Very helpful.Thanks for sharing. Any idea what the cost difference is for a spindle like hours. I think the standard DeWalt was between 100 and 125 bucks. The Makita a bit less.

 

Oops spindle like yours!

 

I bought this spindle kit:

https://www.makerstore.com.au/product/bun-spin-1500-water/

 

Not sure who you are specifically asking..
I paid around $500 USD for my AMB spindle, with full digital control, speeds from 3k to 25k, air cooled (vents sideways not downward like many trim routers, so less dust blowing everywhere), purpose designed spindle. Mine is 220v, I believe any of the spindles above the 800W version are 220, the 800 is 110V. I have no affiliation with them, just happy with the product. I'm not a fan of water cooling, but that is a personal preference, it's just another piece of added complexity. You will need to get a different mount though, a member on this forum from Denmark sells them, just search for "43mm spindle mount" (I mention this because the mount adds to the overall cost).

 

Thanks! Just gathering data to understand the next logical upgrades for our application. Your spindle set up seems pretty nice. Might have to start saving,........

 

Here's a pic of the spindle:

 

1010 Upgrade kit from Rat Rig
is it worth it ?
Rat Rig KillerBee CNC Upgrade Kit (For Workbee & Lead CNC) - Order Configuration - Machine Kits - CNC Machine Kits - 3D Printing & CNC

 

Depends I guess.. If you were looking for an entire kit that is already prebuilt for you.. rather than using one of the builds here (Piranha for example) that you have to assemble and mill the plates yourself, it might be worth it, it might not be.

For me, assuming 100 Euro for shipping, the upgrade kit for the lead1010 version (which I have not yet seen pictures off) would come in at around $900 to $1000, and that is just the kit, no electronics or options for the 1010 (In the US). That is approaching the cost of the cnc4newbies upgrade kit which for the 1010 is around $1400, but comes pre assembled in 3 parts, and uses 1/2" Al for the plates. Assembling the individual components for the upgraded build I am looking at (the Piranha) here (in the US) is looking to be costly.

Now I am not in any way knocking or disparaging the OB builds or the OB community builds, they are all fantastic products. What you need to do is a cost benefit analysis of the kits that are out there and available, the support you will get from those companies selling the kids, and what your own time is worth..

And then decide, it will be different for each person.

 

Some more spindle porn.....
1.5 kW, water cooled, 24k RPM, ER-11 collet size (1/4" shank), High Z kit. Added camera for positioning.
Turned the C-beam around so it is doing the movement.

 

The picture shows no tool in the collet. I now have a 1" flycutter in there to level the spoilboard (next assignment). The bootie works just fine. I came up with that design and 3D printed it at home. It works great for what it is and it is improved when i cover the top part of the hole with tape. It picks up just about all of the fluff coming off the mills. Plus, with the height being adjustable, I can position it where it is needed for height reasons. Nice thing is that there is no brushes on it dragging on the work. I need to improve the mount to the spindle with some radiused out mounts but they are to be made after the spoilboard is leveled.

 

When I do the decking down on spoilboard, the contrast between the white and the particle board will make a great contrast. I will get some video then.

 

First pass spoilboard decking down. The spoilboards are Rubbermaid 10" shelf units. They were cheaper to purchase than the same bare board from the lumber section. The flycutter is leaving the board baby butt smooth where it has had to make cuts so far. I suggest that after your spoilboard is anchored, put a light coat of paint on it so you can tell where the high and low areas are when decking it down. This will let you know when to stop the process plus it will leave a nice band around your working area. Video to follow....

 

The promised video decking down the spoilboard.

Lead 1010 - High Z option - HY 1.5kW water cooled spindle - 12 kRPM - 25.4mm flycutter - 0.2 mm DOC - no load current is 1.8 amps and loaded is 1.9 amps (15A full load).

 

Thank you. On the first pass, I noticed some pattern rippling on one side. Found that there was a paper thin gap between the lower X gantry C-beam and the vertical riser. So, got out a quick clamp and tightened it down flat and retightened the screws. Ripple gone. But for insurance, I did the other three riser to X-channel mount points the same way. FYI, the ripple was just about 0.001" but it could be seen and felt. Once the surface is decked, I can re-check the spindle for square.

 

I decided to take a walk on the wild side tonight with some 1/8" aluminum. Put in a 1/4", four tooth end mill. Mounted my drill press vice to the bed as a work holder. This is a climb cut at 0.2mm, 200 mm/min, 12,000 rpm. No complaints at all.

 

Even though previously it has been commented that it is not necessary to have independently homed Y axes, I went and installed the second Ymin limit switch and tied it into my controller. This now allows each Y carrier to find its own independent zero and can ensure square X & Y axes on homing.

I designated the left side Y C-beam as my reference Y axis. From there I set up anchored bar as my square X reference. Using the attached camera for alignment tracking, kept going back and forth along the X bar adjusting the second Ymin switch position with repeated homings. Over 700mm, the error appears to be <= 0.1 mm. This works out to an angle of 0.0082 degrees. Not complaining for a night's work.

Habits from repairing and adjusting CNC machinery for the aerospace/military industries in a previous life being used again.

 

I'm finding that on my Y+ gantry one of the wheels is very tight even though the other 3 on that side are quite loose. It's the top back wheel that's tight which makes sense as it's holding the weight of the X and Z gantries. Does having a single tight wheel indicate that the others are too loose and not taking their share of the load? I've found that one thing that causes binding at speed is wheels that are too tight. It seems though that too loose is also an issue. My rule so far is that I should be able to barely spin the wheel by hand. If it free wheels then it's too loose, if I can't move it by hand then it's too tight.

Does anyone have any tips on the best way to get all eight wheels in a gantry to a optimal tightness?

 

What controller are you using that supports two Y homing switches and can control each Y stepper motor independently for homing?

 

Hardware:
Arduino Mega2560
BTT RAMPS 1.6 Plus daughterboard
DRV8825 stepper drivers - heatsinked and set for 2 amps

Software:
johnboiles/grbl-Mega-5X
This package allows for doubling of axes in config.h - X1, X2, Y1, Y2
I am currently at X, Y1, Y2, and Z. Plans to convert 5th driver to run A axis as a rotary.

This setup was reused from a previous project of mine.

 

Setup for this function is quite easy. I can guarantee square every time. I used to service and maintain CNC machines for the SoCal aerospace industries in a previous life and that is where you learn machine diligence and operation. The accuracy demanded is vicious to achieve and the practice sticks with you. With the stock setup, you have one accurate leg and the other one goes along for the ride. Steppers will lose position. Machines will lose position. I can now say that I know where every axis is in space with certainty after homing.

Building a square machine in three axes requires parts that are square in three axes at the start. When parts aren't square to start and some assemblies require square edge mating to have a good chance of being square, you won't get square and strong joints at the same time. These three pieces are the leftovers from my build (low-Z parts). The cuts aren't square. When I built the bed frame, I did a mix and adjust to have the errors of cut compensate out each other. The frame ended up being 1.5 mm out of diagonal square, measured by tape and laser. That was compensated for by setting one Y as my reference and paralleling the other Y rail to match as there is enough wiggle room in the attachment scheme. I am just drawing on my work practices to ensure an accurate build and reliable operation.
These two pics shows the cut errors that lend to non-square assembly. This should be passed on to your manufacturing group and this is a simple test to verify square cuts that can be done on the floor.

 

I was checking my tram and noticed that Im out of tram in the Y direction. High in the front of the machine and low in the back. Is there a way to adjust the x c-beam to fix this? Or can I add shims under the spindle mount to help fix the tram?

I have already surfaced my wasteboard.

 

Make sure the X axis verticals (that slide along the Y axis) are square to the Y axis. I do this by loosening the screws that attach the X gantry verticals and then using a large square between the Y axis and the X axis. Make sure that's square and then tighten the screws back up again. I could get mine perfectly square by doing this by hand. To do this I needed to remove the bar on the X axis that the drag chain sits on in order to get the large square to rest against the X axis. It's easier to do this with the high-Z mod as there are two X axis beams to square against, so even a small fraction of a mm out is noticeable.

 

Hello,

Does anyone have a parts list for a 60x40 machine? Basically I need the longer X axis of the 1515, but only want the shorter Y axis of the 1010 (for better rigidity and space saving). I'm wondering if anyone has already done the work. (I might be getting my axes wrong, I want the longer one to be the axis with two lead screws, so that the axis that holds the Z is the shorter one)

 

Well.... my 1010 is fully built and alive! can't wait to cut something with it. Fun build thanks ya'll!