On your table is the conduit attached to uni-strut also?
Yes, on the far side (where the belt is not hidden).
hi dough, would it be possible to make the lr3 table to hide both of the belts inside the unistrut?
my use case requires the use of the table for folding sheets after being cut and machined and sometime the use of a cutter is advised, so leaving one belt in the upside is not an option
Yes, it seems doable. There are a couple of things to be aware of.
One is that any (occasionally needed?) removal of the LR3 gantry happens differently depending on whether both belts are hidden, one belt is hidden, or no belts are hidden. With no belts hidden, normal lift off. With one belt hidden, normal lift on the non-hidden side, and a “slide out of the unistrut first” lift on the hidden side. With two belts hidden, its a “slide the gantry all the way to the end of the unistruts and then you’re out” type approach.
The other thing is that the side with the rail has a different orientation and positioning between the YZ plate and Y motor in relation to the unistrut, when compared to the non-rail side. This essentially means a “remix of the remix” of the Y motor mount is needed, since the “throw distance” between the free-spinning belt pulleys and the motor-shaft-mounted pulley is greater on the rail side than on the non-rail side.
IMO, the procedure to lift off the belts is pretty easy, and can be performed in very little time.
Also, the rail does not come off of the table, so that edge of the table is not flat, therefor there is less benefit to removing the belt on that side.
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@SupraGuy
Yep. For me, with all my loading and unloading happening only on the non-rail long side, I never had need of removing the belt on the rail side. I had continual need of removing the belt on the non-rail side, and this mod is, over time, saving me effort and time on an accumulating basis.
In the use case im aiming, i dont need the edges of the table, i just need someone (or my self) when doing repetitive tasks after machining, not to cut the belts. The lr wont be removed from the table. Just at max Y while doing the manual part of the job (at the job site when its needed)
I could also not use one side of the bed …
NEW REMIX provides 10mm worth of adjustability to get your belt orientation perfect.
LowRider 3 CNC - table extenders to use metal struts with LR3 table - endstop/tensioner supports - v1.1
Printables
NOTE: In September, 2023, a fellow V1E maker ( @steved on the V1E forum ) needed a little bit of adjustability on the location of the right-side belt-tensioner+endstop mounts in his metal-strut-based LowRider, so I made this v1.1 remix of the original design, which provides 10mm worth of adjustability. If your LR3 X gantry is a bit too long (not more than 10mm too long), you can use this new v1.1 version. The only changed parts are the two right-side mounts (“LR3 Tensioner Extender Front RIGHT” and “LR3 Tensioner Extender Rear RIGHT”).
Just curious if anyone has done the remix for the other belt’s Y - motor mount? As my new table comes together, I’m considering turning it 90 degree so it juts out into the middle of the shop. However, I’ve already pushed to pieces of sheet goods off the table saw that “interacted” with the belt. (It would end up about 30" beyond the outfeed table, only making it a problem when breaking down full sheet goods.). The sheet good resting on the rail doesn’t seem to be a problem, but it actually got caught up in the belt and ripped the front anchor out of its base.
Not sure what I’ll do. I could turn it back to the original orientation. I could put it on casters and roll it out of the way when breaking down sheet goods. I could remove the belt when using the table saw. But I thought this might be a time when protecting the belt makes sense, even on the rail side, and I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel if someone already has a remix.
I have not done that remix yet, and off the top of my head I am not aware of anyone else having done it. If I could get one hand free (from everything I have on me right now) I will try to do that. I have a lot going on.
I know you’re super busy, and I was really just trying to “not re-invent the wheel.” I may work on it with my woeful Fusion skills and see what I can come up with. If it works, I’ll share it back to you to see if it’s anything useful.
I’m really worried about how far the idlers will be from the gear. It should work fine, but I’ll play around with it. I don’t want to create lash in the system.
I did take a long hard look at my LowRider earlier, to check into getting this done.
At first I thought the most direct route is to run a printed Y motor mount down between the YZ plate and the metal strut. However, after re-checking, that would not have room for the motor because of the plate, so it would need to mimic the existing design on the other side. It will simply need a different length of spacers (shorter). I’m going to dry to draw it up.
OK, I got the new parts designed and added to the Printables listing, for hiding the Y-min (rail side) belt!
Note: As of October 12, 2023 - the “Y1 Drive Mount NEW (print 1)” now prints without supports. Supports are still needed on the original (Y2) mount.
Download link: Printables
The new Y-min side has shorter spacer-couplers, but it is longer on the Y1 stepper mount’s distance between drive pulley and roller pulleys, by an additional 31 mm, if memory serves.
I plan to print and install this for testing. In the meantime I went ahead and made the files available for download in case you or someone else
The following is copied and pasted from the updated Printables listing:
LowRider 3 CNC mod: HIDE / PROTECT either of the Y AXIS BELTS inside metal strut / unistrut / superstrut) (v1.0)
NEW as of October 6, 2023: now either or both Y belts can be hidden.
Initially I only hid the Y-max belt (non-rail side) as that’s the one I really needed protected and out of the way. Due to various requests, I finally worked up hiding the Y-min belt (rail side) as well. Note: I’m going to use the new parts to hide my Y-min belt, but as of this date, these new parts are not yet printed/tested. I will update here once printed, and if any changes are needed, I will add them then. The process to hide the other belt (Y-min side) is exactly like on the Y-max side, with the only differences being the “spacer couplers” are shorter and the new “Y1 motor mount” is longer.
ALSO NOTE: If you have plenty of width in your X-axis, and can afford to mount the Y rail with the rail blocks turned around, so the Y rail’s inside edge lines up with the inside edge of your metal strut (which will cost you about 20.5-21.0 mm of lost width on your X axis, you would then be able to use the Y2 motor mount print (provided here) for both sides of the table, as both Y1 and Y2 mount. The new Y1 motor mount is about 21 mm longer than the new Y2 motor mount — longer by about exactly the swing offset difference of turning the Y rail blocks the opposite direction (if my measuring and math are correct).
Note: I renamed the parts a bit, so if the instructions below don’t exactly match, let me know if you catch it.
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Getting ready to upgrade! Finally, all parts are done (at least for one side)
Now that we have an updated part for the other side, I will put this to plan. It’s good that I milled another Y Extended 1/2" Aluminum plate at the same time
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Looking good! Let us know how it goes! Please take pics and post a “make” on Printables! You’d be surprised how many makers don’t leave a “star” rating or a review or a make!
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Your color scheme is the same as mine!
Yes, I took black/red for wood and black/blue for metal.
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Hey, that’s exactly the colors I used, for wood and for metal (blue and black on my plasma).
I just got a new video released showing full install, start to finish. I had hoped to have time to demonstrate it working, but the video was already over time, so that will have to be in another video.
Note: As of October 12, 2023 - the “Y1 Drive Mount NEW (print 1)” now prints without supports. Supports are still needed on the original (Y2) mount.
LowRider v3 DIY CNC mod: HIDE/PROTECT either of the Y axis belts INSIDE metal strut (unistrut/superstrut)!
Some pics of the new install:
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