I echo Gerald's comments, same down here in Aus.

Well done Al, that chain looks fine and will do the job well. Love your 3D stuff, makes me want to try something. Keep 'em coming!

I know that here in the states we have more stuff easily available but it is not always less expensive. I like to see the stuff the others make and can buy. A chinese spindle we can get for roughly 350US but the brand name bearings rated for them are 900US+ for one set (sealed and paired). Why, because they are made in places like Italy and made to order so we have to pay that shipping cost. I have read a lot of stuff where builders state what it cost them and I can't build it for 3 to 4 times their cost. So it is relative to location and place and manufacturer.

No offence taken.
I make things for different reasons.

1. I cannot afford it.

2. I cannot get it.

3. Because I can.

I do not live in the western world.
The main activity around here is rice farming.
There are many things here I cannot get
I might have a chance if I was in Bangkok.
The best I can do is go to the local nut and bolt shop with a Google image and see if they have it. Sometimes they have no idea what it is.

There is the language barrier. The chances of me getting someone on the phone at an engineering supplier who can speak English and who understands what I want are slim indeed.
I cannot ask the wife to phone because she is not an engineer.
There have been arguments in the past. Lesson learned, leave her alone.
They tend to use centimeters here, so when I say millimeters it tends to confuse them.

I could import but most deliveries go to the customs in Bkk.
Additional transport charges apply as well as imaginative import duties.

On my trips back to England I pick up bearings, pinions, timing belts and the like. I even brought the racking back with me.

When I started my build I was lucky to fins a company with an old nc gas profile cutter.
The sizes produced were +/- 3mm.
The bends well !!!!!!
The y car had to be guillotined into 3 parts, bent then welded back together.
The spider was a disaster. I had to do it a different way.

Full credit to Gerald for a flexible and adaptable design.

Anyway I enjoy it.

Well stated sir.

I'd be clicking Like on that post Al.... if we had one.

Super nice of you to answer so in depth Al.
If I had not asked you, and you had not answered, others would not have learned.

this could be helpfull ... I tried and it's not bad ...
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/videos/172959-cnc.html

Any news about the 4th axis ? I am still working on it :o :)

Sergio there's something wrong with that link it takes me to CNCZone and then bounces me to an ad for porn.

that's strange, I tried and work fine .... with no porn ads ... sorry

try this ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAWcicckaMA

The first link, in the first post, above the video, may be the dodgy one - it is inserted by VigLink, who gave me an Amazon ad for shoes. But. the video itself is good, and VERY interesting!

I did not have any trouble with the CNCZone link. The dxf files are further down the page also.

Thank you for the link Sergio, it worked fine.
I had seen it before.
I did make a trial section.
The plywood I used was of poor quality despite ordering grade A.:mad:
The part that slipped over the links was prone to failure.

The chain that I have made has worked OK up to now, but I have not cut full width yet.

Speaking of full width, I took the opportunity to move the X axis homing switch and hard stop 50mm.
I now have 1250mm travel on the X axis.
There is scope for another 30mm on the other end of the axis.
Another job for the 'One of these days' list.

Seasonal greetings to you all.

Attached picture of a copse of trees which I made yesterday.

If any of you want a copy of the DXF file, please send me a P.M. and I will mail it.

They look really cool Al, alot better than a lot of cnc'd trees I've seen. Well done!

Apparently it (the forum) did not like my first reply as it never posted it....


Pretty Awesome

Gremlins Pete, Gremlins :)

Looks great, and a Merry Christmas to you too.

Skeletal remains
 

Some interesting skeletal remains turned up during profile cutting.

A MechMate kingfisher and brace of MechMate sandpipers.
I only had to extend the bill on the large one.
The remaining shapes are as cut.

Some new things
 

A couple of new carvings.
I am trying to get some carved door panel or drawer front work.
I did the drawings in my spare time last week.
Did the programs and cutting over the weekend.
So I have some samples to show.
Fingers crossed.

Excellent work!

Beautiful work

Yup....very nice ;)
May you share some cutting strategy too

Cutting strategy ? O.K. seeing that you asked.

I face and thickness the blank with a 42mm dia 3 tooth cutter.
I screw 2 lengths of 8mm threaded rod into the bed ensuring they do not protrude more than the finished thickness.
The work is edged clamped with a plywood cam clamp.
Set the jog to 25% and manually face the work.
Max depth of cut 2mm.

For the 2 1/2 D carving, rough out with a 8mm ball nose, 6mm deep, 5mm step over, bottom speed on the router, feed 1200mm/min.
Finishing 4mm ball nose, 1mm deep, mid speed, 3200 mm/min.

Panel carving, 10mm 90 degree V bit, 3mm D.O.C. 500mm plunge, 2mm step over, 1200 feed, up the speed on the router if I remember.
Clamped on top on 4 corners.

Not fast but it works for me.:cool:

Interesting !!
Maybe .....maybe slow....but in defense, the results speaks :D
Have you tried a little faster ?

For your ballnose finishing, what was your stopover and what was your "hand" finishing/sanding (if any) had to be done before applying the protective coat of finish ?

Thanks for sharing ;)

First the easy question.
Stepover 0.5mm.
Sanding time depends on various factors.
The quality and density of the wood, difference between heart wood and sapwood.
Sharpness of the tool.
Quality of grinding and accuracy of the radius produced by the grinder.
I have had some ball nose returned looking more like a V bit.
Also with V bits, how accurate the angle is.

I do not know what the wood is called for the panel carvings but it was dense and hard, very little sanding required.
The shellac raised the grain more than the cutter.
Time to sand, 20 min + depending on size and detail, also what I feel is acceptable. Could spend an hour or more sanding, but the weather is nice and the birds are singing.

Speed, the hard one.

My machine is probably one of the smaller and cheapest builds.
I posted before about money and availability.
The box section is thinner than I would have liked.
I have no axis drivers. The motors are driven direct from the board.
It is direct drive. Some day I will gear the axis, Z first.
No gas spring, only a coil spring.
The Z axis has relatively short travel so I have gagged the rapid to 2500mm/ min.
X and Y 6000mm/ min.

Many factors.
I hope this answers some of your questions.
Any more, please ask.

Thanks for taking time to reply....
Enjoy.

A Stargate is born
 

I made this for my friend who repairs my computers.
He is a Sci Fi buff.
It gave me a lot of pleasure to create and cut it.
I learned a few things along the way.
The hard job is still to do, mount the hanging bracket.:D

I hope to present it to him this weekend.

400 mm dia, 32mm thick Padauk.
Unknown wood for the outer profiles

Very nice & impressive detailing !?
Care to share some data :D
IE : Tools, cut strategy and....total time !?