Hello all! Looks like I'm finally ready to move forward with my first CNC build!! Just not sure where or what to start with tho.. Looking at the LEAD 1515, but I do not think I have the space for the large footprint at the moment. Would you guys suggest starting with the 1010 and expanding in the future, or starting with the 1515 and cutting the axes down? A 2' x 4' work area will be about all the space I can afford for the time being (understood the machine foot print will be slightly larger..) but if all goes well I would like to utilize the full work space of the 1515 at some point in the future.. Would also be ok with purchasing the shorter axes along with the 1515 so I have the longer rails at the ready when the time comes. If there's a different machine that comes in a 2' x 4' work area, I'm open to suggestions.. The machine will live in my garage, hence the space constraints, and we're looking to keep the noise and dust to a minimum. When I first started this journey, I was adamant about a low noise spindle; until it was brought up about the noise from carving and other peripheral equipment like the dust extractor negates the lower noise spindle options.. Also wanted a digitally controlled speed option, while nice, not an absolute for me anymore.. Is the RoutER11 a good option to get started with or are there better options I should look at? Would an enclosure help to reduce the noise and dust substantially? Starting off, I plan to cut / route wood and acrylic; however, eventually I would like to include aluminum (+other soft metals) milling and carving as well as vinyl cutting. Any suggestions on bits, spindles, machines or attachments I should look at? I'm leaning towards the LEAD (fully loaded) series of machines, but again I'm open to suggestions and/or configurations. Lastly, I primarily use Mac OSX for day to day computing. Will I run into any limitations, steeper learning curves, roadblocks using OSX or should I pickup a dedicated PC to run the machine? Fusion seems to be fairly straight forward with the design tools, but I have absolutely zero experience with tool paths / carving / etc. Thank you and look forward to your suggestions and feedback!!
You might check with the parts store and ask for a quote on a 1500mm (X) x 750mm (Y) system based on the LEAD 1515. They’re pretty good about such things (when they’re not swamped). That way you can still work with the 4’ width* of plywood, just 2’ at a time. *Note, actual cutting width on the 1515 is 46”.
Thanks!! Will the 1515 allow you to place a 4' sheet on the bed, but limited to a cutting width of 46"? I'll send them a note now for a quote.
Consider getting the full 1515 (you will always have regrets where the work area is too small for that new project on hand) Then consider something like building a swing up table to deal with the space constraints Or even hoisting it into the roof when not in use
Thanks fellas!! I do like the idea of storing the machine out of the way when not in use, but I'm still limited on the overall depth currently.. If all goes well, at some point in time I'd like to have a workshop dedicated to several various machines where I could reconfigure the LEAD to its full size. I would much rather have the full capacity of the machine, but unfortunately I just don't have the space at the moment
Hello @jtadams Glad to hear your jumping into CNC. Your going to love this new hobby! I was working up an quick model to see if this is what you had in mind and if so I will pass the part list changes along to the Part Store so you can work with them directly. Looking forward to hearing back from you
Yep, this is what I was envisioning as well. That way I could just extend the Y axes if I needed too?
Thanks for putting this together!! I am very excited to finally jump into the hobby!! Like Rick said, I was thinking a long X and short Ys axes that I way I could extend the Ys in the future if needed. Seems like that would be easier than messing with the X at a later date and all the components involved?
Not a problem @jtadams glad to help. I agree it will be much easier to extend the Y axis later then the X So something like this is more what you had in mind?
He could just connect it the other way, ie jumper the 4th driver to X and use the gantry as Y (like Crash used to do)
Good point David, I didn't think of that. Good ol Crash, man I miss that guy. He was one of the good ones! I will say I do like the open front of this machine with the small foot print because if you put it on a table with wheels you could always roll it out away from the wall and using tilling do large though jobs.
That’s perfect!! Exactly what I had in mind for the area I have to work with!! Would it be possible to add some sort of hold down (clamp or screwed) that we could mount to and tile an 8’ sheet of plywood? For instance, if the hold downs were faced in, they could screw/clamp directly to the plywood; finish first cut, unclamp then move it down 2 ft, re-clamp and repeat? OR if the feet were facing out or to the side, they could then be mounted to a 1x4 along the outside of the plywood - when first cut is finished, the plywood could be rolled down 2 ft, then clamp and repeat.. Thought behind this would be to take the machine outside and go HAM on full sheets of plywood. Would be setup under a carport on top of gravel.. I like the wheel idea too! Could certainly make some sort of track on the long sides of the ply then just wheel this bad boy back and forth to tile the full sheet. You guys are great, thanks so much for the help and creativity!!
Hey guys, HAPPY FRIDAY Ordered the custom LEAD today and just wanted to say thank you for all the help along the way!! Really looking forward to getting started and being a part of the community here. Everyone has been absolutely awesome to work with and it is sincerely appreciated
I run Fusion 360 on my Mac's and it run great - IMO it's more stable on macOS than Windows. To actually run my little CNC machine I dredged up an old White, Intel Core 2 Duo powered MacBook, upgraded it with 6Gb RAM and a 250GB SSD and then forced it to run Windows 10 64 Bit (took some effort I can tell you!). I've found Windows is ideal for running a CNC machine as you have a couple more options for Control software (I use Candle for PCB's and it is Windows only). That said, OB Control would prolly run just fine on any 10 year old macOS powered MacBook.
OpenBuilds was absolutely awesome to work with!! They prepared a custom quote with all the parts and pieces for the setup and were very helpful with suggestions. Check out Rick's post above with the size and procedure to get it quoted - they responded within a couple days with the cost. Shipping was quicker then expected as well! Just now unpacked everything and starting assembly!!
Awesomeness!! I've always had better luck running Windows on a Mac then I did on a PC in the past lol I actually have that same MacBook that's sitting in retirement - I think it's like a 2007 or 8 and was still chugging along when I pulled the plug. Might just put her to use depending on how the network all goes together.. Planning to use my daily laptop (2015 i5 MB Pro, SSD upgrade, 8gb RAM) for the design work and shoot that all out to the CNC. I ended up going with the Fully Loaded kit that came with an interface and control box, but still not sure if I'll also need a laptop sitting close by for additional controls / networking... Again, I have no idea what I'm doin With everyone's help and I'm sure I'll get caught up real quick!!!
PC is useful for initial setup / extra debugging (but not needed, can load machine profiles etc from Interface too). For day to day use you don't need a PC with the Interface
So…do you have it assembled yet? Why haven’t you made anything cool yet? Haha! Good luck, look forward to updates on the build! thx, rink.
those old Intel Mac’s make great CNC controllers with CONTROL installed. After apple introduced Universal Control I could never go back to windows (I prefer Unix like environments anyway). When I’m working from home I use my 2018 Intel Mac mini and 43” screen as my primary and have my work supplied 14” MacBook Pro sitting next to it connected to my companies VPN. with universal control I can work seamless across both systems all from my Mac mini. It really feels like the sci-fi future we’ve all been promised.
Windows has its uses - the thing that amuses me is the most, is that most Windows Server engineers I know, daily drive MacBooks. personally, I started my computer life on dos 2.11 on a Tandy 1000 EX, it wasn’t till the late 90’s that I first touched a Mac. And I was a windows server engineer for many years before changing to less technical roles. thankfully I can run windows in on my Mac mini when I need it (some things are still windows only).
Hey what's up guys, happy Friday! Not sure why I haven't received a notification that ya'll commented on the thread.. My bad.. How do I fix that? Hope everyone is well! Build was coming together quite nicely until today at step 20.. The Y actuators don't span the frame below. I'm not sure if the y-axis C beam and lead screw are too short, or the frame crossmembers are too long.. Hoping the cross members are too long so I can just chop em down a bit with the cold saw.. Pics below.. Other than this little hiccup, the kit has gone together smoothly. The assembly video is great and walks you through every step with a parts list and overview of what you're trying to accomplish. Every part and piece of hardware is really great quality!! @Rick 2.0 @Mark Carew @Peter Van Der Walt - any ideas on the best way forward with the y-actuators / frame assembly? Inside of frame = 30 7/16" cross-piece length y-axis C-beam length = 29 9/16" (from inside of motor plates) Overhead or right side (looking from front) [+beer] Front of (R)actuator flush with frame [+beer] Back (R)side of machine. 1-3/16" gap between actuator and back side of frame Front (R)side I would need to cut about 2" off of the (4) crosspieces to get the actuators in full bearing on the X-axis rails (outside of both motor plates flush with outside of frame).. Can you guys verify this is the best way to go or the Y-axis C beams and acmes need to be replaced?
