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IndustryArena Forum > WoodWorking Machines > DIY CNC Router Table Machines > CNC Wood Router Project Log > WidgitMaster's Largest Steel Router Table Project 9ft x 5ft x 8" Water Cooled Spindle
Page 11 of 91 9101112132161
Results 201 to 220 of 1805
  1. #201
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    102
    As I watch this thread, I just keep thinking that if I put widgitmaster in my garage a great big router table would just appear, like magic. It would be like having your own Doozer building stuff in your garage.
    Attachment 195514

    Sorry, its been a long week at work, I'm a little silly now.

    Watching the quality of work put into this build is just amazing, I'm always impressed with all of widgits projects.

    -C

  2. #202


    This morning I placed one of the side plates in the vise with a big 2-4-6 block behind it, then I clamped the plate the the block to keep it straight. With an edge-finder, I put the spindle on location over the long post. Then i drilled & tapped a 3/8-16 thread through the post, and gave it a nice countersink on the threads. Now I need to countersink the opposite side, so I use an extension tool holder with a 3/8 collet, to reach down to the post. With an edge-finder, I put the spindle on location and finished up with the countersink. This hole is for the long bolt which will adjust the spring tension on the pinion gear.
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  3. #203
    Now for some fun stuff!
    I removed the vise from the mill, and cleaned up the mill's table. Then I placed my little 8" rotary-table in the middle of the mill's table, and clamped it securely. With a hand full of nuts, studs, washers, straps, & blocks, I attached the side plate to the top of the rotary-table. Next I disengaged the rotary-table's worm gear, so it spins freely. Then I used a dial indicator to center the short post in the middle of the rotary-table. Now I have to center the spindle in the center of the post, and set my DRO to XY-Zero.

    With the plate strapped down securely and on location, I put a 1/2" 4-flute end mill in a solid tool holder. Then I re-engaged the worm gear, and rotated the plate against the rotating endmill. First I made a light cut on the outside of the post, and measured the diameter. Then I moved the mill's table until I got the .8750" diameter I wanted. Now I can raise the knee, until the cutter makes a full 2" diam spot-face around the post. Then I set the dial on the knee to zero, and dropped the knee 10-turns or 1.015". Now I can remove the material from the top of the post, and take off the last .015" which brings the post to a height of 1.000"

    Next, I put a 3/8" daiam cutter with a hand-ground 45-deg angle. This will give the post a nice .01" chamfer. All that is left to do, is drill & tap a 3/8-16 thread in the middle of the post!
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  4. #204
    The .875" diam post will have a bronze bearing with a 2" diam flange. This will be the pivot point for the NEMA34 stepper motor, and must support the weight of the motor. The rotation will be less than 1/2 degree, but the swing plate which the stepper attaches to must maintain perpendicularity or the pinion gear will not be seated properly in the rack gear!

    The bronze bar is on order, so tomorrow I will make a 2" diam flat washer to be attached to the pivot post with a 3/8-16 x 3/4
    " Flat head bolt. The bronze bushings will be pressed into both sides of the aluminum swing plate, putting a 2" diam bronze flange on both sides of the plate. Sandwiching the bronze between the plate's spot face & the steel washer.
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  5. #205
    Today I started making the 2" diam washers in the lathe, using a little aluminum disc with a pi in it helped me align the saw cut surface. I cut the stock a little thicker than the finished part, so I could hold it on the tips of the lathe jaws. So I faced one side, and turned the OD to 2.00" diam. Next I removed the 3-jaw chuck, and replaced it with another 3-jaw chuck with soft jaws! I used a little ring with three 1/4-20 screw in it to close the chuck enough so I could custom bore a step pocket. Then
    I removed the little ring (called a Spider) and placed the steel blank in the nest. Now I can finish the opposite side, and have the part come out concentric & parallel!
    After facing the 2nd side, I rotated the tool 45-deg. an put a nice bevel on the washer. Then I drilled a 3/8" diam hole through the blank, and countersunk the hole with a big 82-deg cutter.

    Now the flat head bolt fits perfectly flush, and will lock the bronze bearings securely!
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  6. #206
    Now its time to work on the x-axis slide, the weldment needs to be machined on all surfaces! The first thing I need to do is open the ends so the inside of the tubes are accessible. So I placed my angle plate in the middle of the mill's table, and clamped it squarely. Then I placed the weldment on end, and clamped it to the angle plate. With a 1/2" diam 4-flute endmill with rounded points, I proceeded to plunge-cut the openings. By moving the mill's crank 90-deg, I can advance the cutter .050" and use the end of the end mill to remove the material. When I got closer to the inside wall, I changed direction and plunged cut to the next inside wall. Then I walked the endmill around the inside, leaving a nice finish. The reason for opening the ends of the tubes, is to have access for the 1" diam counter-weight springs! Also, I will need to use the openings for the toe-clamps in the next operation!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 9x5_Router_373.jpg   9x5_Router_374.jpg   9x5_Router_375.jpg  
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  7. #207
    Next, I removed the angle plate and placed the weldment in the middle of the table. Then I propped it up on 1-2-3 blocks on one end, and used screw-jacks on the other end. Now I need to level this the best I can, as the weldment is twisted, bent inwards, and bent outwards from the top face. In order to do this, I used my surface gauge with an indicator. By setting the indicator to zero on the end with the blocks, I can move the surface gauge to the other end and adjust the jacks to zero. Also, the weldment needs to be parallel to the mill's table. So I used another dial indicator, and set zero on the ends with the blocks too! With the weldment tightly clamped on three points, I placed the surface gauge above the 4th point and set zero. Now I can adjust the jack and tighten the clamps while keeping the indicator at zero! This weldment has so much stress in it, there is no need to add more by twisting it again!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 9x5_Router_376.jpg   9x5_Router_377.jpg  
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  8. #208
    Now that the weldment is tightly strapped to the table, I can take a cut on the top of the tubes. Next, I used a 3/4" diam 4-flute solid carbide endmill to clean up the sides of the tubes. Then I used a 1/4" radius corner rounding endmill, to make the outside corners nice.

    With the top and outsides machined, I used an edge-finder to center the spindle in the middle of the weldment. The total material removed on the outsides, was .040" And that is OK, as nothing goes on those surfaces. Now I only cut the sides down to the bottom f the tubes, leaving the plates underneath wider. They will be machined to a full 6" width later on.

    Next, I used a 1/2" Cobalt 4-flute endmill to cut the inside cavity to a width of 2.0" Then I machined the floor of the cavity to make it parallel with the top surface. Now that the cavity has been machined, I used the corner rounding endmill around the cavity's perimeter.

    All has gone as expected, but when I placed the linear rails & ballscrew on top of the weldment, I realized the screw is too short S__T!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 9x5_Router_384.jpg   9x5_Router_385.jpg   9x5_Router_386.jpg   9x5_Router_387.jpg  

    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  9. #209
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    8082
    You need to go to Harbor Freight and get a screw stretcher. Or go to the hardware store and get the right length screws. Whichever way works for you. This probably isn't the kind of rocket science you are used to anyway.
    CarveOne
    http://www.carveonecncwoodcraft.com

  10. #210
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    783
    IMO that large of a screw that short does not need a bottom bearing support, and you would be hard pressed to see any real world differences between floating the bottom and having it in a bearing.

    Push comes to shove, bore the end out, loctite a section of rod into it.

    From the looks of it you won't lose any travel using the screw as is.

    Sent from tapatalk

  11. #211
    Problem Solved! Just bought a longer screw on eBay for $77.00
    That's the 3rd ballscrew I've bought for this project (chair)

    1st was 16mm x 5mm lead x 28" long.
    2nd was 25mm x 10mm lead x 18" long.
    3rd was 25mm x 10mm lead x 20" long!

    Must be time for a yard sale!
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  12. #212
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Posts
    204
    Quote Originally Posted by widgitmaster View Post
    Must be time for a yard sale!
    Or two more follow-up projects.

  13. #213
    Quote Originally Posted by kuroguy View Post
    Or two more follow-up projects.
    I'd have to buy a bigger house & shop




    Today I milled the tracks for the 16mm linear rails to nest into, then I drilled & tapped the 16x M4 holes which attach the rails.

    I was grateful the weldment came out nice and flat, there was NO rocking when I placed in on the granite surface plate! Phew
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 9x5_Router_390.jpg   9x5_Router_391.jpg  
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  14. #214
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    8082
    Quote Originally Posted by widgitmaster View Post
    Problem Solved! Just bought a longer screw on eBay for $77.00
    That's the 3rd ballscrew I've bought for this project (chair)

    1st was 16mm x 5mm lead x 28" long.
    2nd was 25mm x 10mm lead x 18" long.
    3rd was 25mm x 10mm lead x 20" long!

    Must be time for a yard sale!
    My bad... I thought you were talking about a hardware type screw, not a lead screw. Pay no attention to the jokesters.
    CarveOne
    http://www.carveonecncwoodcraft.com

  15. #215
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    484
    I have an 8 foot long 2 inch diameter ballscrew and nut you could have if that one doesn't work :-)

  16. #216
    Quote Originally Posted by KTP View Post
    I have an 8 foot long 2 inch diameter ballscrew and nut you could have if that one doesn't work :-)
    2 inch diameter huh! Does it have wheels to transport it? Wow, that would need a NEMA42 stepper to turn it!
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  17. #217
    Today I started working on the other side of the x-axis weldment, first by dialing it in perpendicular to the mill's table, then I strapped it down securely. Now I will use the 1 1/2" diam face-mill to qualify the dimension from the mill's table to the top of the weldments ribs. With that finished, I proceeded to mill off all the ugly welds from the inside surfaces. This will not weaken the welds, as I milled deep fillets on all the parts prior to welding! I had to move the clamps around a few time, so the cutter could access all the surfaces.

    Next I used a 3/4" diam 4-flute carbide endmill to establish the end of the weldment, then I used a .1000" gauge block to set the tool length on top of the ribs. Next, I raised the knee so the depth of cut was equal to the width of the 16mm linear trucks.

    Because the dimension from top of the lower truck to the top of the upper truck is critical, and also exceeds the travel in my mill, I had to mill the opposite end before I could qualify the dimension! Then I could measure from outside the two ribs with my vernier, and subtract the thickness of the the front rib. This allowed me to establish the distance between surface "A" and surface "B".

    Now that is finished, I cleaned up the mill, and deburred the weldment. Tomorrow I will setup the angle plate, and drill the holes for the trucks.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 9x5_Router_400.jpg   9x5_Router_401.jpg   9x5_Router_402.jpg   9x5_Router_403.jpg  

    9x5_Router_404.jpg  
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  18. #218
    This morning I put two small angle plates on the mill, dialed them and clamped them tight. Then I place the weldment's long machined edge on the table, with the wide back against the angle plates. This allowed the un-machined ribs to protrude below the mill's table. Now I can use the big face-mill to bring the upper protruding ribs co-plane with the previously machined surface. To ensure I have the weldment mounted parallel & square, I put blue ink on the previously machined surface.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 9x5_Router_407.jpg   9x5_Router_408.jpg   9x5_Router_409.jpg  
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  19. #219
    With the sides machined & deburred, I removed the little angle plates and placed a taller one on the middle of the table. After dialing in the tall angle plate, I clamped the weldment with several clamps and used the face-mill to finish the end of the weldment.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 9x5_Router_414.jpg  
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

  20. #220
    Now I have to mill a radius in the end of the weldment, so I removed the face-mill and installed a 2" diam boring head. In order to set the boring head to the desired radius, I move d the spindle away from the zero datum a distance equal to the radius. Then I put some ink on the datum and adjusted the boring head until the boring bar just lightly scratched the ink. Next, I moved the spindle to the center of the weldment and started boring with .025" light cuts. When the spindle was in the center of the desired radius location, the cut was finished. I will repeat this process on the opposite end of the weldment where there is a larger radius.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 9x5_Router_417.jpg   9x5_Router_418.jpg  
    www.widgitmaster.com
    It's not what you take away, it's what you are left with that counts!

Page 11 of 91 9101112132161

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