[sdubfid]

awesome build, what part of canada are you in?

[mhackney]

I like those bellows. How much travel do you lose on the back of the Y axis to account for the collapsed thickness of the bellows?

cheers,
Michael

[waltpermenter]

they look pretty till they clog up with chips and bind, a smooth sheetmetal or rubber way cover is much better at keeping the chips from gumming up the works.
walt

[mhackney]

I agree about the bellows as I've used them before. I just rinse them off with flood every so often. I just don't want to lose much travel at the back of the Y between the column. I'm using a sheet of rubber on my G0704 now and it isn't too bad but doesn't fully protect everything.

cheers,
Michael

[691175002]

What gauge sheet metal? I've had the experience too... Sometimes less weld is better. Maybe a lap joint, partial welds, and bondo would do the job. Any chance the bottom could be a single sheet? Then you'd only have edges to tack and fillet with bondo or whatever.

I used 16 gauge for the first try but I am switching to 22 so that I can bend the stuff.

awesome build, what part of canada are you in?

I'm in Calgary, Alberta.

I like those bellows. How much travel do you lose on the back of the Y axis to account for the collapsed thickness of the bellows?

I made an extra long spacer between the column and the base so I lose no travel. The bellow needs around 1.5" when compressed.

they look pretty till they clog up with chips and bind, a smooth sheetmetal or rubber way cover is much better at keeping the chips from gumming up the works.
walt

Sheet metal covers are definitely the best option. If I can get more comfortable with sheet metal I might try making a set.

[691175002]

My new 3 in 1 sheet metal machine make a big difference. Being able to cut and bend properly made things much easier.

I started with some really basic bends for the g0704:



This covers the X axis scale and servo and makes the table look a lot larger.

I also tried welding the seams which went pretty well.



Back to the enclosure. I am much happier with how this turned out. There is very poor lighting in the garage so the pictures are pretty bad though.


Test fit with tape.

Tacked:





I will probably weld a bit more and then seal it with caulking to avoid warping.

The frame is 42x26" and the tray is 50x30". I really like how the angles turned out.

[doorknob]

What is the material that you used for the pan?

[Turbo442]

lets see your 3 in 1 machine!

[bru102]

Nice work with the metal... That one piece bottom looks great, and the partial weld is a good solution. I really like the machine covers, but you're gonna cost me money. Which 3-in-1 machine did you get??

I'd like to try some stainless steel covers. I've had good luck welding stainless, but haven't tried the thin stuff yet.

Ray B

[691175002]

I got a small 30" sheet metal machine, the website says 22 gauge but the instructions state 20 gauge:
Buy Craftex Sheet Metal Machine 3 In 1 - B2088 from Busy Bee Tools

It works pretty well but of course it cannot compare to a set of specialized machines.

I made my tray out of 18 and 22 gauge steel. All the parts with bends were 22 gauge.

I purchased sheets of 16, 18 and 22 because I underestimated the strength of steel. Even the thin stuff gets very rigid once it is bent/welded into shapes. I'd probably stick with 20 and 22 or even 24 gauge in the future.

[691175002]

Again, a bit more progress.


Made some leveling feet out of hockey pucks.


I've also been working on the electronics a bit. I have the encoders working with KFLop now.


Brought the stand into the basement.


Disassembled the mill.

And here is the current task:






I plan to completely enclose the base of the mill. The sheet metal will support the bellows, keep chips out and look nice.

I will be doing a lot of the finishing as I reassemble the mill. Limit switches, sheet metal etc...

There will also need to be a third disassembly/reassembly to paint everything.

[Mad Welder]

Again, a bit more progress........I plan to completely enclose the base of the mill. The sheet metal will support the bellows, keep chips out and look nice..........

Might be an idea to slope the flat surface of the sheet metal out to the sides to assist the coolant and chips that flows off the bellows so as they won't flow under the table.......and the bellows will get punctured with small sharp chippings lodging in the bottom of the folds as it compresses too, and have you allowed cleaning access to remove any coolant and chippings that may get lodged under the table..........

Love the progress and pics keep them flowing.....

[Starleper1]

That's a different approach, enclosing the base like that. Not sure I've seen that before. Should work great if you seal it up good. Just remember, chips get EVERYWHERE. Keep up the good work.

[leix_99]

Those bends look really well, wish i had money to spend in sheet processing machinery...
Keep posting pics!

[doorknob]

Do I understand correctly that you tack welded the steel sheets for the pan, and you are going to follow up with caulk at all of the seams, or did you (or are you planning to) fully weld the seams together?

Are you planning to cut drain holes on each side (and maybe use standard sink drains)? Maybe I missed it, but how are you going to finish the surface? IIRC I saw another pan project on cnczone that was powder coated (which is something that I'd like to try as a DIY, but it might be better to have such a large object done by a pro).

I have no welding experience (yet), but I'm planning to get a cheap Harbor Freight welder when it goes on sale at the end of the coming week, and would consider making a pan similar to yours as one of my projects (after I complete some preliminary hands-on experiments).

The photos are great, thanks for the detailed presentation.

[waltpermenter]

I hope you don't seriously think some tack welds are going to be good enough to hold that pan together. If you can't fully weld it together then get someone who knows what they are doing to weld it for you. At least get a torch and braze it together.
walt

[ww_kayak]

Great PID links. A year ago I hadn't even heard of a PID, now everything I do seems need a PID control: robotics sensor tracking, my radiant heating loop designs, even my espresso machine has a PID temperature controller. However, I was missing the link to a real world implementation for machine control. Now I get it, the inner / outer loop concept did it!

You seem to do things right, I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before you got a brake . My "3in1" is little different. I just bought an early 1900's shear and roller 2 days ago at an auction (for 140 bucks ) to go with my grizzly brake.

[691175002]

Might be an idea to slope the flat surface of the sheet metal out to the sides to assist the coolant and chips that flows off the bellows so as they won't flow under the table.

Now that you bring it up I feel silly for making the tops flat. I'll probably redo them with a slope.

That's a different approach, enclosing the base like that. Not sure I've seen that before. Should work great if you seal it up good. Just remember, chips get EVERYWHERE. Keep up the good work.

I was thinking about how to cover the y axis scale and then I realized it would take less bends to just cover the whole base. I'll do my best to make it chip-proof.

Do I understand correctly that you tack welded the steel sheets for the pan, and you are going to follow up with caulk at all of the seams.

That was my original plan but walt brought up a good point and I might try fully welding it together for strength.

Are you planning to cut drain holes on each side (and maybe use standard sink drains)? Maybe I missed it, but how are you going to finish the surface? IIRC I saw another pan project on cnczone that was powder coated (which is something that I'd like to try as a DIY, but it might be better to have such a large object done by a pro).

No idea, I was thinking of trying a garage-floor type paint but I don't have any experience there.

I hope you don't seriously think some tack welds are going to be good enough to hold that pan together. If you can't fully weld it together then get someone who knows what they are doing to weld it for you. At least get a torch and braze it together.
walt

I guess you are right, if I am going to do it I might as well do it properly. I'll try finishing the welds when I can get the tray off the stand.

You seem to do things right, I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before you got a brake . My "3in1" is little different. I just bought an early 1900's shear and roller 2 days ago at an auction (for 140 bucks ) to go with my grizzly brake.

Those are some nice machines. I like your signature as well, really hits home.

[Mad Welder]

No need to feel silly at all, as Starlepper suggested it's a new idea and a good one too and it looks flippin awsome as with all your build, and if you're worried about the welded seams warping your neatly folded pan as you mentioned with your first pan, here's a suggestion that may help........

mark the full length of the seams that you intend to weld in one inch increments with engineers chalk or preferably a thick black permanent marker...(you will be able to see the black marker through your visor while you’re welding before it burns off with the heat)

weld only one inch in every six or seven inches of measurement but this is also important if you're right handed your normal welding sequence is to work left to right (i.e. you start the weld puddle and your direction of travel is to the right) and left handed is normally in reverse, but which ever direction you weld your next one inch long weld is measured six inches in the oposite direction to your weld travel.....(i.e. if you have a 2 foot seam and are right handed start one inch from the end of the right end of the seam and your next weld will be six or seven inches behind that one and repeat) we used to call that “back stepping” the seam

and just simply repeat for all the seams but also allow time inbetween weld passes.....

this is one of the old ways to weld sheet metal prior to Pulse and Pulse on Pulse welding, and what you're doing is reducing the heat in the heataffected zone of the welded area and hopefully this will assist you in reducing warping........and don't try to cool the welds with water to reduce warping as this actually causes more warping....

[SB123]

Thanks for sharing all the info and project with us Ryan. I really like the catch tray. Glad you posted yours. Just ordered my G0704 and should be here this week. I'll be doing the same thing. Thanks again for sharing the info. Love the route you are going with your unit.
Steve