NICE that is so awesome man i cant wait to see this thing done!! thanks alot for the pictures! keep up the great work
wowzers dude - didn't realise it was so big ! realy good work - seems to be taking form - what size parts will you be able to handle on that bed ? got a few bits i may need doing sometime in teh near future
Yup it's a biggun! Weight is massive too, I could hardly lift that end up to get the pieces of wood under to prop it up. The spindle travel I am aiming for will be 4' x 2'. The actual work holding area is something like 850mm x 1500mm. Distance between the gantry and the table top should be about 120 - 150mm, so no real tall pieces! Should be good for custom case panels, kitchen cabinets doors, signage, and small children!
looking very good dude, makes me wanna make one myself...gotta convince the missuss and also work out how the hell im gonna get the parts in australia hmmm i wonder if have cold cathodes and a window inside is hazardous to children
Wowzers. Respect++. I'm going to show it to one of the guys in our machine shop (they do CNC wood stuff) and I'm sure he'll wet himself!
Oklushun, I got most of my supplies from the US, as I'm in the UK, you can see that I had the same problems you have. I'm sure something will turn up. Starbuck, it would be great to hear what he has to say, and also, some ideas on the stuff he makes - all project ideas welcome, as my wallet is now empty!
Just a thought - i presume you are making this kit to provide a service to us ever grateful modders - are you going to be able to turn out custom waterblocks etc and milled alu brakets - as well as cutting flat sheets?
No, I am building this so I can tell you lot to get lost and make millions from cnc wood carving Nah, seriously, I can only "assume" it will cut metal. i have every intention of rigging up the headstock of that Taig lathe (coz it comes off of the lathe bed) onto the z-axis and having a go. Cripes, I hope it will work, I need it to cut out the actual router spindle mounting plates from ali plate! I recall you were looking at the Taig mill earlier, well I enquired about a seperate headstock from the Peatol guy, and he can supply them for a mere £47.50 + p&p. Perhaps you could adapt a drill press for it?!
hmmmm now thats a thought! hehe so wood brackets then ??? i guess softer metals ie copper / alu will be ok to cut - guess its going to be baptism by fire keep up the hard work! ./me goes back to carbon fibre ing my shuttle:S
Just a quick text update to let you guys know I'm not slacking! I got the second leadscrew and motor in a couple of days ago, but have not got a photo yet as they are covered by all my tools! I'll get something sorted tomorrow for ya! I have been playing around with the 4-jaw chuck for the lathe, chucked up some 2"x2" square aluminium bar, and have been boring 40mm holes in 4 seperate pieces. It has taken the best part of today to get one finnished, so a couple more days till I get all four done to hold the linear bushings for the z-axis. My car still isn't running, I've been so busy doing this project that I just haven't had time to look at it!
ZZzzzzzzzzz Now I know why drilling holes on the lathe is called boring! I made the four aluminium blocks to hold the linear bearings for the z-axis: I have only been working a couple of hours a day, coz it really is boooring work! Anyhow, I got the holes centred using a dial indicator and digital callipers, as the last attempt (using a holesaw in some 12mm ali) was crap - the holes ended up off centre, only by a fraction, but it was enough to cause the bearings to lock onto that hardened steel shaft they ride on. I got the router mounting plate cut to size today, and drilled ready for a test fit, but I measured the holes wrong by about 1mm so I have another piece of scrap! I got the leadscrew mounting blocks made as you can see at the bottom of that piccy in between the two shafts. I have also turned the ends of the leadscrew down so they fit tightly into the bearings. I should have it all rigged up by the weekend, with the motor and leadscrew in place so I'll leave you with a close up of the bearing blocks for now. You can see the tapped holes on the fronts to take the mounting plate, and you can just make out the grub screws that secure the blocks onto the linear bearings. Yes grub screws. not an ideal solution, but the blocks are a tight fit onto the bearings (they needed "persuading" with a mallet to fit!), so I will try the grub screws first before attempting to slit the blocks for a stronger bolt.
Re: ZZzzzzzzzzz LOL! This thing looks like a heavy duty (and professional) piece of equipment. It boggles my mind that you're able to build it. Keep up the awesome work (and hilarious puns)!
Complexprocess nailed it... Its amazing that YOU are building that thing... 1 person, so professional, and for the most part hand-made!
z-axis complete Well almost, just gotta get the timing belt in place. You can just make out the holes for the grub screws on the timing pulleys, they still need to be tapped. Also, I could not get the right length belt for this axis, so I will need to add a tensioner - just a bolt with a couple of bearings on should do it. Maybe tomorrow, eh?! Actually, I lied, you cannot see the holes at all! Here's the whole assembly The leadscrew nut is buried right behind that hole on the front plate. I have bolted a small piece of ali to the plate with a hole in, so the leadscrew runs through the hole and the nut bolts to it from underneath - if you know what I mean! Closer view You can just make out the ali plate between the big steel shafts. Once I get the timing belt sorted, I will begin wiring this lot up. I checked out the prices if electronics cabinets, but at around £100, I am going to make my own. I have plenty of 3mm ali knocking around, and my dad just gave me this piece of stainless this morning. I think it will make a nice front/sides. The ruler is 18" long. What do you reckon so far then?
Kong, that machine is a beast and a masterpiece all at once! It's really nice to see it all coming together now
to see someone building this is just incredible... you are doing an unbelievable job and its just jaw-dropping to see it all... its very impressive, keep up the work man
I didn't have time to read the whole thread, but that looks AMAZING! One question: When you finish it, are you going to strip it down and Paint/Annodize/Powder Coat it or just leave it raw?
i can't beleive i've been passing this thread over, that is some seriously good work there. It looks genuinly professional (baring the paint job but i think we can let you of with that ) and i guess it's alot more rewarding and a cheaper way to set up a business than buying one! What will the costs be like to operate and run something like that? and how much are you going to charge for your work you do with it after its finished? or no idea yet? Good to see some people in this country can still build good things from scratch like that, keep up the amazing work
do you have an all out view of what it looks like now, and are you doing a movie once its operational?
haha, in all my years of electronics/machining experience, I never thought to build my own router. I tip my hat to you sir, quite the endeavour. Looks great too
