Congratulations !
I wonder if I could 3D print the big pulley ... I cannot figure how much force there is on the rotary axis, the PLA of the 3D priner is very strong but it's not metal ... is driven by a nema 23 motor ?

Silverdog.
Yes it is a nema 23 motor.
Geared 6:1
I took 3mm depth of cut with a 42mm dia cutter,20mm step over in Padauk(hardwood) while roughing out.
No problem.
The big pulley cost 18 Pounds Sterling last March.
Might get another to gear the Z axis.
The dp of the big pulley is 114.59mm, 72 teeth.
Hope this helps you.

Thanks Al :-)

Very Nice!

I would recommend an idler. If it is 6:1 then I assume then you have a 12 tooth driving pulley. This would leave only 4 teeth engaged in the drive pulley unless your center to center distance is really large. Only a suggestion. Nicely executed.

nicely done....

Thank you for the positive comments gentlemen.

#98, sage advise as always.
Yes, I did think about the small contact area.
If I had a lot of serious work for a 4th axis, I would build another with a longer belt and an idler.(Anyone got a STL file of a bust of William Shakespeare]

But for now my new toy will do.:D
All part of the MechMate adventure. :)

If you find that stl, I am interested as well.

There are some on http://www.123dapp.com/

I got back from a visit to England a few days ago.
I got some timing pulleys and belts.(Corian, drill bits , files, screws, tea bags, razor blades) 15kg more than what I went with.
I will make a reduction drive for my Z axis.

Today I moved the electrical box from under the machine
and mounted it on the wall.
I can still get down but getting back up is becoming more of a problem
as time passes.

Some craters I machined.

Tycho (Moon) and Gale(Mars)

I doubled the Z depth with Tycho to get a better effect.
Gale' I left the depth unaltered.
The possibilities are infinite.

STL files available here,
http://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/models

Those are really cool :cool: but I never would have thought someone would cut something like that. Who knew? The possibilities are 'out of this world', ha ha!

I finally got to make a reduction drive for the Z axis.
Ratio 3.273 : 1

The profile shop cut the plates -2mm on the outside and +2mm on the inside.

The machine shop bored all the holes tight and tapped M4 for the grub screws instead of M6.

It took longer than I thought it would to tune the motor.
I will have to wait until next weekend to see if it works in the real world.

Sometimes I wish that I had a bigger machine :D
I have 3 plain panel doors that have always annoyed me.
The wife is away so I decided to play.

The reduction drive for the Z axis is working well.
It took a lot of tuning to find the correct settings for speed and velocity.
It did not want to go slow.
Onwards.

You have some very nice ideas Al.:)

Well done....sure the wife will enjoy :D

Wife is not going to find her house! :)

Beautiful work.

Al is going for bonus points! Nice work Sir!

Spot on! Nice use of the machine.

Year 2 report
 

It is now 2 years since the beast first stirred.
I thought that I had lost the photos of my build but I found them on my backup computer. A trip down Memory Lane this morning.
They are now backed up on Google Drive.

The last year has seen an energy chain fitted on the X axis.
Working well.
A 4th axis built, not used much but it is available.
A Z axis reduction drive built. It is working well after some tuning problems.
A lathe built. It works well.

The door panel carving is ongoing. Something to do as I have 3 weeks off soon.
Just wish some of my nice ideas would translate into some nice cash.

A busy year with its ups and downs.
Year 3 begins. I wonder what it will bring.
Good to see that some new builds have started.

Glad to hear all is well Al.
You are an inspiration to those new builds.

2ys.....time do fly !!
Congrats on all your efforts and inspiring determination ! ;)

I got fed up of carving door panels. 30 designs, 60 + programs.
Problems, panels different sizes, not square, tapered, mounted out of square,
Different quality of wood, different types of wood, loose in frame, 2 1/2 kg of sawdust per side.
All good fun.

Took a break and did some pelmets instead.

I forgot to mention in my last post that I put the electronics box on the wall.
Much cleaner and easier to get at.
I can get down but sometimes it is a struggle to get up again.

I hear you on the electrical enclosure. I did something similar and moved the enclosure onto 8020 framework and secured to the wall. Much nicer on the knees.

I got a couple of new cutters off E bay.
I made some holders from some broken cutter shanks.
The tapered ball nose was 6mm dia.
The engraving bits were 1/8" dia.
Both cut well.

A couple of rubber band guns.
The pump action is work in progress.

Wow nice intricate work, I bet your wife appreciates the MM as much as you do:)

Kool work.

Hot to damn hot here today.
40C, 104F.

Machine working well, operator wilting.

Hope the operator partook in some alcoholic refreshments :)

Know what you mean Al, we had our hottest April day EVER Wednesday, 38C, when it supposed to Autumn. Stayed out of my garage altogether and hid in the air con.

You guys stay cool on these hot days if you can.

Up a notch, 41c today.
Possible 42c by the weekend.
Lemon tea with ice during working hours.:)
Beer with ice after 5pm.:D

Ouch Al! That is some serious heat. As Pete says, stay hydrated my friend, hope you can sleep nights.

I got some offcuts from a local furniture maker.
Padauk mostly.
There was some waney edged pieces.
The wife said they would be good for house signs
and that I should make a sample.
I thought there is a house in New Orleans.
Just the way my mind works.
Not sure she understood.:D

Kool.

Nice work my friend.

Another shining example of a job with no money in it.
A shelf for a statue of the Buddha to sit on, requested by a friend of my wife.
Padauk wood.
Top 500 x 400mm
The dolls are double sided machined and 31mm thick.
Delivery tomorrow. Payment debatable/doubtful :(

I've cut plenty of similar projects Al.
While a thank you is nice, a real payment is better.

Variations on a theme of Naga
 

I made these over the last couple of weekends.
The Naga is a mythical water serpent.

Mind you, they have pulled some strange things
out of the Mekong river over the years.:eek:

Wow, they are so cool! Very nice job Al.

Wouldn't surprise me what is in some of the worlds rivers, I bet there are alot of scary things :)