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Just an update for anyone who is following along...I emailed Nate last night about some spare parts and got a response this morning (quick response). I replied to him a few hours later but did not...

I received a response from Avid CNC today indicating that their spindle assemblies (gear, pulley, and shaft) are compatible (as expected), so I placed an order for three replacements.

On a whim, I...

I have reached out to Avid and will wait for their response. I understand what you mean about the shoulder bolts/shafts. The shaft on mine is a strange length (almost exactly 34mm or 1.34 in.), so...

Thanks guys. Unfortunately, I need a new shaft also, because it is pretty badly scored. Mine is the original stainless steel version, so it wasn't going to last forever anyway. I could try to push...

Greetings all. Its been a while since I posted here, mostly due to limited time...work and trying to actually build something with the CNC router.

So I'm in the middle of a project and I...

These sorts of projects are alot of fun. However, if you REALLY want to be ambitious, check out this project:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1scj5sotD-E


He does not currently sell...

Gary,

I'll throw my $0.02 in. The basis of your workaround is using a leveling epoxy to flatten things out. To get this right, you will have to do the following things:

1) Set up "dams" to...

I went back and forth between the FLA 2x4 and the CNCRP 2x4 when I bought mine. I ultimately went with the FLA Saturn, and I have been happy. However, given the recent quality problems I have heard...

The home page came up for me this evening. Might have been a temporary problem with the web site earlier today. Hopefully just unfortunate timing.

Blame accepted where deserved, credit taken where possible. :D

looks like some nice wood!

One technique I have heard of for getting the rails parallel is to adjust one rail to the other. You snug down one rail then start snugging the other one down starting at one end. You move the...

Gary,

I'm sorry to hear about the poor quality of the machine that you received. I feel a little responsible because I gave the system a glowing review. I do have one of the early Saturn (1)...

These guys are up in my neck of the woods. I don't get there nearly enough, but they have a nice selection of domestic hardwoods and mahogany family woods in long pieces. The exotics tend to be...

Back to your question. I have done this with the WJ200, and I think it is a smart thing to do. I wired mine into the Estop circuit of my controller along with the motor controller fault signals. ...

Sorry to hear about the issues with your machine. I had a similar problem with the zip ties breaking during shipment and letting the gantry move. Mine has 1/4" plates welded to the frame for the...

FWIW, Hitachi recommends using one. I have enough problems with EMI in my house due to an inverter drive for my well pump, so I was hoping to minimize the problem.

I did go back and check the specs on the igus CF6 cables, and the CF6-15-04 has a minimum bend radius of 6.8 x d (6.8 times the cable diameter) or 2.5 inches when used with a cable chain.
...

I agree with mactec54 that the igus cable is better suited in this application. There are two things that I see that are different: 1) The igus cable has a much smaller minimum bend radius, which is...

The build is looking nice!

Your picture brought up a question, especially in light of the bearing binding problem you mentioned. You have a 4x2 system, and the gantry is supported by an aluminum...

As others have said, I would also go with the -022SF. That is what I am using with my 2.2 kw air cooled spindle.

I also want to correct a misconception about the frequency control I am using. It...

I need to go back and look, but I think I am controlling speed on the Hitachi with a pulse train. The frequency of the pulse train determines the speed of the spindle. I am running UCCNC on a...

I have a Hitachi VFD. Safety circuitry was important to me (still is), and the Hitachi can cut power to the spindle without dropping logic power. I also trusted their noise suppression a little...

I have one of the round 2.2kW Chinese air cooled spindles running with a Hitachi VFD. Probably the longest single day's work was about 2 solid hours of carving out a hardwood bowl with about 0.2"...

Dan,

When you have a minute, can you post a few close-up photos of how you attached the Z-axis cable chain at both ends. I've never been fully happy with how I routed my spindle cable, and I...

For a system to be "closed loop", the motors need some way of measuring position (rotary encoder, linear encoder LVDT, etc.). The controller will command a position then "watch" the position of the...

Agreed. A couple of closeup photos would help a lot. From the video it looks like it works really nicely, but I can’t make out the details. I have never seen a Z-axis cable chain on a Saturn...

Mine was a 1/2" (Saturn 1). I don't think Nate changed that on the Saturn 2. You should be good to go with a 14mm motor shaft.

Jack,

One tip for your magnetic skirts...if you don't mind messing up the new paint job. I did something very similar to yours, but used Lexan instead of wood. The biggest difference is that I...

I had a much different situation, but had to remove the gantry also. My shop is on a second story and there is a 90 degree turn on the stairs. There was no way I was fitting a 4x4 machine and even...

I think there is a needle bearing pressed in the pinion. If it was squeaking, it probably needs to be replaced. It will work for a while, but will fail prematurely. It is also possible that the...