So I tore down my MPCNC because I bought a Shapeoko and used the parts to build a LowRider. This machine is quite amazing. My usable area is X950 x Y2050 x Z55 (from top of the wasteboard.
I used a piece of 1/2" foam board as my waste board and I only have to cut an extra .5mm deep to cut all the way through my stock over the entire bed!
I made a couple of add on’s that I will share eventually:
1st, 3D printed rollers that go on the Z pipes - rolling along the outside edges of the table in order to help maintain the straightness of the X axis.
2nd, I designed a holder for the DWP611 with a new Vac port. I don’t have a router base for my DWP611, so I had to come up with something. Puts the nose of the collet on the same plane as the screw heads on the bottom of the spindle plate. I also made the all the screw holes on the spindle plate 1/8" dia. and cut it out on my laser.
Below is a picture of the first thing I made…my very first cuts.
Started with a up cut 1/8" 2 flute bit with a 2mm DOC at 1600 mm/min. Router RPM was 20115 (3.5 on the dial)
On the second sheet, with the same bit, I jacked the speed up to 2400 mm/min with a 3mm DOC and stalled the steppers. Dropped back to 2000 mm/min @ 2mm DOC and it went better, but it again stalled on 2 pieces.
The router had NO trouble cutting a 13mm deep slot, so the problem was feed rate.
Changed things a bit to cut the pieces that got ruined with the stalling. Switched to a down-cut bit to help with fuzzy edges on top and dropped to 1800 mm/min with a 2mm DOC. Finished ok, but stalling seemed like it could happen any moment.
I bought a 1/8" up/down single flute compression bit and I’m going to do another chair tomorrow. The plan is a 9.5mm DOC at 600mm/sec at 22775 RPM (4.5 on the dial) The G-Wizard calc give me all green lights with these settings.
Most of my projects get a roundover and/or sanded etc. so I haven’t worried about the fuzzies, but I’ll give one of these a try.
I’ll probably order something off Ebay. I’ve never done Aliexpress, and I avoid Amazon on principle. Do most of my online shopping on Ebay, and default to US only when searching anyway.
I bought the dwg files on etsy.
This up/down bit is great! In the picture, the top piece was cut wit a down cut bit. The piece underneath was cut with the up/down bit. Practiced a little and it slots well with a 6.3mm DOC at 700mm/min. 3 passes and a spring pass. The curfew leads up with chips a little too much though. Hmmm, I wonder if I can come up with something that directs the spindle’s exhaust to do this.
I made a redirector to use the spindle’s exhaust as a blower. It’s a bit ugly and I didn’t really talk about it but Marion caught it here Double-decker build.
I’ll upload the shape to Thingiverse if you think it might be a useful starting point.
Thanks Jamie. I’m using a DWP611 so your design won’t work for me, but you have given me validation that the concept has merit. That’s enough to get me started. My job won’t be as difficult though because the 611’s exhaust comes out the bottom. Thinking about it now, one of the lowrider parts that I didn’t use may already do the job.
I’ve been wanting to modify my mounting brackets for this application, but since my router is trammed in fine, I don’t want to unbolt them! I don’t know how long this little Craftsman will last, but so far so good. You can get them for $25-30 on Craigslist.
