Level #2 Machine
 

It is really nice to see people taking their machines to the next level. I really envy your creativity. Do you have any idea when you will be adding your 4th axis to the table.

Hopes were for this year. I have all the designs done but funds where drained for other projects. I hope to start on some of the implementation in the coming weeks but nothing will be complete until the new year.

Cutting out a puzzle

http://youtu.be/8dg_bd4ooS4

The Lady Bug

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/1...504b0b6d_c.jpg
Front View
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3827/1...bcf3f5b7_c.jpg
Rear View
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3740/1...b07556ae_c.jpg
Side View

Got an email from someone wondering about the WJ200 and spindle operations. I thought I would include this here with better screenshots. It ones further back in the thread are not that great.

The reason my spindle did not turn in reverse is by default. All my cutters are for CW direction. The reason in the program it did not turn in reverse was....Top Picture...Ports & Pins...Spindle Setup tab, Relay Control. I have CCW (M4) set to Output #1. If I set it to Output#2 it turns the Spindle CCW. Since it is not needed at this time I will put it back to Output 1 so no unintentional M4 in a program will cause any problems when I am running a program. Below it is the Brain.

I hope this helps someone else that has a Hitachi WJ200.

If you follow the link to Flickr and right click over the photo you can view the original size which is a lot larger and clearer. If you are reading this in the future they may have changed how to view the original but it works this way as of today.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/1...a8971ba4_c.jpg
PortsPinsSpindle, on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3687/1...c161526c_c.jpg
BrainSpindle, on Flickr

Cool Ladybug!!

Darren,

That was my second one. It is cut a little loose for the kids pre-school to play with. Total height out of 1/4" material is 11 3/8".

The first cutout was not so good. I cut it with tight tolerances. In assembly, I found some interferences with the design. I checked the cut out part's dimensions to the drawings and they were spot on. So I examined the areas on the plans in cad to see if they would fit together properly and there were interference issues on the plans. I emailed makecnc.com with screenshots and explanations of what I found and they responded promptly. They were a little shocked with the items I found but told me they would check and rework the model if necessary and send me an update. I was in a hurry to complete it so I opened the dxf in cad and re-worked 1/2" scale to fix the problems and re-cut two days later. The nice thing about their plans is it is all scalable. Fix a problem on the largest one and open it in Aspire and set the size percentage to the material you are working with and you are ready. At least with the ladybug.

Truth be told, I did not expect an update. For the small cost of the plans compared to other places, the plans are almost free compared to the price of a 3D model or an already pre-designed cutout for small furniture. I told them I did not want anything is return only to help them out. True to their word, I received an updated plan one week later with a 'Thank you' note. I could not have been treated better and in fact I have had a lot worse experiences with larger companies. I would recommend the puzzles to anyone even with the little rework that was needed. I spoke with Julie on the phone and they are 'very down to earth' people and more than willing to help and give information.

The plans come as you said before with three sizes and with assembly instructions.

Glad you had good luck with them.
I'm very satisfied as well.
I'm sure I'll be ordering more from them...
my wife is eying up a couple patterns from there.

Another puzzle.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/1...80e9934c_z.jpg
Profile 1, on Flickr
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3678/1...fccf037e_z.jpg
Profile 2, on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/1...1f89eae7_z.jpg
Profile 3, on Flickr

Kinda Creepy Cool!!

Boys got hold of it, now has a pirate shirt and tie on it. :D
I purchased all 6 volumes when I made my purchase. I will be cutting for a while. Mostly looking at the 1/4" stuff. Gave the Ladybug to the boys preschool. The kids loved it.

Their premium pattern houses and doll houses look awesome.

To those who partake, Happy Turkey Day

Thanks Pete, you too!:)

MakeCNC has a black friday sale on right now guys. Thought you might be interested as you have already got a few of them.

Thanks, Bruce, I'll check it out. :)

Spent several hours troubleshooting a limit switch this morning. The X-Axis switch is failing. It was fluttering. Luckily all the switches are the same. After switching it to a different position the problem moved. Now I at least know what I need. Have a spare on the A axis that I am not using since it is not installed yet. It will be my replacement until I can get another one for it.

A little bit of relief. This home/limit fiasco all started in between a two step process. The project I am working on requires two halves that will be combined to make one piece. The problem is the first piece was cut out last night. They must be cut out to allow threaded inserts, electronic components and wires. Then all sandwich together. So when the home/limit switch problem occurred, I was worried about racking and squareness. It took a while to get both X and B to turn off at the same time so when Mach is done homing the off points are the same. Then,... I forgot to check for square and cut out the second piece and thankfully everything is still on. The pieces lined up perfectly. A little luck was with me today.

Pictures Please...

I have not forgotten.

This wasn't without its form of frustration but it turned out nice in the end. Material is 0.500 Acrylic and 0.750" MDF. The LED's are remote controlled. I don't really like MDF for some things but it is nice for others. Everything has its place in life. I don't want this to turn into a debate on why MDF is bad or good ( :) have seen that on most every forum :mad: ). This is an indoor sign obviously. The color is a black metallic. The acrylic was supplied and not in the best of shape. I had a good deal of polishing to do on it. Many coats of paint and sanding on the frame with 320 and 600 grit paper to get the appearance I wanted. I used EZ-Lok knife thread insert nuts with brass screws to hold together.

Tom, I told you I had not forgotten and here they are......

Pictures

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3771/1...9ac9d457_z.jpg
View 1, on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/1...e9ffd577_z.jpg
View 2 , on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2843/1...24216c93_z.jpg
View 3 , on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5525/1...a3cd4335_z.jpg
View 4 , on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/1...70f802a7_z.jpg
View 5, on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2809/1...5ef8f64d_z.jpg
View 6, on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/1...62111ab5_z.jpg
View 7, on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2861/1...ccf547b1_z.jpg
View 8, on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3683/1...830b7498_z.jpg
View 9, on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2865/1...0a6e4a93_z.jpg
View 10, on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/1...edabe66d_z.jpg
View 11, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7459/1...7d7ecd2e_z.jpg
View 12, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7451/1...21e00c20_z.jpg
View 13, on Flickr

And the videos



http://img.youtube.com/vi/2NUghQPXAcM/0.jpg
First cut and testing, on YouTube

http://img.youtube.com/vi/H48kCVdxF30/0.jpg
Assembled, on YouTube

http://img.youtube.com/vi/OXCNWMY9uLY/0.jpg
After Assembly and same position as first video listed above, on YouTube

Absolutely beautiful. Great job...

Wow nice job!

Thank you Gentlemen.

very professional look, very nice.

Very Nice!

Attention to detail pays off, nice job.

Ross

Super Nice Pete, Inspiring!

Thanks again everyone,

The next adventure. I have a Jet 2HP Vortex dust collector. It works well, I am not complaining. Removes virtually all dust while I am cutting so I am happy with its performance. I have never seen anything but fine dust in the filter (but then again, neither do most that have one without the cone). The bag changing is not so bad but it definitely could be improved upon. A clear canister with a flexible connection hose with an air tight clamp would be ideal. The separation is not too bad but I would prefer to make a multi-part system. I usually transfer the dust to another bag for a friend who uses it. Clean the filter, cone, housing and contact area on the bag and reinstall. Since I use 55 gallon bags for the media that I give away, a small 30 to 55 gallon inline interceptor would be ideal. So I am making a Thien baffle directly before the collector. The only thing I did different from the original design was to make it flange mount. I made a flange to fit up around the lip of the container and sealed it to the container. I made two grooves and installed 0.139" o-rings. I have seen how important a sealed system is from working with vacuum at work. I know that any leak will affect performance. I expect to see a loss of suction because of this addition so I am trying to maintain a sealed system. If I can achieved an 85/15 ratio between the two systems as far as media collection is concerned. I will be pleased. I looked at the top hat design but went with this for the trial run. The top hat would require knife inserts as I do not want to break the surface into the chamber. If I go with a top hat, it will be flange mounted as well and i will be able to use the existing flange.

Parts are setting up with sealant now. I do not make near the dust as most of you here. As I said before, I do this for a hobby. I would like to change the top of the system from one filter to two using a Y connector to improve on the surface area for air to flow. Venting outside here requires a permit.

I'd love to see pics of your Thein baffled inline interceptor. Sounds intriguing.
Maybe what the Dr. ordered for my dust collection efforts.

First Test, pictures and video below


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7408/1...fab69ac9e5.jpg
Orings on Flange and dust in container , on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5507/1...563aa91962.jpg
Close up shot, on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3709/1...66c09e111f.jpg
Inside Assembly, on Flickr

http://img.youtube.com/vi/DEWHFVQJ_to/0.jpg
Thien Before Jet DC Vortex , on YouTube

Thats a lot of screws to go through to open up the bucket.
Mine is only a pull away.

Ken, I have seen that picture from your thread before. I almost went that route.

I most likely could have went with half that amount I used but being wood and with humidity changing I foresaw a leak. Still less than 30 seconds to loosen all of them. Now if all things are equal and the vacuum is constant, no screws would be required because the pulling action of the vacuum would seal the vessel. With one hose over the side creating side pull, I was leery. Granted this is not a pump or a roots blower where we are pulling well into the 20 to 30 in-Hg range where you would create a lot of heat from a small leak at a leak site. I would have liked an edge seal on the container with a recess in the wood to make the seal. But I need a different container with an even thickness edge for that to work. A 55 gallon steel drum would work but I would like my back to work in 30 years also. The other option was to laminate 3 piece of thinner pieces of material together and have the o-ring in the side and the lid seal on the side of the top cover. Again humidity changes wood as we know so it may seal good today and be stuck tomorrow or the opposite be loose tomorrow.

In the process of this test, I was able to find a leak at the dust collector 6" to 4" Y reducer. It is an interference press on style connector. I was able to identify it by ear when I was in just the right position to hear a slight hiss. Something not so easy with the noise of the unit.

I would much rather be sucking in all the bad air and leaving the good air alone. Even a small leak will reduce capacity, that is why I went this route. I would have liked to have borrowed the air velocity meter from work that we use when setting up our dust collection at our machines. Unfortunately, the EHS manager that has it is on vacation and it is locked in his office. This would have given base line numbers to work off of to compare the losses created. I hope to borrow it next week. Then I can see just how much reduction did occur with the inline style versus without and how much I regained by shortening the run. That is why the after blower is so much more appealing to some.

I enjoy making things as frugal & simple as possible. I find it more challenging than the other way round.
All in the good spirit of healthy discussion, improvement, unbiased comparison of various methods.
Theoretically, wood does have problem with moisture, making the cover from plastic is one of the alternatives but when plywood is always more convenient. I dealt the said moisture issue with lavish coats of lacquer, that should seal the plywood, It doesn't look like the seal will be broken in a decade or so.
I put some thick foam tape at the mating face as seal, stepped too. Tested no leak. still good after all these years. they are meant for such application after all. :)

Smaller barrels should work well too, just need to empty the bucket more frequently.
A barrel trolley should be good friend to our aging back :)

Good points all of them. I am used to maintaining vacuum levels in the single and double micron range in chambers and super high velocities for lung protection from heavy metal dust on machines, so I tend to over-engineer. I have seen many methods that achieve good results. I wasn't knocking yours. I was aiming for a near perfect seal (at least as close with wood surface prepping) and then a little leak later is not so bad. One thing about the Thien baffle, not any one is exactly the same. That is how we all, in the end, perfect the end design. By drawing a group consensus and pulling the best from all and make one.

I am interested to see what the velocity drop is with using the interceptor. I will post the numbers if anyone is interested.

Good chatting with you again Ken. You are always offer good advice from experience.

So every year Vectric® does their Christmas calendar and every year I miss the first couple pieces as they can only be downloaded on the day that matches the number on the calendar. They are pretty cool at doing stuff like that. Just wished my memory was better.

VectorArt3D is giving away 10 models for celebrating their 2000th design to registered users. You can find information about it in the Newsletter section of the Vectric Forum

Pete, if you need any of the first 9 let me know, I have all of them so far :)

If you don't mind, that would be awesome

PM me your email and I'll send them along :)

On the way