Total weight?

 

So Chris...What do you recommend as a good router in the compact router/trimmer 2 1/2 inch diameter category. One for which you have perfected a mount.

Also, How does the mount attach to the z-axis plates. Are their a set of tapped holes in the z-axis?
In other words do the screws pass through smooth holes in the mount and into tapped holes in the z-axis?

If I proceed with buying an OX router kit, I would buy all the OX plates as well as the specific router mount in one shot. I want to get all my ducks in a row to make sure everything goes together alright.

Are the z-plate holes at standard dimension and screw sizes. I understand that you have variations in the mount itself depending on the brand. But can I take a mount for the bosh, Makita, and the Dewalt and interchange them onto the z-Plate?

Opps...I guess you already implied that when you stated:
"my Mounting kits are designed to attach your router very rigidly to the Z axis of an Openbuilds OX CNC... no new holes required."

So I guess the holes are already there in standardized locations and diameter. Are they pre-tapped? Although that gets into a discussion on what is the best diameter and thread size. Maybe just a screw and bolt are a better method.

 

I'm not sure which router is "best". Most builders would probably say the one they used is best.
The mounting kits attach to the slots in the 20 x 60 V-slot rail. (they will not work with 20 x 40)

 

Ok...I went back and looked at the build video of the z-axis. Yep understood...the router mount sits against the 20 x 60 rail. I was planning building with that wider stock. I assume T-nuts are used for router mount attachment. Thanks for all your help.

 

You will need (4) M5 x 20mm screws to mount Chris' router mounts to the 20x60 v-slot. I just did it, and seemed to have every size on earth, but those! LOL

 

If the diameter are close enough (as in real close), you should be able to use the same mount. But there is not a lot of room to play for obvious reasons (need to hold the router firmly).

If you use full length (1500 mm) for your X axis (three pieces of V-slot : 20x60) and full 1000 mm lengths for your Y there are no cuts to be done, except for the short Z. This gives you an OX with a work area of a bit more than 4' in X and a bit less than 3' for your Y (the router hangs forward, so you loose about 8", the actual router used will make a difference of potentially a couple inches). So you have just one piece to cut, and this one (Z) can always be filled until you are happy since a standard OX only has an effective working depth of about 2" at most and you will have 1000 mm to finish with a good 250 mm piece. Of course, with that big an OX you should have at least two cross members to keep the base Xs length parted evenly on the full 1500 mm length. So two more cuts to reduce 1000 mm 20x40 down to 980 mm each.

I read someone used a table saw with an appropriate blade to cut the V-slot... I hand cut mine V-slot, then did some filing to make square (and equal Ys). myOX has a working area a bit more than 4' (X) and about 2' (Y), but it has the potential of working any length (as in infinity) by sliding the work piece through work in about 20" sections at a time.

If you use the (draft) OXcalculator, it will help with the BoM and estimate the working area given only the basic three numbers: length of X, Y and Z you target. I am still working on the break down for screws and such so the OXCalculator will tell you how many of each you will need (based on a reference OX build).

 

Found mine at ... Fastenal. You just have to get a package of 50 (about 9$ plus shipping). They have storefront virtually in my backyard (ok, walking distance on a nice sunny day).

 

I have a True Value Hardware store about 3 miles from home that has a very large selection. I am becoming a regular shopper there. They no longer ask if I need help, and just point to the screws! LOL

 

I've bought up all the M5 x 20 screws for my mounts from all the hardware stores in a 20 mile radius from my house, and now am putting in an order at Fastenal too.

 

Are you thinking of including the 4x M5 x 20 mm screws and, maybe, T-nuts (drop-ins would be nice since people might already have everything else built up...) along with the mounting kits ? So buyers wouldn't have to hunt for those few items in their workshop's dark corners or find a store having stock ... especially if they live within 20 miles of your house.

 

Busy with getting the servo belts in, a bit of fiddling to get it in but the first one seems to work pretty good, 2 to go.

 

Received my gantry plates from Chris Laidlaw. Reasonable price for beautiful work! Ordered Sunday 9/28/14 from his eBay page. Received today 10/1/14. Chris is in California and I am in North Carolina. He must 'know' someone at the US Post Office. 3,000 miles in 3 days is amazing!

 

Yeah, when I ordered my router mount, we had an email to finalize and he shipped within 4 hours!

 

My record is 25 minutes. I admit I cheated a bit. I make almost all of my parts after I get an order, but this day I had made an extra set of plates. I had just gotten back from the post office at 5:25 pm when I got a new order. I decided to give it a try, so I wrapped them, signed the card, boxed them, and only because all 5 lights were green, I got them stamped with tracking numbers 10 minutes before the 6:00pm last pickup at the post office.

 

Even with Priority Mail...your shipping time was impressive! Even though I'm on the east coast, one of the companies I work for is located in California. They eventually went direct deposit because it was taking the Post Office a week to get mail across the country!

 

For who is interested, my build is here http://www.openbuilds.com/builds/the-buffalo.1157/

 

Hey Robert,

Do you (or anyone else) know if that material is the same thing as Garolite? You called it "ceramic fiber board", but when I look that up, that usually appears to be white and looks more like material they would use on the space shuttle for the heat deflection tiles. It would be nice to find a good source for the material.

Here are a few links to more info about some possible materials:
http://www.spambutcher.com/parts/garolite.html (Good description of Garolite)
http://www.lackeysailing.com/utility/frp.pdf (This compares the strength of different grades of Garolite and some fiberglass equivalents). The tensile strength of Garolite seems to be extremely high... almost that of carbon fiber, at about 1/10th the price.

Yours looks very nice and material like that would eliminate the expense of anodizing or powder coating (for those of us who require everything to look really cool . I'm interested in hearing more about how it performs compared to aluminum.

Thanks!
-Patrick

 

It is not what I was told by the person I got it from.
It is GPO3 polyester glass ,a composite sheet produced from glass mat and polyester resin.

 

Doh! Why didn't I think of that. Tonight, I be drillin' some holes.

 

Little update
Motor spacers milled from 6061


Motors mounted with spacers in place

 

I believe I just blown my driver board. I was try moving the axis and when I try the z axis just see something short and a burn smell. Anyone know which board I can use to work with my OX. Also any help how can I verify the openbuild motor if still work.

Thanks in advance,

Alberto

 

They are TB6600 4.5 amp drivers from china.
They work fine but I was not happy with the layout.
I have since found much better boards, same driver and will be offering 4 driver kits soon.
My first batch sold out really quick

 

There's a link in my build part list to those drivers on eBay.

 

What is better on them? Do you have a link to them?

 

Just received the TB6600 motor drivers. Quick in town to see if I can get the power supply and a cheap used laptop. With a bit of luck the Buffalo might be up and running before the end of this weekend! Tsjakka!

 

Hi Robert

Do these spacers make any difference to the stability of the Z motor versus using normal alu tube spacers. As it sits directly above the screw, and the screw sits between bearings at either end, the twisting moment cannot be that great. Is this just a personal style preference.

They look really nice, btw.