[i_am_joe]

Hi Guys,
Im joe and reasonably new to this forum have used it under a work username.

Ive been a machinist of wooden panels and foam insert for the last 4 years and have completely loved every minute of being on the machine.
I have used a axyz 1460 router to do everything. im now leaving the company and moving to canada!

I have recently been given an elu 860 that was being thrown out from a school. The cnc itself is in practically brand new condition. The school only trained one person how to use it, and they never shared their knowledge. That person left a few years ago and the machine has sat unused ever since. A friend who secured the cnc for me showed me everything the guy had cut. This machine can not have seen any more than 50 hours usage!

My plan is to dismantle the machine and ship it to canada where i plan to rebuild and to use it as a hobby cnc and then hopefully make a few dollars.

im hoping to keep this thread live to document the many pitfulls i feel im going to encounter! Ive never built/rebuilt a cnc before but it sound like this is the best place to start researching it!

At this stage im looking for any advice people can give, what to look out for. What to do. what not to do.

After reading a few threads on here about the Elu it looks like new boards are a must.
I pretty sure im going to need a new spindle as its 240v rated.
My plan is initially to strip it back to the bare essentials and rebuild from there.
so guys and girls, if you have any tips i would be extremely grateful for any advice you can give me.

best regards Joe

[CarveOne]

If you can post some photos of your machine and some info on motor type and model numbers, plus info about the motor drivers it will help as a reference for figuring out what improvements can be made to bring it up to modern standards or help with troubleshooting anything that may not function correctly. Good luck with your move.

CarveOne

[i_am_joe]

Thank you CarveOne, for your swift reply, attached is a couple of pictures one picture is of the motor, and the other is of the cnc before i unbolted it all! hopefully the motors are worth keeping?! with regards to the drivers i think im going to get new drivers from the off. do you think this is a good idea?

[CarveOne]

The machine looks like it could be turned into a useful 3 axis machine for light work at a minimum. I've never seen one of these, so it may be able to do more than I think. A motor wiring description is on CNCZone here.

These are old motors since the post that I linked to was in 2004. The motors are likely to have lost some their original torque over the years. My first recommendation would be to replace the motors and drivers with modern NEMA23 equipment.

The machine looks like it has three axes. Is that true?

CarveOne

[i_am_joe]

CarveOne, that kit looks great especially, for around $200 and i wouldn't have to worry about the voltages as its from a US supplier. ~So i think that's what ill do. I'll strip off motors and boards and leave the limit switches and emergency stops.

the CNC is a 3axis and was used for wooden engravings i saw some examples of emblems and logos that were attempted on it.
this is the type of work i want to do.
If all goes to plan i would like to make furniture using it (relatively small pieces!! lol )

thanks carveOne

[CarveOne]

Sounds like a good plan. Any weaknesses you find in actual use of the machine can usually be improved on in one way or another.

CarveOne

[i_am_joe]

Hi Guys,
quick update for you. im now in canada and have been for the last couple of months im waiting for the imminent arrival of by shipped items including my CNC. Then the jigsaw will begin! i broke down the cnc it a lot more pieces then i would have liked but made shipping it to canada much cheaper.

It has to clear customs yet, so not sure how much they are going to charge me for bringing it into the country. Fingers crossed i wont have to re-mortgage my Dads house!
will post a picture of the pieces when the arrive!
hope everyone had happy holidays!!

[i_am_joe]

My CNC finally arrived this week, i had completely forgotten how big the crates were and how god damn heavy they are!!
The first crate managed to get to the basement reasonably successfully, but the larger heavier crate only made it as far as the kitchen before we realised it was never going down the stairs!!! much to the clear enjoyment on my brother's face we had to take the crate back outside and push it over the snow to the back yard!
if only it wasnt -30 in calgary this week i would be in the garage getting it back together!!! unfortunately i need to wait until at least my nose doesnt freeze as soon as i open the door!! ill take some pictures this weekend so you can see the task ahead of me!! im starting to wish i had taken more pictures!


in the meantime ive found these kits has anyone used this website do they look suitable? im thinking kit 4 CNC Retrofit KITS Router mill lathe plasma laser diy ebay Hobby Canada USA
Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Eccles]

Hi Joe, I've got the same machine and I'm following your thread with interest.
I've posted info and pictures on here that may be of use to you.
Look forward to your next instalment

[i_am_joe]

So after 5 months of living in my fathers basement, My brother and i have moved to our own place. not even a week went by before i persuaded him to give a hand to start the re-build.
So far so good. a couple of trips to the bolt store and trying to find metric in canada is going to keep me on my toes!
The frame for the base went together in an evening and was pretty square. nothing a tap from a universal persuader wont sort out.
Attached is The Frame As we Have it.
I am now starting to wish i had taken more pictures!!
more updates after the Weekend!!

[i_am_joe]

Over the last couple of weeks i have been slowly adding parts to the cnc, its all gone together so far reasonably easy. the way the Elu 860 is built is surprisingly sturdy, most parts line up to a stop, so there is no room to allow for parts to not be correctly installed. i have the main frame complete the last main item to install is the gantry, however. i have came up to my first hurdle.
As i cannot use the 240v spindle easily, im planning on replacing it. So this week i removed the existing spindle, from the gantry the spindle itself is mounted using bolts that bolt onto the front face (the business end) of the spindle, and then onto the carriage,
As Elu are no longer in business, i cant get a like for like 110v replacement,
Does anyone know if i can find a replacement spindle that has the has bolt mounting on the front face? or do i have to look at designing a new/or adapting the carriage?