Still got a long way to go before she will be ready for paint.

Your sheet metal skills are awesome, we just use a hammer on sheet metal, glaze it, then paint it.  Your stuff looks great, to bad we are 12 times zones apart

JH

It must be the camera!

Here is what i've learned:
I get everything laser cut, even the small bits because i know they will be perfectly sized and square.
When folding its easy to add a little more its hard to take a little back.
If it ant right then do it again even if it means starting again, the quickest way is not always the fastest way!

All my sheet is Eg 1mm (electronically galvanized) any thicker is to hard to work with.
Rivnuts are a savior with sheet metal, if you don't have a tool get one and don't be cheap you'll regret it.

Thanks JH, your machine is awesome, ive got to keep you interested as im going to need help with some of the programing (just got my usb to 485 converter).

cheers

The sheet metal shop we work with would cut it and CNC fold it to the drawing and the prices are so low (most of the price is the laser cutting) it makes it not worth messing with folding it manually, even if it's a simple bend. Ask your laser shop if they can bend it. Only adds up something like 2 bucks for a bend.

Dan

Got my Z axis ball screw dialed up and bolted down today:



Closer view of the free floating end, is the original mount bored with a bearing:



I got this block with the ball screw, it had a crappy chinese bearing in it, agin bored out to take the bigger Japanese bearing:

Looking good! What a pleasant surprise that the new bearings block and the original one align on same plane.

What accuracy grade are the ball screws?

Dan

They are the cheap kind, Chinese made. I just didnt have the money for anything of significant quality, however they are a "Zero backlash ball screw" and they are hardened all the way through not just on the outside.

I sure am getting sick of seeing this:

Had this happen several times over the last few days. I am sure it is being worked on though.

Dan

So today it was time to work on the X axis motor mount, here is the test piece i cut, its about .5mm to high in one spot, all the hole line up fine and thats what mattered most:



There is just no clearance for the slide to clear the bearings, I'm hesitant to take any more off the slide so this is what i came up with, once the top is on no swarf will make it into the bearing:



here is the middle section, you can see how it will clamp down on the bearings:



The mark on the right face is were i forgot to use offsets.

And finally the reason i like to put everything together before i paint it:



Notice the bottom draw front got welded on upside down, I'll drill new holes and weld up the others rather than re mount the front - it took ages to get right.

Cheers guys (and girls) and have a great Christmas.