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Thread: 2nd Build (first) - CNC Router

  1. #1
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    2nd Build (first) - CNC Router

    Building my 2nd CNC first, I hope. I have been researching for over a year, read a thousand threads and articles, and am hopefully building my 'second machine' for my first. There is still a ton to learn and that process will probably never stop. Of this I am certain, I will be in new territory for a while. For over 40 years I have been building things, doing hydraulics, pneumatics, and electronics builds and troubleshooting along with a lot of woodworking but have never used or built a CNC machine. This is going to be fun!!

    The machine is a new model by Nate at Fine Line Automation. It's a 'pro' series he calls Saturn and it is very heavy. Shipping weight was 525 lbs. for this 2'x4' model. Take away the OxBox and pallet and it's probably still 475 lbs. The frame is welded and stress relieved steel, powder coated Pantone 305. It has THK style linear bearings, rack and pinion drive, and the components are anodized black 6061 aluminum. I have a 3 Kw water cooled spindle and NEMA 34 stepper motors ready to mount. I'll be using the Hitachi WJ200-022SF VFD to drive the spindle. The actual cutting area is 28”x52” with 10” Z travel.

    The first order of business, now that it's here, was clearing out enough space in our shop for two CNC machines (our shop is the attached two-car garage). It has to set in one place while I build the stand where it will actually reside, so space for two in an already crowded shop. I'll be building a frame with 2x4's and maybe a couple of 2x6's. Then I need about 5 large friends to help me carry the CNC over to the stand.

    Picked up from FedEx and barely fit on a friend's trailer -


    OxBox container removed and setting on the pallet until I get the stand built -


    A few close-ups –






    Next step will be a trip to Lowe's for 2x4's and then make some sawdust.

    Hope you enjoy the ride with me!
    David
    David
    CurlyWoodShop on Etsy, David Falkner on YouTube, difalkner on Instagram

  2. #2
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    Nice looking machine.
    Glad its my shop I am responsible for - I only have to make me happy.

  3. #3
    Nice looking machine, but why 10" of Z when it looks like you have maybe 4-6" of clearance under the carriage? By the time you mount a table and spoil board on that you won't have need for so much Z.
    Brian Lamb
    Lamb Tool Works, Custom tools for woodworkers
    Equipment: Felder KF700 and AD741, Milltronics CNC Mill, Universal Laser X-600

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Heidrick View Post
    Nice looking machine.
    Thanks, Mike!

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Lamb View Post
    Nice looking machine, but why 10" of Z when it looks like you have maybe 4-6" of clearance under the carriage? By the time you mount a table and spoil board on that you won't have need for so much Z.
    Thanks, Brian! It's actually 7" clearance but I'd rather have more Z travel than I need as opposed to wishing it was 'just a little more...'
    David
    CurlyWoodShop on Etsy, David Falkner on YouTube, difalkner on Instagram

  5. #5
    Agreed, a little more Z travel will help with longer tools. I just expected the carriage to be mounted a bit higher above the bed.... might just be the angle in the pictures.
    Brian Lamb
    Lamb Tool Works, Custom tools for woodworkers
    Equipment: Felder KF700 and AD741, Milltronics CNC Mill, Universal Laser X-600

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Lamb View Post
    Agreed, a little more Z travel will help with longer tools. I just expected the carriage to be mounted a bit higher above the bed.... might just be the angle in the pictures.
    Here's a better shot of that -
    David
    CurlyWoodShop on Etsy, David Falkner on YouTube, difalkner on Instagram

  7. #7
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    David,

    Looks like you new CNC Router has a very sturdy frame and excellent components. I'll bet it will be a really fine machine when you get it running. I wish you had uploaded the pictures here so they would be accessible to everyone in the future.
    .

  8. #8
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    That's a beautiful looking machine, you are going to love rigidness of that welded frame. There is a lot of inertia generated with the fast gantry moves so make sure to build your stand stout. I used 2x6, 2x4 & 4x4's for my Mick Martin designed table with full dados, glued & screwed in the corner posts/legs. I get very little movement even at 300ipm.
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Keith Outten View Post
    David,

    Looks like you new CNC Router has a very sturdy frame and excellent components. I'll bet it will be a really fine machine when you get it running. I wish you had uploaded the pictures here so they would be accessible to everyone in the future.
    .
    I suppose I could still do that. I put photos on PhotoBucket so I can have one common size and place for all the forums in which I participate, which is about 10 for woodworking, CNC, and Luthiers. But for what it's worth, unless PhotoBucket moves something, these are all in their own folder and I don't plan on moving it or deleting it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Page View Post
    That's a beautiful looking machine, you are going to love rigidness of that welded frame. There is a lot of inertia generated with the fast gantry moves so make sure to build your stand stout. I used 2x6, 2x4 & 4x4's for my Mick Martin designed table with full dados, glued & screwed in the corner posts/legs. I get very little movement even at 300ipm.
    That's a really nice stand, Bruce! I'm using 2x4's but doubling up and bracing a lot so it should end up fairly sturdy. Not that this beast of a frame will move, though. Btw, rapids on this are in the 1600 ipm range with 2200 ipm max. I may never run it that fast for rapids and even if I did it would only be for a second or less - it doesn't take long to go 4' at that speed!

    David
    David
    CurlyWoodShop on Etsy, David Falkner on YouTube, difalkner on Instagram

  10. #10
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    Holy moly, that's crazy fast! Mine maxes out at 600ipm X&Y & 400 Z. I can't imagine ever cutting anywhere close to 1600ipm unless you're cutting cardboard. I typically cut at 200ipm rough, and 100ipm or less for finish, but I do this for fun, not profit.

    Here's a pic of my setup after it evolved a year or two. I'm looking forward to seeing yours after you get it setup.
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    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
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  11. #11
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    What stepper drivers and motion controller/BOB do you plan to run?

    Whats the amp rating on your nema34 stepper motors?

    Do you plan to mount a drop plate to that Z to get your spindle mount lower?

    How do you plan to attach the bed to those steel bed supports or does it attach a different way?

    Any plans on T track or setup for a vac table?

    I love DIY CNC!
    Last edited by Mike Heidrick; 07-09-2016 at 6:28 PM.
    Glad its my shop I am responsible for - I only have to make me happy.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Page View Post
    Holy moly, that's crazy fast! Mine maxes out at 600ipm X&Y & 400 Z. I can't imagine ever cutting anywhere close to 1600ipm unless you're cutting cardboard. I typically cut at 200ipm rough, and 100ipm or less for finish, but I do this for fun, not profit.

    Here's a pic of my setup after it evolved a year or two. I'm looking forward to seeing yours after you get it setup.
    Yes, it is crazy fast. But that would be for rapids. I doubt I'll cut anything but air at that speed!! Your setup looks really nice and the good part is that you're using yours. Mine is a shop full of parts right now.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Heidrick View Post
    What stepper drivers and motion controller/BOB do you plan to run?

    Whats the amp rating on your nema34 stepper motors?

    Do you plan to mount a drop plate to that Z to get your spindle mount lower?
    Not sure yet but possibly. The spindle mount should be here next week and I'll see how it looks with the spindle attached.

    How do you plan to attach the bed to those steel bed supports or does it attach a different way?
    Probably drill and tap for 1/4-20 bolts.

    Any plans on T track or setup for a vac table?
    Thinking about a T-track setup and vacuum table down the road.

    I love DIY CNC!
    Here's everything I have acquired so far - (hope this helps) -
    WJ200-022SF Hitachi VFD Drives Warehouse
    Spindle 3 kW Water cooled spindle - eBay item# 272040784061
    5.5A 34HS31-5504S Nema 34 CNC Stepper Motor 4.5Nm (637oz.in) Stepper Online - Stepper motor
    KL-8056D Keling Technology - Digital Stepper Driver Automation Technology - Stepper Driver
    S-500-48 Switching Power Supply 500W 48V 10.4A Stepper Online - Power supply
    ESS Ethernet SmoothStepper Automation Technology - ESS
    C25S ESS terminal board CNC4PC - Terminal board
    A9 Latch Twist-Release E-Stop Button CNC4PC - E Stop
    5 Volt PSU 5VDC @ 3 AMP 15W AC/DC Enclosed Switching PSU CNC4PC - 5V Power supply

    Oh, and here's the web site for Fine Line Automation although this model isn't listed yet (I think he's about got that ready to go live, though).
    Last edited by Bruce Page; 07-10-2016 at 12:29 PM. Reason: Removed eBay link per TOS
    David
    CurlyWoodShop on Etsy, David Falkner on YouTube, difalkner on Instagram

  13. #13
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    Started on the stand and got it about half finished (yes, it's upside down) -



    David
    CurlyWoodShop on Etsy, David Falkner on YouTube, difalkner on Instagram

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Lamb View Post
    Nice looking machine, but why 10" of Z when it looks like you have maybe 4-6" of clearance under the carriage? By the time you mount a table and spoil board on that you won't have need for so much Z.
    Extra Z travel can come in handy. Suppose you had 6" of clearance under the gantry. Suppose your router bit extended 3" past the collet. In order to retract the bottom of the bit so that it is higher than the bottom of the gantry, you now need about 9" of Z travel.

    I have a vertical mounting board on my CNC so that I can clamp a board vertically and cut dovetails on the end. I built my Z slide to have 14" of travel so that I could lift it high enough to cut the end of a 48" board. I haven't had to do a 48" board yet, but since I was building my own Z slide, why not go bigger.. I have done ends of boards that were higher than the bottom of my gantry though.

    So there's two reasons why it might be useful.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Biff Phillips View Post
    Extra Z travel can come in handy. Suppose you had 6" of clearance under the gantry. Suppose your router bit extended 3" past the collet. In order to retract the bottom of the bit so that it is higher than the bottom of the gantry, you now need about 9" of Z travel.

    I have a vertical mounting board on my CNC so that I can clamp a board vertically and cut dovetails on the end. I built my Z slide to have 14" of travel so that I could lift it high enough to cut the end of a 48" board. I haven't had to do a 48" board yet, but since I was building my own Z slide, why not go bigger.. I have done ends of boards that were higher than the bottom of my gantry though.

    So there's two reasons why it might be useful.
    That's what I was thinking, Biff. I plan on leaving a section free for clamping vertical pieces, as well, and I know the extra Z travel will come in handy.
    David
    CurlyWoodShop on Etsy, David Falkner on YouTube, difalkner on Instagram

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