Thanks!!!
Crazy questionâŚsince the Maslow is a HUGE âDrawbotâ why are people trying to lift the routerâŚwhy not lift the sled?
I understand the router needs to plunge into the wood. but a servo could lift it out as well
All one would need is a largish all metal servo hobby servo
The drawbot does not go into the material. It lifts the sled when drawing and rides on the sled when not.
If the router is turned off and you move the cuter towards -Z, (motor or servo makes no difference) once the cutter touches the surface, the sled would be lifted. However, as soon as you turn on the router the bit will drill into the material and lower the sled. The frame is angled to use a horizontal part the gravity to get enough pleasure on the sled to prevent it from lifting off the surface and to keep the bit in the material while cutting.
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Interesting thought. My initial reaction was to think of the ways that your idea woudnât work, but as I think a little more, I come up with ideas to counter my arguments.
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the work surface is being cut by the Maslow, so itâs not reliably flat. Solution: a two-layer sled base, so the servo is pushing against the lower base.
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if the upper base rotates, rather than translating, then the layers the Maslow cuts will not be flat (i.e. the bit needs to stay level). Solution: mount the router such that it wants to translate rather than rotate. Alternate solution: use three servos to lift the router evenly.
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but if weâre translating the router (once again), arenât we back to the complicated z-axis mechanism? Solution: not necessarily. Perhaps we just need to rethink that. I have seen a mechanism that uses M-shaped hinges to achieve linear motion. I canât find a picture of one right now, but itâs really simple. For the relatively small amount of z-axis motion we need, this should be adequate. Iâll try to find (or make) an image when I have a few minutes.
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Yeah I see thatâŚthe linear rail linear actuator is a very good idea
Found this if interested
I think itâs like the polargraph sledâŚ
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There are a couple of interesting C-beam builds here on the forum.
Iâll test how isât going to work with a spindle and a short 150mm c-beam.
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Has anyone found a decent r22002 mount for c-beam that doesnât cost $90+ ? I can find cheap 100mm spindle mounts for $30-40, but the r22002 is 3.625 inches, or roughly 92-93 mm in diameter, and 8-7 mm is a lot of slack to take up. The only mount that iâve found is custom made by someone from the openbuilds community on amazon, and it costs $90 + shipping + tax, which is a bit expensive, considering the official C-beam cost $100.
I have doubts that a 3-D printed plastic model would be able to hold up to the stresses of cutting, but it would be cheaper, perhaps.
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go to your local auto parts store, buy a couple 4" muffer clamps (3 3/4 if you
can find them) and drill a couple holes in them to let you mount them to the
c-beam a couple inches apart.
David Lang
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Since you Only Need A slightly snug fit, you can take up that 7 to 8mm with
felt weather stripping.
on the R22002 router, mine is 92mm
I custom cut my bracket.
and found that a tight mount, compresses the outer body too much, so only light clamping is needed.
I am also looking for the 3D printed bracket for the Rigid router, but with no luck. Any info on it?
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I have not tried this mount on any other router but my DeWalt. However, feel free to take this file and make it yours.
Router Mount Dewalt.stl (152.9 KB)
As for people who are saying they may not be strong enough. I have 2 of these holding my router to my C beam and the only time I have broken a bit was when I accidentally had my spindle speed too low and I had a 3" long x 1/2" diameter bit in it and tried to run at 15 IPM. It broke loose but did not send anything flying anywhere. I print this on .2mm resolution with about 40-50% infill with PLA. Since I have been smart about my feeds and speeds I have had 0 issues. If I do have another issue then I will probably go to a High Temp PLA where I can cure the print after it is done.
Hope this helps.
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How is your setup working with respect to dust and chips getting on the lead screw? (same question to @rossboss)
I was thinking I might mount my c channel âupside downâ to prevent that from happening, but if the vacuum is preventing it from being an issue, that might just be wasted effort on my part.
I donât have a permanent dust collection solution yet, Iâve zip tied the hose to the sled and also held it. Dust does collect at the base of the lead screw, but I donât think it harms anything. I would think vacuuming between jobs would catch what the vacuum doesnât during the cut. The âblockâ that is attached to the router mount is a ways up the leadscrew so I think the bottom of the leadscrew just spins in whatever sawdust is there. I worry a little about large wood âslivers â getting into the leadscrew, but even then I think there is plenty of torque to work through that.
Chris
Keith â
I have run my Maslow with no dust collection and a lead screw, and it has collected a decent amount on large jobs but it has never impeded the movement since my gantry never goes that low, I do have dust collection to add and hopefully that fixes the situation for myself. But as others have stated, there seems to be no problem with just vacuuming it up between jobs.
Thanks @Bmwsyc and @ChrisB. It sounds like flipping the c-channel is an unnecessary complication. I suppose if I run into problems I can change it at that point. I appreciate you sharing your experience.
I have flipped my c-beam, but for âZ-gravityâ reason, so canât go under the c-beam because my z-motor and transmission are there. Will attempt a 2 sided approach like this one:
Donât have access to a 3d printer, but will improvise with some sanitary equipment I guess.
I am thinking about building a C-Beam Z-Axis.
Questions
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With the C-Beam: Does the small plate with the wheels inside the gantry work fine or is it better to use the larger plate and put the wheels on the outside?
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Is anyone using the openbuilds router mount? Will it work with the Rigid router?
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The coupler on the Z-axis that came with the MaslowCNC, Did it work with the 8mm threaded rod? or do I need to buy a new coupler?
I used the small plate on my Maslow, the large plate on my conventional C beam setup. The lateral forces are not as high on the z axis of the Maslow, it works fine. I needed more stiffness on my other machine.
I used the Dewalt router with the Open Builds mount, so I canât comment on the Ridgid router.
I did end up ordering a different coupler, but it might be possible to drill out the one that came with the MaslowâŚif youâre careful. I had to take a smidge out of the bore of the coupler that I ordered.
What coupler did you order?