[Ernie34]

Thanks guys,

The main thing I need now is the racks. Once I get my mits on those I will be able to take the next step. I spoke to Diane at Moore Gear and have got the quote for what I need. It is considerably less than the $250 I had expected. She is wonderful to deal with and am looking forward to placing my order pretty soon!


One step at a time!


Ernie

[CarveOne]

When I extend mine I'll have to buy new racks or extend the ones I have now. I'm more inclined to buy new one piece racks from Moore Gear. The ones I have now work ok but are not high quality racks. I'll need longer CRS rails also.

Hey Ernie, I think your frame needs a lower deck and a sheet of polished aluminum diamond plate on it. Hold that thought in case you win the state lottery.

CarveOne

[Ernie34]

The lower deck will be there down the road...

I am bolting on the legs tomorrow. I went ahead and drilled them so I can drill the table tomorrow...

Ernie

[CarveOne]

The lower deck will be there down the road...

I am bolting on the legs tomorrow. I went ahead and drilled them so I can drill the table tomorrow...

Ernie

Good. It's useful storage space in a crowded work area, and it helps stabilize the frame. I put my computer and electronics box on mine. The remainder gets to be storage area for other things. My new frame won't be getting polished diamond plate though.

CarveOne

[absolutepoker01]

Wow thats looking really nice Ernie, ill be following this thread cause ill probably build one out from steel, i wanted 8020 t slotted extrsusions, but i cant get them here in my country, so ill have to go with steel, but your pics really encourage me.

[Ernie34]

Part of the reason I did not go with 8020 is that the price of the steel was much less in my build. I would have liked to use 8020 so that I could make adjustments but felt that steel would give me a more rigid machine. Maybe if this one turns out well I will build one down the road out of 8020. I have learned that this hobby is VERY addictive.

Ernie

[absolutepoker01]

Yes it is!, i think you never stop learnig

I have a question, is it better welding the frame or bolting it together?

[CarveOne]

The basic welded steel frame is very rigid. I know of no reason that 8020 extrusion can't be bolted to the top of the steel frame for mounting Ahren's carriages and 1/4" CRS flat stock rails and also give some adjustability as well. You can get the best of both worlds this way, and save some money.

CarveOne

[absolutepoker01]

Yes i was going with a hybrid as you said, steel for the no moving parts (frame) and alluminum for the moving parts (gantry), but i cant get 8020 alluminum here in Costa Rica, so im trying to decide what to do.

[CarveOne]

Yes i was going with a hybrid as you said, steel for the no moving parts (frame) and alluminum for the moving parts (gantry), but i cant get 8020 alluminum here in Costa Rica, so im trying to decide what to do.

I didn't directly answer your last question about welding versus bolting the steel. My preference for the frame structure is to weld it. It's cheaper and less effort than buying a couple hundred bolts. No drilling and/or tapping either. Do a good job of jigging up the parts in sections, then weld the sections together. If it is a little out of square anywhere on the frame you can weld on thick washers at your attachment bolt locations and grind them into squareness.

For the gantry I wouldn't hesitate to use steel box tube if that's what you have available. Use something like 3/16" (0.187" or 4.75mm) wall tubing for the extra stiffness.

I used 1/8" wall tubing to save weight on mine and I ended up changing it to larger and thicker tubing. It depends on what your needs are though.

CarveOne

[EBC]

Nice work Ernie. The build looks great.

Probally too late now but adding sand into the legs would have added a great vibration absorber, also in the perimeter frame. On a build like that I would also think about using Nema 34 motors and G203V drivers because you are going to want to cut much more than you are planning on now. You can also upgrade the Z to a 2.2 or 3 KW spindle/vfd from ebay for around 4-700 dlls...much more power and quiet.

Great photos, we really liked the one with your son!

Again, nice work.

Gene

[Ernie34]

the sand is one HELL of an idea!. The legs bolt on so I can get it into the basement. Once I get it painted and in the basement I will fill the legs with sand. The great part about this design is that upgrading it would be very easy down the road. I am looking forward to getting this machine up and running so I can build the next one.


Ernie

[Ernie34]

The Boss: "Why did you spend $XXX at YYY?"
Me: "Because I needed ZZZ to help with my project, and it was on sale."
The Boss: "Isn't your project to organize the garage?"
Me: "Yes, I needed it to build ________. It will be really nice and very convenient to have it that way."
The Boss: "Doesn't this then create something new that you will need to put away?"
Me: "Well, yeah. Definitely. I reasoned that if I was going to have to buy it, I might as well get a decent one. There's no point in buying junk, so I definitely wasn't planning on throwing it away!"
The Boss: "So, you're going to have to add a place to keep this, too, then?"
Me: "Yeah, I saw on AAA.com where a guy had his on this floating caster assembly so that he could move it around the shop or tuck it away easily. In looking at it, I thought of a few ways that it could be improved. Of course, To really do it right, I'd need to get ...".

My wife read that and she said that is totally me! ha ha ha ha ha

(nuts)

[Crevice Reamer]

My wife read that and she said that is totally me! ha ha ha ha ha

(nuts)

YOU? That certainly fits me--and probably ALL of us.

CR.

[Ernie34]

Well, I finally had the few extra bucks to order the gear rack from Diane at Moore Gear. She said it should be at my house tuesday or wednesday. I need to build some parts to attach the rack to the side rails.

Ernie

[CarveOne]

Well, I finally had the few extra bucks to order the gear rack from Diane at Moore Gear. She said it should be at my house tuesday or wednesday. I need to build some parts to attach the rack to the side rails.

Ernie

She didn't ask you if that "CarveOne" guy on CNC Zone was for real did she?

CarveOne

[Ernie34]

She asked me "who is this stalker and why does he keep calling me" lol



ha ha ha

[CarveOne]

She asked me "who is this stalker and why does he keep calling me" lol



ha ha ha

Yeah, that's my problem. They all figure me out too easily.

CarveOne

[Ernie34]

She was very nice when I talked to her. She remembered who I was and what she quoted me. I was very impressed with the support and service that I got. Looking forward to getting the racks this week....




Ernie

[CarveOne]

She was very nice when I talked to her. She remembered who I was and what she quoted me. I was very impressed with the support and service that I got. Looking forward to getting the racks this week....




Ernie

Same here. Diane was very nice to work with. You will find that their racks come taped with the gear teeth meshed together and plastic wrap around them inside a round shipping tube. They are much better finished than the first two I received from another supplier a year ago.

CarveOne