CNC router build from Adept robotic cartesian slides.

**Frank S** · Oct 14, 2015, 12:10 AM

Yes or figure out the convergence point, attach a sonic intensifier and use it to shatter wine glasses.

**machiningfool** · Oct 14, 2015, 11:18 AM

Good idea, but I would just rather throw them on the ground. I turned on the router and nothing, so any vibration would have to come from the tool cutting, and cutting wood, I don't see a problem. Bob.

**Frank S** · Oct 14, 2015, 02:04 PM

Bob I'll have to admit that I am not much of a woodman
for me the router table would have to have vacuum or magnetic hold down depending on which metal I needed to work.
Actually I believe that even if I were working wood panels I might want vacuum assist to hold down and eliminate vibration.
Just a thought LOL

**machiningfool** · Oct 14, 2015, 02:26 PM

Vacuum sucks, oh sorry, bad joke. The work that I do just requires simple screws when placing molds. I don't cut metal on this machine, I use the mill for that. Maybe I ought to explain myself. I built this in the first place because my cnc mill will only traverse 26 inches in the x axis. I need at least 32 inches for my 1:32 scale train molds, so while vacuum would be nice, it is unnecessary for the type of work that I am doing. Thanks for your input. Here are some pictures of the way covers made of naugahyde. You can see the sway in the fabric, so I will add more weight to the other end to straighten it out a bit. This will keep the crap out of the machine. Bob.

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**Frank S** · Oct 14, 2015, 03:27 PM

Yeah it seams there is always that job that needs 6 more inches of travel
back about 25 years ago I took the entire top section off of my old Bridgeport then mounted it to the carriage of an old lathe that had a 14ft bed and secured my 4'by8' platen table to the back side of the bed just to be able to mill a 6 ft long slot in a 8" diameter shaft for a draw-works that I was rebuilding. not only did it take a lot of time to do the set up but it took forever to mill the key-slot in the shaft with a 3HP mill. I would have been money ahead if I could have farmed it out but everyone was quoting a 30 to 60 day lead time right then.

**machiningfool** · Oct 15, 2015, 04:02 AM

Wow, did you take any pictures? I would like to see that operation.

**Frank S** · Oct 15, 2015, 08:06 AM

I if there are any that still exist they would still be with our stuff that has never made it back from Kuwait.

**machiningfool** · Oct 16, 2015, 12:38 PM

I have installed the cable carriage and x and z limit circuits, tomorrow the y axis limits. I am almost ready to fire it up after a little more wiring. Then tuning the servos, whatever that means. Oh well, I will find out. Here are some pics. Bob.

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**PJs** · Oct 17, 2015, 12:13 PM

Nice progress Bob. That looks like a Gortrac cable carrier and a big one at that? Finally took a look at the Adept drives and found them impressive. I've used Parker's before but had to go with belt drive because of cost and 20' length. Tuning can be a bit intense when you have 36000 quadrature counts and having to repeat at ±.005" over that distance with a belt, so I think yours maybe a bit easier with the precision of the screws. Curious why you chose the courser pitch (Faster) screws for only 38" of travel? Nice work so far and looking forward to more of your build. Thanks, ~PJ

Oh, another thought I had about maybe putting a vacuum skirt around the router base? Think it might get a bit cloudy in the shop when you get to whittling.

**machiningfool** · Oct 18, 2015, 07:33 AM

I didn't have a choice for the pitch, if I was going to use the Adept, they only have 10mm. or 20mm. They were made for speed, not routing. Maybe a bad choice, I don't know yet. They had good numbers on accuracy, even at those pitches, so at the time,I thought they would work well. I might fire them up today, just a few more wires to run. I might be asking you to help me on the tuning, because I am new to this, I just run them not program them. I am runing Mach 3, Do you have any experience with that control program? Bob.