Well, I finally did it, and it's finally put together...

[Circleville Signs]

Welp, I'm cutting now! I feel pretty comfortable with shapes ad inlays. Still trying to figure out toolpathing, and depths, etc., for th 3D stuff. Having smoe Z-axis issues with it raising the spindle too high and out of it's wheel track. Not sure what's causing it, but I will figure it out!

Here's what I have discovered so far....

Several people have been worried about X-axis deflection because of the method in which the gantry is put together. While that may be a problem if I was trying to cut Teak or Mahogany, for PVC, Signfoam, and white styrofoam (all the materials I have cut so far), there has been no deflection at all. I haven't increased my feed speeds yet (currently set at 50), but I plan on doing so in my next round of testing next week.

 

[FatCat]

 

[CS-SignSupply]

Congrats and inspiring that you took on such a lofty project. I hope it pays off BIG for you.

 

[thesignexpert]

I haven't decided on dust collection yet - there is an $80 attachment for this machine that hooks up to a shop vac that I may go with, however I am considering building an acrylic "cage" to go around the whole table-top with one end and one side hinged. That way, all the dust stays inside the table top, and when the cut is finished, open a side, clean it up with a shop vac, and I'm done.

Nice progress boss! I like the acrylic cage idea though you may want to make sure you have a collar and dust collector running while you are cutting. I have noticed that that the debris blowing all over while the motor is running can suck in a bunch of abrasive crud. Definitely not good for the equipment in the long run. Seem like a good idea to capture a majority of it as it is being generated.

Good luck!

 

[prosigner]

Impressive! Enjoyed the video footage.

 

[artbot]

that's a cool cnc. very clean build. as for vacuum tables, i have used very successfully for 20 years individual shopvac mini's. you can set one up per zone then turn them on and off individually. they pull very hard. i'd also suggest when building the vacuum plenum, using melamine for the base and chambers then 1/2" mdf for the top flaw board (the cheap porous stuff). you'll need lots of mini risers inside of the zones to keep the top laying flat. you can also build chambers with pvc valves and such. but really for the hobby cnc. just line these things up (i use four of them) and get back to work.

@txfb.ins i'm still at it. my partnership did a major meltdown a few months ago so now i'm back in the country with an old school daytona h700 that's about to get hacked a bit.

 

[Banners Signs Etc.]

UPDATE UPDATE!!! lol

We are looking to buy one...need updates!!!:U Rock:

 

[Circleville Signs]

Updates as follows:


I've now cut a few pieces, just some edge cuts and a couple of very simple dimensional cuts. Nothing crazy yet. This machine is perfectly acceptable as an entry level machine for this kind of work in the sign world. I wouldn't cut hardwoods with it (although after the gantry upgrade coming soon I might consider it), but PVC< signfoam, MDF, MDO - yah - those are all easy to cut.

Here's the drawback....It is not a fast machine. If you want to be able to do 4'x8' fully 3D cuts, and not have 30 hour cut times, then you need to buy a much more expensive, heavier duty machine.

 

[omgsideburns]

Looks like a bigger/upgraded version of the Shapeoko open source CNC. I built one a couple months ago, but much smaller.

Cool!

 

[Sign Up Graphics]

Sign Up Graphics

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

This post keeps popping back up and I keep thinking how badly I wanna see this thing cut a sign. Our shop could actually afford one of these in the next year or two if we can manage to find the space for it. One or two good jobs would pay for it and help us to where we could eventually get something bigger and really try to tap into the dimensional sign market.

 

[Circleville Signs]

Hoping to cut a test sign in goal this week...

 

[Nicedeal]

Any news on this?

 

[berighteous]

How well does it work? I've been all over the web trying to find out about this thing from owners and there's almost nothing available. Their website doesn't have enough info for me to know if it will do the job (cutting parts in 3/4" mdf, signs, 3d carving plaques, etc.) What does it come with stock, and what upgrades are available how do you know if you need them? Their "user forum" is down too. Is it a good entry level machine?

Thanks!

 

[joshGN]

So how's this working out?

I've been researching CNC units...and just ran across the Mogul...

I was leaning toward the Grunblau thus far....

 

[FatCat]

I don't want to speak for Gary, but he has actually done a few work pieces on his machine and texted me some pics. I think they have turned out good. After speaking with him, there are some limitations to the machine over an industrial built unit, but he feels for sign making this would be a good starter for most of us. Coincidentally, there is now an upgraded model with dual rails to enhance stiffness on the longer units which help reduce any flexing at all.

Honestly, I haven't seen it run firsthand but I am trying to find time to go down and visit him. Once I see it run, I will make my decision at that point. I will let Gary chime in here with his thoughts form here on out.