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Granite base CNC router project

TorontoBuilder

TorontoBuilder

Ultra Member
So it is finally time to make a cnc router. I can't handle seeing other people talk about what they're doing with theirs and the huge prices I get quoted for simple cnc jobs.

My brother heard and said he wants to contribute to the build which means I can splurge a little bit more than planned. So I just spent days absorbing masses of information on printNC discord, and various other sites and I think I have a firm grasp of what to do on the mechanical side of things.

I've long been a fan of youtubers Dan Gelbart and Piotr Fox Wysocki and had wanted to make a granite based machine for a while so I thought why not use it for cnc, that way I can hopefully get improved surface finishes on metal.

I scored a 24" x 36" surface plate for the main base, and I've designed armature and mould to cast epoxy granite Y axis rails to provide an overall footprint of 41" x 36"

This will allow me to use the standard PrintNC parts kit and yield a print envelope of a minimum of 25" x 24" for metal.

I will likely go with a gantry that is substantially different from that of the PrintNC though

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I'm interested to see how this develops.
Do you have a control system in mind?
 
DavidR8 said:
I'm interested to see how this develops.
Do you have a control system in mind?
Click to expand...

Not yet... I really love the look of the Masso G3 Touch but may need a more affordable option since I want to find a way to squeeze in a RapidChange ATC too.

What I'll likely do is go with the exact same control that Logan uses since he has the best documentation and answers people's questions readily.
 
This project is moving fast compared to some of my other ones...

I picked up my surface plate and stand today. I was pleased to see that the marks from the photos were just dust. The top has some red glue like substance on the front right corner that will come off easily otherwise it is in primo condition. It was last certified in... drum roll please..... June 2022.

I'd say that I'll likely be starting with a base that has sub 100 micron variance across the entire top.

I am very pleased.

Cost to date:

surface plate and stand $100
gas and trailer rental $60

I saved at least $10 bucks by not stopping at Tim Horton's for breakfast, lunch or coffee.
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The certificate was only revealed after I cut the back of the bench off with a grinder. I'm going to put coolant tanks and filter system on these two shelves.

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6.5 Fan said:
Jeeez man your going to fall over from hunger, at least you weren't disappointed with the coffee.:(
Click to expand...

Nah, I always have a good meal before moving any equipment, so I had a big bowl of oatmeal loaded with cranberries, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds and a large americano to start the day though.
 
So I hit a slight snag... I'm trying to minimize the depth of the table so I'm not using direct connection to the stepper motors, but rather I'm using belts, pulleys and idlers in order to place the stepper motors within the footprint of the router.

I can make these parts easily enough, I can calculate the belt length required also no problem, but I don't know how to model the belt in fusion to follow the serpentine path to test the tension roller adjuster. I'm sure it will have enough travel, but I still want to have a complete 3D model

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I figured out a down and dirty method versus trying to use parametrics. But I messed up and the belt ended up two teeth too short somehow. It is accurate enough to illustrate that my tension wheel arrangement is precisely where I want it to sit when the tension is applied. I want to cast threaded inserts right into the epoxy granite casting rather than try to drill and glue ones in after casting.

Next up model a splash guard for the stepper motor and I'll just about be done the cast side rails except for minor tweaking for the mould lay outs


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Nothing new to report on the cnc router project, except that my garage now has a 10'x10' mezzanine and the surface plate in now in temporary position at the rear of the garage so I can hopefully pull my car back off the street soon.
 
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