I wish I can weld like that...

Well done!

I wish I could to!

My son is doing all the welding on the mechmate. :)

Your build is looking good.

I like how you did the open front, I have been trying to figure out the best way to make mine so I can use it for storage. I may have to "borrow" your idea :D .

Kelly
Thanks for the compliment feel free to borrow, after all, that is the purpose of this forum. Does rcboats mean what I think it does?

What is the plastic tray piece that is mounted in the Kurt Vice? It has me wondering what it is. That and the Box with all the air filters. LOL

Build is looking good. If you are able to mount a sheet of mdf under the table it will make a nice place to lie down on when you bolt down your spoil board.

Russell, the plastic is cut from a plastic package. I used it to catch the majority of the chips while drilling. Saves clean-up.
This room doubles as my finishing room and the box with all the air filters is a exhaust fan (3 gang squirrel cage) that fits in one of the doors. My woodshop is separated from this room with double doors that have filters mounted in them. When I want to spray a finish I open the woodshop windows, close the double doors between the woodshop and finishing room then place the exaust fan in the door to the outside and I have nice clean airflow in the finish shop.
There are 3 cross tubes that connect the lower sides of the table (not currently installed) and will make a nice place to lay. :)

Yea Jim, it does, I have been building and racing radio control boats for over thirty years and also fly RC planes, most anything RC. One of the things I will do with my MM is molds and parts for boats and planes.

Sounds like you will enjoy your MM! I used to race R/C boats in the central US so that is why I was curious.

Once again I have been away for some time. Fortunately not having posted does not mean that no mechmate work is getting done. Even when circumstances don't allow me to post I am always watching the forum so I can learn from the other builders. I had progressed to the point of needing to setup my rails and I did manage to take some photos the process. I started with the x-axis with the idea of using the same methods on the y-axis. Lacking any accurate 10' long straight edge I settled on the wire method. This method involves supporting a wire of known diameter at two distances of known separation while having the wire under a known tension. Since my rails are of a uniform height, the wire can be used as an accurate reference when setting the x-axis installed rail height provided that I compensate for the wire sag. Suitable wire sag tables can be found on the Internet.

This photo shows the overall setup in place on the x-axis.
http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...rtsInPlace.jpg

Here are several photos of the setup I used to support and tension the wire.
http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...upportBase.jpg http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...reSupport1.jpg
http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...ireCloseup.jpg http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...portAdjArm.jpg
http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...ightOnWire.jpg

By slotting the wire support bars where the bolts pass through, I can set the wire to the correct height above the top surface of the x-axis rail at each end. I started with the bar too high and by leaving the bolts snug but not too tight I was able to tap the bar downward while checking the distance above the x-rail top. Since I did not want the wire to touch the rail due to sag I chose to set the wire .025 " above the rail tops at both ends. When using a wire as a reference it is important to avoid touching the wire as doing so will displace the wire and result in inaccurate results. I also took the time to align the wire laterally to each end of the rail. This was accomplished by bending the support bar to one side or the other slightly until the wire was positioned in the center of the flat area of the top of the rail. I then proceeded to use feeler gauges to determine the distance below the wire of the rail top at each location where the rail is bolted to the table beam. I used a .025" feeler gauge that I mounted on a fixture to account for the initial wire distance above the rail top.

Here are a couple of photos of the fixture in use.
http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...uringSetup.jpg http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...GuageInUse.jpg

I then added feeler gauges by slipping them under the .025" feeler gage until I could add no more without touching the wire. This gave me a initial measurement of how thick the shims beneath the x-rail needed to be. The next step is to account for the wire sag by adding the wire sag value to the initial measurement in order to arrive at the correct shim height needed. In my case the wire sag was approximately .006" at the mid-point of the wire. Example: If I had to insert .020" of feeler gauges at the mid-point I would need to add .006" to this to account for wire sag which would then require .026" of shims be placed under the rail to bring that point to the correct height. Once a shim was put in place I then re-checked the distance and, if necessary, made additional adjustments. I followed this procedure for each bolt location by interpolating wire sag charts to come up with wire sag values for each location.
Once I had shimmed each bolt location to the correct height I then used the wire to do my lateral rail alignment to insure that the rail is straight. I found that by using a magnifying glass it was easy to get the rail aligned and straight.
I hope you will find explanation this useful. I have received so much assistance from the mechmate community I wanted to add to the community for a change.

Jim

Very nice and some excellent work.

Mick

I have my machine 95% done and ready to tear down for paint. Before do that I want to do some test cuts. I want to cut a roadrunner but I don't know what v-bit geometry to use. I tried a 90 degree bit but it cuts too much detail out. Does anyone know what bit to use? Thanks.

Any bit will work. The cheapest and ideal bit would be a 45 Degree chamfer type bit. Carbide, 2 flute from the Big Box Home center will do fine.

If you looking to see the detail, then only set the depth of cut to about 1mm or 1/16" inch to see the detail your looking for.

Good luck

Sean

Thanks Sean I'm on the hunt for a 45 degree bit now.

Ugh! I could not find one in town. I have ordered one and should get it next week. I was able to cut some circles with a 1/4 inch straight bit. I am going to do some more reading so I can try drawing something in CAD. I also am registering at the local vo-tech school for a intro to CAD course starting next month. I have a lot to learn!

Jim I made your rail alignment post a "Sticky" under Rails and Rollers. What sag chart did you use?

Used the one here.
http://www.millwrightmasters.com/Sch...wire-sag_1.htm

Made a PDF and posted it in the sticky.

http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showt...74&postcount=2

Looks good, thanks.

I enrolled in a CAD course at the local community college but they have not filled the class and there is only two weeks until it starts. I sure hope the class gets filled. In the meantime I have been taking care of a few odds and ends prior to teardown for paint.
I purchased the 2010 screenset so I could take advantage of the auto-zero macros. After wiring a ground wire from the BOB to the junction box on the back of the gantry I needed to have a zero plate and a tool change plate installed on the mechmate. I tackled the zero plate first by running wires to the 0, 0 end of the mechmate. I ran several wires in case I later need more wires in that area. I terminated the wires in a small plastic box mounted on the inside of the left I-Beam.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/.../ZeroPlate.jpg

I mounted a small terminal strip inside the box and attached the wires to it's terminals. I needed wires for the plate and, after some rummaging around, I found some pieces of proxy wire that I had left over from the proxy wiring. These wires were very flexable and well suited to this application. Each cable had four wires in it so I connected all four together rather than using just one of the conductors. I used some 1" x 1/4" flat alum. bar for the zero touch plate. I put a slight bend on one end and drilled and tapped it for the screw that attaches the wire lug.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...eroPlate-1.jpg

I made a bracket for the zero touch plate and mounted it to the bottom of the I-beam. To store the zero touch plate I wrap the cable over the bracket and insert the zero touch plate in a slot at the end of the bracket.
I then focused on making a tool change zero plate. The plate needed to be isolated from the machine in order to work correctly so I came up with a way to do just that. The phote below shows the parts used to isolate the tool change zero plate from the mechmate frame.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...angeZero-2.jpg

I found a set of plastic snap bushings that would allow a 8mm bolt to pass through yet keep the bolt from touching the metal of the plate. They are manufactured by Heyco and the part number is SB-437-5. Here is a link to the webpage. http://www.heyco.com/products/sec_04/4-01.html#. I removed the "fingers" in the snap bushing as they were in the way in this application.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...angeZero-3.jpg

I was able to locate some plastic spacers in my junkbox to use to hold the plate at the needed height. Any non-conducting spacers will work. I then drilled and tapped holes in the table cross support at the location that I wanted the touch plate at. I attached the ground wire and ran it back to the plastic box/terminal strip. I will route the wire inside the cross support tube after the mechmate is painted.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...ChangeZero.jpg

Close-up view of finished install.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...angeZero-1.jpg

Another item I needed to take care of was powering a laser cross hair for the Z-axis. I wanted to avoid having to use batteries and, after some thought, I realized that the button box on the Y-car already had +12 VDC in it because I chose to use a dc voltage on my e-stop and other buttons. I decided to try and find a dc to dc converter to power the laser with. A quick search on Ebay resulted in a DC to DC converter with the correct output voltage (+5 VDC) and small in size. I wanted to be able to switch the laser on when desired so I placed a toggle switch in the +12 VDC input lead. I found that the Y-car button box had plenty of room in it for the converter and switch. I mounted them in the box and drilled a hole for the converter led to fit in. I am currently working on a dust foot and plan to mount the laser in the dust foot.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...HairSupply.jpg

I used some more of the left over proxy cable to run the output of the converter to the Z-slide where I placed a terminal strip. Once I have the laser mounted and wired I will connect it to the terminal strip and I will be able to switch it on/off with the switch mounted on the Y-car button box.

Well that brings me up to date so see you next time!

Nice work Jim, and good clear pics too, thanks.

Once I had the mechmate cutting and fully wired/built I began the teardown so that I could begin painting. First I am detailing the metal parts by filing the sharp edges and removing burs and the like. I did not realize how much work is involved!

My son and I have been attending CAD training in the evenings at the local vocational college. Have not been to devote much time to the MM but I have found the time to be well spent as I now have a much better understanding of AutoCAD. We are done with the 2D courses and are considering taking the 3D courses.

My current build includes direct drive setups but I had always planned to go to belt drive but wanted to wait until I had the funds. In the process of getting the MM cutting properly I cut a "Wahoo" board. Wahoo is a board game that uses dice and marbles. My wife had asked me to cut two of these boards for her family reunion to be sold as gifts. She came back from the reunion with orders for 10 more! I suddenly had the money for the belt drive parts so I got started. I started with plates from Mike but had to turn adapters for the bearings because I could not find flanged bearings in the correct size. I got all the adapters made and installed on the plates and am now working on welding the plates together. Tonight I worked on detailing metal parts and I also made a spacer that I will to use keep the motor plates spaced correctly and parallel to each other while being welded together. I will post pics when I get a chance.

It's late so I must sign off for now.

Happy Holidays!!

If you can take the 3D class, also you can get a discount of software from Rhino if your a student. I mentioning it because you can download any 3D drawing ,object,etc and do whatever you want with it. I found a life size full 3D model of a Terminator3. If I wanted I could build the whole thing life size with ALL parts.lol

Jason

Done at last!!!
 

Good news! My build is complete. Here are some of the steps taken since my last post:

Painted the machine. Thanks to Jimmy and Brad as they did the actual painting after I did the prep work.

Once we got it home I reassembled it and spent a lot of time getting it setup accurately.

I attached the Mechmate to my workshop's dust collection system. With some inspiration from a dust shoe I saw on the Internet, I drafted and then cut a dust foot with a removeable brush plate. The plate is held on by magnets and detaches to facilitate tool changes.

I purchased plates from Metalhead and built 3:1 belt drives and installed them.

I initially placed the laser on the dust foot but decided to move it to the car due to the focus changing as the Z-axis moves up and down. Fabricated a bracket to mount the laser on the bottom ear of the car. I used lexan on the part that the laser mounts in so the laser body would be isolated from the Mechmate frame. Using a macro that came with the 2010 screenset I bought, I entered the correct offsets and fixed a bug that leaves the movement mode in inc rather than abs when the macro finishes. Works a treat now.

I will post some photos of my belt drives and laser mount later.

Check this out!

Well done, Sir.
I don't think I ever cut a Roadrunner with mine.

Awesome - That MM is quiet :) !!! You get #104 !!

Folks
Thanks for the nice comments. I can't claim its quiet at all. I found the volume control in the video editor and reduced the volume of the router segment. :)

Looks good Jim!

It does feel good to make the first milestone, completion. Great Job

Now I can start to make things!!

Hi Jim,
Very nice job.
Did you get some pics of your laser mount yet?

Darren, no pics yet. I'll get some this weekend.

Builder's Log Update
 

Jim,

Congratulations. Here's the Updated Builder's Log

Please let me know the dimensions of your MechMate for the record.

John my dimensions are 49" x 97" thanks.

Thanks, Jim.

Here is the Updated Builder's Log.