Thread: 6b4

Getting in quick with a second post.

Have assembled the gantry beam and photo shows the two pieces of extrusion bolted together then clad with 8mm plate on the sides and 10mm on top. The 10mm on top was all I had availalble in my scrap so good enough for the job.

Next photo is the bearing carrier for the X axis. This will connect to the gantry sides. The slotted holes makes for fine adjustment to centre the gantry as well as the ability to square the gantry beam to the X axis down the track. I will replace the round head cap screws with conventional ones when I next visit the bolt shop.

Last photo shows one of the X axis ballscrews fitted. It will be dual screws on X to prevent racking of the gantry. In the background you can see Tubot which has been earning it's keep making the smaller plates for this machine.

T slot table is cut to size but needs to be fixed down - my next job. I have to assemble under the patio as my shed and machine room are full. Mind you it has been a pleasant couple of days weather wise.

Looking good there Rod. When will this one be done?
David

I have been working on it for a couple of weeks and a build takes three to four months so this will be finished in the new year. It looks like heaps of progress but what you are seeing are the big bits. No skill in what I have done as all I have had to do is listen to the noise of a machine cutting and then bolt the pieces together.

Electronics are Gecko 251's, smoothstepper, C10 Willson, Pokeys for the Console, DC06 for spindle control and 269 oz Nema 23's.

Spindle is air cooled 1.5kw and VFD. Console will be slide in drawer with lift up section for screen but I might change my mind on that.

Usually I build the stand first but not this time. My Hot Rod welder mate went to Hawaii for a holiday (very inconsiderate of him) so the stand is on hold till he is grounded again.

Nice Rod. It's always good to have a another build to watch.

Brad.

Another great build to watch.

I notice on the zone post you give an ebay seller as your source of the aluminium profile. Is there any reason you don't get it direct from AME? The difference in price must make add up when you use as many metres of the stuff as you do.

Hi Brad,
Agree it is good to watch a build progress. I pick ideas from all the builds I see and although they all look similar there are a lot of different ideas out there. I'll change this a little by tweaking the edges but it will be similar to Tubot.

snowyskiesau,
Yeah I could have gone direct to AME and have for some hardware but CNC and Cupcake World do a great job of supporting the CNC community in Australia. I have brought rails off them also even though they probably get them from the same source as we do. It's handy having somebody local and thier service is excellent. No affiliation with them so a free plug I suppose.

Originally Posted by rodm

Oh yeah the name "6B4" comes from a cutting envelope of 600 by 400 or there abouts. Getting hard pressed for new names

Really Rod? Hard pressed for new names? You don't feel that this is an admission of a complete lack of imagination?

Originally Posted by rodm

C10 Willson

I missed this the first time around. I assume that Rod is having a go at me for my inability to get a machine working and actually cutting something useful. Well let me tell you Rodney, that I have bought lots of new bits and pieces and I expect to cut something almost soon now.

Originally Posted by rodm

Usually I build the stand first but not this time. My Hot Rod welder mate went to Hawaii for a holiday (very inconsiderate of him) so the stand is on hold till he is grounded again.

And we thought that you did everything yourself. We will have to take quite a few marks off on the guru status I'm afraid Rodney.


Bob Willson

Originally Posted by Bob Willson

Really Rod? Hard pressed for new names? You don't feel that this is an admission of a complete lack of imagination?



I missed this the first time around. I assume that Rod is having a go at me for my inability to get a machine working and actually cutting something useful. Well let me tell you Rodney, that I have bought lots of new bits and pieces and I expect to cut something almost soon now.



And we thought that you did everything yourself. We will have to take quite a few marks off on the guru status I'm afraid Rodney.


Bob Willson

I get the back of my hand slapped for using my imagination.

Ahaa yuo haev been psoting wrod assocaitoins and yuo missde teh ovbious!
Nah not having a go at you for your machine - just a bit of fun. Can't be too serious about things.

I have a welder but can only manage something like you find on the bottom of a cockies cage. My mate is an expert so better he does it and my role is to stuff up the machine.

At least you are a good sport although I can see next time I will have to try harder to get your blood flowing.

Originally Posted by rodm

I get the back of my hand slapped for using my imagination.

No Rodney. You weren't chastised for using your imagination but rather for the lack of same. 6B4. Have you named any of your machines after the gods? Do you have one called Agamemnon or Zeus or any other Quixotic names? No. You instead default to the size of the machine as a basis for naming it.

I will tell you a strange story. When I built my machine (Frog) My wife Dorothy suggested that I name it Frog because I had painted it green. I liked this idea and so I cut name plates for it and bolted them on. Several weeks later I was driving past the scrap metal merchants place from where I had purchased the steel to make the framework for frog and they had a new sign up. "FROG Metals". Coincidence or what?

Originally Posted by rodm

Ahaa yuo haev been psoting wrod assocaitoins and yuo missde teh ovbious!.

There seems to be something wrong with your ummmm.... Never mind. Has the doctor spoken to your carers about this yet

More pictures please Rod!!

Hi Mike
I have been sidetracked on some other projects but have done a bit since last photos. Lots of machining but haven't assembled it yet and my mate is back and the stand is being welded Monday. I will wait till later next week to have an update.

Stand was welded today. A bit over 2 lengths of 40 by 40 by 4mm SHS and some swivel castors and it is done. Well the frame is done but a lot of work to go to fit everything up and clad it.

Left top will be a pull out console that lifts vertically for operating the machine. I have some 150 by 5 mm plates strengthened with some angle to fix the four drawer runners to.

Right top is a compartment for VFD and mains voltage switches and under that a 300 by 200 switchboard encolsure for the electroincs. Computer will go under the console and air pump on the other side.

I'm loving the idea of boxing up the gantry and using multiple pieces to get the desired size.

Are you getting the frame powder coated? or just going to paint it.

Hi Chris,
It has been sprayed between my last post and now. Most of it will be clad in ally checker plate so the bits that show won't matter too much.

Yeah I have never been able to match the slots in the sections to the rails where I want them so I wack plates around the extrusion. I use T nuts to hold those together as well as the plates on the outside. Don't know if it is cheaper than using one section but that is 120 by 80 and with the plates it is going to take a lot of force to deflect it.