DXF, IGS and STEP format files are now in the "Files" area for download. They're in one zip file. Enjoy!

 

Glad you were able to read the files.

Looks like the version you used of the Side Plate is from an earlier rev, or you removed the "hog holes" that I put in to reduce weight. With 1/4" aluminum plate, the extra material is not needed for suitable stiffness.

The dimensions in your Sketchup drawing look good -- overall 14.7" x 8" for the Side Plate and 6.75" x 7.5" for the Gantry Carriage Plate. The height of the Side Plate is derived from my specific bed, which is thicker for the vacuum table. As Mark mentions in one of his videos, it's best to keep the routing location as close as possible (vertically) to the z-axis support wheels. In other words, if you plan to use a thinner bed, you may want to decrease the Side Plate height and thus lower the wheels.

Important: the hole diameters in my models were selected to allow post-machining for bearings, threading, screw clearance and such. If anyone plans to make a Frog, I urge you to adjust the hole specs for your specific process. You can check out the purpose of each hole by looking at the final assembly. Sorry, most of the hardware is not included in the models -- if you have questions, let me know and I'll respond asap. Also, you may be able to figure it out from the photos, which I plan to supplement soon.

I will also post a video of the thing in action. I'm not running it at full speed yet, need to get some sharp bits!

Neil

P.S. I have done some preliminary testing of the vacuum table. As long as I cover all unused holes (with plastic sheeting) it works really well!

 

Looks great Matt, can't wait to see how the design evolves under your care! I also have thought about using a leadscrew rather than belt on the y-axis, but for now the belt is performing quite nicely.

I'll post videos soon of both routing operations and the Donek Drag Knife (a cool tool!). No surprise, with a sharp router bit I can cut really fast and still maintain accuracy.

Also the vacuum table has not disappointed, amazing how firmly it holds parts! I've ordered a standalone 3-stage vacuum (http://www.centralvacuummotor.com/Lighthouse/LH6765-13.JPG) for the table, should arrive soon. Word on the street is that Shop-Vacs have a nasty habit of bursting into flames when you restrict airflow for a prolonged run.

I'm also building a dust shoe, I'm drowning in sawdust. Here's my starting point: http://www.instructables.com/id/More-stable-dust-collection-boot-for-CNC-routers/

If it's of interest, here's the super cheap 4-axis driver I'm using. It's gotten LOTS of bad press, but so far it's behaved really well, no errors or problems at all: http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Axis-CNC-...458?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c797b8642

Enjoy!
Neil

 

Here's a short video showing some of the features of The Frog, hope you can see it ok:

 

Glad you like the machine, thanks

The rack is attached to 1/8" flat plate (threaded holes), which is in turn attached to the extrusion via Tee-nuts and screws. It's pretty easy to slide closer or further away to adjust gear engagement, then locked in place. I haven't observed any shifting. If you download the models I posted you may be able to see the details.

For motor cabling I used Cat6 stranded 24AWG, forming 4 pairs of 2 conductors each. I don't expect to have breakage problems. I did solder tin the ends where it attaches to the driver box. The RJ45 connectors are clean and easy.

 

Thanks Nick

Also, cool thread on the dust shoe, definitely gonna grab some ideas from that one!

 

Thanks Robert, I'm still figuring out the best ways to use the vacuum table, so far the results are promising.

Hadn't seen Podz before (newbie!), they look like a nice solution, very flexible. Keep us informed as you progress please.

BTW my wife is a quilter, she uses a porous stiffener called "Peltex" in some of her projects. What I've found is that a layer of Peltex (search for it on Google) between the vacuum table and the workpiece allows me to cut all the way through the piece into the Peltex, thus avoiding marring the table surface. The vacuum hold-down is not affected.

 

I have found that the dust shoe has largely eliminated dust getting into the tracks, glad I added that. Notice the two neodymium magnets -- I have holes for 4 but that was WAY too strong. I'm re-doing the brush soon, it's a balancing act between too-stiff and not stiff enough. Also, I've added some new comments over in the build description area, plus a photo of a new vacuum motor and my first 3d contouring project. Onward!

 

Hey, thanks

 

Hard to be precise. It's not as loud as a shopvac, mostly due to the muffler.

Anyway, the router is quite loud so I wear Peltor earmuffs when I'm working.

 

Yikes!

 

No problem.

Having some trouble inserting full size images, please have a look in the build description photos, I'm putting them there.

You may also be able to get them here:
http://pho.to/4l64K/ma
and
http://pho.to/4l64j/ql

The parameters may change when I switch to the 3mm GT2.
Let me know if you can't read this, or need more info.

Neil