First time poster here but I have been following openbuilds ever since I backed the OpenRail Kickstarter. When I received the announcement for the C-Beam "plate maker" it was spot-on what I had been looking for, i.e. an easy way to be able to make custom plates for other projects. That was a hurdle I was struggling with and exactly why I ordered the kit the minute I received the email.

My goal is to be able to make small aluminum plates and brackets yet my shop space is limited to a 10' by 12' area that is already fairly packed. In the shop is a cold-cut metal chop saw, 12" **** sander, small drill press, manual mini-mill and tons of metal and woodworking tools gathered over the past 30 years. I am not limited in what I can do but more in what I have time to do, plus the mechanical is easy for me but the electronics I struggle with. The build video gave me the confidence that I would not run into a show stopper with the electronics.

I watched the build video straight thru prior to receiving my kit, & then skipped thru it during the actual build. No issues whatsoever.

Also have to say “Great Job”, the kit went together easily and I am hugely impressed by the pre-packaged components.. I did not have one missing screw (once I figured things out..) nor an extra one, really an awesome job putting the kit together.

I have been sneaking up on a project like this for some time & had gathered up lots of electronics and components over time, when I got to digging around in the parts drawer it turned out I had everything necessary to bring the machine to life. I wired up an old grblshield 2.0 I purchased several years ago but never used, downloaded Universal G-Code Sender and in minutes I was moving all 3 axis.

Couple of points of feedback, intended to be constructive:

1. The 500mm extrusions I received were inconsistent, ranging from 498 to 504mm. Not a big deal for me as I have the metal chop saw and 12” disk grinder but it may be an issue for others.
2. I was puzzled by needing to cut the 500mm extrusion in half for the 250mm x-axis posts, since the 250mm lengths of extrusion are available in the parts store. Again, not an issue for me but may be for others. It was also the only part of the kit that was not plug & play ready.
3. I ended up grinding the 2 little tabs off the cast L-brackets so they sat flush on the extrusions. Would recommend this to others, simple to do & I think it provides a lot more bearing surface on the extrusions.

Again, an awesome job on your part and the availability of the kit and the build video meant I could get a working unit in 5-6 hours with minimal hiccups – I’m very excited to put this to work.

Here are a couple photos of the build so far, I have to add the waste board and tidy up the wiring but for all practical purposes the machine is functional.

 

@Richard, yeah same thing with mine the beams weren't 500 mm so had to cut them and I also noted the thing about the 90 casts having the nubs removed, the ones on the spindle mount are much nicer. I've also been thinking about removing the 250 mm columns and using a single piece column instead.

I've got a 1/4" 12x12" tool plate to use as a work plate instead of the 1/2" MDF since the Z clearance is a lot more limited than i thought, not sure how it'll work out though.

here's my build
https://hackaday.io/project/6921-openbuilds-c-beam-machine-build

 

Thanks for the info Mark.

 

What size spindle does one need to fit this since it looks like it was made for a very loud Bosch Colt?

 

I'm using the DeWalt 611 which i'm basing that choice on on precise bits page about about the low quality of the bosch. It needs a small shim on the left/right sides , front to back it mates.

 

Not into routers as they are far too loud for me so trying to find out what size Spindle would this accept. I see some are 65mm and some are 80mm.

 

the dewalt is 68 mm, i made a 55 mm mount for my "400w" quiet spindle, those are nice and quiet.

 

Very good but how did you make it or did you already have the dewalt (I have no router)? I see an 800W spindle on eBay is 65mm :/

 

I bough the dewalt for this project. The dewalt fits the openbuilds shipped bosch colt mount, with small shims side to side, the 55 mm quiet spindle i made myself.

https://hackaday.io/project/6579-ox-cnc/log/21193-making-a-52mm-spindle-mount

 

Gotcha. If I had a working 3d printer anymore I would print one and it would hold long enough to cut one. Use 70% infill and it would work (90-99% if ABS). I gotta get this 3d printer up and running but I spent so many hours and so much money on it I hate to even look at it. Nothing but issues and very little printing. Ahhh, well that is a different story for another time.

Thanks for the info.

 

np, I didn't try the 3d printed one , just for fitment i found it on thingiverse. it was pla it'd probably hold up for it, but i just went for it with the bandsaw/holesaw, then i'll machine one.

 

i replaced the two 250mm 1x3's with some 30x30 profile. haven't finished bracketing it up yet.

 

With that setup I would think you could move the Y gantry up and down if you needed more height. maybe have fixed platforms so you know it is level.

 

Would it be possible to mark the parts in the list that would need upgrading to change the x y sizes?
I am thinking 4 of the 6 500mm v-slot, the lead screws and the 500mm c-beam.

 

the bottom of the Z limits the cutting area at the moment, the Z travel is much bigger than you can use with the current setup. I'm thinking about making an L bracket that attaches to the plate and lowers the router down beyond the bottom of the plate, not sure, the machine is just meant to make plates and plates engraving so trying to just keep the stiffness up. I just happened to have a spare 3030 lying around that length easier to square and stiffer with a single column

 

Would it be possible to see the machine graphics (sketchup and step) split into X, Y, Z axis etc. with the relevant BOM'S for each section listed with them as identified on your main BOM? To clarify the sections parts lists? Also, are the spacers used on the Wheel sets 6mm or 1/4in?

 

I was playing in sketchup again, by replacing a few parts, all stock you get a double, think it will work?

 

yep that is definitely something i planned to try, first i just wanted to fix the two vertical columns and see how the machine performed as is, and making mods with bits i had lying around while my precise bits collets for the dewalt arrived, which they did last night so hoping to do some aluminium cutting this weekend with it.

 

yep thats what i did, i didn't even use the self tappers, same for the extrusions, i tapped the holes and used bolts instead.

also have this instead of MDF for the lower.
http://www.amazon.com/TEMCo-12x12-Aluminum-Tooling-Sheet/dp/B00UTU8INM