At long last, the CNC machine has cut something other than me!
Before I could cut anything, I had to modify the cast aluminum cradle that holds the Dremel. I ground slots in the backside to accomodate a couple of hose clamps. I also drilled a 5/8" hole through the cradle to allow a little bit of airflow through the backside of the Dremel. I'd have gone with a larger hole, but that 5/8" bit was lying next to the drill press!
After mounting the Dremel and cradle to the Z axis, I had to do some wiring. Remember, I'm a mechanical engineer, so wiring is very low on my list of favorite things...But, A little electrical tape, some solder, and about 5 feet of phone line later, I had the Z axis stepper wired in. I had planned to make and install the thrust bearings on the lead screws before running the machine, but I got impatient...
The first cut was in some pink foam. I set the machine to cut approx 1/8" deep with a 1/8" end mill. The cut came out perfect and took just 4:40 to complete.
The second cut was the same pattern in MDF at approx. the same depth and speed. Except for some fuzz at the surface of the MDF, the cut came out pretty good. Not too shabby...
