The Gameroom Designs CNC Project

[Rick]

Hey all,

So, I bit the bullet. I've decided I'm tired of trying to find a local CNC shop that are able to act respectfully, provide good pricing and communicate regularly. I've decided that it's time to build my own CNC machine.

I've been following CNC for a number of years now, and believe I have the ability to build my own machine. I'm not going to go with a simple, small hobby machine. My build is going to be a full-size unit that will handle 49" x 97" stock. I'm dead serious about giving the community a well-priced solution for arcade cabinets, and in my experience, doing it myself is definitely the best option.

To give you a bit of history, I've been designing and building arcade cabinets for a couple of years now, and have been providing CNC-cut bartops to the Canadian market. In the past six months, the CNC shop that I've been working with have 'closed up shop', sold their machine, and decided that they didn't want to be in the CNC business any longer. I've been talking with the guy who made all of these decisions, and he's definitely sorry he made that choice, but the deal's done. I don't have a CNC shop that can provide me with what I need to create my designs.

I do have a local shop who is able to cut out this one final project for me - at a premium, sadly, but it will be well worth it in the end. (I was hoping to have them continue to provide me with bartop quotes, but their cost is actually more than I was charging for the cabinets - and I'm not interesting in raising my prices or gouging the community.)

So, with my Wife's blessing, I went and ordered some parts from "BuildYourCNC.com"...



...and I've started to design my machine.



So far, I'm well on my way with the Y-Axis Gantry. I've used a lot of great keys from the Green Bull and Blackfoot builds from BuildYourCNC.com, and hope my interpretation doesn't need too much tweaking. (I'll say this: Patrick Hood-Daniel does some amazing work. If you haven't watched his YouTube vids, or looked at his machines, it's well worth a look!) I hope to send the design over to the shop in the next couple of days - but first, I need to take each of the 20+ pieces apart, and break it into layers, so that they can interpret it properly.

I've been working with CamBam and Mach3, and have successfully playtested a few designs to see if they'll cut once everything is running. It's really exciting to watch (for me, anyway) and I'm really stoked to continue!

I'm planning on getting the gantry built up over the next few weeks, and work on the final design for a vacuum-assisted table, and once everything is 'ready to go', I'll be looking for space to work in. I've called local storage locations, and have one 20 minutes from me that will allow me to work in a storage unit. If I'm lucky, prior to moving in there, I may find someone locally who will accept $150/mo. to work in their garage or shed.

I'm planning on updating the thread as we go, with new design work, build-up, software info and my cut progress. Stay tuned!

[ChanceKJ]

Stoked! 

[menace]

Nice!  I too built a CNC (well mostly) but shelved it due to lack of space and noise restrictions (having a router running for hours in the garage was NOT an option).  Anyways, I look forward to living vicariously through you!

[Typefighter01]

Hey Rick,

Do you plan on using the USB or the Parallel port off that breakout board?

If it's USB, you need the Planet CNC software, and if you intend to use the Parallel port, make sure you are running a 32bit version of Win 7 (if you are using Win 7) as the 64bit drivers don't function with Mach.

I am be no means an expert, but I will follow and help where I can

Myself (and probably Yvan) will be following with interest.

[Rick]

Stoked! 

Me too, man! I put in about five hours in Solidworks yesterday, and hope to finalize the gantry design later today.

Nice! I too built a CNC (well mostly) but shelved it due to lack of space and noise restrictions (having a router running for hours in the garage was NOT an option). Anyways, I look forward to living vicariously through you!

What size CNC did you build, and what options did you use? I'm going with a roller chain for the X and Y axis, with a lead screw for the Z axis, and hope to work towards a rack and pinion system for a future upgrade. Maybe upgrade to a proper spindle when I have my workshop built as well. (Every spindle I've found so far required a 220V supply.)

Do you plan on using the USB or the Parallel port off that breakout board? If it's USB, you need the Planet CNC software, and if you intend to use the Parallel port, make sure you are running a 32bit version of Win 7 (if you are using Win 7) as the 64bit drivers don't function with Mach.

I bought the parallel board, because of the compatibility with my software. Thanks for the tip on the Windows 7 distro. I usually install 64-bit, this is definitely a time-saver.

[Yvan256]

I'm not going to go with a simple, small hobby machine.

Hey now, are you making fun of my simple, small hobby machine? 

I can't wait to see this up and running too. Subscribed. 

[yotsuya]

What do you plan to do about dust collection?

Also, what other services besides arcade cabinets do you plan to offer?

[Rick]

Hey now, are you making fun of my simple, small hobby machine? 

LOL, hardly! I love the progress you've made on your system. Every machine works on similar principles, and I'm hoping that I can at least come close to your success!

What do you plan to do about dust collection? Also, what other services besides arcade cabinets do you plan to offer?

I've built in a vacuum shoe into the design, and have a Dust Deputy and a Shop Vac ready for the task. If that doesn't work, I'll upgrade the vacuum to a full Dust Collector. I'm definitely very, very concerned with the cleanliness of everything, and want to spend as little time as possible cleaning up dust.

I'm going to building the arcade cabinets, and will be getting back into sign-making as well. Those two things I have experience with. I'm also considering building custom cabinetry for kitchens, bathrooms, and stuff. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions.

[bfauska]

Congratulations on what will probably be a hair-pulling but rewarding decision. I've been out of the BYOAC crowd for a few years and when I returned recently to see a couple folks offering CNC cut cabs I was super surprised to find out that they both were outsourcing the cutting and still offering reasonable prices. My CNC machine that I built for work has been an amazing tool for our scenery construction for stage shows and it's always seemed like a perfect fit to cut cabinets on one.

I'm not familiar with buildyourowncnc but it looks like a MDF based machine, and your mention of the chain drive and later upgrading makes me feel obligated to mention www.mechmate.com you can't download plans or look a the build threads without creating an account but it's a great site with a very industrial quality machine when it's complete. The did start charging for plans since I built mine which is a bummer but you may try to see if the old plans are available somewhere.

[Rick]

Congratulations on what will probably be a hair-pulling but rewarding decision. I've been out of the BYOAC crowd for a few years and when I returned recently to see a couple folks offering CNC cut cabs I was super surprised to find out that they both were outsourcing the cutting and still offering reasonable prices. My CNC machine that I built for work has been an amazing tool for our scenery construction for stage shows and it's always seemed like a perfect fit to cut cabinets on one.

Thanks and welcome back!

I'm not familiar with buildyourowncnc but it looks like a MDF based machine, and your mention of the chain drive and later upgrading makes me feel obligated to mention www.mechmate.com you can't download plans or look a the build threads without creating an account but it's a great site with a very industrial quality machine when it's complete. The did start charging for plans since I built mine which is a bummer but you may try to see if the old plans are available somewhere.

The machine that BuildYourOwnCNC offers is definitely MDF, but I'm planning on having mine cut from 18mm Baltic Birch Plywood for added stability. (In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm over-engineering the whole thing, as I've carried the torsion-box design into the gantry as well. It'll be a mite heavier, but definitely rock-solid.) I've done quite a bit of research on the MechMate, and unfortunately, I know I don't have enough experience with metalwork and welding to assemble one. They're also very expensive to buy as a kit. There are also options for using 80/20 extruded aluminum, but this would result in a machine that would cost a significant amount more than one I can craft myself.

Depending on the success of this first machine, I may look at other options in the future, however, I think the thing I'm most looking forward to is the ability to re-craft my own improvements as I determine what I can do to make my machine better. (That, or cut an entirely new machine on it... Hey, isn't that how Skynet started?)

[yotsuya]

I would definitely explore all your options, Rick. There are guys on KLOV who have gotten out of the full-size cab business because it's a LOT of work with little reward. If you're doing signs, shelves, regular cabinets, and furniture, at least you have stuff to fall back on. 

[Rick]

I would definitely explore all your options, Rick. There are guys on KLOV who have gotten out of the full-size cab business because it's a LOT of work with little reward. If you're doing signs, shelves, regular cabinets, and furniture, at least you have stuff to fall back on.

I hear you, and you're right. I definitely can see the use for the machine in other avenues, in case there's a lull in the arcade market. Worst case scenario, if I ever tire of the machine, I want to make sure it's modular, so it can be disassembled and sold... ...or else, become a Canadian source for well priced CNC machines.

There are definitely a lot of options for a machine like this. Making different machines (smaller, or specialized machines) is definitely one I'm considering exploring. I actually want to build a smaller footprint one later for laser work, as there's a big market in laser-cut fabric and textiles throughout North America.

[pbj]

There are guys on KLOV who have gotten out of the full-size cab business because it's a LOT of work with little reward.

If you start up a business selling $20 boards for $500 to people that know how to use a saw - you're gonna have a bad time.

[menace]

What size CNC did you build, and what options did you use? I'm going with a roller chain for the X and Y axis, with a lead screw for the Z axis, and hope to work towards a rack and pinion system for a future upgrade. Maybe upgrade to a proper spindle when I have my workshop built as well. (Every spindle I've found so far required a 220V supply.)

The bed was 24x48 with no bells and whistles--the lead screws were 5/8" threaded rod while the x-axis was a 1/2" acme square thread rod.  I took it all apart to rebuild the bed since I was getting a 1/8" deflection when the gantry was in the middle and the spindle was installed.  The spindle was a rotozip running at a modest 30,000 rpm (which is ridiculously fast and loud).  The electronics were some kit I bought off ebay that worked ok in testing once I got mach3 running--haven't looked at it in months though...

It seems half the guys building them on buildyourcnc.com , were in the  sign business so that seems like a good fit for non arcade related stuff...

[Rick]

The bed was 24x48 with no bells and whistles--the lead screws were 5/8" threaded rod while the x-axis was a 1/2" acme square thread rod.  I took it all apart to rebuild the bed since I was getting a 1/8" deflection when the gantry was in the middle and the spindle was installed.  The spindle was a rotozip running at a modest 30,000 rpm (which is ridiculously fast and loud).  The electronics were some kit I bought off ebay that worked ok in testing once I got mach3 running--haven't looked at it in months though...

What do you think was causing the deflection? (Feed rate? Rotozip's smaller tool size?) What are you using it to cut up?

It seems half the guys building them on buildyourcnc.com, were in the  sign business so that seems like a good fit for non arcade related stuff...

A few years ago, I owned a CarveWright, which worked pretty well for making signs. I had placed a few ads in our local Craigslist/Kijiji, and was making house number signs from MDF in various designs. (It took 45 minutes to cut a single sign, which in hindsight, was incredibly slow.) I'm definitely going to start this up again once the CNC is functional. I'm also looking for a Canadian supplier for sign foam, so that I can produce better signs in a more resilient material. The sign I have hung outside my front door is in surprisingly good shape for being in the elements for 5+ years, but obviously, it could be improved with better material.



It has a couple of nicks in it now, but considering MDF acts like a sponge when it is subjected to water, I'm pretty happy it's lasted this long.

[menace]

My deflection was caused by only using one layer of 3/4" mdf--it simply wasn't strong enough once you loaded up the gantry withe the electronics and spindle--On a dry fit it was maybe 1/16" which I though I could live with, but got worse as more and more stuff was added.  I took it apart and rebuilt the bed and never put the gantry back together (one of these days..).  I also built a vacuforming bed that fits over top that plugs into the shop vac.  It needed to be sanded to make it nice and airtight but it was getting there...

I got this far before stopping updates: 

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,123324.msg1309834.html#msg1309834

[Rick]

My deflection was caused by only using one layer of 3/4" mdf--it simply wasn't strong enough once you loaded up the gantry withe the electronics and spindle--On a dry fit it was maybe 1/16" which I though I could live with, but got worse as more and more stuff was added.  I took it apart and rebuilt the bed and never put the gantry back together (one of these days..).  I also built a vacuforming bed that fits over top that plugs into the shop vac.  It needed to be sanded to make it nice and airtight but it was getting there...

Ahhh, I remember your build. It was definitely one of my happier reads, as I always love when someone builds something for the sheer enjoyment of it, and learns along the way. I certainly hope you come back to it!

[Rick]

Here's an example of what I mean, regarding the improved stability:



It's definitely overkill, and I may remove a number of internal supports. They're set at 6" centers right now, and using Baltic Birch ply, I'm sure we're already in a good place, stability-wise.

[rablack97]

good luck man, i've seen a few folks spend years building one of these things, and still not done.

Spent more time builiding the darn thing than building stuff with it.....

Florinske.nl , did it the right way, just dropped some coin and bought this and was done with it.......

[Rick]

good luck man, i've seen a few folks spend years building one of these things, and still not done. Spent more time building the darn thing than building stuff with it...

Thanks! You're right, there's a lot of tinkerers who work on these machines for a long time. I'm working hard up front to try and get it right the first time - as I'm not interested in 'playing' with the machine forever to get it perfect. Sure, I'll be happy to re-engineer and improve it after the fact, but right now, I'm very interested in getting this up and running.

Florinske.nl did it the right way, just dropped some coin and bought this and was done with it...

I'll admit, that's a sexy looking machine. For what I'm hoping to achieve, I've only found machines for $50K and up around here... ...and they don't work off regular 220V either. My last shop had some custom power run into it, to run theirs. I could always buy a Shopbot, but they're up around $18K to start at the size I want...

[yotsuya]

Are you planning to approach this as a full-time gig, or just as a hobby when you have free time? Just wonderin'.

[Rick]

Are you planning to approach this as a full-time gig, or just as a hobby when you have free time? Just wonderin'.

I'm hoping for both, starting with a part-time endeavour that (I hope) leads to full-time. I can't think of anything I'd enjoy more than being able to do this full-time.

[menace]

Is that a render of the gantry in the upright position?  If so its likely way overkill on the bracing--good engineering isn't putting in tons of wood--its throwing just enough to do the job.  If that was the bed, then yeah it definitely needs good deflection control as it gets bigger and bigger.  The gantry in the "buildyourcnc plans" calls for 3/4" MDF in the vertical position and I got absolutely no sag, fully loaded and center span--Just hoping to save you time, materials, space and energy is all...

[Rick]

Is that a render of the gantry in the upright position?  If so its likely way overkill on the bracing--good engineering isn't putting in tons of wood--its throwing just enough to do the job. If that was the bed, then yeah it definitely needs good deflection control as it gets bigger and bigger. The gantry in the "buildyourcnc plans" calls for 3/4" MDF in the vertical position and I got absolutely no sag, fully loaded and center span--Just hoping to save you time, materials, space and energy is all...

You're right. I'm going to pull out a number of the center supports... This gantry is actually almost 60" across, so I feel like I need some internal bracing, just in case. (Certainly not the 6" centers I have in there now, however.)

[Yvan256]

good luck man, i've seen a few folks spend years building one of these things, and still not done.

Spent more time builiding the darn thing than building stuff with it.....

Hey now, are you talking about me? 


I also agree that the number of supports is a bit overkill, especially with high quality plywood as the building material. However, the stronger your CNC is, the faster/deeper you will be able to cut.

edit: can you please not use 4000+ pixel images in your posts? This thread takes almost a minute to load and wastes a lot of bandwith for those of us with monthly data quotas. 

[Rick]

I also agree that the number of supports is a bit overkill, especially with high quality plywood as the building material. However, the stronger your CNC is, the faster/deeper you will be able to cut.

That's what I understood as well (strength vs. cut speed/depth) and I've tried to emulate a lot of the design cues from the Green Bull unit, shown in this video:



His machine has a lot of vertical supports in it (admittedly, he doesn't have quite as many supports as I do - and I am removing a lot of the 'waste') and I'm trying to stay as close to the design as possible. If you watch some of Patrick Hood-Daniel's other vids, he's put a lot of thought into everything he's done. There are a lot of smart ideas in here (which I'm trying to pull off) and some which I think I may be able to improve upon a bit.

edit: can you please not use 4000+ pixel images in your posts? This thread takes almost a minute to load and wastes a lot of bandwith for those of us with monthly data quotas. 

Sorry about that! I'll try and consider this in the future.

[Rick]

I've sent my design to the local CNC shop, and hope to have a quote back in the next couple of days. In response to Yvan's request, a link to the giant image is

, and I will try and edit the image down a bit in the near future for inclusion into this thread.

I've checked into going with aluminum extrusions as a solution, and it still seems that this solution would cost me thousands, whereas my current solution should cost out in the hundreds. I will let you know, and keep you all advised!

[Rick]

Update:

My gantry is getting cut this week, and should be ready for pickup on Friday. I received a huge shipment of cable carrier from China today, and placed another $600 order for parts - bearings, gearing, etc. - to complete the majority of the required hardware. Outstanding items are some 1/2" metal rods, all of the nuts and bolts, and the torsion-box table build cut by the CNC shop...

Stay tuned!

[lamprey]

For some reason I missed this thread when you started it. So I'm late to the party. I'm sure you did your research and all, but wanted to throw out a link to the Ox incase you wanted to use more metal instead of wood for construction:
http://www.openbuilds.com/builds/openbuilds-ox-cnc-machine.341/

I have not built one myself, but was doing research a few months ago in order to get familiar with rolling my own CNC machine if the mood strikes me. Anyway, good luck with the build!! Looking forward to see what she can do! 

[Rick]

For some reason I missed this thread when you started it. So I'm late to the party. I'm sure you did your research and all, but wanted to throw out a link to the Ox incase you wanted to use more metal instead of wood for construction:
http://www.openbuilds.com/builds/openbuilds-ox-cnc-machine.341/

I have not built one myself, but was doing research a few months ago in order to get familiar with rolling my own CNC machine if the mood strikes me. Anyway, good luck with the build!! Looking forward to see what she can do! 

I'll say this - I LOVE THE OX BUILD. That being said, when I priced it out, it would cost me around $1-2K more to build than what I have on the go right now. (My CNC cost came in under $500, including materials, for the entire count of wood components. Can't beat that.)

I may be looking at the Ox for a future build - possibly for a smaller machine - but if my design holds true, it may still be more functionally economical in the long run.

[Rick]

Ok - quick update. I picked up the gantry cut from the local CNC shop last week, and they are FLAWLESS. Cut from 18mm Baltic Birch Plywood, they look amazing, and I can't wait to start assembly. I've ordered the remaining mechanical components, and they're expected on Friday.

Then, on Saturday, it was my son's 8th birthday, and we went skiing. Saturday afternoon, I went to the hospital.

On my first run down the smallest hill (I have only snowboarded when I was around 18, and now, at 42, I've never been skiing) I was going fairly slowly, back and forth, back and forth. I was about halfway down, when I fell, and started rolling. The binding on my right foot didn't release, so the ski wrenched my leg around about for three or four flips.

I had x-rays on Saturday, and thankfully, no bones were broken. They thought I had some muscle damage (maybe a torn calf muscle) but after ultrasound today, they think it didn't show any immediate damage. (At least, the diagnostician didn't immediately call a doctor.) I'll have to go in later this week for the results.

As it is now, I can't walk - I can't put any weight on my right leg at all. I've got crutches (yay) and am doing my best to be as mobile as possible. Unfortunately, there are a few things I need to do with the build before assembly - one of which is routing a recessed hole for a bearing - where I'm not certain I'll be able to do it without being able to stand without the crutches... Maybe seated, but even that would take some finagling to put the router table and pieces in the right alignment.

So - that's where I'm at right now. I have part of the machine here, and almost ready to assemble, and I'm SO CLOSE. I hope to get to a point where I can at least take some good pics of everything. So frustrating.

 

[rablack97]

[Rick]

I wish it wasn't true as well...



...but here's a pic of where I'm at ... right now.

[rablack97]

Those aren't your feet....




Get back to work 

[Rick]

And that's not my arcade fight stick to the left, nor your avatar on the TV to the right? Hmm.

[wp34]

And that's not my arcade fight stick to the left, nor your avatar on the TV to the right? Hmm.

Ha ha!  Proof of life.

Torn calf muscle just sounds wrong.  I hope you get better soon.

[Rick]

Ha ha!  Proof of life. Torn calf muscle just sounds wrong.  I hope you get better soon.

LOL. Never thought I'd be called out for this, but I'm prepared all the same. (Laying here for the past couple of days, I've got everything I need pretty much handy.)

And yeah, the whole 'torn calf muscle' thing sucks out loud. I'm hoping/thinking it's not that - since I wasn't carted off to await surgery - but I have to wait for what my Doctor tells me this week. My son had ski lessons on Sunday, and it sounds like the guys who gave me the rental equipment may have gotten in serious ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- - as there was talk of the bindings being adjusted incorrectly... ...and they said a break would be preferable over a muscle tear - so I'm hoping it's just a major sprain.

Thanks for the concern!

[ChanceKJ]

Pffft, Rookie.

Oh, I belive you alright, but what i don't belive is that you did something like this on of your provinces so called "ski hills".  I bet I've had bigger falls getting out of my car on a slippery parking lot. Let's look at what's more plausible, you got mugged by one of those little old lady pensioners you have out there roming the outskirts of the GTA. Next time you venture past the boundaries of the 401, you best heed my advice and take a shotgun with you, or bear mace. Tasers don't work, they just force their pacemakers to turn them in to "berserker mode" and then you have a REAL problem on your hands. Shoot first, then blame it on the family of 5 visiting up from Rochester, who's the OPP constable really gonna belive?

[yotsuya]

I can't believe how mean you guys are being to Rick. Shocked, I say, shocked I am at this behavior.

[ChanceKJ]

I can't believe how mean you guys are being to Rick. Shocked, I say, shocked I am at this behavior.

Your just trying to swing for a massive discount when his table gets up and going. At least I'm dishing out worldly advice on urban survival and granny warfare.