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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1311

    mhackney's 1st CNC router

    Well, I am starting this thread to document my build, solicit ideas and help, and to keep me motivated!

    After several months of scheming, planning, reading and scheming more, I finally cut my 1st piece of MDF today.

    The project:

    - moving gantry
    - 18" x 12" x 4" working volume
    - xylotex driver
    - 3 80 0z NEMA 23 Japan Servo stepper motors
    - igus Drylin N linear bearing for all 3 axis
    (these are 800mm/~24", 600mm/~18", 400mm/~12")
    - 1/4-20 all thread w/ delrin homemade bearings
    - still debating on the router, i have a dremel but I am leaning toward the Porter Cable 7310 laminate trimmer that I have.

    I have succeeded in resisting the temptation to spin the motors!

    I cut the base and mounts for the X rails. Primed and painted as I go along. Boy that MDF soaks up the primer and paint! I'll be using 10-24 screws in to tapped MDF for construction. I'll post the first photos of the table and X axis later tonight once the paint dries. (A nice forest green. I think I'll leave some parts natural and simply use clear acrylic on them for contrast).

    Wish me luck!

    Oh, I plan to use this to cut balsa, aircraft ply, G-10, carbon composite and maybe a bit of foam for mold making. Primary use is for flying model building - planes, helicopters and ornithopters.

    Michael

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    634
    Sounds good, I'm very interested in how the igus bearings work out.

    Good luck and keep posting your progress.

    T

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Posts
    1113
    Michael - sounds like you got it together! Mounting the Porter Cable trimmer was giving me a brain cramp. I found mounting it easier when I used the existing threaded hole (on the back) and remove the "base". (Hope that makes sense) ~ Then I used the base plate to build a "mini-router table".
    I found I needed a way to adjust the speed though and got a good deal on a router speed controller through Harbor Freight.

    If you used a bit of yellow (as a racing stripe) it would be a "Lotus" (not a Deer)!
    Experience is the BEST Teacher. Is that why it usually arrives in a shower of sparks, flash of light, loud bang, a cloud of smoke, AND -- a BILL to pay? You usually get it -- just after you need it.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    299

    Re: mhackney's 1st CNC router

    Originally posted by mhackney
    ...I have succeeded in resisting the temptation to spin the motors!...
    Michael
    Save that until you get so fustrated you want to give up. Hearing those steppers spin is music to the ears and motivation to get the machine working.

    Look forward to watching your build. Good luck with your router.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1311

    construction photos

    Ok, here is the base. It is 18" x 25.5" 3/4 MDF primed and painted. The igus Drylin rails are slightly less than 24" (they are 800mm) and are mounted on a 24" x 3" mdf mounting rail with #8-32 x 3/4" pan head machine screws. The bottom of the mounting rail is bored 1/2" for the washer/lockwasher/nut. The idea is the mounting rail will be fastened to the base and can be shimmed and adjusted for parallel.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails mljh_0001_031804.jpg  

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1311

    more base

    This is how it will look with the rails in position and the end plates on. These are temp end plates. The actuals will be a bit taller and of course have mounting holes for the stepper and screw and bearings. You can see that the gantry rails are inset from the edge - this is to protect them from sawdust falling directly in. You'll see what I mean in 2 posts.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails mljh_0002_031804.jpg  

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1311

    detail of X rail

    This is just a closeup of the X axis. You can see that the rail is just a bit shorter than 24".
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails mljh_0003_031804.jpg  

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1311

    base with table

    Ok, now the table is positioned on the base. Here you can see how the Drylin rails are protected.

    The end plates will be tapped and the base and table attached with 10-24 bolts.

    On the table are my Y and Z axis Drylin.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails mljh_0004_031804.jpg  

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1311

    closeup side view

    Just a closer view from the side. Everything is just dry fit. I'll bolt it all together tomorrow.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails mljh_0005_031804.jpg  

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    99
    Where did you buy the IGUS products?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    490
    Stop talking about it and do it already!!!!!

    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Posts
    430
    Good to see you are putting metal to wood.
    For the spindle, I am dissapointed with the dremel Huge runout and quite loud. I am exploring other options for number 2.
    Keep rolling with it, I cant wait to see
    co

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1311
    creative_mind, you can get igus products directly from igus.com. Their website even has a price calculator so you can determine how much the items are. For me, I've done the rollerblade bearing on black pipe thing for a sliding table for my tablesaw. It was always a PIA to keep aligned so I can't image doing that on 3 axis in 3 dimensions each! True, the tablesaw table had a lot more force and heavier loads to deal with but I wanted to try something new without going to high end linear bearings. On paper and talking with folks and Igus it seems that these might do the trick.

    Yukonho, I noticed the runout issue on the dremel also and it is very loud. I do have a speed controller for my PC router so I am really leaning that way.

    High Seas, thanks for the tip on mounting the PC! That will be most useful. I am working through the Z design now - which will probably be the next subassembly I'll build.

    The way I design stuff (usually) is drawing concepts on paper then taking the refined drawing in to CAD and iterate 1 or 2 more times. When the building materials are inexpensive (i.e. condusive to experimentation) I only try to get the critical dimensions and design elements on paper and then build the protoype and solve problems as they come. If I am working on an item I know I'll build more of, I go back and update the CAD drawing as I go along. That also helps work out design issues in subsequent steps.
    Reelsmith, Angling Historian, and Author of "The Reelsmith's Primer"
    www.EclecticAngler.com | www.ReelLinesPress.com

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    99
    mhackney,

    Can you buy IGUS products direct, or through a distributor?

    I don't like to have to jump too many hoops just to get the product.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1311
    direct igus.com
    Reelsmith, Angling Historian, and Author of "The Reelsmith's Primer"
    www.EclecticAngler.com | www.ReelLinesPress.com

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Posts
    430
    The rollerblade bearings seem to work OK on the x and Y axis, but they are really bulky on the Z. I bought a couple of linear slides from ebay for that. HAve you looked at the dremel Advantage tool? One more thing to consider, I run my machine for 4 hours a day plus, I have used various CNC routers and mills. I have never run my router at less than full speed, and only once or twice with another CNC router have I run it at less than full speed. A mill, of course, needs that control, but I question wether most of the homebuilt routers need spindle control.
    co

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1311

    first modification/adjustment!

    Well, the Krylon paint I used almost killed me! Even though I have pretty good ventilation in my shop (to the outside) the fumes were so bad my family almost tossed me out. So, I have switched to a latex based paint also made by Krylon and in a more "machine green" color. It seems to cover better. I am still using a primer coat and trying to apply thin coats.

    I have the base completed now. The end pieces are about 4.5" tall. The rails are permanantly installed and adjusted for parallel. The gantry base is attached to the sliders and ready to install after the paint dries. I suspect the latex will take longer to dry than the 14 min Krylon. I'll take a few more photos once the paint dries and things are reassembled. Then it is on to the gantry, screws and motor mounts.

    michael

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    125
    I looked up those Drylin N slides. The price for an entire axis is probably less than a single THK bearing! The 80mm wide slide looks like it would make a simple Z axis all by itself by mounting its rail directly onto the Y bearings.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1311
    Yes, that is why I was interested in them. I thought the larger ones were overkill for my relatively small table.

    One thing to keep in mind - these are Al rails with a polymer slider. That is why they are much less expensive the the THK "Mercedes" bearings. But for a first machine they seemed like a good way to go.
    Reelsmith, Angling Historian, and Author of "The Reelsmith's Primer"
    www.EclecticAngler.com | www.ReelLinesPress.com

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Posts
    430
    I tried to find it in the thread, but I dont think you said which size you are using for the bearings. It looks like it might be either 27 or 40. Which one did you choose and will it be strong enough for your application/
    co

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