JD's Garage simple Gantry table

[Magna Machine Works]

Good morning! I have really been keeping my eye on the stuff that the father and son team over at JD's garage are doing. https://jdsgarage.bigcartel.com/product ... tter-plans
https://www.youtube.com/@jdsgarage701/videos
I purchased on of their plans kits as well as their 3D printed parts. Has anyone built, or have experience with this particular table? I could be mistaken, but it seems very similar to the original Langmuire, but substantially cheaper (I suppose you are trading time for money) The YT videos are very informative and I could see how the end user could customize it with 2 stepper motors rather than one and a full gantry.

[sonbakler]

I would agree, it looks like pretty much the exact design of the original Langmuir. If I were to build it I would be sure to do a full 2 sided gantry, gotta be pretty wiggly out on the far end unless it was moving at a snails pace.

[acourtjester]

From their videos it looks like a way to get your feet wet with a simple table that will cut. I am not a fan of bolted together table, the tables I have built are all fully welded.

2 tables 4x4 and new 4x8.JPG

[Magna Machine Works]

I would agree, it looks like pretty much the exact design of the original Langmuir. If I were to build it I would be sure to do a full 2 sided gantry, gotta be pretty wiggly out on the far end unless it was moving at a snails pace.

I agree, I could see it whipping if there were a lot of smaller cuts

[Magna Machine Works]

From their videos it looks like a way to get your feet wet with a simple table that will cut. I am not a fan of bolted together table, the tables I have built are all fully welded.
2 tables 4x4 and new 4x8.JPG

Beautiful machines! I am getting my feet wet at this point, tired of cutting everything out with a grinder and die grinder haha. I want to learn CAD and a bit about electronics, expand my knowledge and upgrade eventually. I think this could be a good way to learn and make improvements once I was proficient. I used to run CNC lathe, but that was simply bringing up the programs, or monitoring. Setting home, cut depth and hitting start and smash the e-stop if something went crazy. My background is more in the fabrication side, so it will not be a problem in the future to build something like you have. Thank you for showing those! awesome work!

[acourtjester]

Getting started is a big plus, allows you to grow and learn. Lots of help here when you need it, just ask. DIY the way to go, have fun
Tom

[adbuch]

Tom - those are some great looking tables! With 10 now under your belt, you would be the man to talk to about diy tables. I agree, for the most part, that the all welded structures are superior to many of the smaller bolt together designs. Keep up the good work!

David

[Dingo74536]

I am near finished the building of a JD's Plasma Table which I am building to cut all of the component parts for an off road buggy that I am building as well.
For a home garage something this is ideal because it will cut all that is required, and if need be can be moved easily or easily partly dismantled to save space.
I was somewhat dubious about the 3D printed parts, but for moderate use they are probably fine, but regardless it is easy to just print again any part that wears or breaks
I started with the Arduino based Open Builds controller, but because I wanted to add a cheap Chinese THC unit on the add-on Z axis I went to a USB Mach3 based controller.

In all it is a good bang for buck build that will have a good resale value for the bargain hunters.

[acourtjester]

Dingo you and Magna are doing just what is needed, get started and grow as needed for your situation. If more is needed you have a base to grow from, if a larger table is needed you can build up as you go. You are getting the foundation with the software and electronics, table size is what fits your need and shop usage. DIY group here range from hobby types to full production business owners. Member like David, TJS, RodW, SagoMan, and others use theirs for business are DIY type too.

[plasmabay]

Good morning! I have really been keeping my eye on the stuff that the father and son team over at JD's garage are doing. https://jdsgarage.bigcartel.com/product ... tter-plans
https://www.youtube.com/@jdsgarage701/videos
I purchased on of their plans kits as well as their 3D printed parts. Has anyone built, or have experience with this particular table? I could be mistaken, but it seems very similar to the original Langmuire, but substantially cheaper (I suppose you are trading time for money) The YT videos are very informative and I could see how the end user could customize it with 2 stepper motors rather than one and a full gantry.

Just completed a JD Garage build, feel free to reach out if you get stuck on anything. It's a pretty straightfoward build. Def agree with others, the single arm isn't the most solid design. Next build for me will be 4x4 with beefy dual x axis gantry. But it gets you going for not a ton of money.

For me, THC was one thing I eventually realized is a must have. Thinner sheet carbon is almost always warped. JD Garage build z axis does give you 'touch off' height control, not really true THC.
Been a big learning curve for me but I'm figuring things out and have learned a lot.

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[plasmabay]

I am near finished the building of a JD's Plasma Table which I am building to cut all of the component parts for an off road buggy that I am building as well.
For a home garage something this is ideal because it will cut all that is required, and if need be can be moved easily or easily partly dismantled to save space.
I was somewhat dubious about the 3D printed parts, but for moderate use they are probably fine, but regardless it is easy to just print again any part that wears or breaks
I started with the Arduino based Open Builds controller, but because I wanted to add a cheap Chinese THC unit on the add-on Z axis I went to a USB Mach3 based controller.

In all it is a good bang for buck build that will have a good resale value for the bargain hunters.

Which usb controller did you go with? How was it setting up mach and moving off openbuilds? Thanks

[Dingo74536]

I finished my build, well almost, to the point that it was working as it was originally designed, but because I can't just leave things alone I started to play around with other ideas.
The main thing that I did not like was the way that it wanted you to use Fusion 360 to make your files and that used it's own post processor plugin.

I am both stubborn and stupid and I just can't my old brain around 3D cad and I am stuck in the easy 2D world, so that for me was a limiting factor of the build .
The other thing that need attention was the X axis and it's lack of rigidity over the span of its travel, and my cheap and easy fix was to add a support roller in the form of a fixed castor wheel which I had lying around.
Yes, cheap and nasty but it stiffened up the gantry and now the torch is level over the whole range of travel, and so far it seems to have no ill affects.

Now for controller card I just went from an Arduino Uno to a Mach3 suitable usb RnrMotion card from Ebay which works as it should but I have not tested it to cut anything with the plasma yet, but that card is supposed to very susceptible to EMI and crashing so I am going with an ethernet based controller now which I am still waiting for it arrive from overseas and that takes forever post covid.
Because I already had a license for Mach 3 and I had some previous experience the setup was relatively easy.
But if you are starting from scratch your options open up, and depending on what controller you chose and what control software that you use you can end up going down a few different paths, and that will depend on how much you want to spend in money and time.

Waiting for parts is always my biggest problem because I live outside of suburbia in Australia, so virtually everything that I need has to come from somewhere else, and now we that we have all of these supply problems in the world you have to double wait times for stuff coming from anywhere and our postal service here in Oz is absolute crap and I have received stuff quicker from China, than stuff ordered from another state of Oz.

My next problem has been me wanting to add a THC unit to the build, and that has been full of drama because the unit I got is faulty, so now I am in the process of getting that replaced or refunded which will add more time to my already long build.

Still for anyone wanting a cheap and simple plasma the JD design is probably ideal for home setup, but if you spend a little extra you can get much more in return.
For me though it is all about the journey and because I do stuff like this mainly to kill time and keep myself active and motivated in retirement.

[acourtjester]

Well Dingo you are like many of us DIY types, not stupid just a thinker. I have use different electronics on the table I have built, for the experience and it does interduce challenges. I think the USB RnrMotion card is one I have used, if it is red with an Eagle on it, it only has 4 input pins. This can cause a problem as the way I configured my tables I needed 5 inputs, ( home/limit =#1, Ohmic or floating head =#2, THC up =#3, THC down =4, and THC arc ok =#5). It also need a plugin file for Mach 3, but that should come with the board on a small CD. It did work very well for a router table.
Your fix for the extended X axis is a good, and will help to make the table more usable to produce cut parts.
I too have a 3D mind block, (I turned 80 today) but if you let it grow on you it starts to make sense and the big picture becomes clearer. As long as you can produce 2D drawing you can cut parts and enjoy the new tool in the shop.

[Dingo74536]

Well happy 80th sir.

I'm am just a pup myself being only 66.

Yes the Rnrmotion card or clone is the same one that you describe.

I just don't have the patience for 3D cad software and struggle whenever I try to create something to 3D print.
I don't have a cnc router anymore so I have no need for 3D apart from 3D printing, but 2D cad I can do with the right program which is simple enough for me to use.
The problem with most cad software is that I think the developers must have a competition to see who can have the most functions, buttons and sub menus, whereas I am a great believer in the K.I.S.S principle in life.
But I did find a very usable 2D cad program from a link that I saw on here for ProtoMax which I found very user friendly and basic for my needs.

And BTW, I am stupid, and a thinker/tight arse and all of my decisions are usually budget based being on a pension.

[Dingo74536]

My cheap and nasty mod to the X axis to support the free floating end which had too much flex with the weight of the torch etc.

JD (2).jpg

JD (3).jpg

[acourtjester]

I does not make any difference cheap or expensive if it works and your happy go for it. That is my song.
Here is a 3-D program that is free and easy ( I figured it out and use it with great success). I cannot tell you how many 3-D printed projects I have drawn and converted to 3-D with it. Here are a few, STL files free for the asking.
https://plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?f=122&t=33090
https://plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?f=122&t=31755
https://plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?f=122&t=32753
https://plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?f=122&t=32623
https://autodesk-123d-design.en.lo4d.com/windows

123d-design-manual.pdf

have fun
Tom

[Dingo74536]

Thanks I will give this one a go and see if I throw things at the computer or not.
I watch Youtube videos of how easy others make this stuff look, but they don't have my addled brain to contend with.

[Magna Machine Works]

Plasmabay, did you use the JD’s THC kit? Also, how did you integrate a thc into your table? I asked the guys at JD’s garage hot they did it and they said they are not ready to release that info yet, but I do have their THC parts kit

[Magna Machine Works]

My cheap and nasty mod to the X axis to support the free floating end which had too much flex with the weight of the torch etc.

JD (2).jpgJD (3).jpg

This is great, I think I will borrow this design. Seems to me it would take pressure off the 3D printed parts as well, so long as the bearings spin free so the X axis motor doesnt have to work so hard

[Dingo74536]

Be my guest.
It was just a cheap solution to the problem that I was having with my X axis sagging at it's extent, so a quick look in my junk bin found this old caster wheel and i had a bright idea on how it should work.
Just shim it according to how much you need and adjust your X axis bearings to suit and it runs nice and smooth.

[Dingo74536]

If I keep the plasma table I will do a total upgrade of the Z axis and replace the 3D printed parts as they are just not rigid enough and any threaded parts are virtually one use only and you can't put much pressure on the parts or the threads just give up.
So real ally parts will eliminate the rigidity problems that it faces with use when the torch touches off the work piece constantly and I see it becoming a problem if you use the table frequently but it should be OK for light use.

[plasmabay]

Plasmabay, did you use the JD’s THC kit? Also, how did you integrate a thc into your table? I asked the guys at JD’s garage hot they did it and they said they are not ready to release that info yet, but I do have their THC parts kit

Well, I have their 3d printed z axis kit, rest of parts sposed to be here from amazon tomm. So that will give me 'touch off' height control, not true 'THC' that most think of when we say THC. The z axis touch off control that they have set up just checks height one time when you cycle torch on / off between cutting different parts of your file. not continuous true THC.

I figure if I have their z axis kit might as well get it installed and working, because true thc will need that anyway.

I am looking at a proma SD THC , hoping that will work correctly for the real THC that I need, I have heard some have had mixed experiences with. I'm using the lotos 5500 cnc plasma cutter.

[acourtjester]

I would do research on the Proma SD verse the Proma 150 there seems to be a problem with the SD working smoothly.
There are other THC unit is the same price range to the Proma. If the Lotos 5500 is a HV or HF arc start it may be harder to get a functional THC. Some plasma makers have switch to the Blow Back type arc start which are better.

[plasmabay]

I would do research on the Proma SD verse the Proma 150 there seems to be a problem with the SD working smoothly.
There are other THC unit is the same price range to the Proma. If the Lotos 5500 is a HV or HF arc start it may be harder to get a functional THC. Some plasma makers have switch to the Blow Back type arc start which are better.

Yeah, have read a few things about that. My lotos 5500 is cnc ready, has blow back start, voltage out etc for THC hookup. The issue I have may be more that my controller - arduino running grbl - may not have the THC support. So I may possibly look at another controller that has better THC support.

Reason I was looking at the proma SD is that it wires up inline with the motor control (after the controller , before the stepper driver), and doesn't require a controller with THC support.

[Magna Machine Works]

I am curious if a second arduino is needed only to control THC to make it continous with touch off. This is where I am weakest is the electronics. Could you use a rheostat to set your upper and lower voltage (also have a lcd screen added to the arduino) i really do not know how the programming would work for it though.