You will end up liking the stainless, even with the extra cost.
I have just learned… I should not take 1" stainless at face value… My order is to be delivered tomorrow, $75 worth of pipe but I am now told it’s not a true 1"/25.4mm but rather it has a +/- of .005 tolerance. So I am not not sure if I made yet another mistake in following directions for this build or not… Will see tomorrow after UPS drops it off.
Thats a crazy tiny +/- you should be just fine
I just checked the tolerance for the emt I purchased in 10’ lengths which is the same as your stainless.
Outside Diameter: 1/2" - 2" +/- 0.005 in
Engineers have to have something to fill in the give or take box lol (cut a millimeter in tenths - you have your tolerance) 
Neil
Well my SpeedMetals.com order arrived today. I should just be thankful that the measurements are close… I think the tubing will work. Nothing was cut to precision and nothing was deburred.
So fingers crossed I can maybe get started on my MPCNC finally.
they seem to fit into the printed parts just fine.
Boo yaa. You’ll be getting dirty in no time!
Well this is as far as I got tonight. I hope to have it operational by the weekend but we will see.
Questions:
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How tight should the pipe be inside that main assembly?
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The two pipes for the Z axis need to be drilled for the tool mount. Given this is stainless and I don’t have any extra pipe if I screw up what is the best way to mark and drill the tool mount holes? I do have a very small table top drill press.
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What do you guys use for vacuum systems - I am not sure what they are called but where you hook up a shop vac to another container where all of the saw dust gets collected vs. inside the shop vac. I’d like to avoid spending a bunch of money for something but I do need something to keep the dust to a minimum.
Thanks-
Kris
1 It shouldn’t be too tight, but it shouldn’t rattle around.(like that helps…)
2 Use a dremel to score a small X on the spots. Gives a good flat spot for the drill to start.
3 I use a dust deputy between the vac and the cnc.
the vac setup is called a two stage or cyclone dust collection system. It can be done as rudimentary as a 5 gal bucket with an in and an out. The net is full of DIY dust collection ideas. Go basic until you figure out what you need and will actually benefit from.
I got the pineapple thing figured out…
Should the lead screw but the full length of the Z axis, meaning the threads end full at the bottom by the tool mount?
The calculator says it should be 7" but that is not flush with the end of the tool mount.
Ok. I got the lead screw solved… but now my X and Y are not totally square.
Instructions say to "If your assembly is not square loosen all the tension bolts " What are the tension bolts?
It that all of them or just certain ones?
Dry fitting things… do you guys see anything glaring wrong…
I am thinking that I may want to have the tool mount facing the other direction…
About half way down.
https://www.v1engineering.com/assembly/middle/
The long bolts.
I am prepping my waste board… I plan on having 1/4" t-bolts on the bottom so I need to drill out a pattern so the waste board can be held into place as well as the material that is being worked on.
Is there a standard type spacing or its just up to whatever a person wants?
Are there any good Thingiverse items for hold downs that I can print for holding my work item down?
OK. I need some help… I got everything wire up and I can move all axis in the correct direction via the LCD controller.
However, If I try to do the test drawing that’s from Some Old Guy Coding it wants to just run into the corner…
This is where I am struggling. I didn’t think these need limit switches, etc.
try reversing the plug of one axis motor, then the other. Just flip the plugs on the ramps. Mine did that too and I had the X axis backwards.
I think I must be going about this all wrong… the MPCNC is set correctly as far as all of the wiring is concerned. Using the LCD I can move all three axis in the correct direction.
I was even able to draw the Vicious logo on the waste board after I lowered the pen to the surface and then in the LCD set the offsets and then ran the print.
However, If I do any of the homing commands that is where the crashing begins… it does not know where to stop.
Hoping someone can tell me the basics… I am trying to read the forum and instructions but sometimes I just need someone to tell me as sometimes I just don’t get things after reading and then re-reading them, etc.
Also, on the LCD… not sure I should be concerned about this but the X Y and Z all blink…
Don’t use the home buttons unless you have end stops. As you found out, it just ends in tears. Home and 0 can be the same place, or not. To set 0 without endstops either start your cnc with the router where you want 0 to be, or issue a g92 x0 y0 z0 in the little command window. A few of us have this set as one of the script buttons under the directional buttons. I also have a g92 z0 as my second script button to just 0 the z. To go back to your 0 point issue a g0 x0 y0 in the command window. I don’t do z0 when going back to 0 because it will start moving down while it is moving, and usually there’s something in the way.
Hope that makes sense.
My XYZ on the lcd blink too. Not sure what that’s about, but I wouldn’t worry about it.
So today I have been finding some DXF files and then bringing those into Estlcam to set up an engrave with the pen. Then I take it into Repetier and look at it against the build area I set.
There is always this line of gcode… ;G00 X0.0000 Y0.0000 Z0.0000 F2100
I have been commenting it out and not sure if I should or not. I was thinking this was what was causing the crashes.
I have learned not to home anything via the LCD.
So far I have done the Vicious logo, the Crown by Old Guy Coding, a motorcycle, Harley Logo and now just did the build grid like Old Guy Coding did with his laser.
The location of your X,Y & Z when you turn your machine on is the new “homes”. That line of gcode will return it to the new home you set when it was turned on.