CNC Router Shop Made

**jjr2001** · Jun 5, 2016, 05:09 PM

Link to latest "Vise" for the Maxi Pallette
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/c...g-system-53816

Link to new Maxi Pallete for this CNC machine:
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/m...3069#post77378

Link to 3 tool holder plates for this CNC machine including one pen and 2 routers.
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/c...e-plates-52265

Latest spindle with ER 20 Collet and DC power with an RC motor.
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/c...-spindle-52268

This is an old project that I built in 2013 before the lathe and mill became
part of my shop. 5/8 thick aluminum was cut on the 10" table saw with a
non-ferrous carbide 80 tooth blade from Freud.

Here is the original posting from 2013 CNC Build Thread:

JJR Hybrid CNC 8020 MDF Aluminum 37 x 42

The 1 1/2 thick mdf was made by face gluing and screwing two pieces of 3/4 mdf
and securing them with many #10 screws. The screws were 1 1/2 inches long so
I ground them to 1 7/16 long prior to installing them into pre drilled and counter sunk holes.
The counter sinks and screw heads were filled, sanded and primed prior to applying the
rattle can silver paint to make my custom "Alumamdf" (my word, not in Websters book).

After reading many builds I assembled most of the parts/supplies that I would need to build my machine.
I had seen many 8020 machines and quite a few MDF machines as well as some machined aluminum with 8020.
Since I have a small garage shop with a drill press, band saw, and table saw I settled on a machine
that would not require a mill to build but would still be useful addition to my shop.

Southwest Steel is only a few miles from home so I had a good source for aluminum and steel.

The bench was made from two 19" rack mount computer cabinets. I added an MDF top and "outriggers"
to add some width to the table. They are torsion boxes that are bolted to the frames.

For a power supply I found a surplus power supply and converted it to output 32 volts at better than 10 amps.
It is not a switcher, just an old brute force full wave bridge rectifier and some caps.

Gecko 540 controller.

3 x 320 oz-in 2.8 mH Nema 23 Stepper Motor, 3/8" Shaft from CNCrouterparts.

Lead screws and couplers from Enco.

Nuts and bolts from my favorite local supplier.....Marks

8020 from 8020 inc on eBay.

MDF from the local home store.

It runs on Linux and Linux CNC.
I use CamBam to create the Gcode and various Cad programs for the drawings.

So far it has made parts for the F4 Phantom, B35 not built yet, and various
fixtures for the shop. Neat machine to have in the shop

So here are a few pictures from the start to date.

**pfredX1** · Sep 30, 2016, 11:39 AM

You like using a router as a spindle? I have a little trim router in my CNC and I can't stand all of the noise it makes. Plus just having the 1/4" collet is pretty limiting as far as the tooling I can run. I'm definitely saving my pennies for an ER-11 spindle over here.

**jjr2001** · Sep 30, 2016, 02:14 PM

Hi pfred,
It is not too bad. I do wear ear protection while it is whining along. It is fine for wood, too fast for plastic and ok for aluminum with a 1/8" bit. The high speed is why I am building the new spindle. I have a Dewalt 660 and collets from 1/8 to 1/4. The other router is a Porter Cable and collets from 1/8 to 1/2 but I want to use my end mills and at lower speed. I will have variable speed from about 100 to 5000 rpm with an er-20 collett so I can pick my end mill or drill bit from my stock. I expect the new spindle to be very quiet.

Thanks for checkin in,
Cheers, JR

**pfredX1** · Oct 1, 2016, 04:23 PM

I just face milled a block of HDPE with my CNC. I used a half inch diameter carbide router bit. I have a Bosch Colt router that runs at 30,000 RPM. It made nice chips. That is a peripheral surface speed of close to 4,000 feet per minute. I suppose it depends on what kind of plastic you're cutting? Some can get kind of melty. But HDPE the faster you cut it, the faster it gets cut. Maybe there's an upper limit? But if there is, I've never seen it.

**jjr2001** · Oct 1, 2016, 06:08 PM

I have some UHMW but I have not had a chance to cut any of that yet. I have milled some PVC and polycarbonate. Tried plexiglass and just don't like that stuff at all. The Polycarb and PVC tend to melt and I have quite a bunch of it so I thought I would try to slow down the speed. The other thing is that with a set of ER-20 collets I have a large choice of end mills to choose from. Plus it should be quiet. Maybe I can work without hearing protection!

Cheers, JR

**pfredX1** · Oct 1, 2016, 07:16 PM

You should like working with UHMW. I cast my own HDPE stock out of scrap plastic. It is kind of a hobby by itself. Plus it is handy to have an unlimited supply of stock in the shop. http://i.imgur.com/MogRQ2i.jpg

**jjr2001** · Oct 3, 2016, 06:31 AM

Thanks, that is great info. I like the dovetailed Z-axis and thick pieces of HDPE. Looks like I am going to start saving Folgers coffee cans and milk bottles.

Cheers, JR

**pfredX1** · Oct 3, 2016, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by jjr2001

Thanks, that is great info. I like the dovetailed Z-axis and thick pieces of HDPE. Looks like I am going to start saving Folgers coffee cans and milk bottles.

Cheers, JR

There is a discovery curve as far as melting HDPE goes. I watched a number of YouTube videos before I got going. Then I came up with my own method, which I refined. What I'm saying is it is a bit of a journey. No two people go quite the same way either.

But to describe how I do it in a bit more detail I made this box http://i.imgur.com/RpqLjJq.jpg that I line with non-stick parchment paper. Then when I have my material all melted I put that piece of diamond plate in the box, and clamp it down. That keeps the block of plastic flat. As the plastic cools I keep tightening up on the clamps. Because HDPE shrinks, and tries to warp a lot as it cools.

You'll see as you go. More valuable products are usually put into injected molded containers too. Like laundry detergent bottles, and probably your coffee too. You can mix blown, and injected plastic, but your resulting plastic will more resemble injected, than anything else. Thin plastic grocery bags are HDPE too. But they melt down to nothing. So you have to melt lots of bags to add up to anything. Anything with a recycling symbol of 2 in a triangle is HDPE. You can still get an interesting Damascus pattern melting bag plastic, if you alternate bag colors. Say do 10 layers of black, then 10 of white.

That's the other reason to make your own HDPE. For the wild patterns. This guy unlisted his videos but I found this in my history

I wish I could find the link to part 1 This guy is the God of melting HDPE

**jjr2001** · Oct 4, 2016, 08:00 AM

Thank You pfred, Good information. I am saving my bottles.

Cheers, JR

**pfredX1** · Oct 4, 2016, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by jjr2001

Thank You pfred, Good information. I am saving my bottles.

Cheers, JR

I have so much plastic saved up that I'm doing a melt right now. Processing plastic is something else again. I have a method worked out how I slice up gallon jugs. I do it while I watch videos on my PC. I cut every bottle up the same way, and I stack all the like pieces together, so they pack in my melt box real tight.