[jhowelb]

Skate bearings work but.............
They constantly pick up cuttings in little wads, or break, or freeze up, or........... the list is endless.

So I tried the 10mm Igus rail and bearing on one axis of my home built router ( see this thread http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57030) and was exceedingly pleased.

They don't bind as I was told (at least not with my anti racking cable system in place) and they don't need lube nor do they collect crap.

With all that I was seriously considering a re-build using Igus rails and discussing the possibilities with an old friend when he got this look on his face and he asked me how much room I had in my motor home. (I was traveling and visiting over the summer)

He then showed me a sheet of aluminum and said that I need to take it home with me as he didn't have enough room in his shop. (Yeah, right!)

Below is a picture of it. It is .750" X 24" X 32" and is anodized. Further discussion revealed thyat it had once been the base for a cnc machine used to manufacture medical products.

[jhowelb]

Did you notice the precision placed holes along all the edges? Just right for locating and anchoring 8020 aluminum on which to mount rails all laid out on a perfectly flat surface.

I hope I didn't hurt his feelings when I snatched it and ran!
(Just kidding, I'm on oxygen 24x7 and I DO NOT RUN! ANYWHERE! ANYTIME!)

After much butt scratching and delaying I finally ordered the rail, 1X3 8020 and some .625" ball screws and nuts just to round out the project. Might just as well build some speed and accuracy while I'm at it.

Here are a few shots of the cabinet after stripping the old mechanics off and one with the plate in place.

I chucked up a piece of round plastic and drilled it for the quarter inch bolts I'll use to hold the 8020 down and turned it to a snug fit it those step drilled hloes in the plate.

I dropped bolts into the holes to make them show up in the photo.

[jhowelb]

The purpose of the bushing inserts is to take advantage of the precision placement of the holes in making the rails parallel. The flatness of the plate will insure that they are on the same plane with no twist.

The larger size of the plate relative to the old saw will allow me to table a full quarter sheet of plywood or MDF.

Hiding inside that cabinet is a trio of Gecko 203V's that exit the cabinet in the rear thru plugs.

[jhowelb]

The slots on the 1" x 3" 8020 are almost an exact fit for 1/4" carriage bolts. After turning off a few thou off the o.d. of the head of the bolt, I ran a deburing tool down the length of the slot on bottom lip and the bolts made a snug entrance.

The plate is screwed to the table top and the Igus rail is bolted on. Ready for a carriage and gantry.

Now if these Southern California wild fires will just back off enough for me to go outside to play, I'll make a little more progress.

[jhowelb]

The whole idea of posting my progress and photos is for the benefit of others. When there is no response, not even a comment, one can only conclude that there is no interest.
Then I'll keep it to myself. Any thing else I have learned will not be available to the membership.

Too bad!

[kreutz]

The whole idea of posting my progress and photos is for the benefit of others. When there is no response, not even a comment, one can only conclude that there is no interest.
Then I'll keep it to myself. Any thing else I have learned will not be available to the membership.

Too bad!

Hello;

There is interest, even if we don't say anything, there is always a lot to learn from your posts. Please, continue posting your progress.

Best regards,

Kreutz.

[jhowelb]

Hello, old friend. I shall never forget your kindness and the assistance you have given me in the past. You are truly a prince among men.

My health is failing further. It requires tremendous effort just to walk across the room. My machines and my need to help and interact with others is all that keeps me going.

When it seems that no one cares and that my effort is being waisted my spirits crash to the ground.

Forgive me for whining and whimpering. I'm just old and saddlesore.

[bvz]

Hey jhowelb,

I am a total newbie to this site, and more or less just a lurker... but I would also suggest you keep posting (and not just for my own sake).

Having had a couple of serious injuries/maladies myself I know how frustrating it can be to pour your heart into something only to feel like it makes no difference. That said, I think these postings can only be a benefit to your health...

...that and I also am completely fascinated by your design.

I would comment more on the specifics of your build except that I am about as qualified to do that as I am to comment on the finer points of Greek grammar.

Keep up the good work and know that I am very grateful that you would share your progress with us even though you are not feeling well.

[acondit]

John,

I just ran into your new thread tonight. I'm with Kreutz, keep up the good work and keep posting.

Alan

[jhowelb]

Hello Alan,
Another old friend heard from. Thanks for touching base.

bvz,
You are exactly the sort of person I'm trying to reach. You can benefit most from my mistakes and learning process. Comments are nice, but questions are treasured as an opportunity to expand everyones knowledge base.

Below is a photo of the beginning stage of construction of the sled portion of the X axis gantry.

It is being made from left over 1.5 X 4.5 8020. The slots are just right for 5/16" carriage bolts to fit with no modification.

The mounting brackets for the Igus slides are 1/8X2" hot rolled steel. I used my cnc converted mill to center drill the holes but with careful layout it could be accomplished with just a drill press.

In moving this fixture there is zero perceptible resistance.

[jhowelb]

A little more progress today.

Got some brackets built to mount the bridge onto the gantry. Button head socket screws (5/16") and square nuts work nicely without modification in the 15 t-slots, 1/4" carriage bolts in the 1.0X3.

A flick of the wrist sends the whole gantry scooting to the other end 4' away! So much for binding but I will use the cable equalizing system anyway.

[bvz]

Nicely done (from what I can tell)

I will be all about asking questions once I get a little more familiar with the process...

I'm designing a "pipe dream" machine right now (pipe dream in the true sense of the word, not one made of pipes). I don't have the time or the money to actually build it right now, but I want to scratch this itch so I am using sketchup to design my ideal machine using 8020 parts and items from cncrouterparts.com. My thinking is that once I have a design that is reasonably far enough along I will be asking for input on it and then, someday, I might actually build it.

Keep up the good work.

Ben

[Ali Kat]

Don't stop posting yet!

I had some binding issues with Igus twin rails and went back to supported round rail with open linear bearings. I think that the binding might have been overcome using the cable approach that you have mentioned. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out under power.

Keep up the good work my man.

[jhowelb]

................using the cable approach that you have mentioned. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out under power.

As mentioned above, this is a "rebuild" so you don't have to wait to see how it works. You can see the cable system buit into the machine from it's inception in this thread. http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57030)

Here are a few photos of the X axis modification I did to test the rails prior to a full commitment.

[jhowelb]

Notice the spreader bar between the rail supports to maintain dimensions .

This lead to the conclusion that building in more dimensional stability would be necessary and while about it might as well elevate the gantry by placing the X axis rails at the top edge of 1X3 8020 rather than the square 1.5.

This also allows the gantry to be shorter and still have 8.5" clearance above the work surface masking the gantry itself even more rigid. (check the pic in post#11)

With the system as you see it in post #14 I was especially pleased with performance and would have just replaced all the skate bearings with Igus until my friend made a gift of that gorgeous hunk of aluminum.

I expect performance improvements beyond my dreams as I attempt to apply even more of the lessons I've learned in observation of my own mistakes and by cruising the Zone.

Constructive criticism welcome!

[Dman65]

With the cabinet being on lockable casters, do you have any problems with the cabinet moving as a result of the gantry moving? I had read at some point that having casters, even lockable ones, would result in that problem so I have left them off of the unit I am trying to design.

Are you finding the 1x3 8020 to be strong enough for the job? Most of the designs I have seen have used the 1.5x3 for the most part. I would like to use 1x3 since it is a good deal less expensive at least in the T-Slots product line.

[jhowelb]

I have found the casters to be indispensable! I could not have the machine if I could not easily and quickly move it about and as of yet I have observed no detrimental habits because of them.

As to the 1X3 I'll reserve judgment. But notice that there is only about 12" on either end that are not in direct contact with that massive plate. Even there they are paired except for the bridge.

In any case, I'd guess the support factor to be equal to any of the mdf machines.

A good question and I will keep my eyes open for any potential problems and report any difficulties. On the other hand, I would never fault anyone for "over engineering" any project.

[jhowelb]

The new gantry build is complete with the anti-racking cable system in place. I suppose I could be happier about it but I really don't know how that could be accomplished.

A gentle push anywhere on the gantry moves it easily in either direction one cares to go. Pushing in any other direction yields no perceptible movement, the geometry of the bridge is absolutely rock solid and immutable.

In short, the build at this point is much better than I'd hoped to achieve. I'm a happy camper!

[jhowelb]

Just made a motor and a thrust bearing mount for the X axis. I used my cnc converted Harbor Freight mill/drill to do the job which was designed (the mounts, not the conversion) in Aspire which also provided the gcode.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29339

The motor will be at one end of the lead screw and the bearing at the other. I will depend on the bearings in the motor to provide radial stability.

Pictured also is the caged needle thrust bearing and the ball nut.
Also a jpeg of the end view of the machine as designed in Aspire.

[lovebugjunkie]

Yes, please keep posting your progress. I lurk mostly and seeing other people’s projects always gives me ides.

Do you mind providing the cost of the Drylin rails and bearing blocks. Thinking it may be a fit for my current project.