Thread: Alpha Zoot ... new aussie machine on the way!

Despite the extreme heat, I ventured forth into the shed and have now completed and painted the table top.

As per my original drawings, I have used one sheet of 18mm mdf with the 't-tracks' formed using 2 layers of 12mm mdf ... all glued together and fixed down with machine screws (another 28 tapped holes!) and have a grub screw beside each bolt for any table adjustments needed later on. I have brought the grub screws almost to the top of the table so they wont get full of dirt/dust.

Onto the gantry next week, but only if it is cooler!

Cheers for now,

Alan

You would have to be pleased with what you have done. It gets easier to go out to the shed from now on as you will have a few moving parts soon.

Your a braver man than me Alan. I went into my workshop this morning, turned around and went straight back into the house. Way to hot.

What is the finish on the MDF table?

John,
Nothing fancy, just some old (and I do mean old!) estapol I had lying around ... thinned and strained for spraying ... then a couple of coats. I did not sand betwen coats because I was really only looking to seal the mdf so that it would not sprout vegetables in the future. I was happy that it was going to be a rough finish so that jobs would not slide around too much, but I must admit I was happy with the finish anyway.

I have had a HVLP spray gun for some time, but never felt I had suitable control over the air volume, so bought a simple control valve that I fitted just before the gun and it gives me the air control that I need. I am so happy with how it worked that I am loooking for things to spray ... don't stand still or you will be sprayed!!!

Cheers,

Alan

Wow very nice.

It is very clean and professional looking. I only wish mine were as good

Fantastic work on the table. It looks like you have spent a considerable amount of time getting the frame right and what a great job on the t-slides. Would like to know how they hold up over time

I think it should last OK ... sealed top and bottom ... and I will always be using a sacrificial board when I am cutting through a job (unless the Z gets away on me!!). I am going to make a number of dooverlackies out of scrap 10mm alum to go in the t slots and will thread these for 6mm bolts.

If all goes pear shaped I can replace it!

Cheers,

Alan

Gee wish i had the time to get my machine up to the same point as yours. Either way it wont look anywere near as good as yours. Keep up the good work.

Daniel

Well after all the hot weather it is great to escape into the shed to be out of the rain!

I have made some progress ... the gantry sides are finished, the running plates are fitted as are the trucks for the Y axis ... photo below. I was a bit worried about the strength of my running plates (not sure what the correct term is, but they are the brackets fixed to the gantry sides that the trucks get fixed to!) and with the weight of the gantry all being held by a few screws through the gantry side and into the 'endgrain' of the running plates, so I fitted a 20mm dia leg under the gantry cross member and onto the running plate right over the rail. If my memory of structural engineering classes 40+ years ago serves me correctly, the force is now directed straight down rather than producing a bending moment!

One of the photos shows a bearing end block that I machined on my Wigitmaster ... I was very excited when it fitted and fitted like a glove. Fixings for the ballscrews are still all a bit of a mystery to me, but I am bumbling along hoping that all will be well on the day!

Once I got the gantry all mounted and adjusted on its linear ball thingamies I was really excited as to how easy the whole thing moves ... spent some time pushing it and seeing how far it would go ... think I will have to fit my buffer blocks at the end sooner rather than later so in my enthuiasm I dont send the gantry into orbit.

Cheers for now (another rainy day!!)

Alan

Hi Alan,
That is one very impressive build.
I like the idea of the leg to direct the forces down on the bearing plate.

Alan

I like elegant solutions that don't look like an after thought. Your little support certainly fits the bill.

All up the machine is looking great. Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Greg

Just a bit of an update ... I have posted some photos onto other threads, but thought I should put copies onto this thread so it does not have gaps in it!!

Unfortunately I have been working, building a vegetable garden for SWMBO and have had to put a balustrade around a balcony I built a year ago ... I was in a race ... finish the balustrade before our granddaughter walks. Just made it in time!!

With the round rail, I tapped both sides to the alum. You can hopefully see from the closeup photo of the end of the top rail, I kept the rail close to the edge of the alum, probably only 4 - 5mm from the face, which means that I pick up the real meat of the extrusion in the corner, the rail support then straddles the t-slot and the next row of screws has also got sufficient meat as well. Hope this helps.

The other thing that I did with my 120x80 extrusion, was that any t-slots that were not used, rather than leave them open to collect dust and swarf, I ran a plastic strip into those t-slots before I fixed the ends. I had some plastic tongues from particle board flooring ... usually yellow tongue, but for some reason mine was white!

Hopefully back to CNC this week.

Cheers,

Alan

Hi Alan,
I think we all do this in fits and starts. I have been otherwise occupied in the last week but keen to get back in the saddle and finish a bit more.
I like the tongue in the T slots and it is ideas like this that make this forum valuable.
You WM parts look good. Not bad for a Proxon (?) and a small machine.

I am having a senior's moment! I am sure that I read in a recent thread about a product that will remove scratches from perspex. Would be good if someone could remind me where the post was!
I have this great lump of perspex that was in my hay shed ... it is at least 8 years old because it was left over from the Olympics and naturally very scratched. I got it out of the hay shed today and a very quick measure makes it about 12 ft long by 8'6" ft wide and I think it is only about 4mm thick. I am sure that with that amount I should be able to find some good bits and laminate them into usable blocks, but it would be an extra bonus if I could wave a wand over it and remove any scratches as well.

Have enclosed a couple of photo's to show my challenge.

Cheers,

Alan