Finally starting my build!

[Oldsarge]

I finally have things finished enough at home to start my build! Other than a few odds and ends, I have everything I need in the shop & ready to go. Last weekend I cut out the steel for the frame, and decided to take the day off from work today to get started in earnest. For the most part everything went well... Spent a huge amount of time just walking around the table tapping and twisting and tweaking before tacking everything up. Here's what I have so far, and what I'm shooting for:

~ 5x10 cutting area with an extra 2' section on the back to park the gantry out of the way for maintenance etc...
Water table with a bladder system for raising & lowering the water level
80/20 extruded aluminum gantry system of my own design
CandCNC Dragon cut controls with upgraded 620 oz motors
Hypertherm 1250 Plasma with the upgraded Duramax machine torch


This is after an 8 hour day in the shop... Things went together pretty well. The floor in the shop is pretty level, so that helped a lot.


I'm using 2x4 1/4" wall tube for my top rails. HEAVY! 1x2 x3/16 angle will be what I drill & tap to accept the v-groove rail, and overhang it 1/2" to mount the gear rack for the gantry drive.


This shows the 2' overhang off the back where the gantry will park out of the way. I'm thinking about buying the big gantry at Harbor freight for loading & unloading the table, and that I'll make the slat system modular so I can just lift it out for maintenance.


Lucky or good? I'll claim a little of both!


And the reason it's taken me so long to get started on the table! 14 months ago this was mud and holes dug by the previous owners dog.... Now we have a place to relax after a long day of grinding & welding! Will be working on the table this weekend, but mostly tedious stuff like drilling and tapping holes to mount the top rails and the guide rails etc. Really getting excited to get this up and running!

Thanks to everybody who has answered my questions... I'm sure there will be many more!

Oldsarge

[JJsCustomDesigns]

Looks like your off to great start. Can i ask why you chose V Groove rails?

[Oldsarge]

Looks like your off to great start. Can i ask why you chose V Groove rails?

Thanks! I basically chose the v grooves because the price was right, they are easy to work with, easily replaceable, and will be incorporating wiper pads of my own design to keep the rails clean. Also, will be doing a "floating" carrier arrangement so there will be 2 bearings at each end of the gantry rail.... kind of hard to explain... I'll post pictures when I get to that point... What type of rail system would you go with? Budget was one of my main concerns....

Also will be trying to make my own machine torch breakaway mount.... I do a lot of stuff with magnets, and am ordering some new ones from K&J magnetics of differing strengths... Shouldn't be too hard. Will post pics as I go along... Hope to have the majority of the build finished in 2-3 weeks... never know though... the day job keeps me pretty busy!


Oldsarge

[JJsCustomDesigns]

My table has a Linear Rails. But mines only 4x4. They are a bit pricey. I dont remember if it was here or cnczone... I was reading a build thread where he built the table with V Groove rails. After using it he decided to switch to Linear rails. Had alot smoother motion.

I know i looked up linear rail prices a few months ago and i had a little sticker shock.

Hopefully i can get a few pointers from your build. I had planned to be building a bigger table by now. Just havent got to it yet.

[Oldsarge]

Yes, very pricey... For my Y axis I ordered a 6' oiece of itv from PCB linear and it was about $145 if I recall... Still v groove, but a great solution for the y carriage and makes mounting the z a breeze! I think the way I'm going to mount the gantry will work pretty well... I know a lot of guys use them with good results...


Oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Didn't get a lot done on the table today, but did come up with this in preparation for drilling the angle and v groove rails... probably about 100 or more holes to drill & tap... This is 3/8" plate. The bearings have a 5/8" I.D. and are about 1.5" O.D.


The auxiliary table bolts or clamps to the drill press table.


The location of the first 2 holes are marked. After drilling the first hole the workpiece then slides right or left...


The adjustable index pointer is adjusted to seat in the first hole, and is locked in place. the arm can be reversed for sliding right to left or left to right...


Then it's just a matter of drill, slide, drill, slide... perfectly spaced holes along the workpiece.

Will hopefully have the top rails and tracks drilled, tapped & mounted by next weekend!

Cheers!


oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Got some work finished on the rails tonight... The drilling jig worked like a dream... 50 perfectly aligned holes every 6 inches in under 20 minutes! Drilled & tapped about 8 in the top rail to align everything and will finish all the tapping after I get the top rail mounting system done in the next few days.




Here's the gear rack being used to align the angle on the top rail. The upright part of the angle will have the v-groove track mounted to it.

After the rails are mounted and aligned then it's time to start the gantry. I hope to have that started by the weekend, and with any luck will have it aligned and rolling on the tracks by Sunday afternoon!

Oldsarge

[fergy]

your last pic fixed

[Oldsarge]

Thanks Fergy! Pics are off my phone. Sorry for tge crappy quality! Hoping to have the rails done soon, will post some good pics from that....

Oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Got the top rails drilled tonight, and the first side mounted...


3/8" plates drilled to 7/8" and welded to the top of the legs.


A little machinist's ink sprayed on, then the rails flipped over, aligned & squared. Then I took a nice sharp 7/8" drill bit & ran it up through the hole by hand to mark the center for drilling. Worked out great!


All 3 mounts snicked right into the holes... lined up perfectly! This is the leveling system I came up with. Each 360 degree turn of the jam nut equals 1/10 of a degree. Dialed the rail in to perfect flat!


With this leveling system it will be a breeze to dial in perfect level from side to side & front to back. And with 7/8" diameter allthread, this thing is totally solid just being tacked together. Once it's all welded up and anchored to the floor it will be extremely solid. It alreday feels like I could drop a 5x10 sheet of 1/2" on it & it wouldn't budge!

At this rate, I should be able to have a great part of the gantry put together by the end of the weekend. I have a great gantry system planned.... will post pics when I get that part done.... will try to remember the good camera too!

Oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Last 2 days have been pretty brutal with the day job & trying to work on the table, but it's coming along nicely... Here's tonight's progress...

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Making progress.... Hoping to have some test cuts made by the end of August or the beginning of September.

Thoughts? Ideas? Comments? If I'm doing something that looks like I'm heading down a blind alley let me know... I think everything is coming together pretty well, just wish I had more time to spend in the shop. Also thinking about making a kind of integrated roller system that will crank up & down inside the water table to help with loading.... Haven't got it all worked out yet though!


Oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Went caving with friends and family on Saturday, but spent today in the shop.... got the rest of the v-rail drilled & tapped, and the rails somewhat sanded & ready to permanently mount in place. Also made the bearing carriages for one side of the gantry...

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Will be turning down & cross drilling the pivots for the other 2 bearing carriages tomorrow night, then it's just a matter of assembling the gantry & start dialing it in. Progress!

Oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Had a great day in the shop, got a lot finished. Did a little video of the build to this point. Will most likely order the steel for the water table on Monday or Tuesday... have a great idea for the bladder system!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NlOF1cP ... e=youtu.be

Oldsarge

[muzza]

Looking good Mike, thanks for taking the time to document your build.
Murray

[Oldsarge]

Not a lot of fab work yesterday or today, but did do a little more aligning of the bearings, and got the mount made for the Y carriage/Z mount. Will be ordering the steel for the water table tomorrow, and should have that welded up by the end of Saturday next. Will take 3 sheets of 10 gauge 5x10 for the whole thing, and the finished water table will be 6' wide by 11' long to accommodate a 5x10 sheet. It will have a ballast/bladder system that I designed.... can't wait to try it out! Found a weld-in bung for the table drain today.... the whole setup including the 1 1/4" gate valve was about $19.00. Starting to scratch my head over the mounts for the gantry motors/gears etc. Need to get the bearings and template them out... probably won't be until the following week for those!

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Oldsarge

[Kentuckyfarmer]

Sarge just a thought you may want to look at a ball valve. I have never had good luck with gate valves and dirt.
Mike

[Oldsarge]

Sarge just a thought you may want to look at a ball valve. I have never had good luck with gate valves and dirt.
Mike

I actually have a 1" ball valve sitting in the shop I might step down to.... will figure that part out soon... I ordered the steel for the water table today, and it will be here tomorrow! I was showing the shop foreman my plans for the sump system, and he actually brought 4 other guys from the shop over to check them out.... said he never saw anything like it, and basically invited himself over to check it out when it's finished! So he's basically going to spearhead the shearing and braking on the project, and he's going to waive most of the shear & brake fees! I just hope my welding is up to snuff on this & that I don't end up chasing a bunch of leaks...... Oh well, part of the process I guess. Anybody want to start a pool on how many I have to plug? LOL...

Oldsarge

[JJsCustomDesigns]

Ill go with 3

i had 1 when i did my tray. I had 40 gallons of water in it when i figured it out too

[Oldsarge]

Ill go with 3

i had 1 when i did my tray. I had 40 gallons of water in it when i figured it out too

I figure there's going to be about 55 linear feet of welding for the whole water table and tank. If I only end up with 3 I'll do a cartwheel! I'll make sure to test the bonney and dump valve before I get a lot of water in it. I figure the water is going to weigh over 2200 lbs so I welded in some additional supports after work today!

Oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Hot day today! Was 94 in the shop... hot for Washington I guess!

Picked up the steel for the water table today... carted back to the shop, and did the first seam. Turned out pretty good I think. I have a 3 day weekend, so I'm hoping that it will be holding water in the next few days!

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Oldsarge

[JJsCustomDesigns]

Your trucking right along on this build. Nice work

[Oldsarge]

Thanks! Have a lot of cash tied up in the project, so hoping to have it making money for me by Christmas! Lol... Supposed to be almost 100 degrees out tomorrow.... Buying a big fan on the way to the shop!

Oldsarge

[plain ol Bill]

Mike are your rack gears installed yet? Wondering how you have (or will) mount them. I have some of that handy dandy, stronger than iron tape like I used (3M VHB) if you need some. Your build is looking very nice.

[Oldsarge]

Mike are your rack gears installed yet? Wondering how you have (or will) mount them. I have some of that handy dandy, stronger than iron tape like I used (3M VHB) if you need some. Your build is looking very nice.

Bill! Great to hear from you! How have you been? Hope all is well with you.... Thanks on the build... I played hookie from work today to start the water table. Looks a little like Frankenstein's monster, but it's holding water! I think I have one little seep in the back corner that I'll have to deal with, but not too bad. I'll be doing the upper pan tomorrow & trying to get that water/air tight. Hope to be able to try the air system by late tomorrow or early Sunday if I end up chasing leaks.... As far as the racks, I did order a roll of the same tape you used to mount yours. I've actually had cause to use several small pieces of it around the shop... It is scary strong! Here's a few pics of what I got finished today.... If you're ever in town, give me a shout & stop by the shop!

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Oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Water table is about finished! Took Friday off and worked on it for the last 3 days. 10 gauge gets real heavy. This table was a challenge for me, but I think it turned out pretty good. I'll drain it down & do a little alignment on it, a little paint & it's finished! Next up is the motor mounts.... Might get to start those tomorrow....

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Uploading a video of it in action... about 5 minutes till it's live.....

http://youtu.be/g0zbkKNz24o

Thanks for looking!


Oldsarge