Bottom left/right corner issue

Cool I think I might go this direction than.

I’m seeing talk of “counter weights” but on other models I’m seeing springs? do I need to use milk jugs or 2l bottles, or is there a spring way to do this?

That, my friend, would solely be up to you. I have looked to run counterweights, but was having issues with the design/route of that set up. I found a post here somewhere that had a listing for Home Depot and a spring they sell that is very similar to the one used on the M2. I picked one up and haven’t had any issues.

In the reading here, there are a few that are for counterweights, and some that go with the spring. I think the science and data point that the “bungee” and the spring ends up providing more tension when not needed, and not as much tension when it is needed. I can’t really speak to that point. Again, I have the spring (if I can find the link again, I’ll post it) and my machine is running just fine. Others have the counterweights and theirs works just fine as well. That would be in the category of “choose your own adventure!!” If you go counterweights, whatever you want to use for weight is up to you. I’ve seen the milk jug or 2L bottles to actual dumbbells and smaller “plate” weights. Again, whatever you have that is available to you that you can come up with should work. That is the neatest thing about this rig, for most things, if you can come up with something different or out of the box because it is what you have laying around, it would most likely work.

found the post with the link for the spring:
https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/m2-upgrade-spring-specs/14179/2?u=c00nphrog

I got this one and it is holding up pretty good.

No, these will not. They assume that the world of CNC is stepper driven.

I wish that M2’s software was more discussed, they are using a fork of grbl, and
it would be really good to get the changes merged upstream and use that instead
of the original firmware for all the maslows, but if their software is being
discussed/developed anywhere public, I’ve missed it.

Klipper has support for cable-driven machines, but not for DC motors (at least,
not yet). That would be a fantasic base to work from if anyone has time to work
on it.

David Lang

So if I buy for example the maker made maslow version 1 or the metal maslow; what else is required?

  1. I would need the wood frame obviously.
  2. I would need extension chains

Is this is? cuz if the m2 upgrade is mainly the Z and I can do that diy myself
otherwise than I think saving myself half the cost is worth it since it
honestly doesnt matter how slow this thing is, it only matters how accurate it
is.

accuracy vs precision

The maslows are all very precise, they will repeat the exact same cut with very
good accuracy (as long as the sled doesn’t stick, which is the issue in the
bottom corners)

accuracy is that the cuts that the maslow makes are all straight and where you
expect them to be based on the g-code. This is not as good, there are a LOT of
sources of possible error (look up the thread ‘sources of error’) and many of
them are not addressed in any current firmware. That said, most of them are
small enough that people don’t notice them, but it is going to depend on how
accurate you need it to be. The errors are not consistant across the workspace,
so if you get it dialed in in the center, and then move to a different part of
the workspace, the errors will be different. The holey calibration (in
webcontrol) seems to be the best option (excluding the M2 that I don’t know
about)

So that makes me wonder if it matters if I grab the maker made or metal maslow
version, the metal maslow claims to have faster motors but from what I’m
reading going slower gives better accuracy so this isn’t even needed?

it’s not better accuracy everywhere, but it can affect you

I’d like to fully know what I’m getting myself into before I drop nearly 800
canadian on the OG model, cuz the m2 model would be nearly 2 grand by the time
it got here… would be good to know how what things need to be added or
replaced on the og model cost wise…

The Z axis is the weak link of the original maslow, you will want to improve
that. going with a wider top beam is good (and a little higher from the
workpiece is good), and finally, when you get really close to the edges and
bottom, you will want to add skirts to support the sled and keep it from
tipping off the edge (most important at the bottom) but other than that, they
work well.

You will want to check in before you mount the top beam and after you build the
sled so that you can mount the top beam at the right distance out from the
workpiece. The frame instructions end up putting it a bit too far out, which you
can compensate for by putting a spacer behind your workpiece.

Kinda leaning towards the metal maslow cuz it comes with a router that its
made to be used with and I like the idea of the metal weight for the sled
instead of straps and bricks… but I guess at the end of the day it doesnt
matter as long as the sled is slick and weighted…

weights you can source locally rather than having to pay for them to be shipped
internationally :slight_smile:

David Lang

springs provide the most tension when you need the least, and the least tension
when you need the most

see https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/weights-for-chain-tension/ for the simple
solution I did (with milk jugs, metal, whatever you can hang that’s 4-6 pounds
for a 10’ top beam, you can go up to 10-12 pounds with a 12’ top beam)

here’s the thread on the sources of error
https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/list-of-sources-of-error/

David Lang
P.S. I read and respond to the forums via e-mail, which is why I respond to
older messages first as I see them

The M2 and makerverse use a ported/adapted version of holey from the mega, that had you measure from the outer edge of your workpiece to the sled or to a hole it would drill… so it can be just as good. M2’s grbl fork has been modified for the dc servo motors on the Maslow. The development isn’t public and every once in a while they will push an update to their github, but it lags. the Makerverse software had a recent upgrade as well, but I have not used it much in the last 6 months. I’m waiting for the major rework that should be coming out in the next little while. The M2 does not have a sled-not-keeping-up check so it will just continue on processing gcode even if the sled isn’t moving and it notoriously will run on “autopilot-like-behavior” if you don’t reset chains/set home before the first use and there are several stories of torn up rings because of this. Makerverse will run the original Maslow systems now as well and the intent was to get everyone to switch… maybe the next version will be the thing to bring everyone together and establish world peace.

Thanks for the info

The M2 and makerverse use a ported/adapted version of holey from the mega,
that had you measure from the outer edge of your workpiece to the sled or to a
hole it would drill… so it can be just as good.

I had heard something about it using the edges of the backer sheet. I don’t
trust those dimensions :slight_smile:

M2’s grbl fork has been modified for the dc servo motors on the Maslow.

very good. It would be even better if this could get pushed upstream into
mainline grbl.

The development isn’t public and every once in a while they will push an
update to their github, but it lags.

This isn’t so good.

the Makerverse software had a recent upgrade as well, but I have not
used it much in the last 6 months. I’m waiting for the major rework that
should be coming out in the next little while.

The M2 does not have a sled-not-keeping-up check so it will just continue on
processing gcode even if the sled isn’t moving

As the one to invented the ‘sled-not-keeping-up’ feature, I’ll say that right
now it should be disabled in the stock firmware. The grbl version should be
planning acceleration (and acceleration planning could take into account where
on the sheet you are, so that it doesn’t try for as much acceleration in the
bottom corners), and with acceleration planning, not-keeping-up would be
valuable.

Right now, the firmware assumes that the sled can go from stopped to max
feedrate instantly, and when it doesn’t, the alarm goes off)

and it notoriously will run on “autopilot-like-behavior”
if you don’t reset chains/set home before the first use and there are several
stories of torn up rings because of this.

we had that happen with stock firmware as well

Makerverse will run the original Maslow systems now as well and the intent was
to get everyone to switch… maybe the next version will be the thing to
bring everyone together and establish world peace.

I’ll have to look into makerverse, and especially the calibration that it does.
Which firmware versions/calibration types does it support on the original
hardware?

David Lang

As the one to invented the ‘sled-not-keeping-up’ feature, I’ll say that right
now it should be disabled in the stock firmware.

I thought the same until I had a problem. if you make the error large enough, when the sled doesn’t move because a cord is wrapped around something, it will stop and error out. This is good. The oversensitivity of it I agree is bad, but it saved my bacon once.

In Makerverse I told the sled to move and it didn’t. I didn’t have the sled plugged in correctly, so as soon as I hooked it up it started moving. It should have told me no motion and cancelled it, but it waited several hours and then continued as instructed from before. I think that is a bad option.

This right here is why I have been hesitant to make the switch. I had downloaded Makerverse and was going to play around with it, but then started seeing all the post of the machine just taking off and almost ripping itself apart, not to mention the other posts that others have made about the calibration troubles they have had and getting that to work. I got my Maslow in later half of 2018, and over the last couple of years (off and on), I have finally got it cutting and running as good as I could want, and I don’t want to mess any of that up and either ruin the machine, or spend another 2-ish years getting it back to where I have it now. I was working on a new wall mounted frame to help me clear up some room in the garage, but some projects have come up and I haven’t wanted to try and start all over again in settings and calibration as some of the measurements will change (height above work surface). I did recently have to put a new SD card on the Pi, so probably should have done it then, but I had clients waiting for their stuff. Hopefully over the holidays I’ll have some time to get to that update again.

@dlang I didn’t think those other controlling software packages would work, but that was out of my wheelhouse and didn’t want to speak definitively on that. Thanks for the info!!

The runaway sled is only an issue with the M2 because of the initial settings in the due controller. The mega doesn’t do this as far as I’m aware and it works with makerverse as well. the calibration in makerverse is pretty straight forward and very much like holey calibration that it was patterned after. It is really a matter of preference. I just didn’t like the nomenclature change for zeroing axis and the login prompt, but those are not major functional changes, just preference pieces. Plus I understand more of how webcontrol works under the hood and I can mess with it.

I also just built a hanging frame in the garage and it is nice to have out of the way when not in use, but it is heavy and somewhat difficult to transition. I’ve built 4 different frames now and with a little time to measure and then run the holey calibration, it isn’t so bad. Just the other day I had my first chain wrap event. that was weird and totally unexpected because I thought I knew what I was doing, but I had a twist in the chain at the sled and the weight got hung up and the chain wrapped up quickly and the sled took off…
The lesson from this event was that little pilot hole I drilled in the workspace at the temporary home position was a really smart move and saved my bacon because I had to reset the chains and then refind that home position to be able to jump ahead to the correct z movement and then restart and then it worked.

To use makerverse with a mega, you need to have holey 51.28 or 51.29 firmware loaded.

I am sure there is somewhere on here about it, but is there a way in WebControl (or another terminal) to see what version firmware is installed? I know I have Holey but I want to say that when I reinstalled everything on the new SD card for the Pi, when I opened WC, it showed a button to install 51.27. I could be completely wrong on this and will check when I get home. Or is that a little bug in WC where the button only says 51.27, but will actually pull and install the latest version that is up? This is why I am asking about how to check it.

to answer your question: watch the terminal in the lower right when you start webcontrol and it should tell you what firmware version is on your mega. When the usb connects, the mega reboots and at each initialization it reports its firmware. You can force a reboot by unplugging and replugging in the usb, but don’t do it when the sled is moving. In Webcontrol, you can click help->logs. look in the right side for firmware version.

51.27 was the version that ships with webcontrol. you can manually change it by copying the 51.28 hex file into the holey folder and then restart webcontrol… instructions here

Remember if you have an eastbay 1.5b shield, you need 51.29.

51.29 isn’t in a new release of webcontrol because I can’t build distributions of webcontrol for windows or linux, only raspberry pi and the full testing of it has not been completed. I’m running beta code having built it only for that platform. All the developers of webcontrol are waiting for the next version of makerverse to come out and so it may appear nothing is being developed, but that is not the case.

Thanks @Orob! I’ll have a look when I get home.

And apologies to @zoilus for a bit of a hijacking of the thread. I hope our answers here provide you some clarification for you to make a decision on which way you want to go with CNC. Good luck!

So I’m pretty ready to pull the trigger however I’ve messaged the metal maslow website and no response… It looks like its in stock but… I’m not sure I wana just throw that kinda money at a website that can’t even email me back to confirm they are active enough to make me feel at ease about buying…

Might just buy the maker made one on amazon, I’m in canada so having to sort out shipping for the metal maslow like is suggested on the website seems like it would be a huge hassle.

What version have you guys bought? I feel like if I get the maker made I’d have to source a bunch of replacement parts after, plus get a router… the metal maslow is looking like a better deal in that perspective cuz its already got most of the extras like the springs and router with axis so that might be the smarter direction to go cuz theres less additional things I would need to buy?

Pretty conflicted on this atm I’ll be honest but I need to sort this out in the next couple weeks, I need to buy one or the other unless theres another option I’m missing?

Tagging @Metalmaslow as he runs the website you are referencing.

I bought the classic back in 2018-ish and have added everything I have discussed here. I don’t have the metal Maslow, so I can’t really speak to which is better. At this point, if you are going to do it, I would say what ever makes the most sense for you fiscally and (more important) mentally, then that is the one you should go for.

Hopefully you get the answers you need from the website to aide in your decision. Once you do make your purchase, don’t hesitate to ask any other questions here on the forum if you run into issues. I am sure a quick search will probably lead you to an answer you are looking for, but if any other clarification or if you don’t see your issue, just ask. We’re all here to help as we have most likely been in the same boat before!

Good luck!

here is my assembly video of the metalmaslow sled I am using. I really like the makita router. I like the consistency of the metal setup. Some kits have very good instructions and others require a bit more than “some assembly.” This kit would require a bit more. I made the video to try and help others to see where different parts go. I think the metalmaslow is a great value in terms of what you get for what you pay.

Those panels you made are just the top cuts than? are those dadu lines across or is that paint? Its cool to know it can cut across, but really I need to know if I can get a straight cut from top to bottom near that corner, or like possibly cutting a 2fx2f or 1fx5inch cuts off the bottom corners.

If the panels you are referring to are the Viking Ship, no, it was not just the detail work cut out. The panel outline was a through cut that was made on the Maslow as well.