I'll have another look at it using the Workbee Z setup as guide.
The xl plates configuration is slightly different with wheels mounted on the front and back in respect to the X axis.
Do you have a machine setup in that way?
I can't see how I can get the Z beam mounted the same way as the workbee with the hardware I have.
I think I am missing an xl plate or
I build the X axis carriage with the two wheels between the xl plates and use extra long screws and eccentric adjusters to have four wheels in the front to mount the Z beam.
In any of these option, I don't think I have the required parts!

 

please post photos if you accomplish this. My coffee hasn’t kicked in yet but I know that I’ve had a similar thought as your original post about this. Cheers

 

Rick 2.0,
Before I take my machine apart just to have a look,
Using the LEAD xl plates, is it possible to have four wheels mounted in the front of the X axis with the required eccentric adjusters to have the Z beam free to move up and down
instead of using an extra xl plate mounted back to back to the X axis?

 

I think I just answered my own question about four extra wheels mounted in front of the X axis carriage.
I don't think it is possible for two axis to share the same screws for both the X and Z axis eccentric adjustment, the position at which both axis adjustment would meet and be happy would be so small because they share the same screws.
I don't think there is any other way of accomplishing this without the addition of one more xl plate and associated wheels and eccentric.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing how.
Thanks.

 

Thanks Rick,
I'll do that tonight but somehow, I vaguely remember thinking of mounting it this way but didn't have the required parts.
Carefully looking at your drawing above, I just noticed that the top carriage has been reduced to one plate from two and that's where the needed extra plate comes from.
I will follow up with pictures in a while.
C.

 

Got it done and it is much better this way.
Here's a few pictures.

 

Custom upgraded lead CNC.

 

Few more.

 

Is that one of the square Chinese air-cooled spindles I see there?

How's it working out? They looked great for mountability, but I was too taken with the idea of a water-cooled model (which, granted, has worked out lovely, but I still find myself staring wistfully at the square ones from time to time).

Spindle aside, those are some impressive mods. What all else did you do? It looks like you doubled up the C-beams on the sides & ran linear rails instead of the wheels, a new bed, and are those ballscrews? I can't tell what you used for those brown endplates holding the C-beams together, though.

Also, what's that keyboard? I've been dying for something better to use as a controller, ever since giving up Mach 3 and the fantastic joypad plugin for a PS3 controller.

One way or another, that's one impressive machine.

-Bats
(of course, now I'm feeling terribly jealous, and twice as frustrated about mine being constantly out of commission instead of growing and mutating *sniffle*)

 

Thanks Batcrave.

All beams were doubled down for rigidity. Lead screws were upgraded to 12mm on both x and y axis. So were the steppers. They were upgraded to Nema 34 closed loop 8.5N.
All the plates I milled on the lead CNC before the upgrade from 7000 aluminum for extra rigidity and then painted them metallic bronze.
The motor is great. I have used it for about a year right now. It’s a workhorse. No issues. And very easy to trim in my configuration.

The controller I use is Arduino uno connected to a intel Nuk running Linux.

The keyboard is used in conjunction with Jason CNC to manually control the movement of the axis.

 

I think your reply may have gotten lost somewhere, @plasma .

 

Hi Rick

Any reason why this sketch (putting the router attached directly to the Z beam and make the whole Z beam move up and down) is not the default mounting option for the high Z mod?
I do not see the benefit of the default mounting...
thanks

 

A subsidiary of the Hutt Farms Group responsible for their eponymously named competitor to Vegemite and Marmite, the Carbomite Company fell on hard times after Imperial health inspectors discovered traces of freelance Dutch import/export contractor Hans Solo in a palette bound for Tatooine onboard a transport belonging to Fett Trucking, Inc.​

I've been puzzling over this post of yours for a couple days now, Rick (err, the non-StarWarsy parts of it, mostly), and I was hoping you could clear up whatever I'm misunderstanding. The stock build may make perfect sense if you always cut 4" thick workpieces with 4" bits, but if you're ever going to use that same machine for shallower workpieces (say, a plate of some of that aluminum you mentioned) would it really be better to reach way down from the bottom of the fixed beam with a skinny little extended-reach bit (as the design seems to require) than to run the whole beam down and use a stubby bit?

The stock configuration seems like it would be especially problematic when using 1/8" shank bits (I can get little 1/8" 10-90° engraving bits by the fistful, for example - and need them by the fistful due to the fragile points - but finding them with a 4" long 1/4" shank sounds a little more challenging and a lot more expensive.

So am I just misunderstanding how one configuration or the other works here? Or are there some of those fancy mecheng numbers involved that always sail over my head?


-Bats
(any self-respecting bat should be able to catch just about anything flying overhead. I'm so ashamed)

 

That is exactly how I plan/ed to do it on my machine (that is in progress and will be finished as soon as Canada post decides to deliver my packages that they are holding on to for weeks) where the clearance to the build plate is about 5"

 

Hey ClaudeJER

I was thinking of changing mine around because of the same reason you stated earlier. I see you have more Z clearance then the standard machine. This looks to me like a much better configuration. Before I take mine apart I wanted make sure it is going to gain Z clearance from the standard height. How thick is your spoil board?
Thanks
Troy

 

Hi Troy,
My spoil board is a single layer .750" MFD.
I found myself in many situations pre High Z mod where I needed to release the spindle motor clamp and lift the spindle to get the clearance I needed.
The High Z mod is a good way to get more overhaul rigidity especially with the heavier 1500 w VFD but I found that the original Z axis configuration is not really convenient as you still have to move the spindle clamp to get high clearance then release the clamp again for other low height operations.
The new configuration is the best way to maximize the potential of this modification.
I hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the reply. I told myself I was going to wait for your reply. But guess what I didn't and I flipped it around. I get a burr under my saddle and can't let it go . I have not tested it out yet other then moving it around a bit. I do think I will like it better. I didn't like the Idea of having to loosen up the Z-Axis to adjust it up and down. I have a 1.5 spoil board and I have like 5" to 6" from the cutter I have in my router to the spoil board. I don't have a VDF yet but I plan on getting one in the near future. Any suggestions for that?
Thanks again for thoughts it really affirms what I was mauling around in my head.

 

I like the water cooled VFD because it is powerful, quiet and there is no cooling air to pickup the dust and blow it around.
I have done some pieces with close to 100,000 lines of code with the machine going for well over an hour, I don't think a router would survive that abuse, it's not built for this kind of duty cycle, I never tried it.
I installed a 1500W chinese VFD I bought on ebay with the ER11 collet kit and the 80mm mounting bracket which I easily adapted to mount on the Z rail with a bit of milling.

The first thing I did to the motor is get in the end cap to install a ground wire which I ran into the spindle using the spare pin in the screw-on connector, the setup does not provide for one and I am not comfortable with running this 220V/3 phase VFD with water cooling jacket without a proper ground.

I would strongly suggest getting help from an electrician or someone who has a very good understanding of the electrical aspect of this installation before you attempt to do it yourself unless you know and fully understand what you are dealing with, this system can kill you very quickly if you mess up!

 

May I ask what the overall height is please? I would like to build an enclosure for my 1515 with a view to modify the z axis at a later time. Cheers

 

Giarc, it looks awesome. Now I wan to try the same, hah. Talking of that, few months ago I've purchased the best router lift I could find from this resource ( url: https://www.woodrоutersreviews.com/best-router-lift/ ). Model called JessEm Mast-R-Lift II 02120 Router Lift, 9-1/4-Inch by 11-3/4-Inch - works perfectly for my needs, and I'm pretty satisfied that I've repalced the old one.