Greetings all,
Thought it might be time to share my LR2. I did things just a tiny bit different from Ryan’s instructions at a number of points in my build, and thought a couple of the changes might be of interest to others.
I was drawn to the LR by the large working area, low cost, and because I can still use the most of the work surface for other purposes when the LR is parked at one end of the table. Many thanks to Ryan for sharing the design. I like to support open source / design projects when I can, so I did purchase a hardware/stepper/wiring kit from V1. Easy when Ryan’s prices seem to be pretty good anyway…8^)
I printed most of the parts with a carbon nylon blend filament. Possibly not the best choice. It is relatively difficult to print (prone to warping, etc) and is less rigid than PLA. It does seem to be rigid enough, however, and should be much tougher.
Rather than the stainless tubing recommended, I used 4130 chrome-moly tubing, as I happened to already have it. I’m pretty sure it is plenty hard and rigid. I’ve seen no issues with it.
I’m using a tinyg controller, again because it was something I already had. Setup and configuration has been easy, and everything is working great. The tinyg has outputs for spindle control, coolant, etc. I’ve managed to arrange things so the spindle control turns the 611 router on (m3 or m4) and off (m5), and the coolant output controls my dust collector.
While I was surprised at how well the vac duct worked, I have a 4" dust collection system in my garage, and the tiny duct seemed highly restrictive, so I made a somewhat larger duct. It’s about as big as possible within the constraints of the stock 611 plate.
I don’t have room for a full sheet Lowrider, so I went with a ~24’ x ~64" working area. The actual dimensions result from my use of a 32x80 solid core door as a table surface. This is the easiest Lowrider table I can imagine, and also inexpensive if you pick up a second hand door. I got mine at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and just cleaned it up and painted it. I do have a few inches of extra y-tube length, so I could go to a 36’ wide door if I come across one.
So far I’ve just used my Lowrider to make it’s own parts. After getting it running, I cut new 611 and Y-Plates (originals were rough hand made versions). followed by a couple of finger jointed boxes. One to hold the tinyg and a Raspberry Pi, and another for power supplies (24v for tinyg and 5v for RPi), an opto-coupled solenoid for spindle control, and a master power switch.
Now it’s time to learn a bit more about CAD/CAM so I can make more stuff.
-Pete