Gerald,

Only thanks to your website, made the whole thing a insert tab A into slot B type affair. But then, I don't call tech support when I am assembling Ikea furniture;)

On Edit: Did I mention I live in a urban area, and I walk next door to a crazy provisioned hardware store as well?

Sean, I think you have your Gregs mixed up....or do I have it wrong?

:p....Oh yeah, sorry Greg and Gerald....
This diaper changing and lack - o -sleep is getting me all confused.
...I miss the smell of freshly ground steel vee rail in the morning.
Sean

http://lh5.google.com/gregalb/R5QRJ4...0120082205.jpghttp://lh3.google.com/gregalb/R5QRJY...0120082204.jpg

All done but for the 5 volt power supply to the PMDX-122 and the current setting resistors. Fully re-groked. Probably do a continuity test one more time before I feed it power. But for the holes on the bottom of the panel, I should never need to disassemble this again:D

Well I did not make it to a test this week:( Tomorrow morning, I receive materials and I go out in the field for a week. I will only be able to check in for laser cut parts updates. I don't think the control box would be happy to ride in the vibrations in the back of my car with all the thermal shocks. Oh well, I will take the opportunity to tour various Radio Shack retail stores and look for a range of resistors to work with. Also, that will give me an evening in some hotel somewhere to disect a USB cable and run the polarity test I have been meaning to do.

On the other hand, I got to purchase a very swanky machine enclosure from 80/20 yesterday:D Also, met a process engineer who is very interested in my activities.

And... Just another reminder... I got bit by being cheap... I was trying to machine some fittings in steel instead of brass, and after about a week of effort of making precision fittings in bolt steel, I broke down and purchased brass today... The upside I guess is my collection of carbide tools should cut through brass like butter.

Received quote to have base table fabricated to 1/16th of an inch precision, and painted. Build quality would be far in excess of what I would be capable. And they would deliver it on crate that I could just fork off of their truck, and move it into place, next week...

Dang and the price is... low enough that I am tempted, and high enough that I don't really want to pay that much... But then my activities could be directed to areas that I enjoy, and I could start grinding x-rails next week.

Once again, I will not post actual quotes per forum rules, but It is looking like the build cost will be several thousand dollars less than a shopbot PRS if you were to outsource all the fabrication in the midwest.

On Edit: Anyword anywhere on a laser cut part group buy? Also, the research for this post confirms it, I am gonna order the fabrication.

Greg, who did you get a quote from on the base table? are they going to grind the rails also? I may be interested in contacting them for a quote also.

Salenbien Welding, in Dundee Michigan.

I suspect about a $100 of the price I told you was delivery though...

Thanks, I may check them out thought it might be easier to drive 45 min to them since they allready know whats being built then to explain it to somebody new.

Nothing, nada nix. Spent all day yesterday battling tech support personel (business software package) that presumed I was an ignorant no nothing luser. For that particular project, I am now a day behind. I am smelling failure, man I hate that smell. Fired off a nasty email, documenting why their software sucks. Wish I was doing something fun.

Yay!! Software problems fixed. Now I get to go install the hardware only two days behind. Hope I can finish this up before I receive a machine enclosure (Candle machine #1) on Wednesday. On Monday, I have to pick up the fill nozzles/valves from the replacement machinist. That means I can work on a mechmate simulation test, all day Tuesday!!

Also, ordered the table from the fabricators today(I needed something to cheer me up after that last post, wow that was dark). Next up on procurement is Laser cut parts.... Sean, you there?

revved_up,

Make sure you stop by my store (Swan Creek Candle) if you drive to Dundee;) I don't have extra materials anymore... Since it looks like I am rebuilding the control interface for a filling machine, and replacing it with solenoid operated valves from the pneumatically operated system that is currently in place...

LOL my wife was wondering if you were Swan Creek, She has some of your candles and when I told her of your post she wants to go for sure! This might be the first step in her acceptance of this obsession. She says I have been talking MechMate in my sleep lately LOL.

Woo hoo, all projects are back on track. UPS o'clock with a few more parts on the way. Fuses for the test.

Still need... Laser Cut Parts. Have about 2.5 weeks before my table arrives, so nothing to do with laser cut parts until then but...

I guess I could start preparing the area where my table will live. I am gonna need a whole bunch of conduit. Hmmm, a conduit bender is probably best found in a pawn shop. I wonder if I go by any pawn shops today?

So, I do my simulation test tomorrow, then I start setting up my workshop.

Small Little Update;)

Be careful with that lighter 10 10 306 S. Tempting to stack stuff on there and it could bend down (pulling legs in, x-rails out). To go lighter there is fine for the table itself, just have to remember it is not for stacking or standing. If that makes you nervous, weld a thinnish vertical in the center, up to the nearest table cross bearer 10 10 302.

Your QA checks before it leaves the contractor's shop:
1. Are the cross-supports offset by about 4" to one end of the table?
2. Sight over the tops of the beams from the side and check that the table is not twisted (it should twist a little under its own weight, but it shouldn't be far out to start with)
3. Check across the table with a tape measure for the dimension at top right corner of drawing 10 10 300 W. It should be parallel within about 1/8", or whatever tolerance the contractor gave you at the start.
4. Sight down the length of each beam to see if they are still fairly straight.

They didn't drill the holes for the spoilboard?

Back from welding supply for another part

#1. Check
#2. Straight within the precision of my eyesight
#3. Was surprised, but within the precision of the tape measure I was using, table is dead on square.
#4. Once again, within the precision of my eyesight, totally straight, level and square.

Per holes... I asked to drill holes, (I was thinking rails...) and that decision has had repercussions. I am thinking chalk line and tape measure and elbow grease at this point...

Sounds like you found a good welding shop! Congratulations! :)

Yeah, let me give another plug for Selders Welding in Dundee Michigan. For my other activities, I drop off a drawing, I come back in the morning the next day, never pay more than $10 to $20 for the part. Since I found them from the table search, Ive use them probably 10 times now. Fast, good cheap work every time.

Next step is the paint.

Looks great Greg. Are you going to tackle welding the gantry and car?

Well the next thing is gettig the table into the shop(the door is tall and narrow, so I am thinking fork table off of truck to door. Flip onto side on dollys, through door, then rll the dollys into final position with a safety spotter so I don't crush myself) And start setting up a work area to grind rails. But before I can move onto the gantry, I need to procure some laser cut parts... Yesterday I located a place to rent a magnetic dril press...

Right now I am doing things on it that are big and well defined because I just crossed the "now i have to do a million little things threshold" on another project... So I can currently make progress... on a jig to grind rails, procuring laser cut parts, setting up shop area.

On the other hand, the people financing the other project are starting to notice this one and are talking about financing me (I am financing this one as a router) to make several mech mates as candle machines. Rather than router on head, several tools for candle making...

And if that is the case I will need much more melted wax supply than I currently have, and will need to go back into hot wax plumbing, but on a much larger scale for this facility...

...

That is out of order, because I was up really late last night because the candle machine functioned the first time without dripping;) (at all!)

...

Time to drink coffee BBL.

...

P.S. Welding shop did a really nice job on my heated tank filling head, but I need to drill and tap own holes on next machine because as nice a job as they the tapped holes are all out of plumb by multiple thousandths and I have had to work around that for a while.

So I guess to answer Doug Fords question... My money supply is greater than my time so I will probably outsource the gantry and car welding as well. On the other hand I am still getting blank stares (previously referred to as the PITA treatment) when I talk about outsourcing rail grinding.


On Edit: On edit... I is really easy to sit here for an hour and a half planning day...

It must be a wonderful feeling to have more money than time. My wife has always endeavored to ensure that I am short of both.:)

Doug_Ford,

Small business is all grown up;) Approaching 20 million annual sales:D (I get big money get to keep little money;) ) (sigh another aside... I am at a level where a million dollar increase in sales year over year is no longer good news...) At this level if you don't spend it the government takes it from you. Unfortunately you still have an employer, his name is Uncle Sam. As he doesn't seem to give much of a damn how I spend my time, as long as I send him his cut, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I am a regular overnight success after 15 years of working my ass off...

Also... With all these laser cutting firms turning away $500-$1000 dollar jobs I am starting to wonder if I am in the wrong business, and if I shouldn't be looking at the laser cutting business... Generally I am all over the $500 to $1000 dollar jobs... What are they doing that they don't call back the people with finished part files wanting to spend a $1000???

Greg,
I too have seen many laser firms turn down a $500 job, or quote me $1500 or $2000 so that if they got the work, it would be worth their while. Guess they are too busy for my work. :(

Domino11,

A few months ago, I started making the Mechmate part files into emachineshop files... Couple thousand dollars at least.

If anyone wants the work I started I will email them to you... but...

I just picked up my laser parts today from the laser cutter . He doesn't do bending just laser cutting, so I will have to take them to another shop, that I have already contacted, to have the parts bent. The mamba parts including the the rail grinding skate and the mini grinder jig for cutting the angle to size (a total of 25 pcs) cost $220.00. I had him run 2 sets for me because they were so cheap. Who knows, I'm having so much fun, maybe I'll built more MechMates. He said he would do more sets, no problem. Hope to get the bending done, next week, for less than $75.00. We'll see.

Paul

Greg,
Not sure what you mean here. Could you elaborate? I was just comenting on the lack of interest in small jobs.

Heath.

http://www.emachineshop.com/

Download their proprietary cad program. Make your part file. Hit the request a quote button. Wow, look at those prices...

Greg,
Thanks, I didnt realize it was an online machine shop. :o Thanks for the link. Dont think I will shop there though. :)

Greg
Is the shop, where you are getting your table made, capable of bending up to 1/4" steel? If so, I could probably have the laser cut parts made here, in Canada ,and you could have them bent in MI. I could meet you somewhere near the bridge to make the transfer or I could ship them to you. I don't know how much the shipping would be (or customs/duty) but, if you have no other way of getting the laser parts, it is a possibility. The cost $220.00 Cdn. for mamba parts unbent.

Paul

cobra427mnsi,

Yes, I think (assume) they could, I will talk to them about it today(and end the assumption). I had them build me a motor mount bracket the other day that was 3/16ths. But I will verify.

I still haven't checked with commerce industries yet because I was waiting on hearing about the parts from Alabama also but they have a website at commerceindustries.com and they are here in Michigan in Wixom.