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OpenBuilds LEAD CNC

Discussion in 'CNC Mills/Routers' started by MaryD, Nov 20, 2018.

  1. MaryD

    MaryD OpenBuilds Team

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    Please enjoy the latest OpenBuilds machine design!
     
    #1 MaryD, Nov 20, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2018
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  2. Cncpro

    Cncpro New
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    Another fascinating, full of potential CNC machine!
    Let me say bravo! Mark, you guys @ Openbuilds did it again! Such a great build, very detailed and super easy to follow instructions.

    The Lead CNC seems ready to make loud noises in the CNC industry. It capability to support different Z axis configurations/customizability make it very unique and from what I can see, the process seems pretty simple/straightforward.

    Being able to accept a Plasma cutter is a total new level! It's like a combo machine.

    Looking forward to see all the cool projects openbuilds community members will create using this machine.

    Lead the way!
     
  3. arcrunner

    arcrunner Well-Known
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    Is it possible to add more wheels to the y plates? Just curious, since there's the two extra screw holes in the plate on the top and bottom, I think.
     
  4. jeffmorris

    jeffmorris Journeyman
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    I watched the build video. Why not use Black Angle Corner Connector instead of Cast Corner Bracket or file the tabs off the Cast Corner Brackets?
     
  5. Rob Mitchell

    Rob Mitchell Well-Known
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    I'm on the fence, wish there was videos showing it cutting before I pull the trigger on this $2K (CAD) purchase.
     
  6. PatMcClintic

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    Waste board size is different in the Sketchup drawing and on the main page..which one is correct? They're different by over an inch. Also, is there a way to safely lower the waste board, possibly with using different brackets to hold the supports underneath and drop them 20mm?
     
  7. Batcrave

    Batcrave Journeyman
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    I don't think it'd be possible to lower the spoilboard, since, brackets aside, it looks like there are a few 20x40 rails running the length of the machine underneath it. The only option I could see - which could gain up to the thickness of the spoilboard, if not your full 20mm - would be to split the spoilboard into pieces & lower it flush with the rails (and, of course, expose the rails to damage... but no one ever really rapids a live tool straight into the understructure of their machine, right? :whistlinginnocentlybecauseItotallyneverdidthat: ).

    Orrrrr.... I could be entirely misinterpreting your question and/or have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about... but if you don't hear back from someone with a clue before then, I can check it out & let you know once mine arrives. I'll probably starting out stock (albeit with a half-length X-axis), but suspect I'll be looking for ways to get a little more headroom in short order, too.


    -Bats
     
  8. Rick 2.0

    Rick 2.0 OpenBuilds Team
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    Lay the lengthwise 20x40 supports flat and cut the board short enough to fit between the end rails. Just be sure the 20x40s have proper support in order to prevent deflection. Another option might be to change the end rails to 20x60s and then the 20x40s can remain vertical.
     
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  9. PatMcClintic

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    Thank you Bats and Rick for the ideas.

    If I used 20x60 for the front and rear end rails, would that add any forward/backward rigidity issues? I have one on the way as well..I'm probably just overthinking it. I plan on using a 3/4" mdf board to allow t-nuts to be drilled and inserted but allow leveling a few times.

    My other concern was the front and back of the spoiler are out of reach of the router to level in case I need to put a longer work piece through the machine. Maybe I just do the back with it clamped down somehow and then slide it back a bit (move the control box) to cover the front lip.
     
  10. Rick 2.0

    Rick 2.0 OpenBuilds Team
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    Shouldn't. The connections of the 20x40s will keep the 20x60 upright and square.
    There is enough adjustment in the connections that if you shim the bottom side of the 20x40s up 1mm, a 3/4" spoil board will sit flush with the top of the 20x60s.
     
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  11. Batcrave

    Batcrave Journeyman
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    Just out of curiosity, when are these likely to be shipping? Do they go out on Monday, or are they still somewhere in preorderland? (Preorderville? Preorderia?)

    Not that I'm impatient - sort of the opposite, actually. I still haven't sorted out a spindle, and I'm trying to figure out how much longer I can afford to keep stalling on the decision before I find myself with a shiny new machine that I can't use.


    -Bats
     
  12. GrayUK

    GrayUK Openbuilds Team Elder
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    Why sweat it out on the Spindle you can't do anything with a Spindle till you have a machine to hang it on.
    Get your machine, build it, (with a running commentary of course), find a lump of metal that weighs the same as a Spindle and bolt it to the X-Axis. Now see if you get any twist from it.
     
  13. Batcrave

    Batcrave Journeyman
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    That's great... but how do I tell whether the lump of metal will be compatible with an ER20 collet or only take an ER11?:confused:

    The weight's really a lesser concern right now, though - I doubt there'd be any trouble at all with the weight from an 800W (and the more I read, the more I suspect that a short-X build would even be ok with the 1.5kW). Power-wise, I doubt I really need anything more than the 800W anyhow - it's possible I'm underestimating the Lead, but after an afternoon of plugging values into G-Wizard, I have a feeling I'd run into structural problems if I tried taking the sort of heavy cuts that would demand a bigger spindle.

    The main thing that's kept me from already pulling the trigger is the collet situation, and that's something that building the rest of the machine probably won't help me with.

    Also, while some of the ebay spindles are coming from resellers on the west coast & might arrive in a few days to a week, orders direct from China can easily take a month or more to get here. I've already been stuck CNCless for a few months now, and I'd really like to be able to get back up and running again as soon as possible once the kit arrives. After all, if I end up waiting for a spindle on the slow boat I might be try to do something I really shouldn't - something disgusting, even... like trying to stick a filthy old Harbor Freight trim router on a beautiful, new, and previously unpolluted Lead Machine. *shudder*

    That sort of thing, once done, can never be taken back... Deliberately putting myself in a position where I could even be tempted by such an unspeakable act would be almost unforgivable.

    So... yeah... For the sake of the poor innocent new machine (and very possibly my immortal soul! :nailbite:), I think I'd better try to pick out a spindle before the new toys start landing on the porch.

    [edit: Oh, and the one bit I left out is that there is a 110V spindle that'd solve my ER20 problem... but it's a 2.2kW, and I'm very nearly as certain that it will be too heavy as I am that the 800W won't. Of course, even if I built the machine, tested it, and discovered it could support the beast, my wimpy little 15A circuit wouldn't.. Can't one of you UK people just toss me an extension cord & let me borrow some of your lovely 220? I promise I won't take all of it! :huuuugepleadingpuppydogeyes:]

    -Bats
     
    #13 Batcrave, Nov 26, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2018
  14. GrayUK

    GrayUK Openbuilds Team Elder
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    Oh. Okay. What socket do you want on your end? :thumbsup::D
     
  15. Craig Cavanaugh

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    Mine arrives this Wednesday for a USA destination!
     
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  16. Rick 2.0

    Rick 2.0 OpenBuilds Team
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    Unplug the dryer and tap into the 220V there... (seriously, it only runs a couple hours a week, the other 166 hours can be all yours.) :thumbsup:
     
  17. Batcrave

    Batcrave Journeyman
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    That's a rather personal ques...
    Oh.. on the spindle. Right.

    I'm still really trying to figure out some way to wrangle an ER20, but at this point I'd probably settle for an ER16.

    [edit] That'll teach me to post silly responses to answers to sillier questions before having my morn...afternoon caffeine. I completely forgot that we'd moved from spindles to extension cords.:oops: I'll take any end on an extension cord... but it should probably be something waterproof, in case you don't manage to throw it all the way here on your first try

    It's certainly tempting, and not the first time I've considered it, either - although that's going to be one seriously fat extension cord running half the length of the basement (not sure if I can get away with 10/3 or 8/3 power cord on that, or if I need to deal with the additional headaches of Romex). It would probably also have to be something with a switch at the outlet & "In Use" lights at either end.

    The main reason I've been reluctant is that She (or, lately, He) Who Does Laundry In Binges will often occupy it for the majority of a day at a time, and I still have uncomfortably clear memories of the battles between modem & voice users for the house's one phone line.

    Still haven't completely ruled it out, though.


    -Bats
     
    #17 Batcrave, Nov 26, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2018
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  18. Rob Mitchell

    Rob Mitchell Well-Known
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    @Mark Carew @MaryD I took the plunge and purchased the Leads kit. I'm not in a habit of buying without seeing some information on performance. Do you have any additional information to share on the performance of this kit? Any videos of it cutting material? More specifically I'm curious about the strength of the kit compared to your other kits.

    Thanks,

    Rob
     
  19. PatMcClintic

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    Mine says it'll be here Monday, but the box according to Fedex is too small to contain any of the extrusions..makes me think there's a tracking number I'm not seeing, or like the page says, black isn't shipped until Dec 10. Correction - Monday.
     
    #19 PatMcClintic, Nov 26, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2018
  20. Batcrave

    Batcrave Journeyman
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    I'm obviously not in any position to speak authoritatively (not only having my Lead Machine still on the way, but no prior hands-on experience with Openbuilds hardware), but based on comparing the designs & peppering those more experienced with questions, I'm expecting the Lead to show pretty similar performance to a similarly sized Workbee system.

    As far as I can tell, the biggest differences in design between the two involve swapping the custom plates holding the Workbee's X-axis with a pair of upright 20x80 v-slot rails, and cutting the number of wheels in half (appearing at the corners of the linear motion components of the Lead, but in rows on the Workbee). Of the two, it's the change in wheels that I still don't have any real sense for - I'd love to hear from someone in the know (especially Mark or anyone on the design team) about the reasons for the two difference designs, and how much (or how little) impact it ended up having.


    -Bats
     
  21. Batcrave

    Batcrave Journeyman
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    Ahhh... I hadn't seen that "December 10" line before (no idea whether it was just added recently, or if I just ignored it. or both).

    I think I did end up going with the black version, though, so I guess I've got a little extra time to make a decision. I guess it might not be the greatest idea to plan a big batch of last minute Christmas gifts for the finished machine, either. Not that I would ever wait until the week before to start work on gifts likely to require months of labor. Nope, not me.


    -Bats
    (Fun Fact: 'Christmas in July' is the traditional name for the holiday where my belated gifts are finally delivered)
     
  22. PatMcClintic

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    I didn't see the 10th until a couple days after I pre-ordered. It gives me time to clean up the garage, lol.
     
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  23. Batcrave

    Batcrave Journeyman
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    "Ok, everyone - cars in the driveway! The garage is dedicated to important stuff now!"


    -Bats
    (hrm... that raises an interesting question... I'm in an at least mostly-climate-controlled basement, but do people with unheated garages/sheds/etc run into thermal expansion damage when the lines freeze on a water-cooled spindle, or does the tubing/reservoir relieve the stress? I've never seen anyone talk about using antifreeze or exotic coolants on a spindle)
     
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  24. PatMcClintic

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    My garage is too small to park an SUV in..so no cars in there anyway.

    Can anybody confirm if the kit comes in two boxes and what I am seeing tracked is the hardware/router pack? 36.1 lbs and 21x11x9 inches.
     
  25. Brian Morel

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    Mine shows 33.3 lbs, 48x8x8, 1 package. Also due to me Friday via FedEx. I assume it’s multiple packages but they only sent the tracking for one of them.

    Kind of scary, but I guess I deserve it for jumping on what seemed like a great deal with very little information. Not really a fan of YouTube instructions and was hoping more information would be forth coming.

    I’ll wait and see what shows up and take it from there.

    Brian
     
  26. PatMcClintic

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    Well..some of us might have to be the source for upcoming information. Maybe we can forge ahead with V2.
     
  27. Batcrave

    Batcrave Journeyman
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    I'm right with you on the Youtube directions. Videos are a great reference when you're stuck on a step and need to see exactly how someone managed to fit Tab A into Slot B, but they're far from convenient to follow step-by-step through a large-scale assembly project (your mileage may vary - especially if you have a monitor mounted right over your work area that, unlike mine, is actually capable of playing Youtube videos).

    Of course, I have a love/hate relationship with instructions to begin with [note on report card: "Lil Bats shows an unsettling distrust for authority in all forms"] and have a bad habit of "forgetting" to check the manual until everything is together and I can't figure out why I still have half the pieces left over and nothing works, so I'm a little more willing to accept some of the pain of an early adopter in hopes of making things less and/or more confusing for whatever poor fool gets stuck following behind me.

    Maybe if we're really patient OBs will talk Ooznest into carrying the Lead and they'll put out one of their almost-as-cool-as-Lego-but-less-colorful assembly manuals for it.

    In the shorter term, though, would there be any chance of getting that Sketchup model in more portable formats? Something like STEP would be awesome, since I'd love to be able to pull it into Autodesk Fusion. Once upon a time I was reasonably comfortable getting around in Sketchup... but that was way back when it was still a Google product (and probably closer to the beginning of that period than the end - I feel old), and, after spending tonight flailing helplessly at the model and/or UI, it's clear that something in me is rebelling against the effort of starting all over again. Or maybe is rebelling against the fact that every other click feels like it leads to an upsell.

    Or maybe is just plain lazy.


    -Bats
    (...or maybe should've gone to bed hours ago)
     
  28. dmlingerfelt

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    Anyone still waiting on shipping notification? My order still says "Awaiting Fulfillment." Ordered the Silver version on Thursday (first 50).

    Sent an email and haven't received any reply...I know they are busy with all of the orders.
     
  29. Rob Mitchell

    Rob Mitchell Well-Known
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    I suspect that given the small size of the team they are all hands on deck getting orders out the door.
     
  30. Mark Carew

    Mark Carew OpenBuilds Team
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    Hey guys I thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we are working super hard to get your LEAD CNC in your hands as soon as possible.
    OpenBuilds HQ is in fast motion this week it's crazy fun! I would like to mention that there will be tutorial videos to follow to help get some of the new guys up and running quickly.
    Again we thank you all and appreciate the support though the Part Store orders as well as working together to help one another here on the forum. This community and its helpful nature is what makes OpenBuilds such a great place to be a part of.
    Let me run though and see if we can help with some of your questions.

    Hello Cncpro, Thank you sir! The main objective with this machine was get away from the locked in plate style designs and back to the roots of a modular machine that we, as a community, can mod and share with each other. Its this changeability that we believe will make this machine a flagship!
    The Team has worked really hard to bring this one about. I have to say the design itself is largely based on a lot of the feedback and existing builds right here in the OpenBuilds Community, so thanks out to you guys for all of your help and shared ideas that make the LEAD CNC a reality. :thumbsup:

    Hello arcrunner, Yes the XL plates we are using can have up to 6 wheels per plate. This is an options that could be an upgrade if your cutting harder materials a lot.


    Hello Jeff, This is definitely an option and we did a few beta builds this way but they are a little more expensive and in this setup really did not seem to offer any main helpful advantage so we decided to keep the cast corners here.


    Hello Pat, Good eye! Thank you for the helpful feedback this was a mistake in the build post and has since been updated to reflect the proper sizing. The waste board measurements are - (1/2" MDF 32 x 40" (12mm thick - 820 x 1020mm)
    Thanks again

    Hello Rob, Thank you for both your support as well as your confidence in OpenBuilds and the LEAD CNC.
    There are tutorials in the works from a simple 'let's do the first cut' to more advance 3d carving examples, so stay tuned as we are excited to see what the community can make!
    Also because this machine has both the size and is in true OpenBuilds modular fashion we plan to use it as the example machine for most of the tutorials and examples to come.
    On the strength of the machine in comparison across the system. It uses the C-Beam lead screw actuator. So its right along the same line as the WorkBee 1010 as well as the C-Beam XL Machine so what these machines can do this one can as well. We are looking forward to releasing these tutorials very soon and hope they help get builders up and cutting soon.

    Hello Pat, Yes you will receive two boxes one will be long parts and the other will be the rest of the hardware, ect.

    Hello Bats, The Black LEAD CNC is expected to ship on or around Dec 10 and the Silver is actively shipping now! :thumbsup:

    Hello Bat, In the works is to have the LEAD CNC as well as all future and OpenBuilds past models released in a more shareable format for everyone to enjoy.
    In the meantime this may help, there is a free SketchUp viewer as well as a free version of SketchUp Make that you can use to access and edit the models. SketchUp Downloads

    Like @Rob Mitchell mentions it is all hands on deck here at OpenBuilds HQ and honestly the Team has been pushing really hard and doing an amazing job. They are super excited to see what you guys think of your machines and what you will do with them.
    Every morning meeting we get together and go over all the encouraging and uplifting emails from you guys! It really helps to fuel the fire of purpose, so keep them coming. Thank you all so much for taking the time to share your words of encouragement, your plans of what you will do with your machines and most of all for your support in OpenBuilds as a company with the purpose to help.
    If you have any issues with your order please know you can reach out to the Part Store team and they will get back to you as soon as they can. http://support.openbuilds.com/support/home
    Thank you
    Mark Carew
     

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