CNC routing

[RussianRouter]

Hi Stef

I'm doing this in a manner whereby if it doesn't work out as planned then I won't lose much ie if the rails do become a problem? then all I have to do is omit the top rails(No big deal as they will be useful elsewhere) and replace with flat slidemounts but the bottom rail will stay to stop the gantry from swaying.

I would have pefered to construct a square tubular frame as I have some metal tubing, but my welding gear got stolen from the lockup garage I once had.

When I next pass a local wrought iron gate welders shop I'll pop in and ask how much to weld a frame together which will be the same size as the present construction,not too big so it might not cost much to weld?.

 

[stef]

welding is doable.
a lot of people manage it.
it can be very very tricky though, as it's difficult to keep the frame 100% square. I bolted/weled mine partly for that reason, I couldnt weld it accurately enough.
People who weld CNCs usually use a engineer level (precise to 0.1mm/m or better) to check on the frame. Then it's a question of shimming, braze filling and skimming to get the bumps out.
overall your approach (double rods) may work very well, but be aware that 20mm diameter is borderline if you want to achieve sub 10thmm accuracy.

I hope i am not making it sound more difficult than it is !
it's not difficult, but it requires carefull planing !

 

[RussianRouter]

Here's the sides of the Gantry....

Template.
Cutout.
Finish with the router.

 

[RussianRouter]

Was phoning around for a quote on a square tubular frame made up from mild steel for the CNC bed,quotes were in the region of £45 to £50 for a 24"x8"x34".

Didn't want to pay these prices and then I had a brainwave...eck! I have a computer desk here that I'm wanting to get shut of...

Use its legs and crossbars to construct the bed...bloody great innit when you get the light glowing in your head. :lol:

 

[RussianRouter]

Marvellous what you can do with a CNC,most builders have added a fourth axis,this axis holds the Lathe head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eZdY6_8 ... re=related

 

[stef]

good idea regarding the desk. just check it's square. it's bound to be better than the local welder, if it's done industrially.

here are my gantry sides. 20mm aluminium

 

[RussianRouter]

Thought you had emigrated,Stef.

By eck! Aluminium must be darn cheap over there in Normandy?

Did you have those made?

 

[stef]

no, i machined them myself, from salvaged aluminium.
cost is about 2.50 per kg. these pieces are 5.5Kg a piece. so roughly £25 for the two side. relatively cheap.
the thing is you cant really do this halfway. there is no point spending £500 on precision rails, if you are going to mount them on nasty mdf.

so far, the build is consistent, i should have the gantry up this week.

 

[RussianRouter]

Very nice job you done with them,you have a mill,Stef?

 

[stef]

Very nice job you done with them,you have a mill,Stef?

no, not yet !
i used an angle grinder, jigsaw, hacksaw, belt sander, files, drill, and my eyes !
took me a full day to cut them right !
but i am pleased with the result.

 

[RussianRouter]

Got cheap wood chop saw out the car booty sometime last year and didn't have intentions of using it as a wood chop saw.

Took the blade off,threw it away and replaced with a 230mm? cutting disc,cuts metal perfect

 

[scouse12345]

What's the latest fellas, was following this with interest..?>

scouse

 

[Dibs-h]

What's the latest fellas, was following this with interest..?>

scouse

George don't visit no more.

 

[chippy1970]

What's the latest fellas, was following this with interest..?>

scouse

George don't visit no more.

Yeah I thought I hadnt seen anything from him lately

 

[stef]

I have made a little progress
lets hope this video works...

 

[Fecn]

Just stumbled across this thread - I'm still mildly around - I check in on UKW about once a month, but as I haven't been doing any woodwork lately, I haven't had much to post on here. My current project is converting an old electric wheelchair into a robotic wheelbarrow thingy... I thought I should post on this thread though just to say 'keep up the good work' to RussianRouter and Stef.

 

[stef]

my CNC is nearly complete now:

I have all three axis running, and the spindle is almost operational. It requires water cooling, and that's not 100% working yet.
the spindle is a 24000rpm 2.2Kw fully enclosed three phase motor.

I am so far very pleased with the results. It runs smoothly at decent speeds (enough to get your heart rate going, if the spindle was running !) without any major tweaks. It will still need about 3 months of adjusting and sorting things out, like the cutting bed, the cable carriers, and fixing various bits to be frame.
but i am hoping to cut my first chips in february.

I'll try to post a video later today.

 

[stef]

as promised

 

[ginsters]

neat stuff 8)
amazing what you can build in the garage!
it reminded me of this for some reason http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJDztqCG91g :roll: il grow up one day

 

[wobblycogs]

Wow, that's probably the best looking home-made CNC's I've seen, you should be really pleased with it. I'm sure I speak for a lot of people when I say: got any more build pictures?

You've got me dreaming about the day when I'll have the space and time to start my CNC project now ...