cnc bench

Dan Noren

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with the temporary nice weather, i decided it was time to get the shop ready for the summer season (if it ever shows up), and get the bench for the cnc machine built. the first 3 pics show the various materials that went into this bench. the next one shows all of the legs with the notches cut. then we have both of the leg assemblies put together, along with the first, then both of the top connecting stretchers. then it's on to the plates for the casters, the casters, and up on its wheels. more pics to follow....
 

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as promised, here are the rest of the pics. now that it is up on its wheels, its time for the top boards, mdf for the cnc machine to be attached to, and use as a waste board. then we have the dust control shop vac in place, the stand for the laptop that will be running the cnc machine, and a close up of the stand with the laptop in place. while all this was going on, my brother and one of his friends stopped by in his friend's '32 coupe.
 

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Turned out nice Dan. Will be nice having all the stuff on one bench like that. You might consider a pull out drawer for your bits and various hold downs you'll end up with.

Are you planning to use linuxcnc? or another control software?
 
jason - the machine itself is in kit form. the basic work area will be roughly one meter long, by half, to two thirds of a meter wide. the nice thing about this kind of bench, is that it can be adjusted for width, height, and length. i've included some pics that show the variations that i've used for the tools, some taller, some shorter, some wider, and some narrower. all built to suit the need, all with casters that are rated to 300 lbs. with the behemoth, the bench was lengthened, and enclosed on 3 sides, with large drawers underneath, and on the end, with a box for odds and ends.

darren - it will be using the ubuntu linux environment, with linuxcnc (had to check the laptop on that), with open source code programs to convert sketchup/inkscape files to gcode. i hope to have enough saved up for the actual machine (about $700) by the middle of summer. the only upgrades to the machine will be the longer rails, and a dual drive upgrade for the gantry. one good thing about this bench, is that i will be able to add a small cabinet on the bottom, just to the right of the shop vac.
 

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been a while, but back to it again. after giving it some consideration, i decided to go with the vacuum method for holding work parts down, as the primary method. the pics show the layout and build of the vacuum box. i will be hooking it up to my dust collector (such a hard working machine). the dust collector moves air from a slightly over 25 cu ft area, at the rate of 650 cu ft/min. for the first test i used a fairish (7x12) bit of mdf. slid around quite nicely with no vacuum, but with the vacuum applied, it was quite a bit more difficult to move. i think that with the sides sealed with a coat of shellac, and fashionable duct tape trim around the seams, it should eliminate any of the vacuum lost from the sides. after the first test, i think i will remove the lower bag to keep a good airflow going. i also moved the laptop pedestal over to the left some more, to accommodate the trackball. also, pop found out about the cnc machine tonight, he was a bit grumpy until i mentioned to him that the bench had been there for the last 6 months, and showing him how it will work. he said it was all voodoo to him. he's not exactly computer friendly.
 

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while i was at pop's today, the first item on the agenda was to seal up the mdf of the sides, and tape off the seams. the change in color of the mdf (4 coats of clear shellac), and the black duct tape turned out pretty nice looking. after testing, it did give it a bit more holding power. after watching a video sent to me by a co-worker, i may wind up drilling a lot of small holes in the top to improve the downflow of air.
 

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the software part is done, the computer hardware part is done, now the bench has been completed. today the storage cabinet was added. it worked out pretty good, as the materials were free (leftovers from the landlord's book case). now in keeping with the rest of my benches and such, this isn't fine furniture, and probably would not pass muster in the hotel europa, but it's functional, and i don't have to worry about scuffing it up some. here are the pics, as it happened.....
 

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been a while with this one. since i wound up with a couple of free monitors, i decided one will go with the cnc machine (especially since i found out how to run the laptop wit the lid closed). i used some extra mdf that i had, and laid out all of the necessary items on it, to get an idea of the size needed. i cut, then glued and nailed (2 inchers from the nail gun) the shelf onto the existing box. then i added some side, and internal bracing to help support the overhang. works out pretty good.
 

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i wasn't any too happy with the new monitor sitting on the laptop they way it was, so i used up some mdf and made a riser for it.
 

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