Below you will find a rough pictorial guide to building a Ox router. This is a work in progress so check back often for updates and changes.

Preparation

Cut V-Slot extrusion to required lengths. Optional: mill / sand and cut ends as square as possible to ensure ease of alignment later on.


Tap V-Slot for mounting.

We recommend tapping the following:

• Z-Axis - all holes
  
• Gantry lengths - all holes
  
• Long X-Axis bottom half x 8, top half optional x 8

Tapping the front lower support for covers / drag chain / support / feet is optional. The front upper support and table support is not required to be tapped.

A small chamfer helps guide a tap when using a powered drill.


Cut threaded rod to required length. Smooth ends.


Check that bearings fit over the ends (a very light sand with some fine emery paper will help a sticky bearing).


Assembly of Z axis



Thread ACME nut block onto ACME lead screw, with the hex nut closest to V-Slot.


Place a locking collar onto each end.


followed by 8mm spacers on each end,


and lastly a bearing on each end.


Once set up, install upper Z plate using 3 M5 x 15mm screws, each with a spring washer and standard washer. Lightly assemble finger tight.

Install required tee-nuts to front of Z-Axis V-Slot plate. You can use masking tape to hold these in place so they don’t fall out when you are attaching the Z axis to the gantry plates.


(yes we forgot this step and had to slip off the bottom plate and add them later on …. )

Install screw assembly onto V-Slot and top cap and then the lower plate 3 x 15mm M5 screws, each again with a spring washer and standard washer.


Adjust end caps as parallel as possible to the V-Slot.


Snug down all bolts on end caps. Check alignment.

Once snugged down, adjust threaded rod so that 10-12mm extends beyond the top plate. Lock off the 1 x locking collar on the top plate using the grub screw.


Pushing the lead screw towards the top plate, simultaneously pull on the bottom locking collar to apply tension to the lead screw before finally locking off the grub screws on the bottom collar.


When done correctly, there should be no lateral movement or play.

Assembly of Front Carriage Plate



Install spacer blocks to the front carriage plate, using 4 of M5 x 15mm screws. It is good practice at this point to square off.


Install the M5 x 45mm screws (x6) with washers, standard where possible although you may need to use small washers where there could be clearance issues.


Flip over. Check the orientation of the plate to ensure the eccentric holes are on the bottom of the front carriage plate.


Place 1 x 9mm spacer on each of the M5 x 45mm screws on the right hand side of the front carriage plate. On each screw place 1 x wheel (we are using the Solid V Xtreme Wheel kit) and nyloc nut.


On the left hand side of the front carriage plate, place 1 x 6mm eccentric spacer, along with a 3mm spacer on each of the M5 x 45mm screws.

Note: You can do these around the other way (the eccentrics on the right hand side and the 9mm spacers on the left), this is purely our preference.


Install the Z-Axis. Drop wheels onto the right hand side, along with nyloc.

Here comes the tricky part! Whilst holding the front carriage plate up, insert 2 of the M5 x 20mm screws into the ACME nut block.

Lightly snug the 6 wheels. Once all snug, tighten the right hand side (with the 9mm spacers).
On the left hand side, adjust the eccentrics until the wheels have light tension.

Tighten screws into the ACME nut block.

Movement should be smooth.

 

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement! I found I was often having to go back quite a few steps to put in a missing part or more tee nuts (spindle mount, spoil board brackets etc). I hope this can act as a reference to allow anyone to build an Ox with as little fuss as possible, lower the fear factor for newcomers to our hobby and also give us a document to include with our router kits.

Really glad this guide may help others and please feel free to let me know if anything is unclear or if there are simpler methods to assemble a Ox style router.

I would like to take a moment to give a MASSIVE thanks to my amazing girlfriend, Mel, who is making sure my endless ranting and chicken scratch notes become readable, makes sense to a new CNC builder and correcting my horrendously bad spelling!

*selfless promotion warning*

Feel free to check out our site www.CNCkits.co.nz !!!

Assembly of Front Carriage



You can choose to use M5 x 65mm hardware for this. We are using longer hardware cut down to ensure the bearing runs upon a smooth shaft. To note, the M5 x 65mm hardware has issues with the clearance of the front gantry plate as it’s a close fit.


PHOTO OF CLEARANCE ISSUE to come

Place a standard M5 washer on each of the M5 bolts.


Insert one bolt each into the four corners of the front carriage plate. Please note the use of four small cups to allow easy assembly.


Apply two eccentrics to the lower two bolts and on top of that, a 3mm spacer. On the top bolts, apply one 9mm spacer each. The large spacer size (9mm) was used to give more clearance because of the use of washers on the front carriage plate.


Add one solid V wheel on each post.


Add 1 x 9mm spacer on each post


followed by a second solid V wheel on each post


one precision shim (5mm x 10mm x 1mm)


On the bottom two posts, add 6mm eccentric spacers, on the top two posts add a 6mm spacers.


Apply rear carriage plate.


Apply a standard washer


and spring washer to each bolt (The spring washer could be omitted if you use nyloc nuts)


and a standard/nyloc nut


Tighten all nuts to half the travel of the spring washer (this is part of the reason why we use spring washers as it allows up to achieve even tension while adjusting parts of the machine).


Align all eccentrics to their largest clearance, notch facing downward. Using a square, snug up all four bolts, doing opposite diagonals.


This is a good opportunity to set your eccentrics. Get it running well on the gantry beans but we recommend the final tightening once the machine is assembled.

 

I could not agree more! We recommend all new CNC builders watch the assembly Videos before they start as they really give a good feel for the more complicated parts of the assembly that are hard to describe on paper. Watching the videos also helps people get a feel for how much time and effort (not a lot really ) goes into building a ox but obviously this resource is a little hard to keep up to date.

We hope the photos can give us document that can be tweaked a little as the build evolves over time.

 

Got the next step done, photo taken, edited and a rough type up of where we are up to....
View attachment 6237

later tonight we format and post up the full log to the above point.

Only issue is if I keep posting to the build page its is going to be HUGE, take forever to load and become a bit of pain....

Mods - Is it ok if I drop a few placeholder posts down and then add build sections into them. I will try to keep these early pages up to date so the build info is condensed in the first few pages of posts?

 

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