ShopBot is in the house!

[Ed Lang]

My son and I went to Durham this past Friday to pickup our Shopbot PRTalpha96. It was a great trip and we had a super lunch just North of Durham at a little Mom and Pop BBQ spot. Even brought two pounds of BBQ home so those who had to work and go to school could enjoy some for dinner.

My oldest son, Ben helped me unload the bot before having to leave and go to a Boy Scout camping trip. Thanks Ben!!

My wife helped me hold some of the heavy iron on Saturday morning before she had to leave. Thanks MeLisa!!

Mid afternoon on Saturday my cousin Jay stopped by to see what I had gotten this time as far as new equipment. He stayed late Saturday night helping me get the X rails installed and straight. He even brought me a peice of plywood for the sub table on Sunday morning!! I could not have done it without him.... Thanks Jay!!

I was off again from work on Monday and Scott and I worked all day trying to get the luan on the walls and ceiling so the 6" duct for the cyclone could be installed. I was dead tired on Monday night but we got everything done except for making the Shopbot run.

This afternoon, Tuesday we fired it up and took it for a little drive around the spoilboard.

I hope you enjoy the pictures below. They are from a group of pictures that can be found at http://kc4ylx.smugmug.com/gallery/883595/1

It started here;
http://kc4ylx.smugmug.com/photos/39989372-M.jpg
Then it got home to,
http://kc4ylx.smugmug.com/photos/39989386-M.jpg
After hours of building and reading,
http://kc4ylx.smugmug.com/photos/40111549-M.jpg
And more hours of building and head scratching we had a working maching. Here it is doing its first job.... surfacing the MDF that is the spoilboard
http://kc4ylx.smugmug.com/photos/40580390-M.jpg
I now need to build a computer workstation..... Maybe tomorrow
http://kc4ylx.smugmug.com/photos/40580391-M.jpg
Final shot
http://kc4ylx.smugmug.com/photos/40580392-M.jpg
After cutting the entire surface of the MDF I can say that the ClearVue Cyclone is FANTASTIC and I am sure glad I bought it. The 55 gallon drum that I am using for the sawdust had plenty of fine dust from the MDF and the filters had NO SIGNS of any in them. The 6" duct is moving a lot of air as well....

Thanks for looking.

[Michael Ballent]

That is too cool!!! So what types of things are you going to be building with the ShopBot? How do you go about changing the router bits? or is that automated?

[Ed Lang]

I went the cheap route and got the Bot with the Porter Cable 7518 router. I change bits witht he two wrenches supplied and not with a tool changer. I could have gotten a spindle but I would have had to change tools by hand there too. Later, I can add a second router or spindle to the machine and have two tools loaded at all times.

Projects.... Well..... tomorrow I need to make a computer desk for the control computer. Then I need to make some boxes and I think it is not too early to start yard decorations for Christmas. Then I have ideas about making some signs.

I'll be sure to post pictures!

[Bruce Page]

Ed, you have no idea how green I am right now! That is way too cool!

[Keith Outten]

Nice work Ed, I think you should route a big sign for that empty wall behind the Bot.


Ed Lang and Son
"Custom Signs and Millwork"

[Chris Barton]

Mega-Gloat! Excellent!

[Michael Gabbay]

Ed - You are officially banned from the Neander side!! :D Very cool.

BTW, how loud is your ClearVue? I thought I read that the DB rating was around 90 on that cyclone.

Mike

[Ed Lang]

The ClearVue is located in the far Left corner as you look at the last picture on my post here. It is mounted on the wall with metal brackets. The ceiling is luan and the walls are too. I tell you all of this as the conditions I have mounted it should cause it to echo and be loud. I am very happy with the sound level! I can talk in my shop while it is running. The router makes more noise than the cyclone by far. I was going to build a room around the cyclone for noise, but now I will not. I have no way to measure the sound but can say it makes more noise than my 10" table saw when not cutting wood but less noise than the router when it is cutting.... I know not much help.

I am happy for anyone who wants to measure the noise to stop by and have a listen.... and of course look.

I am gald I got the ClearVue, it is doing a fantastic job for me with the MDF.

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

Ed...so very cool. I know how much fun and productive they can be. You will be seeing future projects in a entirely different way from now on.

Did you go with any sort of vacuum hold down and if not, how do you plan on keeping things in place while routing?

Doug

[Ed Lang]

Doug,

I did not buy a vac hold down from ShopBot. I am going to make up "pucks" and use a vacuum pump I have for smaller objects. When I get production up on large sheets of parts, I might invest in a big vac pump but right now pucks and screws will have to do.

This is my first route into CNC

[Aaron Koehl]

Doug,
This is my first route into CNC

No pun intended, I'm sure.. ;)

Ed, congrats! It's a ton of fun to program for.

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

Ed...Having come from a shop where I did all the programing for 3 CNC's that we ran 7/20...I sure miss having them available. Someday maybe.

One thing that keeps me from punching the "buy" button is the lack of a tool changer....guess I'm very spoiled.

When you're ready to look at dedicated vacuum systems, I suggest that you look at Deker....of the different ones we had, this was by far the most reliable.

[Keith Christopher]

SOOOO green with Envy.