipe..

working alone sometimes 2 hands are not enough

now one problem i really didn't expect.., the top piece for the y-rail, is as solid as a cheap ruler.., flexel like crazy.., which mean that when the y dolley gets to the middle it loosens up.., NOT GOOD ..

looking around , looking around ,,

that will do :

test it :

works like a charm .., ( i will do 3 much better ones before i get the machine running , just to really keep it as steady as a rock.. )

now im trying to figure out how to do with the final adjustment system for the z axis.., continue woth the tried and proven system that im using or try something new ...

Editor22 · 28th Jan 2013, 19:01

Well I have serious CNC envy right now!

This is epic!

mx0forever · 28th Jan 2013, 19:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Editor22

Well I have serious CNC envy right now!

This is epic!

Thank You!

i know how you feel , i have been wanting to build one for years, and have been searching the web looking at great machines for ideas.., finally got round to building ..

dreps · 29th Jan 2013, 07:21

looks very promising

good job so far

dream1 · 29th Jan 2013, 12:13

Wow that looks heavy.
But starting to look good.

mx0forever · 29th Jan 2013, 15:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by dream1

Wow that looks heavy.
But starting to look good.

Tänan

( isegi eestlasi leidub siin

)

that_du^de · 29th Jan 2013, 15:59

this looks good! that threaded pipe part and the brass support for the z axis will work,but only short term as its not fixed. however looking at the parts you could make a strong support
mount with Adjustment out of them! if you flip the brass part and profile the contact point to match the bar(scafold?) you also have a nut on the bottom and this can be used to lift it up or down.

mx0forever · 29th Jan 2013, 18:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by that_du^de

this looks good! that threaded pipe part and the brass support for the z axis will work,but only short term as its not fixed. however looking at the parts you could make a strong support
mount with Adjustment out of them! if you flip the brass part and profile the contact point to match the bar(scafold?) you also have a nut on the bottom and this can be used to lift it up or down.

am, not hanging with you at all here..,

if you are refering to the brass water pipe coupling you saw in the pictures , then it was just a temporary support for the y rails ( they flexed... ) , the permanent pieces are done and about to be uploaded..,

mx0forever · 29th Jan 2013, 18:40

time for a smaller update..

the electrical system in my workshop is good, but a bit weak when it comes to running the plasma .., ( i have already blown a handful of fuses )
so it was time for plan b ( which was the idea alla along anyway )

me, welding ....

im no welding god.., but it will hold..( thats enough for me )

this is how i clean and polish the rails, to give the bearns as smooth of a surface as possible to run on..

the small pipes aren't flar on the top, ( they are slightly ?beweld? )

i belewe that i will do the same type of supports for the x rails ( they seem to flex just a bit .., )

that_du^de · 29th Jan 2013, 20:04

thats more or less what i was on about, you now have adjustment to take up eny sag along the axis. good work!

mx0forever · 31st Jan 2013, 18:21

The electronics have arrived !!!

4 x 425oz stepper motors
4 x dm542a stepper drivers
2 x 36v 10A psu
and a breakout board..

ofcorse i had to test this out right away so i got my old pc running .., and for some reason the mouse was dead..

"best before 2015",,, my a$$

and as i menstioned , this machine will be running a router sometime in the future.., and as i was picking up some stuff from the hardware store i saw this ( at like 60% discount )

also i got some "scarp" metal from the local junkyard

cutting freehand ... who needs a cnc ??

oh, right.. i do..

making sure the beginning of the z axix is level

smoking hot stuff this..

this is how i take care of the threads on all the alingment nuts..

mx0forever · 1st Feb 2013, 15:27

now this is how a proper electronics testing should look like

then you know that you are doing it "DIY"

the motors, im having slight trouble with one of them at the moment.

when i dont have the right bolts on hand then i just make them..

the idea is to stop the pipe for the y-axis flexing, by triangulaiting it

the idea is to get rid of any wobble in the connections

even the x rails flexed when they were'nt suppose to.., not anymore..

the beginnings of the z dolley

and a handful of washers later:

dosen't anybody reading have any comments?

Elledan · 1st Feb 2013, 17:03

So far my impressions involve 'wow, it's big', to 'it's kinda rusty', to 'it'll be awesome to see it working'

mx0forever · 3rd Feb 2013, 11:51

time for another update..

i have no idea how but i managed to get a PERFECT fit.

the bearing support

now this is the break out board.., ( or the only piece bare electronics..)
and what will come next is a temporary mount for it ( until i get starded on the control box for the whole machine )

sensitive computer loving readers may want to look away now..

a well used old HDD:

homemade zero backlash nut..

flushed in the bolts holdig the nut for the z-axis

temporary motor mount ( there will be some sort of belt connection later on , hopefully

)

attempt no.1 for the motor connection..

attempt no.2 for the motor connection..

( both failed )

the 5v source for the breakout board

the software running , and testing the z axis..

have you ever seen this much power!

mx0forever · 3rd Feb 2013, 11:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elledan

So far my impressions involve 'wow, it's big', to 'it's kinda rusty', to 'it'll be awesome to see it working'

well :
"go big or go home"
rusti just shows that this is not just some fancy kit you buy , " built , not bought!!"
im even more anxious to get it running !

27th Jan 2013, 17:31	#1
mx0forever Minimodder Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 40	scratch build cnc table (plasma and router) well i finally got round to building a cnc table . i have had the idea for some years now, but when i got a decent drill-press i discovered the vibrations when milling .., so that put me off for a while., but now i have invested in a plasma cutter , and the cnc table is planned to be mainly used with the plasma ( and as the plasma doesn't really touch the working surface , so there will be no vibrations ) but i am building the table strong enough so that sometime in the hopefully near future i can install a high speed router and mill some wood and hopefully even aluminium.. the key features i am planning 4 stepper motors 425oz controllers ect are from ebay ( china ) software will be mach 3, on some old computer i have layng around several PSUs all of the rails will be angled iron and small ball bearings the "drive" will be threaded rod ( M10 ) until i can afford acme or some other fancy stuff all will be build out of steel and welded / bolted together work area will be approximately 1208020-30 cm ( at the moment only like 5-6cm instead of 20-30 ) at the moment im studying, so the budget and time , are minimal .. and this is my first thread .., ( and as some people migth notice, my native language is not english , english isn't even my second language, its third ...) but im known for making something out of nothing ... current progress: built by : my hands sponsored by : my wallet Last edited by mx0forever; 17th Mar 2013 at 15:53.

27th Jan 2013, 18:55	#3
Cheapskate ↓ Don't trust that face! Join Date: May 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 6,983	Awesomely heavy duty. I'd hate to have to use that adjustment system, though. I have a saw someone knocked out of true, and I've yet to get it straight. I think the first thing you need to make are precision-fit replacement parts. For cnc plasma cutter. __________________ BlooBalls·Hypnotoad·Plank·Reservoir-Things·AluBox Chopping·C7Waterblocks·GlassGreen Powered by: Danger Den·Hardware Labs·Noctua

28th Jan 2013, 19:01	#7
Editor22 E22.BIZ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Bristol <UK> Posts: 1,623	Well I have serious CNC envy right now! This is epic! __________________ Store: E22 Social: Youtube \| Facebook Projects: Evolution \| K2 MK1

29th Jan 2013, 15:59	#12
that_du^de give your head a wobble Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: uk Posts: 98	this looks good! that threaded pipe part and the brass support for the z axis will work,but only short term as its not fixed. however looking at the parts you could make a strong support mount with Adjustment out of them! if you flip the brass part and profile the contact point to match the bar(scafold?) you also have a nut on the bottom and this can be used to lift it up or down. __________________ mozart tx case(11x120mm fans),intel i7 920@4ghz(20x200)1.28v,asus rampage extreme 2,6gig corsair ram(3x2gig),2xati hd5870 crossfire,titan fenrir hsf,enermax revolution 1250w psu,1x120gig ssd 4x1tb hdd,x-fi elite pro soundcard,dell 2405fpw 24"lcd,zboard merc k/board,cyborg rat 7 mouse,win7 64bit

29th Jan 2013, 20:04	#15
that_du^de give your head a wobble Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: uk Posts: 98	thats more or less what i was on about, you now have adjustment to take up eny sag along the axis. good work! __________________ mozart tx case(11x120mm fans),intel i7 920@4ghz(20x200)1.28v,asus rampage extreme 2,6gig corsair ram(3x2gig),2xati hd5870 crossfire,titan fenrir hsf,enermax revolution 1250w psu,1x120gig ssd 4x1tb hdd,x-fi elite pro soundcard,dell 2405fpw 24"lcd,zboard merc k/board,cyborg rat 7 mouse,win7 64bit

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27th Jan 2013, 17:45	#2
mx0forever Minimodder Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 40	And here come the first pictures of the weekends work : testing the smoothness ect with some weight ( 40 kg , to be exact) the material for the main frame 55 cm square box cutting : these are the raild for the x-axis just love the plasma , here im slicing through 8010mm flat steel, lite a hot knife thorugh butter all that driling resulted : the adjustment for the x-axis the dolley 1 of 2 for the x-axis

27th Jan 2013, 20:57	#5
morgansk I've got wood Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 49	Cool - I love a bit of Heavy Metal.

28th Jan 2013, 18:53	#6
mx0forever Minimodder Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 40	time for the second bash of pictures .. the x rails are in place , as are the dolleys , and the y-rail the holes behind these 2 bolts are big, so that i have even some more adjustment ( planning to weld in set skrews so the adjustment will be even easier ) as usual , im testing the smoothness with my little weight and a view from above.. you need a good set of balls (in your bearings) to build an awsome cnc machine ( i got a 50 pack from ebay dirt cheap ) the top slider for the y axis got lucky the first time ( the bearings touched the pipe right in the middle .. ) if it does not fit, then i'll make it fit! small distances to clear the lower square pipe.. working alone sometimes 2 hands are not enough now one problem i really didn't expect.., the top piece for the y-rail, is as solid as a cheap ruler.., flexel like crazy.., which mean that when the y dolley gets to the middle it loosens up.., NOT GOOD .. looking around , looking around ,, that will do : test it : works like a charm .., ( i will do 3 much better ones before i get the machine running , just to really keep it as steady as a rock.. ) now im trying to figure out how to do with the final adjustment system for the z axis.., continue woth the tried and proven system that im using or try something new ...

29th Jan 2013, 07:21	#9
dreps Multimodder Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 84	looks very promising good job so far

29th Jan 2013, 12:13	#10
dream1 Multimodder Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Estonia Pärnu Posts: 208	Wow that looks heavy. But starting to look good.

29th Jan 2013, 18:40	#14
mx0forever Minimodder Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 40	time for a smaller update.. the electrical system in my workshop is good, but a bit weak when it comes to running the plasma .., ( i have already blown a handful of fuses ) so it was time for plan b ( which was the idea alla along anyway ) me, welding .... im no welding god.., but it will hold..( thats enough for me ) this is how i clean and polish the rails, to give the bearns as smooth of a surface as possible to run on.. the small pipes aren't flar on the top, ( they are slightly ?beweld? ) i belewe that i will do the same type of supports for the x rails ( they seem to flex just a bit .., )

31st Jan 2013, 18:21	#16
mx0forever Minimodder Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 40	The electronics have arrived !!! 4 x 425oz stepper motors 4 x dm542a stepper drivers 2 x 36v 10A psu and a breakout board.. ofcorse i had to test this out right away so i got my old pc running .., and for some reason the mouse was dead.. "best before 2015",,, my a$$ and as i menstioned , this machine will be running a router sometime in the future.., and as i was picking up some stuff from the hardware store i saw this ( at like 60% discount ) also i got some "scarp" metal from the local junkyard cutting freehand ... who needs a cnc ?? oh, right.. i do.. making sure the beginning of the z axix is level smoking hot stuff this.. this is how i take care of the threads on all the alingment nuts..

1st Feb 2013, 15:27	#17
mx0forever Minimodder Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 40	now this is how a proper electronics testing should look like then you know that you are doing it "DIY" the motors, im having slight trouble with one of them at the moment. when i dont have the right bolts on hand then i just make them.. the idea is to stop the pipe for the y-axis flexing, by triangulaiting it the idea is to get rid of any wobble in the connections even the x rails flexed when they were'nt suppose to.., not anymore.. the beginnings of the z dolley and a handful of washers later: dosen't anybody reading have any comments?

1st Feb 2013, 17:03	#18
Elledan Hypermodder Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Almere, Netherlands Posts: 830	So far my impressions involve 'wow, it's big', to 'it's kinda rusty', to 'it'll be awesome to see it working' __________________ "Psychology is just meta-hacking an OS that was randomly bashed out by a million monkeys on typewriters over a few billion years and runs on constantly changing, badly shielded hardware with a lot of legacy design issues. I think." - Nexxo www.mayaposch.com - my site and blog. www.nyanko.ws - my company's site.

3rd Feb 2013, 11:51	#19
mx0forever Minimodder Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 40	time for another update.. i have no idea how but i managed to get a PERFECT fit. the bearing support now this is the break out board.., ( or the only piece bare electronics..) and what will come next is a temporary mount for it ( until i get starded on the control box for the whole machine ) sensitive computer loving readers may want to look away now.. a well used old HDD: homemade zero backlash nut.. flushed in the bolts holdig the nut for the z-axis temporary motor mount ( there will be some sort of belt connection later on , hopefully ) attempt no.1 for the motor connection.. attempt no.2 for the motor connection.. ( both failed ) the 5v source for the breakout board the software running , and testing the z axis.. have you ever seen this much power!

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