[peteeng]

Hi All - I think I'll call the machine Ockah rather than FinMaker. FinMaker is a bit specific if it ends up being a production machine. I sent out a RFQ to BST for the motion parts today and start making the machine base parts tomorrow. There's movement at the station. Peter

[mactec54]

Hi Mactec - Thks for the thought. Its easy to use a 24k spindle but its too fast for many steel jobs. I do see that many people are using high speed spindles in steel these days perhaps its just getting the feed speed up to get the correct chip thickness.... Peter

Correct they are not suitable for milling steel unless you are only engraving

What may work is a Cheap Highspeed spindle and drive it with an AC servo motor for your lower speeds for cutting steel, an air cooled High Speed Spindle change the front Bearing configuration, remove the fan and use a coupling to connect the Servo Motor should work very well.

[peteeng]

Hi Mactec - I think I'll make my own spindle and use a 3000rpm servo with a pully so it can run at 100-6000rpm say. The Maker can swap this out for a high speed spindle if they are doing aluminium or they can reverse the pulley for a 0-1500rpm torquee drive. Something like the glock. Peter

https://glockcnc.com/

[jim_r53]

Hi Mactec - I think I'll make my own spindle and use a 3000rpm servo with a pully so it can run at 100-6000rpm say. The Maker can swap this out for a high speed spindle if they are doing aluminium or they can reverse the pulley for a 0-1500rpm torquee drive. Something like the glock. Peter

https://glockcnc.com/

Okay, definitely need to see the build thread on building your own spindle!

[peteeng]

Hi Jim - Mactec has posted on one of his spindle builds I think. Mine would be like the glock but water cooled. Thermal management of the bearings is the hardest part... Peter

[peteeng]

Evening all todays job for Frankie was to cut down the Z axis rails and set up the drawings for the machine base parts. I have 3 sheets of formply so formply it is. That means I won't have to paint them... the workshop is getting back to normal after the flood as well. Getting back to my preflood todo list. Peter

[jim_r53]

Hi Jim - Mactec has posted on one of his spindle builds I think. Mine would be like the glock but water cooled. Thermal management of the bearings is the hardest part... Peter

I found Mactec's "ER16 Router Spindle" build - amazing work!

[peteeng]

Evening all - Started blanking out the base parts today from formply. Will continue tomorrow. Once blanked they are onto Scoot for profiling. Have received the quote for all the motion parts from BST so digesting the options. Will get them on order early this week. Looking fwd to the build. Water cooled spindles are cheaper then air cooled so this will be my first water cooled spindle. 800W or 1500W Hmmmm Peter

[peteeng]

Evening all - Answer to my last question 800W or 1500W ? get both!! Todays job was to make a couple of parts for Frankie. They are the base wall rail foundations a bit boring but has to be done. Shall seal and paint the edges red. Got to be careful with the formply cut edges they are really sharp!! all went well. Next parts will be the base ribs... Peter

[mactec54]

Evening all - Answer to my last question 800W or 1500W ? get both!! Todays job was to make a couple of parts for Frankie. They are the base wall rail foundations a bit boring but has to be done. Shall seal and paint the edges red. Got to be careful with the formply cut edges they are really sharp!! all went well. Next parts will be the base ribs... Peter

Parts look good, what is the material, you use the word formply, I have not seen that is it available everywhere

[peteeng]

Hi Mactec - Its formply. Plywood with a phenolic coating each side used in construction industry for concrete forms. The film coating is a release coating. Should be available at any big hardware. Its stiff as it uses hardwood for the plies vs pine. It does have internal hard spots for some reason and the router does hesitate when it hits these. Its good to use as I don't have to paint it to stop moisture ingress. Just seal the edges... Some suppliers have coloured film which is nice. Its a popular furniture and cabinetry material at the moment. Peter

https://plyco.com.au/pages/formply-plywood-products
https://img1.etsystatic.com/004/0/69...06087_1kjf.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d2/37/11/d...d-bungalow.jpg

[peteeng]

Evening All - Todays job was cutting up some more blanks for Frankie. But I got sidetracked and decided to paint (seal) the edges of the top plates. Its a water based epoxy from another job. Will sand and top coat it tomorrow. The top plates are what the rails and drive mount to. After they are screwed/glued to the base they won't be flat. So I shall lap them level and flat then glue an aluminium top to them to mount the hardware on. similar to Scoots wall detail.. Now to go back and cut some blanks. Peter

[mactec54]

Hi Mactec - Its formply. Plywood with a phenolic coating each side used in construction industry for concrete forms. The film coating is a release coating. Should be available at any big hardware. Its stiff as it uses hardwood for the plies vs pine. It does have internal hard spots for some reason and the router does hesitate when it hits these. Its good to use as I don't have to paint it to stop moisture ingress. Just seal the edges... Some suppliers have coloured film which is nice. Its a popular furniture and cabinetry material at the moment. Peter

https://plyco.com.au/pages/formply-plywood-products
https://img1.etsystatic.com/004/0/69...06087_1kjf.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d2/37/11/d...d-bungalow.jpg

I found some here they call it Tiger-Form, same stuff different name. it seems it has a lot of commercial uses, the USA made panels had a lot of color choices for like what you said cabinet making and building external internal trim panels

[peteeng]

Hi Mactec - Interesting Tiger-form is here in Oz as well... Todays job for Frankie was to blank up some more formply and finish machine the side plates. Turned out nicely. These will be edge painted as well. Now the complex ribs are next on the list. Today I had an enquiry for a machine to cut skate boards and skate board moulds. I'll cut him a test mould. He wants to build boards in maple and carbon fibre.... Never a dull moment around here....I'm very pleased with the accuracy of Scoot-S2 as expected its much better then the belts I used on Scoot-S1 1610 on X&Y and 1605 on Z. For Frankie I looked at 1616 for X&Y ballscrews but they use a different nut which would mean a design rework. So Frankie will use 1610s. I'm slowly cranking up the driver amps and speeds getting a bit of confidence with the speeds. Peter

[peteeng]

Hi All - another two boring rectangular parts today. But now onto the complex ribs. Have to think through how to hold these critters. Being a U shape makes clamping interesting. May have to use the inside holes for clamping to do the profile. Peter

[peteeng]

Hi all - Another boring rectangular part but the sawdust was interesting. The dust has danced to the nodes on the part. The nodes are the areas not vibrating. I'd expect these to vibrate quite a bit between the clamps but it has vibrated sideways. This maybe because These are cut across the plywood not along?? Who knows, plus it depends on the excitation frequency. The spindle is cutting at 12000rpm and its a 2F tool so maybe its the 24000 rpm mode. Now I can get onto the complicated parts... This is how Luthiers check their instruments are symmetrical and are vibrating the right way. They use sand or dust on the part and vibrate the instrument and observe the patterns. Peter

[peteeng]

Hi all and sundry - You may have guessed I'm doing the rectangular parts in two OPs. First op is a U shaped profile then I swap clamps to other side then do a straight cut to finish the rectangle. Generally gang two parts together to save multi set up. Something I have found on Scoot; It is designed to be able to cut a 1220mm wide sheet. But it just has enough travel to do this. It should have had more but the grease nipple and the screws on the drive nut take away some travel. So Scoot-S3 will have the gantry rails be 60mm longer so it has a bit more leeway to cut 1220mm easier.... I pick up the base parts for the first Scoot Series 3 machine next week. Looking forward to its build. I think series 3 will be Scoot at its final production level. Started to sort dust extraction today as well.... Peter

[peteeng]

Evening all - Todays job was to seal and block the edges of the rectangular parts, Gully would be pleased if he's out there. Onto top coating and the ribs. I'm a little perplexed on bonding the formply. I know foaming urethane works but its a pain to clean up. There is a titebond melamine glue that could work. I'll scuff the surface and do an epoxy test vs the poly.... I've been looking for a non foaming polyurethane... Peter

[peteeng]

Evening All - Got sidetracked with some commercial work today but the inserts for the base arrived. I usually get a zinc cast type but this time I got some cold formed ones. Much better. Usually a couple of the cast ones break on assembly. These won't break... There's 90 in the base grid.. Peter

[peteeng]

G'Day All - This mornings job was to sort Frankie's ribs program. As I had to do it in two halves I had to check it did not hit any clamps. Only clipped one and now its clear! That's why I like the timber clamps....Plus when I use UCCNC for profiles it can pick labourious paths, which it did for the holes. So I'll split the holes into two paths (LHS & RHS side holes) so its a bit more efficient. Came out well now onto the other 4 ribs. Peter