Thread: Machining the right angle (Pun)

Thanks Bob,
Clear as mud this morning.

Bob, quick glance at the .doc looks ok.

Mach3 stores settings in .xml files. You can easily create (and backup) an number of configurations. You can also have shortcuts (e.g. in the start menu or on the desktop) to the configuration you want.

I would have thought you'd want to swap all 3 axes. For me X should always be the long axis, Y perpendicular to that, and Z depth. But it's all irrelevant what you call it really so long as you draw and generate the G code to the system you are using.

Originally Posted by Bob Willson

Hi saisay

Yes, I saw all that, but I wanted a way that didn't involve swapping cables every time and I also wanted it in software so that I didn't need to rejig the Gcode every time because sooner rather than later I will make a mistake.

I am not smart enough to understand how to change G-code

Why don't you just make a section of the bed removable? Enough to feed a board down into it. My unit allows the gantry to overrun the end and once fully commissioned it will have a removable plate towards an end too. The code is simple as it requires no changes.

Hi Bob,

There is a very cluey member on the Mach3 forum named Hood...he may be able to help you with this one.
Cheers,
Kym

Originally Posted by seafurymike

Why don't you just make a section of the bed removable? Enough to feed a board down into it. My unit allows the gantry to overrun the end and once fully commissioned it will have a removable plate towards an end too. The code is simple as it requires no changes.

Hi Mike Thanks for your input.

Yes, I did think of going that way, but I would still be limited to about a 1 metre length. Although I will now have to go to the bother of changing the spindle over every time I want to do a dovetail I can see a future time when I will want to do a drawer front of say 1200mm.
I am very pleased to report however that the new profile seems to do all that I want it to do. I made two small errors in the document. The direction of A needs to be changed to negative in motor outputs, and in the motor tuning, I made a silly mistake by saying that Z should be changed to A. It should of course have been to X.

So to use these changes all I need to do now is start up Mach with the horizontal borer.xml and it is good to go. When i want to swap back, I just start up normal mill.xml.

I am really happy with the outcome. Thanks to everbody for your help and also to billk on the shark forum for the original idea.

As Isaac Newton said "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants".

Originally Posted by pippin88

I would have thought you'd want to swap all 3 axes. For me X should always be the long axis, Y perpendicular to that, and Z depth.

Hi pippin88

I really only want to change the 2 axis' If I change all three, then I am back where I started because I need to make what was the Z (up and Down) into the X (length) The Y remains a constant so that my width of cut doesn't change.
Normally, when I am standing at the head of my table with the computer, the far left corner is X0, Y0. Moving the gantry towards me makes X more postive and moving the spindle across the table to the right makes Y more positive whilst Z up is more positive and down is more negative.
.
This is changed somewhat in the new configuration. Moving the gantry towards me now makes Z more negative and moving X to a more positive position raises the spindle.

Originally Posted by Bob Willson

Hi pippin88

Normally, when I am standing at the head of my table with the computer, the far left corner is X0, Y0. Moving the gantry towards me makes X more postive and moving the spindle across the table to the right makes Y more positive whilst Z up is more positive and down is more negative.
.
This is changed somewhat in the new configuration. Moving the gantry towards me now makes Z more negative and moving X to a more positive position raises the spindle.

I have taken the easy way out
Forward/Backward
Up/Down
Left/Right

Even I can't get confused that way

I have just had an epiphany.

The cross member on the CNC has two sides to it. The side where the spindle is mounted and the side where it isn't.

How about if I just add a mounting plate to the back of the cross member so that I can then overhang the edge of the CNC bed and then I could just swap the spindle from one side of the cross member to the other. This would limit me to about a metre of of length, but as I get older I have trouble lifting all those long heavy drawer sides anyway.

I estimate that I can get about 90mm overhang and I would only need about 25mm. This would be great for doing blind dovetails all in one go. I would just need to work out a set of clamps to hold the work.

Anybody want to buy a right angle shoe?

Well that wasn't too hard making another plate to go on the rear of the cross member.

I now have abot 100mm overhang and approx 60mm DOC. Look out dovetails here I come.
Existing rear of CNC 2.jpgEsisting rear of CNC 1.jpgModified rear of CNC 1.jpgModified rear of CNC 2.jpg