A Learning Adventure in the Workshop

Power-supply and motors on the "7th"

Last night I installed the rest of the stepper-motors onto the CNC mill project.  I also installed the power-supply, on-off switch and the housing for the controller-card.  Next step is to align the rails and install the spindle and on-off switch for the spindle.

I didn't get a chance to work on the "turtle" CNC machine over the weekend.  Hopefully tomorrow night.

Happy Halloween!

Sewickley's Riverfront Park to get public docks

Click on the link below for an article about Riverfront Park that appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today.   Note the link on the bottom of the article to the new www.riverfrontpark.org website!  Its the first public link to the new site, I think.

Link: Sewickley's Riverfront Park to get public docks.

First Contact!

Well, my Wood Turtle tasted wood for the first time over the weekend!

It's still in an "experimental" mode as I tweak it out. All I have done so far was to "jog" the cutter head in-and-out and back and forth along a square stick of wood until the wood turtle turned it into a round stick of wood. Simple test, but it showed me where I need to work on the machine. I have not had it run a g-code program yet. Maybe tonight.

I am basically pleased with this first trial. The Turtle cuts much more smoothly than I expected. It took the beating of the intermittent contact with a square of wood (until it is made round by the machine) without any problem. Strong design. I thought that I might have to manually round stock first before engaging the turtle, but it can handle it.

Areas that need improvement to my machine:

1. My NOVA wood lathe is a floor-standing unit unlike the one that John K tested with, so I needed to come up with a good method for mounting the Turtle next to the lathe. For now, I built a temporary table out of saw-horses and wood planks with bricks on top to give it stability and reduce movement. I then clamped the Turtle to the "table" with wood clamps....it still moves WAY to much. I need to design a more stable mount. This is the #1 issue that I need to resolve. I think that I need to attach it to the lathe somehow (with clamps) rather than to a separate table. I'm thinking on this.

2. I built the Turtle as a 36" long machine. I'm not sure that it can handle the full 36". After about 24" I get a lot of flex in the lead screw. My stepper also struggles past 24". My "carriage" might be too tight on the rails. Need to play with this.

3. It ripped my carbide cutter out of the key stock. Stripped the tapped hole that I had screwed it in to. I need to put a screw entirely through the key stock and put a nut underneath for more strength. Seems to cut just fine without the carbide too.

My other CNC machine project (the "7th Sojourn" milling machine) also made progress. The unit is now fully painted and has the adjustable rail-blocks installed.  I also installed the Y axis and Z axis mechanisms and mounted the stepper motor on the Z axis.   Next step is to adjust the rails and then build the rolling "table."  My goal is to have the "7th" ready for testing in two weeks.

Finished Paint on the "7th"

I finished that 2nd and 3rd coats of paint on the body of the "7th Sojourn" tonight and painted the rails with black enamel.  Tomorrow, I can mount the rails.

Painting the "7th"

I put the first coat of gray paint on the "7th" last night.  I'll put another coat on tonight and sand and paint the pipe that will be the rails with black enamel spray paint.

I need to do a little research to determine if the 60-oz NEMA-23 motors that I used on the lathe attachment machine will be strong enough for the 7th.

Another CNC project (don't tell anyone!!)

While I have been working on the CNC lathe attachment, I have also been working on another of John Kleinbauer's CNC designs....the "7th Sojourn."  The "7th" is a flat-bed design CNC machine that uses many of the same construction principles as the lathe attachment, and I couldn't resist building it also since I now have the electronic hardware and software to give it a go.   The 7th will cut out parts and do engravings on material up to 9"x14".  I intend to use the same controller, etc on this machine as I did on the lathe attachment.  I'll just come up with some quick-connects so that I can move back and forth without difficulty.

Last night I completed and dry-fitted all of the wooden (MDF) components for the 7th and they are now ready to be painted.  I also bought much of a used z and y axis assembly from John a month or two ago, and that will make progress go much quicker on this machine as I will be re-using many of his scrap parts.

My wife is pressing me to get back to my "real" woodworking and build the two Greene & Greene desks that I have promised to build...but I've been bitten by the CNC bug lately!!  I'd love to do some regular woodworking, but I am obsessed with getting these machines running first!!

Completed CNC Photos

I've just uploaded a bunch of new photos of the completed CNC machine to the CNC Photo album on this website. Click here to view them.

I added the carbide tip to the cutter head this weekend and put the CNC machine on weighted saw-horses next to the lathe.  It is now ready for a test run sometime this week.

New Website for Riverfront Park

I finished and posted the new website for Riverfront Park and its trains at www.riverfrontpark.org.  I'll be maintaining this website for a local organization that is building the park.

.INI file for the FET-3

Got TurboCNC to work with the FET-3 controller from Stepperworld.

If you need an .INI file for the FET-3. Download the following:

Download FET3TCNC.ini

You will still need to calibrate your machine, but at least it will configure the motors.

I also calibrated the machine to the software and replaced the rigid coupler joint on the Y-axis with the vacuum tubing that John K had originally recommended.  He was right, the coupler needs the slight flexibility that the tubing allows to compensate for slight alignment problems.

Paint, wiring improvements and software configuration issues

Made a bit more progress last night.  I made the wiring a bit neater and put two coats of gray paint onto the machine's wooden base-plate.  The paint will prevent oil from the lead screw from soaking into the wood.   

I also cut an access hatch (hole) into the base-plate that is large enough to allow adjustments and maintenance to the underside of the cutter-carriage without its removal from the machine.  I made a sheet metal hatch cover and screwed it over the hole.

Finally, but most importantly, I started to try to get TurboCNC software configured to work with the FET-3 controller board from Stepperworld.  I played around with the setting for an hour or so, but could not get TurboCNC to talk to the board.  I will email Stepperworld today for TurboCNC configuration hints.   I will also try KCAM software tonight.

I "jogged" the machine a bit more with the Stepperworld testing software too.  I noticed that the lead-screw shows some deflection when the cutter head is between 2 and 3 feet from the stepper-motor.  Probably means that the cutter-head carriage is too tight on the rails.  May need some adjustment.  This machine is definitely the maximum size possible with the thin 1/4" lead-screw.