We would recommend using the heavy gantry electronics combo, using 2 - 425 oz-in motors(NEMA 24) and 1 651 oz-in motor(NEMA 34), with a additional 651 oz-in motor/6.0 amp driver for the x-axis, and that will leave the two NEMA 24 motors for your y/z-axes. The larger motors will be beneficial for the x-axis for the dual motor control and increased torque.

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I am building a machine and don't know which steppers to use. Machine specs are: plywood frame, SBR25 rails, 96"X48" work area, rack and pinion for X and Y axis (2 motors with 2 racks for X axis), about 3:1 reduction ratio with belt drive. I plan to work on wood, acrylics and aluminum. Thank you!

WE don't have an actual file that contains the instructions for the machines as they are a part of a larger database file that is queried during the product page's rendering in the browser. The best option would be to print the webpage on a printer and use that as notes.

I know this will not provide larger images, but you could use the paper version to write your notes while assembling the machine using the larger images on the website.

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On the blackFoot 4'x8' CNC machine do you have the instructions under one file that I can download, I want to print them out and make notes as I am building the machine.

Yes, the plans are detailed sufficiently enough to produce CAD drawings. If you wish to create AutoCAD drawings from the plans that we provide, we ask that the information conform to the creative commons license established on this site.

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If i can get the autocadd drawings of the building mdf peices that need to be build are the plans detailed enough for me to make my own autocadd drawings? I have access to another machine to build my own.

The USB interface only works with momentary switches unfortunately. If you have extensive knowledge of digital electronics, you can apply a receiver that uses a microcontroller and a transmitter with another microcontroller that produces the pulsing signal with the controls that you need.

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I would like to make a handheld remote for the USB CNC Board using a joystick instead of momentary switches. Could you suggest one that will work with your board.

As long as the bearing has a minimum thickness of 1/4" and 9/32" is a bit thicker, there will be no problem with the book build using the bearing that is 1/32" thicker. There is actually more surface area which is better.

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I am building the CNC in your book - Build you own CNC Machine. One of the bearing thicknesses is 1/4" I can't find that bearing online. I can find 9/32, will that be a problem. Do you have a source? Thx

Since you are using a ball screw which has a very low coefficient of friction to move your heavy gantry, you will have no problem at all using the 651 oz-in motors, and you are not going against gravity, so if you use screw jack formulas that use the low of the machine, you will not need to use weight which is (mass x gravity 9.8 m/s/s). Instead, it will be more susceptible to the inertia of the gantry and if you have any problems, you can compensate by lowering the acceleration.

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Excellent, thank you for your help.

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How do I go about ordering the redleaf system you have discussed? IS there any lead time? Thanks
again

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My machine gantry weighs about 250lbs, I am going to be using 2 steppers to move it. I am using 2510 ball screw and the steppers will be direct drive, will a pair of 651oz steppers be enough? I will be mostly working with aluminum so my feed rates will be low I just want to make sure I dont loose steps due to not having enough power.

Yes, we can make a redLeaf system that has all 6A drivers for use with the 651 oz-in motors. We can also wire the electronics in a way that two of the drivers will use the pins of the same axis so that axis will drive two drivers and motors.

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I am building a cnc router with twin ball screws on the long axis and I will have a rotary axis as well. I need a 5 axis breaker board using only 4 axis total. Can you help me?

The cutting area is 20" x 40" for the book machine. This area is determined by the 2'x4' sheets that make up the bed of the machine. You can increase this area if you use larger sheets and adjust the gantry width by the same difference of the width of the sheets.

You can also use the plans from Woodsmith magazine to build a larger machine.
https://www.woodsmith.com/article/build-a-cnc-router-for-your-own-shop/

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need cutting area of 25 x 49 what size of gantry


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need cutting area of 25 x 49 what size of gantry

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I am building the 24" x 48" machine from the original book and i was wondering if anyone can provide me with the actual cutting area possible with that machine.

Yes, the redLeaf plug-and-play CNC electronics can include a THC (Torch Height Controller) and motors of any size. The limit of the number of motors that this package can include is 8 motors in total.

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Will the redleaf package allow me to run a torch height controller and 2 nema 34 motors for my gantry? I would prefer to have motors on both sides of the machine with a heavy gantry

Decreasing the speed of acceleration in the cutter? Meaning of your router/spindle?, To modify the speed of a router will be going to the router itself and modifying the speed, but if a spindle is being used modifying it will be done either manually in the VFD (VFD Setup:
Change PD001 to '0' (source of run commands)
Change PD003 to 300 (main frequency - Hz)
Change PD004 to 300 (base frequency - Hz)
Change PD005 to 400 (max operating frequency - Hz)
Change PD006 to 2.5 (intermediate frequency - Hz)
Change PD008 to 220 (max voltage - V)
Change PD009 to 15 (intermediate voltage - V)
Change PD010 to 8 (minimum voltage - V)
Change PD011 to 100 (frequency lower limit - Hz)
Change PD142 to 7 (rated motor current - Amps)
Change PD143 to 2 (motor pole number)
Change PD144 to 3000 (rated motor revolution))<- make sure these are your settings in the VFD. If the spindle is wired to the breakout board and is working through Mach 3 then the modification will be done in your CamBam/Feed rate settings.

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How can I decrease the rapid acceleration of the cutter from a completed cutting operation to a new location so that the stepper motor will not lose its steps and mess up the machine zero settings? I am using CamBam and Mach3 on my machine with a chain drive. what is the best way to reduce accleration

If you purchase the greenLean, you will get everything you need except a router, computer to operate the machine, and software to control the machine. You state that you have a computer. You can use this computer, but you will need to determine if it has a parallel port, or if you are going to need the USB controller option. As for the software, there are too many different options for you to choose from. We would not be able to tell you which to get, and how much it will cost you. This is a matter of preference. I can tell you, however, that you will need 3 types of software to complete a CNC project. You will need CAD software to design your design, CAM software to add tool paths and convert the design to g-code, and then control software to take the g-code and operate the machine.

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I am a novice to CNC and I am building the "Book Build" CNC machine. I need to know whaqt software I will need to get me started routing simple signs and lettering and maybe some simple stuff

If you are using Mach3, the setting for the input pin 10 may be enabled as a default for use with the Emergency Stop. If there is no emergency stop on that pin, the reset will trip every time.

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I have the redleaf system for my black toe machine I have wired my limit switches in series NC after setting up in mach 3 I still get limit switch tripped after apply and ok setup can only run if I disable what am I doing wrong

Yes, you can connect a THC, Torch Height Controller, with the Mach3 USB controller. The THC uses the inputs to determine if the z axis needs to move up or down according to the arc of the plasma torch. The THC connects its outputs to the inputs of the controller so the controller will be informed of the states of the plasma torch.

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I am interested in using the Mach3 USB interface board. I was wondering if there was a way to run a torch height controller with this board for use with a plasma cutter, and if so do you know of any THCs that will work. Thank you.

Dealing with orders a few years ago, we did supply the g-code files for the machines that were purchased. However we do not supply any files to recreate our machines at the current moment nor do we plan on giving them in the future.

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I built a machine using your original tutorial years ago. Do you still offer the code to run on this machine to make the 4x8 black toe?

If the pins from the terminal block on the side of the board are outputs, or at least 2 of them are outputs, then you can connect our modular driver to the board (example: cw230). If they are all inputs, then you would not be able to connect an external driver.

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I AM USING A XYLOTEX 3 AXIS BOARD AND WANT TO ADD ANOTHER MOTOR SLAVED THE X-AXIS. WILL DRIVE CW230 WORK?

If you purchase the greenLean, you will get everything you need except a router, computer to operate the machine, and software to control the machine. You state that you have a computer. You can use this computer, but you will need to determine if it has a parallel port, or if you are going to need the USB controller option. As for the software, there are too many different options for you to choose from. We would not be able to tell you which to get, and how much it will cost you. This is a matter of preference. I can tell you, however, that you will need 3 types of software to complete a CNC project. You will need CAD software to design your design, CAM software to add tool paths and convert the design to g-code, and then control software to take the g-code and operate the machine.

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I am building a wet plasma table for my shop that is 8'x 16'. I will need hardware and software. Please heko me wuth the list, My phone is 9124273734. I would like to talk with someone if possible. Thanks, Rus

Sure, please describe the machine that you are building and the material with which the gantry and other parts will be built.

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I am using you reliable builder, though i am building from scratch. Can you help me size motors to my construction?

The settings that you will use for your 3.0 amp driver to properly power and turn your 425 oz-in stepper motor will cheifly depend on your application and the mechanical parts you are using on your machine. In all circumstances, the amp setting for the stepper motor (according to the datasheet) should be 2.8 amps. Use the closest setting on the driver without going over.

Here is a good rule of thumb for the microstepping which will correspond to the resolution, but wil also affect torque. You always want to try to achieve the best torque and resolution for the axis you are moving but go with the lowest microstepping possible. In cases where there is mechanical advantage, like a lead screw scenario, where for each motor revolution, the axis move a very small amount, you will want a very low microstep value. This is because the mechanical configuration will provide most of the finer resolution and you will not need the microstepping to assist in this. Increase the microstepping only in conditions where the axis is not moving smooth enough, or where there is a mechanical disadvantage. A mechanical disadvantage would be where the stepper motor is causing a great amount of movement in the axis and the resolutions suffers from this condition. Increase the microstep value up to your desired resolution, but don't go over since the torque of the motor will decrease.

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I'm building my own machine using your motors and drivers. What is the best dip switch settings for the 3.0 amp drivers powering the 425 oz motors

In all CNC electronics configurations, you will need the motor paired with its own driver.

If two motors/drivers are intended for a single axis and the motors need to turn at the same rate and in the same direction, then the two drivers for these motors should be connected to the same signal wires from the breakout board (step (CP) and direction (CW)) signal wires.

If the motors need to turn in opposite directions, then either one driver will need to have the direction signal inverted, or resolve the opposite direction through a change in the mechanical drive train (i.e. flip the rack on a rack and pinion configuration, or in a roller chain setup, have the chain ride along the opposite side of the drive sprocket).

How do I go about purchasing a redleaf system with 4 drivers, where the (y) and (a) driver are connected to the same signal from the breakout board? I'd also need them to rotate in opposite directions.

The redLeaf webpage contains a purchase option for an extra motor and driver. We can setup the redLeaf system uniquely so it conforms to your application (i.e. motors running in opposite directions).

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I've built a machine where the y axis has (2) 425oz motors, x axis has (1) 425oz. motor, and the z axis also has (1) 425oz motor. Would it be better to purchase a redleaf system with 4 drivers? or can I just connect both y axis motors to the same driver for a total of 3 drivers?