So our camera bit the dust shortly after the last post. Since then, I have mounted the supports for the x-axis lead screws, put the gantry together, and done a few other things. First, the assembled gantry:
And now, to slide the gantry on to the base. I ran into a minor problem here–the gantry is about 1/8″ too narrow. Fortunately, the 1/2″ MDF has just enough elasticity for me to force it onto the track. It might actually be a good thing–I don’t have to worry about having enough tension to keep the gantry in place. I will have to add some reinforcement to the vertical sides of the gantry at some point, to make sure I don’t end up breaking them. Of course, from what I’ve heard, all it has to do is last long enough to cut the pieces for my next, better CNC machine!
