Hey OffAxis,

the images on your build page are not displayed, because they seem to be externally hosted?

 

I notice you are using 3/8 V Groove. Did you design the plates for X & Y yourself? I have been considering a retrofit using my 3/8 V Groove but have not seen (or missed) a design using them.

 

Are you planning on making them available?

 

Thanks. This helps.

 

Very nice! One thing to keep in mind is that you will destroy the rails (aluminum) since the wheels are harder (steel).

 

The aluminum will deform which may cause ruts. What everyone with steel wheels does is use a sacrificial rail like the OpenRail or they would use a steel square bar and place that in the v slot for the wheels to ride on. I wouldn't be able to find anything though as it's an avoided practice now. I also can't comment on the time frame, but a larger build or higher loads would only quicken the process.

 

Thanks for the info. Here is my experience with vwheel and aluminium.

There is wear when you use aluminium as a track for the vgroove to ride in. It essentially rounds over the edges. The wear is noticeable and uneven depending on the size of projects you run. I have been using the vwheel method since 2012. It was in about 2015 I saw noticeble wear. I am a hobbyist so not more than 10 hours use per week on my current cnc router.

I am going to use my old wheels the same way OffAxis has shown here. Thanks to the solution he found it works for me.

Will there be wear? I believe so.
Will it be significant? Give my experience with my current cnc router I believe it will take some time given the amount I use it. Adding a vrail as an upgrade won’t be that difficult (I hope).

The other factor for wear is the gantry weight. With my old cnc router I used MDF (remember it was 2012). MDF torsion box for the X(24”), linear rod and a Velox Z axis. That weight put a lot of pressure on the aluminium guide rail for the y (48”). I think this newer setup will have a lighter gantry. It will bring unexpected benefits and consequences I am sure. BTW it was not speedy. But did get 260IPM rapids and 100IPM cutting. 428oz steppers (automationtechnologies).

To me it was a trade off between buying more wheels or reusing what I have.

 

One more factor is the material you are cutting. 10 hours in foam can't compare to 10 hours in hardwood. 10 hours in hardwood can't compare to 10 hours in aluminum. 10 hours in aluminum can't compare to 10 hours in steel.