I do see all sorts of issues I do not understand. I see sagging plates, but mine are old, it gets above 110F where I live and my plates are first gen. Still good on my end…but I see all sorts that are failing for some reason.
I know tons of you use a track…and don’t seem to have any issues when doing so. To my mind it could introduce errors as well but never seems to. The people that use a rounded routed channel…how does that even work, any misalignment and your Z is all out of wack, I feel like it would just drive out of that channel…yet it seems to work.
What I am getting at is I assume I do not fully understand this model yet.
It’s not a pressing issue. I haven’t had problems in the forums just telling people that sometimes you need to add a track. Seems to work for people.
Maybe I should work out a test or zoom with you so you can see it. But I would have to remove the tracks to get it back. I do plan on rebuilding it with the shorter gantry. Maybe at that point I will bring you in to check it out if it still fails on that setup.
Perhaps difference in quality of the MDF material over time? I plan to cut new plates with 3/4-inch ply and make it larger to accommodate the aforementioned items (RPI, power strip, controller).
We have disscussed it many times, and there will be issues for other countries sizes…if we can work that out this stuff is probably the next LR rail.
Or even humidity??? ply is very springy, it is strong but flexible. MDF is super rigid. A test between the two, same thickness would be cool. Or maybe layering them and gluing would be better. Make our own composites.
You know…I could make two threads. To do some general troubleshooting. One with drooping plates and one with not tracking. Maybe there are some commonalities. that are not being seen on a one on one basis.
Once this zen is closer…I really need a diner table.
Ive been trying to figure out Axial Gcode and stumbled onto this guy, who has a very cool little hack for a comercial CNC that is set up similarly to the lowrider…
an option for a mechanical “cheater” Y to 4th axis, like what he has would be pretty nifty.
could probably get away with a main support tube that holds the rollers inline with the cutter head, that sits below the main gantry tubes and attaches to the side plates, a adjustable, sliding “tailstock” roller for different lenghts of stock, and a fixed geared roller mounted on one end. the toothed rail could be permanently placed on the table just inside of the table roller wheels where you cant get to with the cutting head anyway and not lose out on table space.
Id imagine it could probably be designed to all stay mounted on a main support to be able to just clamp in place and then unmount and removed somewhat easily, and a design like this might even fit under/on the current version lowrider as a upgrade.
the guy says that he has a custom script with blender that “unwraps” 3d objects. but has a few videos where he is just turning with semi manual Gcode and linear moves. the coding of this dodecehedron is still beyond me, but I dont see why you cant use commands similar to leveling your waste board, and then a flat 2.5d engraving could be cut into that cylinder you’ve tricked your machine into thinking is flat. you could probably do this with ESTlCAM without changing anything, and just Zeroing at a extremely high Z-height… non-cylindrical shapes would take a bit more setup (but not much)
To be able to transfer a flat 2d carving to radial engraving with a quick-connect printable attachment would be nice, easy to do stuff like customized baseball bats and pencils and laser engraved mugs, glasses and water bottles, all on the original electronics, with just a bit more bolts, plastic and pipe needed to build, with very little extra needed to learn to run it would be cool. if it was designed for the current model you might be able to sell a parts/kits too.
That seems like a hard way to do that. It would be easier to just put another motor and disconnect the Y axis and attach the new motor to the Y axis driver. It would then work the same, but not move anywhere.
yeah the only real benefit is no extra electronics to buy or unplug and that it might fit onto existing builds… just thought it was a clever little workaround
Space is the main issue for me, so letting that space serve more purposes would be great: allow different tool inserts operable manually without the steppers, making it double as a panel/track saw with a circular saw insert, or a slab flattener with a larger router or even electric hand planer insert. All of these would require some kind of manual stops on the axis to lock motion in 1 or more directions (but especially Z).
The most obvious additional use would be a pure workbench by getting rid of the belts on the table and making it easy to remove when not used. Perhaps a rack and pinion drive with printable rack strip pieces. print however many you want and attach them underneath (or recessed into routed channels in the sides of) the table. Accurate spacing achieved between 2 racks next to each other by meshing a 3rd to bridge the two while attaching. when the lowrider is removed in this instance, the only remnant is underneath the table and out of the way.
If I could get a 4x8 CNC, unencumbered workbench, track saw station for full size sheet goods, and slab flattener/4’ wide thickness planer out of the same space, it would be a must-have for many small shops.
Having the Y belts under the table edge seems doable, the gantry would have to come to rest against something more precise though with a specific wood height and it might tip, I 'll leave how to avoid the Z screw to Ryan, Cleaner look, So long as the wires don’t get caught.
Or just have the belts in a groove / valley creates by glued wood strips.
