Wow nice work. I have been lurking on CNCzone for a while as I have a RF mill I have wanted to retro fit gecko drive controllers and do a 3axis mini mill!

I apreciate all the work you put into this project

Yes Seals are in Acad, for text on an arc, it is in the Express tools / Text / Arc-Aligned Text.

Look forward to the log on machine.

Joe

Many people have done a retro fit to a mini mill, with a mini mill you really do not need the gecko's, a smalled controllor works fine with them. because not alot of power is need to drive the machine.

www.Xylotex.com
www.Hobbycnc.com

Joe

Here is the Photo i cut into Corian (8.5"x11" White) using the Photo-Carve, I could not believe how It came alive, and the cuts were great in Corian.

I cut the file, then blow out the Corian dust from groves using compressor, then just use plain old fast drying Flat Black paint i had sitting around. Then used sand paper sounge to sand the surface back down to the white Corian, took over to the sink rinsed off, and wiped dry. And you see the results, when you start looking you can see details in the picture, Even lettering on the Boy's shirt. The preview in the software looks good, but the finished product is even better.

The whole proccess works best when having a nice material to start with.

60deg. V-bit, 20ipm, took 56 mins

1st picture is after cut and corian dust blown off.
2nd picture is finished product.

Yeah solid surface is great stuff, I own a countertop shop and we work with corian routinely, cuts great when you use negitively raked tools. What's that behind your piece of corian? is that perhaps a tool holder for the cnc? I want to design one for my cnc when I finally get it built ( been working on my projector and my theater room which is almost done) I would have loved to have used my cnc for the pj but that didn't work out had to get the pj done so I could size up my picture for entertainment center placement (it wraps the screen)

joe,

how much are your cnc kits?

Are you still making the kits?

Joe, I'd be keen to know too, if you are still making them. A DIY CNC has been on my over-lengthy wishlist for more than a while.

JasonD and Lota, Messages sent.

Thanks

same here please Joe

My thanks also, Joe

thanks joe

Hi Joe, could I find out about your plans as well please. Thanks Peter

I would love to purchase a kit Joe. Please pm me the details.

Thanks Joe. It's a nice looking machine. I hope you do well with it. Peter.

Joe,
I'd like prices on the kit (or kits) you offer as well.
Oh, and an estimated wait time from purchase to receipt.
I'm seriously getting my buddies interested in a CNC machine so we may all chip in and buy it together.

Thanks in advance!
-Allen

Can these machines cut out a shape and bevel the outside edge to a certain angle.

Yes you just use the but with the angle you wanrt, if you look at the seals i cut they have a 60deg. bevel edge using a 60deg. v-bit, you can make any shape by using a ball nose bit.

the machine has becove very popular and many people have built it. They even gave me my own section on the CNCZone. you can read all different builds here and also mods some people have made.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=346

Joe

Another example of what can be done in V-Carve.

Here is a sign, i just cut for my daughter, I have promised her i would do it for a long time now so finally did, I made the DXF from tracing a JPG in Acad.

In V-Carve Pro, just highlight everything, then choose pocket, and it will genterate the Tool-Path automatically for you.

1st) Painted a 8"x8" signfoam Yellow then clear coat it and let dry.
2nd) I cut it 0.20" depth.
3rd) sprayed the whole thing Green then wiped the Coated raised yellow section with WD40 which just wiped the green paint right off with a few passes.

I just need to clean up a few area's with a knife around the letters and some on the deer, (you can see that the green paint is still wet).

The paint was just the spray cans (John Deere industrical equipment colors) from Homedepot.

Joe

hey joe, looks awesome. May be interested in a kit, if the price is right. PM Me and let me know, shipping to 37040. (TN) Thanks...

Also, any plans on the full sheet model? 4x8... thanks.

also, email is godofmonkeys AT gmail.com

Howdy,
Joe, if you would be so kind as to send me a PM with pricing and availability for a CNC kit, I would appreciate it.
Thanks!

You can read alot more on the machine on the CNCZone, the machine has grown in popularity so much they gave me my own section just for this machine, I would imagine over 20 have been built already.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=346

Joe

I would also like to have pricing info on the kit.

Thanks,
Jim

thanks for sharing

Joe, or anyone,

Does anyone have the plans for Joes 2nd Machine? the one he made the 2006 R-2 with?

just emailed....

joe

Hey Joe I was wondering if I could get a quote for one of your kits.
Shipping to 76490 and one for pickup.

Thanks...

sent you a message and also some links.

Joe

I think i might have found some of the material i will need for this older machine. You said you had made it from one 4 x 8 sheet.

Just so everyone knows how i got this material. To put it simply, i called the City Manager (my city is pop. 130,000) and asked them if they might help me talk to whoever woul;d know about all the RENOVATIONS in the city. I needed renovations because HDPE is often used as Lavatorie Partitions, so if a renovation was happening, then the bathrooms might be updated aswell, and all those old partitions would be tossed out. If i could find whoever it was who was general contractor for some of these jobs, or any particular job i might be able to get some of that old material. Here is the trick, Municipalities often cannot give items away ,even trash, because they were purchased with Tax Dollars. Often they will have auctions. In the case of the HDPE or UHMW-PE you would wanna talk to the contractor working any particularrenovation. Also, Cities often do allot of renovations to parks and what not, so make sure your contacting the contractor of a building renovation. If your lucky youll have a contractor who couldnt part with tossing so much good looking plastic and will tell you "Sure, i have some of that, Its behind my shop, just go and pick it up."

When he said "some" what he ment was 4 or 5 sheets that are 5' by 4.5' by 1" THats WAY more than i need. The great thing, though, is that its Free. Thats, by my rough guess, about $1000 in plastic. I'm gonna go pick it up tonight, or tommorow afternoon.

I'm planning on making Joes first machinee(becuause it can be cut with a tablesaw (i think) and a hand drill, (and a tap set).

I posted earlier where one might get Stepper motors (So far i have all my steppers, and my HDPE for free!

Can i cut HDPE w/ a tablesaw?

Also, Are there any way of telling if the material i hve is HDPE?

It the partitions from a public bathroom. They are a solid material. Blue, And its all plastic. 1" thick. I am gonna have to do some modifications.

Any pointers? I know someone made one from thicker material.

MY GOODNESS!!!!! You are the first person that i have heard bring up this material. I myself have had the pleasure of obtaining some of this "bathroom partition" plastic. It is awesome material if I say so myself and it is some hard ass material. The thing about the stuff is that it is bery difficult to cut with a circular saw. At least I thought so. I make a slide for the circular saw with the stuff thinking it would "last forever" at it will but I dont like having such a heavy slide now that I have used it a couple of times. Anyway.. When I cut the material it seemed like the material has an outer layer that easily chips and makes it a little less than perfect cut. Go slow with the saw and any other tool if you decide to use it.

How about this thought.. Make your first one with MDF and then make the next one with the better material. time consuming yes, but I bet you will make your first one(pending this is your first) and be thinking about how you could have made it better.

Joe,
Its been a while since I popped in here. I see the CNC bug is still going strong here. I have a question that I would love to hear you thoughts on.

I was playing with a rod of all thread and a nut and I noticed that there was a little slack in the two. I could wiggle the nut just enough to where I would think that it would show up in your cuts. Maybe its not enough to show but that is why I am asking you.

Well, I have a quarter million dollar Wood Shop at my disposal, with every tool. I will be cautious with the cutting. I planned on going really slow, i have some feas about getting the blade too hot, and melting the plastic to it. I need things to stay cool.

The other thing is that i have way more than i will need for a while. We are talking, i think i can do Joes 2nd machine (on a table saw) then use that machine to build his 2006.

Atleast, thats the plan.

I am interested to see what your talking about with the outer shell. Maybe it is dryer or something than the rest. Sure you weren't using a laminated sometihng? This stuff (without cutting it) seems to be solid all the way through it. Gonna go pick the stuff up tommorow evening. I'm pretty excited.

BTW Have we thought about a definitive guide to DIY CNC Routers? Kinda like the lumenlab projector guide?

Here is the material that I have come into contact with. Wish I had more because it is soo tough. The grey material is what I was refering to. You have a pic of the material you were going to get I would love to see if we are talking about the same thing.

Here is the material that I have come into contact with. Wish I had more because it is soo tough. The grey material is what I was refering to. You have a pic of the material you were going to get I would love to see if we are talking about the same thing.Click to view attachment

I will try to get a pic.

Mine is all the way solid all the way through. Plastic. Heavy Duty, Very hard. and thick as all get out.

Its Blue, too. Like, BLUE!

JimDandy,

Anti Backlash Nuts. Review Joes plans and you'll see them.
Also just in case you haven't been there yet, try Joe's 2006 Forum at the CNCZone here:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=346

Tons of info and lots of builds in progress as well as many completed builds, have fun!

Bob

The material looks like a PVC type.

Joe

It looks alot like Garolite or Panolic.

Is there a problem with those materials? Just asking.

No both of those material are GREAT building material. Very strong and hold up GREAT. But there is a 75% chance I am talking about a totaly diffrent material. I have no idea why they would use such a high$$ material for that. And I am going off only what It looks like after all.

I would order a small peice of garolite from mcmastercarr and compare. a Small 6"X6" peice shouldnt cost much. If it turns out to be garolite then that is a GREAT product for building anything.

I was looking at a website that sells bathroom toilet Partions. And they sell them in 2-3 difrent types. Steel / Laminated plastic / solid plastic / phenolic(the material I was refering to) So it is all possable that is what you have. But who knows !

http://www.ameraproducts.com/ProductLitira...ts/default.aspx

I'm pretty sure i have HDPE. The Contractor who gave it to me said it was HDPE, when was referring to it as Lavatory Partition Material.

I think i do have HDPE Solid all the way through. No color change. No outside layer.

pic of peice of phenolic I have

Yeah, it looks like phenolic to me also. I have several tool plates made from the stuff, very straight and hard but because it's so hard it's a little brittle you can chip it if you strike it just right like slate or shale. and I don't think it holds up well to tapping.

Phenolic holds threads nicely

Hey Joe, or Anyone (for that matter),

Does anyone have the solid works files for Joes second machine. Its the machine thats doccumented in his other main, stickied thread on this forum.

Hes made 4 machines, by my count,

The first. Duh,

Then he redesigned some plans of his to build a larger one, using the first. As soon as he was finishing this second one

he started designing and building the 2006 that we all know and love, and now he is on to a 4'x4'

I'm looking for the solidworks files for his second one.

just sent e-mail