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Thread: CNC arrives.... :)

  1. #16
    Gadzukes they built a room around that thing!!! lol. I can feel what you went through when the door rolls up. When our machine landed it was crated and of course in the truck the long way. Crate was the full width of the truck and a bit over 10' long. I wasnt paying riggers so we had a forklift dropped the day before with extra long forks and to get the thing off forking it from the short side I still opted to chain bind it to the mast on the fork lift just in case. We off loaded in a large lot across the street from the shop, then set it down, uncrated a bit, and drove it across a busy street and into the shop and it went through our 10' overhead door with 2" to spare (inch each side). Would have been nice if it came on a flat bed and we couldve grabbed it from the side rather than the end but having it shipped covered saves a lot of risk and cost for wrapping for weather.

    Its a nerve wracking process to say the least. Getting it to your house takes the pressure off. We werent so lucky. We were leveled, wired, plumbed for air, in about 2 hours and making moves by nightfall. I just took some time recently to re-level our machine with the rotary laser and it brought back all the stressful memories of that day lol.

    Now the fun begins.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    Bruce, I remember Mick's surfacing file and will look to locate and use it once I'm ready for that. I have to deal with the tee-slots being unfortunately slightly proud of the machine table before I lightly surface that to install my initial spoil board.

    Mark, it sounds like you had "a whole lot of fun" with your machine, too. I agree that receiving a big machine like many CNCs on a flat bed would have been a lot easier than a box trailer, given my having to climb over the crate in the trailer to retrieve the wayward grapples. (I was the smallest of the three of us; me, truck driver, tow driver)

    I have the machine placed and leveled as well as the air and electrical hooked up. I'll soon be turning things on to do the aforementioned "initial initialization", hopefully exclaiming, "It's ALIVE!"
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    to climb over the crate in the trailer to retrieve the wayward grapples
    We had the same experience. Laying down on top of the crate and getting someone upwind of the machine to toss chains to to bind it to the mast on the lift. In the end Im glad we pocketed the cost for riggers as that saved thousands and for a machine weighing 5K it wasnt necessary.

    As already mentioned, with a turn key machine its so fast its ridiculous. We were literally tie a whip into the panel, air coupler connection to the machine (which we pulled and opted to pipe in direct), cable connections to the computer, and a DC connection with a hose clamp and done.

    I toiled long and hard over T slots in the table and in hind sight am so glad I didnt go that route. We nearly NEVER pull the spoil board off the machine and instead opted to make a single zone Tslot fixture on a piece of scrap laminate stock (baltic birch core, shinny laminate one face, backer on the upper). We machined the slots into the back face of that material and with the shinny face on the spoil board with a single stage of vac on, you couldnt pry that thing off with a jackhammer. It keeps the main table covered up and protected at all times and we can toss a tslot fixture on at any time.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Dawson Creek, BC
    Posts
    1,033
    Congrats Jim. It will be no time and you will be making saw dust with it.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,675
    It's ready to go...I'll have more photos in a bit. "It's ALIVE!"
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #21
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Santa Fe, NM
    Posts
    259
    Congrats, Jim! That's a really fine looking machine. Can't wait to see it in action!

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,504
    Congratulations Jim! I am sure you will put it through its paces!
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Jacksonville, FL
    Posts
    859
    Congrats Jim. What’s your first project for it?
    Marshall
    ---------------------------
    A Stickley fan boy.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,675
    Today's activities revolved around getting the machine in final placement, hooking up electrical, assembling the computer, installing the Kent dust shoe and then the "initial initialization" and testing/non-cutting play.

    Just as the jack was used to install the casters, it was used to take them off and assist with leveling

    IMG_0675.jpg

    Having two longer levels came in handy. Surprisingly, I only needed about 1/4" lift in the front to compensate for the sloped floor of my shop. I was expecting more, but I guess the slope is less in that particular area of the shop.

    IMG_0676.jpg

    Clearly, this sucker isn't going to move anywhere by itself!

    IMG_0677.jpg

    Electrical connection is darn easy with this box conveniently provided for the purpose. I generally make up and use pig-tails with twist locks for my larger machinery and the CNC is no exception. I had already made up a two footer and just had to wire it into the terminals to complete this task.

    IMG_0678.jpg

    The air connection for the counterbalance was equally simple...just plug it in.

    IMG_0679.jpg

    Rather than have stuff clogging up the floor and making it harder to clean up escaped machining debris, my anal self insisted on dressing the electric and air connections to the frame. That completed the particular set of tasks.

    IMG_0680.jpg

    IMG_0681.jpg
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,675
    It was then time to get the computer connected and running so that I could wake the sleeping beast up. I had already mounted the computer components to this stand-up desk stand I found on Amazon (not originally found in that color, however... ) so plugging into power, LAN and the CNC took a very short period of time. What's nice about this arrangement is that I can easily tuck the whole thing away at the back-left of the CNC when the machine is not in use...any kind of permanent desk just isn't possible in my shop. I'm even thinking about a small touch screen mounted directly to the CNC someday with the control computer on a platform underneath the machine to further reduce footprint. Maybe.

    IMG_0684.jpg

    "It's ALIVE!!!!" Darn thing works as advertised. I took it through initialization and a whole bunch of movement. It was during this testing/play that I discovered that I might have an issue with the power switch and will have to contact support about it tomorrow. If the switch is knocked past "on" even a hair, power is removed from the controller. I don't believe it's supposed to work like that.

    IMG_0688.jpg

    Laser (for setting x-y in some situations) works, too, and the lines are sharp.

    IMG_0690.jpg

    The last part of any "assembly" work was to install the Kent dust shoe. While the machine comes with one, it only has a small port size on it which IMHO is inadequate for appropriate extraction. This process took a little time because of the need to carefully figure out the best length for the flex and to insure it's properly grounded.

    IMG_0691.jpg

    So...ready to rock and roll, more or less, once I tackle the miss-installed tee-tracks.

    IMG_0697.jpg
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Bucks County, PA
    Posts
    198
    Looks great Jim, can’t wait to see it in action! Nice of the auction house to let you borrow their parking lot, very convenient.

  12. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    ... when the machine is not in use...
    I'm not sure I understand the statement above; not in use? I don't get it.

    That is a beautiful machine, Jim, just beautiful.

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

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    North of Boston, MA
    Posts
    24
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post

    Electrical connection is darn easy with this box conveniently provided for the purpose. I generally make up and use pig-tails with twist locks for my larger machinery and the CNC is no exception. I had already made up a two footer and just had to wire it into the terminals to complete this task.

    IMG_0678.jpg
    Jim Love the pictures and explanation, it is so informative of how the process goes especially for us regular joes that don't have large crates and big machinery delivered all the time. Curious about the power, Does it not come with a power connector ready to plug into the wall? Is it just one 220v for whole machine or one for spindle separate? Thank you
    Voccell DLS 50 watt (G Weike Storm 600 rebrand basically)
    CW-5000 Chiller
    Shapeoko 3 XL CNC

  14. #29
    Great looking install. Probably hard to sleep at night with that thing down there whispering to you lol. You'll have a blast.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Deep South
    Posts
    3,970
    Jim, I am really happy for you. As I said before, you seem like the kind of guy who would take right to it. I remember the excitement I had making those first few projects and i look forward to seeing some of yours.

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