[cogger]

Well this is my build log. I wasn't sure if I was going to start one but as a thank you to this FORUM and all the other posts that helped me along the way I felt I should. I have only ever read a FORUM but never posted so if I am doing something wrong or you want me to provide more information just let me know.

After lots of reading/searching I decided to build my machine using CNCRouterParts as my major source. Thankfully I did b/c for me it has provided the product I need to make this successful. I'm not an engineer nor am I engineered minded. I have no prior experience with CNC, CAD or Mach. I literally stumbled upon this website then started exploring. After that I just had a desire to cut some wood or plastic with a CNC machine and get into this. That I have!

My machine dimensions are 48"x 73". This will give me a cutting area of about 33"x64" and approx. 4.5" z axis travel. My table top/spoil board is 36"x73".

These are the parts I am using -

T-Slots from Automation for Less
Gantry:3030 48" (1)
Gantry Risers:3030 5" (2)
Rails:1530 73" (2)
Z Axis:1530 18" (1)

Cold rolled steal from Online Metals
Cold Rolled Rails:1/4" x 2 1/2" x 73" (2)
Cold Rolled Gantry:1/4 x 4" x 48" (1)
Cold Rolled Z axis:1/4 x 4" x 14" (1)

Moore Gears -
Gear Racks: 72" but they ship 73" (2)

McMaster-Carr
Acme 5 start screw 1/2"

CNC Router Parts
Everything else - high z plate, rack and pinion for NEMA34, mounting plate for Z axis, gantry interface plate plate(s), thrust bearing, five start nut, coupler, motors, electronics, carriages, rack clamps

Unistrut for supporting frame

Porter cable router

K2CNC
Router Mount

KentCNc
Dust Shoe

Prescise Bits
Collets
End Mills

More to follow........

[ahren]

Cogger, thanks for starting a build log! I'll let you know when the steel test bed frame we discussed is ready so you can decide if you want to upgrade from that unistrut. And since you're new to the forum, I'd suggest posting some pictures -- nothing gets people more interested in your build. Of course, once you start, folks will keep bugging you for more, but that's the price of fame on cnczone .

Ahren
CNCRouterParts

[cogger]

Thanks Ahren –

As mentioned I am changing my table from unistrut to welded steel. My build has a couple major changes. The first being an upgrade from the original plan of Nema 23 to Nema 34, the second changing from unistrut to welded metal table. This was caused by the first change. I could have probably stuck with the unistrut and made it work. SAGREEN Xzero raptor build shows a great table that he made out of unistrut. Ultimately I felt a welded table could be made with greater precision than I could achieve.... and the heft of a welded table would really be beneficial with these monster nema34s. BTW SAGREEN is creating RMGvideos for building guitars using a CNC. This guy has mad skills. I saw his shop and guitars he has made. I was seriously inspired by his CNC machine, his overall shop and the projects he has completed.

I looked at a look of builds and I thought Paval's on CNCROUTERPARTS site appeared really stout and economical vs. some more elaborate builds. This is what gave me the idea of unistrut rather than spending for more T-Slots. Thanks to Ahren for starting to offer a welded table.

The parts start to arrive and the stuff from cncrouterparts is like jewelry. I sailed a boat around the world for four years after rebuilding it and compared to a lot of boat parts this stuff rocks.


These are the carriages and high z plate - this plate was created to use the extended linear carriages to provide some serious rigidity.


Carriages attached to the high z plate with Acme nut in place . They are all extended carriages with the exception of the bottom of the X axis. Also in pic are the gantry interface plates.


Carriages with Z plate

[cogger]

Other parts arrive - at this point I had everything but the electronics which at the time I thought would be Nema23. Like most I was going with nema23 b/c of cost and the ease of installation. Several builds that I admired I contacted and asked if they had any regrets about not going bigger. The consensus was that you were not going to exceed 'x' amount of inches per minute (IPM) b/c I am going to use a router, accuracy, etc... But I figure I will likely get a spindle someday and I intend to plow through some MDF and plywood for some projects I am thinking about. In addition cncrouterparts just began to introduce their nema34 breakout board and they are selling complete plug and play electronics. So that is what I went with Nema34. Also I'm a guy and I like tools. Typically I buy more than needed. The older I get and the less I make this often comes back to bite me, yet sometimes I still cannot resist. But I am ahead of myself....


Drilling the cold rolled steel - with a new bit it drilled like butter. All holes drilled maybe took 1 1/2 hours.





My steel came from online metals. I did not paint the steel b/c I am too impatient but I will likely break it down do that. I figured I never painted my table saw or band saw so why paint this. Although it is already showing a hint of rust.

The build really starts to crank up once the holes have been drilled.



Started bolting together extrusion and steel. Here you can also see the rack clamps from cncrouterparts with the gear rack attached.



Attached 5” riser 3030's to 48" gantry with simple plate and gusset



Tapping holes to receive bolts that hold the gantry interface plates. Tapping these are really easy and quick as the holes are already drilled - I did have one small issue. My elbow hit the tap as you see it in the pic, partially started. The tap snapped right off in the hole. I thought that was hardened steel?


Gantry interface plates and carriages. Everything just bolts together real easy. I did have to tap the holes in the carriages. Although I bet you could arrange something with Ahren to have them tapped in advance.


Basically ready to get serious about attaching everything together on the table and introducing the unistrut which was my first plan. Z axis needs to be assembled as well.



Up to this point I am about three hours into the build once the parts were in my garage. I wish I could source the T-slots or 8020 locally. I would have probably changed to 1545 vs. 1530. Not b/c of strength but to gain that additional height. Also if it were local I would likely not have gone the cheap route for the unistrut. I just didn’t have confidence in myself nor was I sure I would even like the build. Unfortunately all t-slot and 8020 is a distributorship type sale so ordering must come with a real plan. Automation for Less has a great website and was my preferred choice despite being across the country for me.

[cncrr]

Cogger, very nice start to your new machine. In fact your arrangement of your gantry has answered an important question for me on my design. The red off-set plates offered by CNCRouterParts will be used in my design.

You stated, "I intend to plow through some MDF and plywood for some projects I am thinking about". I currently have a commerically built 5'x 10" CNC router with a 6hp water cooled spindle and unless I'm using a 1/2" bit I'm not running much faster then 100ipm and cutting 1/2" deep. Even at that it makes me pretty nervous. So be very careful. I find that slower imp feed rate and shallow cuts make better parts.

BTW your last picture shows one of your X axis rails with the R&P on the inside. Better make sure you switch that around before you secure it to your table. It might make cutting a little tough. Hehehe

Chuck

[cogger]

Thanks Chuck - my build is actually further along but I am trying to play catch up on posting. But you are right about the pic. Fortunately in this hobby flipping it around was the easiest fix yet.

That is interesting about your commercial machine. I like knowing what the different ends of the spectrum are so I can set my own expectations. I have never posted in a forum before so I am trying to limit how much I write. From what I understand larger motors will produce a faster crossover therefore reducing time on intricate projects such as 3d carvings. Additionally, based on how I use my other tools I always seem to be at that high end of their capacity. I didn't want that to happen with this machine. Also, someday when I have a bigger shop I think I may want a table that can fit a whole sheet of plywood. Of course by that time nema34 drivers will probably be the size of the G540.

The gantry interface plate is great. It is stout, easy to apply to one's build, and gives you several more inches of cutting area. In my case maximizing the 48" gantry. Also, cncrouterparts is coming out with rail sweeps that bolt on, and it's only $25. I'm not looking to just toss money around but come on. Ahren is passionate about this stuff and makes great parts that are really reasonably priced. BTW if you notice I used the standard linear carriage on the bottom of my 'x' to pick up a couple more inches and what I call your gantry risers need to be at least 2" (I think I have that correct).


Mounting unistrut to 1530 - used grinder for all the cuts


Unistrut is not very exact - you have to be careful that the gear rack does not intrude with the unistrut as it runs along the 1530


Bolts are being loaded for all the cross pieces - I lost my thought process and put in way to many only to be removed.


Well I kind of skipped ahead but I attached all the cross pieces. I used a square and measured them all to be spaced about the same. Currently they are all bolted. If I stuck with this plan I was prepared to weld them with my Millermatic 211 which I love. I added another cross piece to the front and back since this pic.


I have decided to go with a welded table and loose the unistrut after running the nema34’s. However, there is a part of me that would have like to have seen this prototype in action. It is rock solid. It’s just that I need a table for it, so one step back two forward.


Note on the 'x' the top linear carriage is extended and the lower one is regular. You can see how the top one is kind of lined up with the gantry interface plate and would cost you about 1.5". Also you can see with the high z plate that the acme screw is on the inside of the 'z' assembly. My router mount will end up fastening to the 1530.

[cogger]

Finally got around to put the z together.


Unlike this picture my z is flipped around and the router mount connects to the 1530 like the sketch below


This was the sketch that I went off that I found on someone else's build


I neglected to take a few photos in between mounting the R & P and Nema23 motors but here is a good shoot of my z assembly. I decided to upgrade from the Nema23 to Nema34


K2 mount doesn't have predrilled holes to attach to the 1530 but that was a easy mod

Time to take more photos

[cncrr]

Looking Good!!!!

What is the advantage of flipping the Z axis around and mounting the router to the 1530 material? It looks like you would limit the amount of travel for Z.

Chuck

[cogger]

Chuck I don't think there is actually an advantage other than perhaps a bit of adjustability. For instance my z is on a piece of 18" 1530 with 14" of flat steel. This gives me travel of 4.5" both directions (thereabout). I can move the router mount up or down a so that the collet lines up with the bottom of the 1530 or lower it so the router mount is at the bottom closing the gap to the work piece. I don't actually think this matters much - but for guys like me that are not engineer minded it does provide some flexibility. I believe the reason for the assembly is caused by the high z plate. others can chime in if they have a better explanation.

[cogger]

I don't think I acknowledged your entire statement. Yes I guess you could say that the high z plate kind of does limits your travel. Ahren or someone else should chime in to make sure I am correct on this, but it's not really the high z plate as much as the extended linear carriages that end up being used in conjunction with the plate. The trade off is rigidity. This particular setup would be excellent for a spindle - which may be the direction I end up.

[cogger]

So this post will get me close to the point I am currently at. I can comment that up until this point the physical part of putting pieces together as been fairly straight forward. That is not to say there has not been a lot of thinking, reading and asking of questions to be able to start bolting things together. Like I said earlier I do not have any CAD or Mach experience so that is what I see as the real challenge for me. To that end I have remained focused solely on the build and only glanced at various posts regarding different software. I imagine that is when my build log may start to really grow.


This is just a shot of basically the final product short of cable management, spoil board, homing/limits, etc...and other embellishments. I say just but for all the other builds I admire with that already completed I am jealous. However, I could start cutting at this point. Like I said previously, my frame will change to a welded table that I am really excited about and look forward to post pics.


I have swapped out the nema23 for the nema34's and I love them if for no other reason than the heft. The cables are great and connections work very well. I also like the design of the tensioner. I'm a little nuts this way but something like the tension mechanism I can just fixate on.


While swapping the motors and installing the neam34 R & P there were a few issues that required me to pause but Ahren quickly helped and found clever engineered solutions. If you haven’t noticed I like Ahren and what he is doing for this hobby. He is truly interested in producing a product of very high quality (which he does) and troubleshoots problems not only to help you but to identify the issues for himself to improve his products further. For me when you are spending any amount of money on something that your friends could care less about and wonder what the blank you are doing it’s refreshing. I digress. In this pic I thought the r&p plate mounted the opposite direction like the nema23. However it cannot b/c of the tension mechanism. Assembled like this there is a bolt that needed to be removed from the 3030 for clearance. Kind of tough to see but there are only three bolts attaching to the 3030. Fortunately on the opposite side, on top of the interface plate a 90 degree fastener can be used. I think three bolts would have been sufficient but there was another way to do it so why not. You can just see where the fastener would attach and line up with the 3030 on the previous pic.


The z in all of its glory

Next post are the Nema34 electronics that CNCrouterparts sells individually and/or now as a complete plug and play.

[cogger]

So I wanted a plug and play system. That is what led me to the Nema24 in the first place. However, I really wanted the Nema34 motors. It really is a compromise between the two. Based on all the posts I read most people go with the Nema24 b/c of cost. Individually each component of Nema34 does seem affordable but it adds up fast. The other consideration is the size. Nema34 electronics takes up much more room. Either way I am happy with my decision and that CNCRouter Parts started offering a complete package. I did look at a few other companies, one being CandCNC but the specs just looked a bit better with CNCRouterParts. Additionally, I know they have put a lot of resources into their new breakout board.


Fairly basic setup. Standard electrical box. CNCRouterParts sells just the box with the power switch and fan already installed if you plan on doing the other wiring yourself.


Connection plate for all the motors and homing switch(s). Also power in and out for router and dust collection.


Electronic guts. Red mounting plate is laid out to accept spindle control


straight forward wiring but very clean with good ventilation.

As a side note when I first fired up the motors I needed to refer back to Mach3 set up tutorials. The motors sounded awful until I tuned them properly. It’s interesting b/c the poor motor sound misleads you initially if you don’t have much experience doing this. My first assumptions were that something was out of square, carriages needed adjustment etc… they do but it was not what was causing my problems. Motors tuned and everything sounds just fine. At 100 to 250 IPM everything sounds as it should. Near 1000 – 2000 IPM the machine needs a more rigid base to really know what is going on. If I slow the acceleration at the higher speeds the performance is exciting but as the acceleration is increased the speed needs to decrease.

First cuts should be right around the corner.

[cncrr]

Looking good, when is the first video of you cutting something?

Looking at the side of the control box I see where the axis plug into but where do the limit switches plug in?

Chuck

[cogger]

I haven't figured out how to post video yet. My Iphone takes higher res. than I can upload and I don't have software that I know of to resize. Maybe I need to start a you tube channel and just include a link, not sure?

The limit/homing switches are located where you see the telephone jacks. Kind of slick actually.

[Bear5k]

Looking Good!!!!

What is the advantage of flipping the Z axis around and mounting the router to the 1530 material? It looks like you would limit the amount of travel for Z.

Chuck

This depends upon the geometry of your router and router bits. In general, a "dipping" style Z-axis is the only way to get an extended amount of z-axis travel without having to use absurdly long tools.

Think of it this way: to be usable, your z-axis must have a clearance over the work surface that is equal to or greater than the amount of travel. If it is equal to, then the bottom of your bit just pokes out underneath the z-axis, so in reality you want a greater clearance under the z-axis than your target amount of travel. When your z-axis travel is small, then you can mount the tool to the z-axis table with little worry. When your z-axis travel is long, you mount the z-axis table to the y-axis table and mount the router to the z-axis frame. If you don't, then your gantry has to be higher for the bottom of the z-axis frame to clear the work surface, and you start investing in long, fragile bits that tend to break at even moderate feed speeds.

[Peter Schuldt]

Cogger-
Thanks for posting about your build. I hear your machine really moves! It is easiest to start a YouTube account and post videos that way. That way you can post the link any where. When you load a video onto YouTube you are given a code you can imbed into posts or you can cut/past the address into the hyperlink [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40DykbPa4Lc&NR=1&feature=fvwp"]YouTube - ‪Very Funny Pepsi Commercial‬‏[/nomedia] feature in the forum post features. or you can just paste the address in the post like this.
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40DykbPa4Lc&NR=1&feature=fvwp"]YouTube - ‪Very Funny Pepsi Commercial‬‏[/nomedia]

I have used a add as a demonstration.

[comanchesniper]

See above post....

[comanchesniper]

I have built virtually the same table and from what I see we are about even as far as construction.

I noticed on my controller board that the Parallel port is a female. The parallel on the computer is female also. Common parallel cables are male at one end and female at the other. How did you get around this. Adapter or double male cable?

[LazyMan]

Nice build,

I really like how that electronics enclosure has a removable plate so It can easily be machined. I know you purchased it ready made, but what brand is it?

[ahren]

Comanchesniper,

We sell the male to male cables that connect between the G540 and parallel port. In general, you want to be careful when purchasing these cables for CNC -- some cheaper printer cables don't populate all the conductors, or flip conductors between the two ends. There have been some epic troubleshooting sessions that have ended by switching to the right cable here .

LazyMan, we carry the enclosures on our site. If you want an unmodified panel for the bottom, we have those available if you want to customize.

Best regards,

Ahren
CNCRouterParts