My Self Built Router

[haydn]

Hi All,

My first post so go gently on me. I recently finished my first router. The build log is on cnc zone, but having got into it a bit I thought I might put a post here as it still amazes me how cheap Mach is for what you get! Don't know if Art uses the forum much but he helped me out with a couple of minor problems which means I can now run my machine (with steppers) at the max of 13.5m/min with directly driven ballscrews. I posted a vid on youtube:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/xlGu51uqNgQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/xlGu51uqNgQ</a>
It's not running flat out, barely half the speed I can get out of it, at higher speeds I found Quantum better but I don't have the need to run that fast. Took a while to build and cost about £1800. Ebay was invaluable, the ballscrews (10mm pitch x and y, 5mm pitch z) and support bearings I bought new. The frame is all steel box section, with cast steel epoxy joint faces, bolted and pined. It's very solid and way more accurate than if I had tried to weld the joints, also means I can dismantle it if I ever need to move the workshop (I hope not). The Z axis is all aluminium plate and was machined manually by rigging up a temporary fixed z axis and using the fine height adjuster on the router. Motors are 640 Oz in Rexstep and they are just great hardly get hot just nice and warm, they're rated at 2.3V 5.5A, the supply I built runs them at 60V, 5.5A which is probably partly why I can get good speeds. I'm using Gecko 201's on all axis and a Bob Campbell breakout board.

Hope you like it!

Haydn

[ynneb]

Excellent, Thanks for posting this.
Can you post a picture of the finished product, or at least some of the stages you are currently up to with it?

[polaraligned]

Very, Very nice. 
Thanks for sharing.
Someday I would like to build a router like that.


Scott

[haydn]

Here are a few pics of the finished (?) machine, there are still a couple of minor details to complete, i'll get round to it eventually! One being a mount for extraction which isn't quite so minor but a problematic issue when your using tools ranging from 1" to 4" in length. I am going to try using two 1-1.5" bore hoses on a flexible mount so I can move them to suit the cutter being used and the workpiece.

I will post some pics of the build with brief descriptions of whats going on.

Thanks for the positive comments!

Haydn

[Greolt]

Nice looking machine Haydn.

Well done.

Can you show us some close up detail on the Y axis screw dust exclusion.

Greg

[haydn]

Hi Greg,

Here are a couple of pics of it during the build. It's two lengths of aluminium bound 1.5" draft excluder brush. You can get this with an aluminium or plastic mounting bar. The bar was bolted to some aluminium angle and the brush strip threaded in with a dab of epoxy at each end. It works pretty well but the brush does deform and loose shape at the home position.

Hope this helps

Haydn

[Greolt]

Great concept Haydn.  Could be carried even further and close in the back and ends.

Overall I like the way you have put your machine together.

It will give you a lot of good service.

Well done. You can be rightly proud of it.

Greg

[Chaoticone]

Great job Haydn.

Brett

[haydn]

Great concept Haydn. Could be carried even further and close in the back and ends.

Overall I like the way you have put your machine together.

It will give you a lot of good service.

Well done. You can be rightly proud of it.

Greg

Thanks Greg and Brett,

The ends are enclosed but I don't have a pic as my camera died, should have some soon. The back has a 2mm ali plate over it with a strip of rubber tube round the outside, this is partly to stop it rattling as much as to stop dust entry. I'm still searching for some longer brush strip to box in the x screw.

Haydn

[haydn]

Hi all,

Not been on the site for a while! I have upgraded the motors on my machine thanks to www.homeshopcnc.com, who did me a deal in exchange for a video for their new web site (not up yet). I now have the RHT34-740 motors which are great, more torque improved linearity etc. I have uploaded the video for now on you tube and it includes a carved top guitar, example profiling with Quantum at 12m/min and a sign. Take a look if you get the chance!

Haydn

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/3_qdZB9iGhU&amp;rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/3_qdZB9iGhU&amp;rel=1</a>