i was really waiting for your take on stiffening the machine. I've seen people use flat stock steel and thought that must be hell to work with and add a lot of excess weight for the motors. very awesome, thank you
This is the best stiffening mod that I have seen so far! I was going to try this a while ago and even bought the 40x4 aluminium but I stopped because I didn't want to drill through my rails, this DIY I beam is a great idea! Also I like the homemade T slot nuts, they are quite expensive to buy on the internet for some reason. Thanks for the great video!
Good job Marius. Your modification is so neat & tidy that it looks like an original part of the machine. And it appears to have removed a great deal of the flex.
very nice work Marius! Another thing you might look to do as well is to use a shorter cutter. This will help reduce chatter and increase accuracy even more. I am not sure it is used in woodworking, but in metalworking we use fairly sophisticated endmills with varying helixes. Great job!
Excellent vid! lots of work to stiffen up an expensive machine. I decided to go with the Shapeoko XXL. It's arriving tomorrow! I'm like a kid that's about to go to Disneyland I can't wait! Using Fusion 360 to do CAD and CAM. It's beautiful software!
A few drops of paraffin (usually applied with an old toothbrush) helps keep cutting surfaces clean when cutting Aluminium. It does tend to clog cutting surfaces, so this protects your tools for woodwork.
I like how you make their stuff even better :) A point though, the vertical section in an I beam doesn't do much except hold the flanges apart. The flanges make most of the bending resistance and torsion resistance.
I didn't realise how weak the X-Carve is compared to the OpenBuilds OX!. My X axis has three 60x20 sections and I suspect I could almost stand on it with no deflection! Good video, Cheers.
Thank you for this excellent video!!!! I have the smaller version of the x-carve and have debated enlarging it, but was worried about the flex others have talked about.
This upgrades should be standard on the x-carve. Also the wooden sideboards are a nice idea. Prevents the rails from collecting dust and metal chips (which can be really bad)
GREAT video Marius. I think Inventables should send you their beta machines for your testing and review. The upgrades to the machine cost very little (especially if you use their buying power) but the end results would far exceed the cost factor. Good job on your videos.
Very good and practical upgrade. I haven't received my x carve yet but one question... in the aluminium extrusion of the x axis is the void down it's length square or maybe rectangular. Could a suitable length of square/rectangle section have been used instead of creating an I beam... just a thought.
OK, @8:35 you should be able to see that a lot of your 'play' is because of the single mount on the spindle. Why not design a second mount to hold the spindle body from higher up?
Your concept of making the rail stiffer is good, but you would have much better results gluing the reinforcements in using epoxy besides using the screws. Good job with replacing the spindle!
+Educating Savvas Yes and it's not perfect. It cups a little bit (0,1-0,3mm) between the rails. But was no issue for me so far. Eventually I'm making another spoil board, if that bothers me.
Awesome ideas! well... except for making your own T-nuts :P But this is becoming less of an x-carve by the minute. You should swap out that x-carve label for one that says "Marius-carve" or something. It's your own machine now :)
+Marius Hornberger I'll try these more. I don't have a table saw yet, but hopefully I can trim the aluminum well enough with a circular saw and a straight edge. I don't want to drill into the gantry, so your solution seems great. Thanks for the video.
You could use the higher settings for hogging out large sections if need be, although this would work best if you can change the feedrate in during the operation in the code. I know CNC Mills use this concept however I don't know if your CNC will have it. Also what kind of end mills are you using? are they meant for wood or maching of non ferrous metals? Also something that may greatly improve the precision and speed of these projects may be to invest in higher end, end mills. I'm not sure for wood, but 2 flutes is usually perfect for even aluminum and 4 flutes is better for steel. Just a little tip from someone who has done work in a machining shop.
It's worth mentioning that Aluminium is one of those metals that can and will flash off / explode when it's in a fine dust or powder, should you frequently use your table saw for it... unless it would need an oxidising agent so otherwise you should be safe, hah. Aluminium powder in fireworks though is cool and exiting.
May I ask where did you buy the machine? The only official distributor of X-Carve for Europe I found is RoboSavvy from UK, but they don't even answer questions to their sales email.
What thickness plates did u use for y rail supports....my calculation seems to be about 4.5 mm space pervside which would be about 3/16 stock....i have 1/8'stock qnd ill juat use a washer to make up the 1/16 difference....i dont want to buy new material
Very interesting ideas! so the aluminum I profile you created actually preloads both gantry profiles or just sits there tight waiting for the force to appear?
I noticed you have a Record Power grinder. A machine shop in my area sells some Record Power tools (mostly lathes, some dust extraction), but I am not familiar with their reputation. What kind of quality are they?
Hi Marius. I have asked Jeremy this exact same question, but if you were to get another X-Carve, which one would you choose? I would love the 1x1 meter model, but it's large and bulky and I would have nowhere to store it. Do you think the 75x75 cm version is large enough for most uses and would it suffice without strenghtening? Would it be better to just get the largest model if you get it for free?
Marius Hornberger I did some research and it seems like the 750 x 750mm model only has a cut capacity of 550x550mm. For the biggest model that number is 800x800. I wish they had a mix between those two, preferably 1000x750mm. Then you could cut longer pieces without using up so much space. It should be easier to store a rectangle than a square.
Has anyone ever considered filling the hollow portions of aluminum extrusion or maker slides with something. For less vibration…slight stiffening…sound dampening…? Such as great stuff insulation spray foam ? Or is that a bad idea?..
I saw your initial review video on the X-carve and one of the biggest issues you seemed to have with it was shipping from the US. Now you can get it from the UK so importing isn't an issue, would you say it was a good purchase (if you do pay for it)?
thinking about making my own cnc and im wondering if the belts are reliable as a threaded rod ? im planning to use nema 34 servos because i want to mill really hard woods and have a big working surface.
if I get one of these I will doo what you did but I will use steel and screw screws into the chassis for side pieces one piece of steel like your ply wood not pieces but one solid piece of steel going down both side and the I will put a torsion bar on the back of the cross slide to prevent bending like what they do with cars but a smaller scale the pother idea I had was to attach another rail and bolt it on the back side. I want to reallt beef it up I have 38 years of experience and when I start my you tube channel I will teach the correct way of setting up the machine and also the right way of cutting
hey marius ich hab da mal ne frage zur steuerung (Hardware) der CNC fräse. ich bin mir eine änliche anlage am selbstbauen, ich schrittmotor treiber (Leistungsstufen) werden über breakoutboard von mach 3 aus angesteuert, soweit komm ich klar. die leistungsstufen haben nen input für die motoren zwischen 24 und 80 Volt. jetzt hab ich mir mal die daten der verfügbaren motoren angesehen und muß feststellen das diese selten mehr als 4 Volt (bei 7 Ampere) haben wollen. hast du die möglichkeit an deiner steuerung im betrieb mal nachzumessen wieviel Volt deine Steuerungen zum motor schicken (ne info wieviel volt reingehen wäre auch nicht schlecht) . ich weiß du hast wenig zeit, würdest mir aber nen RIESIGEN gefallen damit tun . ich hoffe ich hör von dir
Hey Marius tolles Video macht immer Spaß deine Videos zu schauen :) Kleiner Tipp von mir: wenn du dass nächste mal Aluminium bohrst oder Gewinde schneidest benutz Spiritus zum schmieren da Schneidöl oder andere Öle für Aluminium nicht besonders geeignet sind. Top Video 👍
Hi Marius erstmal cooles video DAUMEN HOCH!! Mal ne Frage warum hast du die Eisenteile für die t nur nicht mit der tks geschnitten weil du doch so ein Metalschneide blatt hast?
Stimmt. Spar mal 60,-€ und kauf dir ne flex. oder eine noname für 20,-€. so wie du dich quälst hab ich das auch jahrelsng gemacht. kann man nicht mit ansehen. Lustig nur das seitdem ich ne flex habe steht nix an zu sägen ;-D
+Alex b dachte mir, dass die Frage kommt. Laut dem Sägeblatt kann man Metall schneiden aber weil ich das Blatt oft für was anderes brauch und es auch ziemlich teuer war, wollt ich nicht riskieren es zu ruinieren. Denke nämlich nicht, dass 5000 u/min für Metall geeignet sind.
Hey Marius, I am thinking of getting THe XYZ Carve a CNC thats based on the X Carve. Very similar machine. Can you tell us what you do think of the X Carve? Good / Bad? would you buy it if you could choose again?
Watched it, but you didnt compare the OX CNC and this one... Could you take a look at this link: 3dtek.xyz/blogs/technical-docs/47698051-xyz-carve-from-the-open-source-x-carve-design It listed out the differnece between the X carve, and the one they offered which is also based on the X carve. Do you think this version will solve the problems that you came across with the X carve?
There are equally as many negative feed backs as there are for positive from people who has got the machine..... But this is certain one of the cheapest one out there.... very difficult decision
I purchased an x-carve 2 days ago (will arrive soon) and I am definitely doing this to the CNC. Thank you very much for your video. Awesome idea!
i was really waiting for your take on stiffening the machine. I've seen people use flat stock steel and thought that must be hell to work with and add a lot of excess weight for the motors. very awesome, thank you
This is an excellent tutorial format. You do a great job of carefully noting each step and giving detailed video related to the commentary. Nice work!
This is the best stiffening mod that I have seen so far!
I was going to try this a while ago and even bought the 40x4 aluminium but I stopped because I didn't want to drill through my rails, this DIY I beam is a great idea!
Also I like the homemade T slot nuts, they are quite expensive to buy on the internet for some reason.
Thanks for the great video!
Really great upgrades. Nice job keeping them nondestructive, yet still providing a great amount of strength.
love that table saw. Your knowledge and thought process are beyond your years. Good Job! love your videos
Really amazing amount of effort and consistency, you are far more patient than I ever was at that age (Or now, for that matter). Great work!
Marius thanks for sharing this and providing a great upgrade that many can do. Appreciate the time filming it realizing it added a lot more work.
Good job Marius. Your modification is so neat & tidy that it looks like an original part of the machine. And it appears to have removed a great deal of the flex.
Thank you Marius, we appreciate you taking the time and effort to produce and post this. Happy making!
very nice work Marius! Another thing you might look to do as well is to use a shorter cutter. This will help reduce chatter and increase accuracy even more. I am not sure it is used in woodworking, but in metalworking we use fairly sophisticated endmills with varying helixes. Great job!
Great upgrades. A stiffer rail system is a good feature especially for precision work. Thanks for sharing.
This video above the others I've watched makes me want to pick up an X-Carve. Terrific upgrade. Thank you.
Excellent vid! lots of work to stiffen up an expensive machine. I decided to go with the Shapeoko XXL. It's arriving tomorrow! I'm like a kid that's about to go to Disneyland I can't wait! Using Fusion 360 to do CAD and CAM. It's beautiful software!
A few drops of paraffin (usually applied with an old toothbrush) helps keep cutting surfaces clean when cutting Aluminium. It does tend to clog cutting surfaces, so this protects your tools for woodwork.
I like how you make their stuff even better :)
A point though, the vertical section in an I beam doesn't do much except hold the flanges apart. The flanges make most of the bending resistance and torsion resistance.
This should become an accessory avaiable in the Inventables store :)
I didn't realise how weak the X-Carve is compared to the OpenBuilds OX!. My X axis has three 60x20 sections and I suspect I could almost stand on it with no deflection! Good video, Cheers.
Nice modifications. Hope that Inventables takes notice and maybe incorporates some of these things.
I like your style of working!
Talk about bad-asses, Marius, you are one bad-assed woodworker. Nice build. Thanks for sharing.
You make great videos Marius,informative,clever and funny 😁😂 Great work from a talented young man,keep it going 👍👏👏
A great piece of Engineering on your part! Great video and solution. Thanks for sharing
You are going to be an awesome engineer!
That sound at 4:57 :D
Much satisfied!
Superb makes that machine worth looking at now.
Very nice video Marius. Well explained and the edit of the videos was also on point! Keep it up :)
Great video Buddy, amazing precision and and ideas, thanks a bunch for sharing.
Thank you for this excellent video!!!! I have the smaller version of the x-carve and have debated enlarging it, but was worried about the flex others have talked about.
very nice. smart upgrade, good job
Looks like you make a lot of improvement! Great work!
This upgrades should be standard on the x-carve.
Also the wooden sideboards are a nice idea.
Prevents the rails from collecting dust and metal chips (which can be really bad)
GREAT video Marius. I think Inventables should send you their beta machines for your testing and review. The upgrades to the machine cost very little (especially if you use their buying power) but the end results would far exceed the cost factor.
Good job on your videos.
Very good and practical upgrade. I haven't received my x carve yet but one question... in the aluminium extrusion of the x axis is the void down it's length square or maybe rectangular. Could a suitable length of square/rectangle section have been used instead of creating an I beam... just a thought.
OK, @8:35 you should be able to see that a lot of your 'play' is because of the single mount on the spindle. Why not design a second mount to hold the spindle body from higher up?
Nice work! Eagerly awaiting 'pretty soon'
yup those are all great upgrades thats for sharing
i need a CNC machine for my jobs . i envy about yours man !
Your concept of making the rail stiffer is good, but you would have much better results gluing the reinforcements in using epoxy besides using the screws.
Good job with replacing the spindle!
Good job 👍, Nice upgrade 😎🛠️.. I will upgrade mine too 🏃🏻♂️🏃🏻♂️
You should have use your bandsaw for cutting the t-nuts. Great video! Thumbs up!
+TheTugge my bandsaw can't cut metal.
Love the new sides, those made a big difference. I'm curious about the bit, feed speed, and RPMs you have settled on for plywood.
3-8mm bit, 1000-2500 mm/min, 25000-15000rpm, 0,5-2mm per cut
similar mods are my own bucket list, I think the dust nozzle is first though! :-)
Good upgrades. Have you checked your waste-board flatness with an engineers straight edge? Mine was horrible before I rebuilt the machine.
+Educating Savvas Yes and it's not perfect. It cups a little bit (0,1-0,3mm) between the rails. But was no issue for me so far. Eventually I'm making another spoil board, if that bothers me.
Awesome ideas! well... except for making your own T-nuts :P
But this is becoming less of an x-carve by the minute. You should swap out that x-carve label for one that says "Marius-carve" or something. It's your own machine now :)
Bravo Kid! i like the precision you work with! and the ideas..:)
You're a genius!! Congratulations.
While you had the waste board out, you could have trimmed a bit off the top too, to regain access to the board zero.
You are a very talented young man. Is there any problem with the waste board being MDF? Should this be replaced with say marine ply?
Nice upgrade!!
Really good working, congratulations ^^
That is a great up grade .
Nice job Marius!
Hi Marius, I'm curious about the vises you're using to hold the aluminum flatbar @2:47. What's the brand/where can they be obtained? Thanks.
These are drill press vices. I don't know the brand, but any hardware store should sell them. Or Amazon
+Marius Hornberger I'll try these more. I don't have a table saw yet, but hopefully I can trim the aluminum well enough with a circular saw and a straight edge. I don't want to drill into the gantry, so your solution seems great. Thanks for the video.
Make your own. I've made two so far...
Very well done Marius, thank you, cheers.
You could use the higher settings for hogging out large sections if need be, although this would work best if you can change the feedrate in during the operation in the code. I know CNC Mills use this concept however I don't know if your CNC will have it. Also what kind of end mills are you using? are they meant for wood or maching of non ferrous metals? Also something that may greatly improve the precision and speed of these projects may be to invest in higher end, end mills. I'm not sure for wood, but 2 flutes is usually perfect for even aluminum and 4 flutes is better for steel. Just a little tip from someone who has done work in a machining shop.
Great video and ideas Marius! I need to do all of those to mine.
+Steve Carmichael Thanks Steve!
+Marius Hornberger Hi! Would t-track nuts from ITEM with 8mm holes be any good on your machine?
It's worth mentioning that Aluminium is one of those metals that can and will flash off / explode when it's in a fine dust or powder, should you frequently use your table saw for it... unless it would need an oxidising agent so otherwise you should be safe, hah.
Aluminium powder in fireworks though is cool and exiting.
Would this Machine cut aluminum now ?
So young and so smart!
+Sal Bobrow and likeable, what a guy lol
May I ask where did you buy the machine? The only official distributor of X-Carve for Europe I found is RoboSavvy from UK, but they don't even answer questions to their sales email.
I have a 2017 xcarve and purchased the upgrade kit. Do you think your upgrades to your gantry would hold a 2.2 spindle
Great Upgrade!!!
Where do you get these Kess spindles? Can't find them here in Canada
Great job, and it seems to be much better. Have a nice week. But 40 small pices :)
If I send you more Spectraply can you do another video on it?
What thickness plates did u use for y rail supports....my calculation seems to be about 4.5 mm space pervside which would be about 3/16 stock....i have 1/8'stock qnd ill juat use a washer to make up the 1/16 difference....i dont want to buy new material
Very interesting ideas! so the aluminum I profile you created actually preloads both gantry profiles or just sits there tight waiting for the force to appear?
+Cactus! workshop Just sits there tight.
good work,,,
By the way ,, why you didn`t use the CNC to mark and drill the holes ? i believe that process took you very long time !
I hope X-carve gives you something for a great modification.
How thick are the aluminum peaces for the X axis support? Also, is there a template or design file anywhere of theses modification parts?
Great vid!
thank you. Marius
Thanks for the nice video. Here is my subscription.
Hello ... you could tell me where you bought the lathe scanner .. (x-Carve )
Marius, do you tink it is worth it to fix everything thats wrong with the X-carve vs bilding a custum sns?
I noticed you have a Record Power grinder. A machine shop in my area sells some Record Power tools (mostly lathes, some dust extraction), but I am not familiar with their reputation. What kind of quality are they?
+Mooncabbage They are in the mid range quality.
You're a genius.
Hi Marius. I have asked Jeremy this exact same question, but if you were to get another X-Carve, which one would you choose? I would love the 1x1 meter model, but it's large and bulky and I would have nowhere to store it. Do you think the 75x75 cm version is large enough for most uses and would it suffice without strenghtening? Would it be better to just get the largest model if you get it for free?
If it had to be another X-Carve, then a 75x75 with stiffening.
Marius Hornberger I did some research and it seems like the 750 x 750mm model only has a cut capacity of 550x550mm. For the biggest model that number is 800x800. I wish they had a mix between those two, preferably 1000x750mm. Then you could cut longer pieces without using up so much space. It should be easier to store a rectangle than a square.
Has anyone ever considered filling the hollow portions of aluminum extrusion or maker slides with something.
For less vibration…slight stiffening…sound dampening…?
Such as great stuff insulation spray foam ?
Or is that a bad idea?..
cool umgesetzt die Optimierungen :-)
Guten morgen Marius!
Eine frage ich bin aus Schweden und es ist sehr schwer gut pits zu kaufen. Wo kauft du deine ??
I saw your initial review video on the X-carve and one of the biggest issues you seemed to have with it was shipping from the US. Now you can get it from the UK so importing isn't an issue, would you say it was a good purchase (if you do pay for it)?
would it not have been better to sell the x-carver and upgrade?
A big thumbs up good job.
Was there a reason you didn't use the x-carve to create your t-track nuts using the X-Carve itself? Is it an accuracy issue, or bit-size issue?
Honestly, I didn't even think about it. And by doing it by hand I could do all the "i have to do it by hand" complains for the video.
Heh. Okay! I'll be experimenting a bit with that when we finally build ours.
Bravo !!! Great video thanks
thinking about making my own cnc and im wondering if the belts are reliable as a threaded rod ? im planning to use nema 34 servos because i want to mill really hard woods and have a big working surface.
No, ball screws are the way to go
thanks ! keep up the good work
Great job
Is your old spindle for sale?
if I get one of these I will doo what you did but I will use steel and screw screws into the chassis for side pieces one piece of steel like your ply wood not pieces but one solid piece of steel going down both side and the I will put a torsion bar on the back of the cross slide to prevent bending like what they do with cars but a smaller scale the pother idea I had was to attach another rail and bolt it on the back side. I want to reallt beef it up I have 38 years of experience and when I start my you tube channel I will teach the correct way of setting up the machine and also the right way of cutting
Anyone know if this is still an issue with the latest version they recently released?
hey marius ich hab da mal ne frage zur steuerung (Hardware) der CNC fräse.
ich bin mir eine änliche anlage am selbstbauen, ich schrittmotor treiber (Leistungsstufen) werden über breakoutboard von mach 3 aus angesteuert, soweit komm ich klar. die leistungsstufen haben nen input für die motoren zwischen 24 und 80 Volt.
jetzt hab ich mir mal die daten der verfügbaren motoren angesehen und muß feststellen das diese selten mehr als 4 Volt (bei 7 Ampere) haben wollen. hast du die möglichkeit an deiner steuerung im betrieb mal nachzumessen wieviel Volt deine Steuerungen zum motor schicken (ne info wieviel volt reingehen wäre auch nicht schlecht) . ich weiß du hast wenig zeit, würdest mir aber nen RIESIGEN gefallen damit tun . ich hoffe ich hör von dir
What brand and model is your table saw?
Hey Marius tolles Video macht immer Spaß deine Videos zu schauen :)
Kleiner Tipp von mir: wenn du dass nächste mal Aluminium bohrst oder Gewinde schneidest benutz Spiritus zum schmieren da Schneidöl oder andere Öle für Aluminium nicht besonders geeignet sind.
Top Video 👍
which spindle motor you are using
Hi Marius erstmal cooles video DAUMEN HOCH!! Mal ne Frage warum hast du die Eisenteile für die t nur nicht mit der tks geschnitten weil du doch so ein Metalschneide blatt hast?
Stimmt. Spar mal 60,-€ und kauf dir ne flex. oder eine noname für 20,-€. so wie du dich quälst hab ich das auch jahrelsng gemacht. kann man nicht mit ansehen. Lustig nur das seitdem ich ne flex habe steht nix an zu sägen ;-D
+Alex b dachte mir, dass die Frage kommt. Laut dem Sägeblatt kann man Metall schneiden aber weil ich das Blatt oft für was anderes brauch und es auch ziemlich teuer war, wollt ich nicht riskieren es zu ruinieren. Denke nämlich nicht, dass 5000 u/min für Metall geeignet sind.
WoW! Good job... Why didn't you use x-carve to make all that stuff? :o
Hey Marius, I am thinking of getting THe XYZ Carve a CNC thats based on the X Carve. Very similar machine. Can you tell us what you do think of the X Carve? Good / Bad? would you buy it if you could choose again?
This should answer your question: th-cam.com/video/kqOEEwLPATA/w-d-xo.html
Watched it, but you didnt compare the OX CNC and this one... Could you take a look at this link: 3dtek.xyz/blogs/technical-docs/47698051-xyz-carve-from-the-open-source-x-carve-design
It listed out the differnece between the X carve, and the one they offered which is also based on the X carve. Do you think this version will solve the problems that you came across with the X carve?
Why should I compare it. I have no experience with any other machine. That would be pointless for me.
There are equally as many negative feed backs as there are for positive from people who has got the machine..... But this is certain one of the cheapest one out there.... very difficult decision
Well done