HUGE Shapeoko XXL Upgrade - Frankenpoko CNC Router

what's up everybody chris from full steam designs so i moved about six months ago and unfortunately i never set my shipoko back up it kind of just turned into a catch-off for all the junk in my garage [Music] so today not only are we going to bring it back from the dead but we're going to give it new life using some t-slot structural framing i'll show you all the parts that i used i'll also run you through any software changes that you need to make and just so you know we will be using carbide motion it'll still work even with the longer y-axis so stick around and i'll show you exactly how i did it i started by cutting my t-slot structural framing pieces there's a lot of ways to cut this but i prefer a cold saw or just a regular miter saw with a nice sharp blade on it i'll save you from watching me cut all this i'll put a link in the description to the cut list and some drawings i'm using 45 millimeter material so adjust accordingly if you're using something different this stuff isn't cheap but if you do some research you might find some used i was able to buy enough from an auction to build this machine three huge workbenches and still have enough left over for other projects also you need a lot of hardware for a project like this there's a few different ways to connect the pieces i'm using angle brackets for everything these naturally try to hold everything square but i still check everything multiple times throughout the build so [Music] i used a tap to thread the centers for the casters different size material will have different size holes this required a 12 millimeter tap these casters have adjustable feet built into them for leveling [Music] i leveled the frame before continuing on with the build [Music] so [Music] so i tapped these long pieces and loosely installed the new riser brackets next we will need to rob some parts from the xxl i removed the lower v wheels so i can just lift the whole gantry off i think this is easier than rolling it to the ends of the y-rails like the instructions say to do i removed the y-axis rails and took them over to the workbench i measured the exact width of the shipoko extrusion and marked a center line on them i'll put links in the description to the brackets and extension pieces we're going to need to drill four holes in each side of the extrusion fortunately the extension pieces come with a template to help lay them out make sure you do this exactly how the instructions say you'll notice me flipping the block with the material so i don't mess this step up it would probably be easier to tape them on but i didn't have any handy at the time i can't stress this enough take your time here it's best to use a drill press but like i'm showing an inexpensive drill guide will also work i started with an eighth inch pilot hole and went up to a quarter inch bit i later went up to a 5 16 just to allow a little bit of room for the bolts to get in easier just make sure the holes are perfectly centered exactly where the templates say they should be be sure to use a good quality countersink and slow down your drill speed again a drill press with a depth stop would be best here but it can be done without one i'm using support plates on the back side so only two of the holes need to be countersunk [Music] once everything is assembled i moved it over to the machine and bolted the brackets together i checked to make sure the two pieces of extrusion are perfectly flat off camera i also made sure everything was square and level next i reinstall the gantry and lower v wheels make sure you properly adjust the eccentric nuts and roll it down the rails to check for binding that could indicate that they're either too tight or that the rails are not parallel with one another i had most of the pieces i needed for this project but needed to order these four bolt plates to attach the two long pieces of t-slot together this will ensure they're held in perfect alignment and add a lot of rigidity now we need to install some new belts my original plan was to upgrade to 15 millimeter ones but unfortunately they won't be here for a while i'll make a separate video on this upgrade since it'll work for all poco 3's i ordered a roll of nine millimeter wide off amazon just to get the machine going for now proper tension is guitar string type i adjust the belt so the threads just catch in the bracket so the hole in the riser bracket is slotted and i noticed that it needed to move a little inwards to keep it aligned with my pulleys now i know everyone wants to know about the wiring i added a few pieces of cable chain to the original xxl one i adjusted the length until i had it just right and used a self-tapping screw to hold it to the extrusion i originally planned on extending the wires and mounting the control box to the side of the frame but i noticed that if i mounted it to the bottom of this laptop mount that i threw together i wouldn't have to do that so to answer everyone's question no you don't have to extend the wiring harness [Music] [Music] i plugged everything in and adjusted the height of the laptop now it's just about ready to go but first we need to make some adjustments to the programming the latest version of carbide motion allows you to input custom machine sizes i had to play with these numbers a little but finally i settled on 870 for x 1450 for y and 200 for z start low and work your way up next i went into the mdi and had to make some changes i have a whole video for this that i'll link in the description and at the end of this video basically i'm just changing my steps for the z-axis since i have a cnc for newbie z slider the max homing speed and the max rapid speed grab the power switch and clicked initialize [Music] everything seemed to be okay so i moved it through the range of motion and adjusted my dimension settings [Music] now to try a small project i haven't decided on a wasteboard setup yet so for now i'll just use clamps just make sure they're out of the way [Music] i set z with a piece of paper and started the job i needed to do a bit change but since i used these stop collars i never need to reset my z offset i'll also link a video at the end that better describes this everything was fine until i told the machine to rap at home and i discovered that i had set my max rapid speed way too high no big deal i just shut the machine off and lowered the 110 and 111 settings to 12 000. ran into one other issue apparently there is a time limit on the homing seek if the gantry is all the way forward i need to move it back about a foot to get it to reach the homing switch in the time allotted otherwise it stops and gives you a homing error typing dollar sign h into the mdi will initiate another homing sequence if anyone knows of a way to fix this i'd love to hear about it in the comments next i cut a square circle and triangle so i can do some quick checks i used a v-bit here because it was already in the machine but you can get a more accurate measurement by using an end mill and cutting either inside or outside of the lines not only can you measure each piece to make sure your circle is round square is square and each side of the triangle is the same but you can also make sure they're measuring true i plan on doing a full video going into more depth about these and other ways to check your machine to make sure everything is set up right i still have a few upgrades to make and need to decide on a wasteboard setup i have some ideas but i'd love to hear your recommendations in the comments as always thanks for watching big thank you to everyone who supports me on patreon or has bought me a coffee lately i'll put links in the description for anyone who would like to help support the channel on a more personal level please don't forget to like leave a comment and subscribe if you haven't already done so until next time i'll see everyone over on one of these other videos [Music] bye

Channel: Chris Powell

Views: 21,763

Keywords: shapeoko, cnc router, cncrouter, shapeoko xxl, hobby cnc, cnc, shapeoko 3, carbide create, carbide motion

Id: 6QhmluXsYPo

Length: 15min 0sec (900 seconds)

Published: Sat May 29 2021