CNC Revolution: ShapeOko #329

I have officially joined the CNC revolution.  

Styrofoam wheel

The gcode for this wheel was provided by Glen's CNC Corner (no affiliation) and it was available free of charge.

Styrofoam wheel and original scrap styrofoam

I used a scrap piece of styrofoam.  Both to test the gcode and my machine.  Surprising enough it seemed to work the first time.  There is a spot in the gcode to turn the material over and continue.  And, if you look closely at the first image, you can make out an uneven edge.  This was NOT a problem with the gcode, it was where I got the hose to the vacuum cleaner wedged between two moving parts of the gantry.

Self engraved part on gantry.

ShapeOko #329 showed up on my doorstep June 18, 2012.  

The kit was "Mechanical" only as I already had motors and driver boards.

I decided to engrave the serial number and date on one part of the gantry.  I reproduced this part out of thin wood panel.  I used Inkscape to create the lettering, and then with the help of a plug-in called gcodetools I was able to generate the gcode.

ShapeOko #329 and (2x4) Circuit board

No, really, that is a 9" piece of 2x4 that I anchored everything using drywall screws and a couple plastic bottle caps.

EasyDriver driver boards for 3-axis control

EasyDriver boards were purchased through SparkFun. The rest of the parts were gathered/salvaged from parts I collected or from the local RadioShack.

Motor and Limit switch along with connecting wires

On the software side, I have a dedicated computer with the LinuxCNC operating system.  The computer is Dell precision 360 and seems to be working fine.

LinuxCNC test gcode

Here is the first piece I made using my CNC machine.

So... what am I going to make with this machine??  I am not sure.  I think I am having too much fun trying to make everything work, and I have not given much thought to a final project.  My hope is that I will be able to make anything that comes to mind.  Or maybe it's the old "Dog chasing a Car" ?

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