I am looking to build the lowriderv4 in the near future. Seeing some videos and looking at the forum makes me feel a little tentative and concerned that I may not be able to dial-in the machine and get it to work as intended.
My purpose for the machine will be mainly to fully cut through 1/2 inch plywood. Some cuts would be 1/4 inch plywood and some would be 3/4 inch plywood. I would like to cut full sheets with intricate dimensions for backdrop arches for parties and more.
I saw the hardware kit but the I also saw there are additional items that need to be purchased. I have a friend with a 3D printer and a lowes near by and enough experience to put things together but I am concerned without full instructions from start to finish that I will get hung up. I have seen that people have modified things once they learn what doesn’t work and I would love to just do what works from the jump.
If there is a thread that has this already, please let me know where to find it! Thank you!
I have just completed my LR4 build and I have a lot of the same requirements you do. I did do some modifications as well, some as I went and some after I built and wanted to change. You will hear it mention on the forums to promote the “yellow brick road” as it’s easier to get a unit up and running properly before getting crazy with modifications. Either way, this forum has been very valuable as a resource and an open community ready to answer questions and make recommendations when necessary.
The instruction manual in the docs is pretty comprehensive. At first I thought it was intimidating, but once everything is printed and have the parts just work it one step at a time and it goes surprisingly easy.
As for getting it dialed in, I still can’t believe how ready this thing it out of the box. Did a belt conversion measurement and have only dialed it via the end stops and I can already get a 100cm x 100cm square very square and within sub-millimeter accuracy. When I do the cross table measurements I am sure I can get it within 0.1mm.
My personal suggestion, start printing the standard LR4 and while you are collecting the parts look around to see what kind of mods you would want to do. I very early knew I wanted the unistrut belt hide mod and integrated that as I built, but everything else I added after I knew it worked.
And ask questions here, start a building blog if you like. Good luck!
Welcome to V1 @Grainsandgraceco. You don’t need to make ANY modifications to get a precision cutting CNC from the standard build as outlined in the docs here:
You will be amazed at how well thought out all the parts are and how well they go together. Ryan is an amazing designer.
I would highly suggest that you buy the hardware kit and Jackpot V3 from Ryan.
You will save money compared to sourcing them yourself. I would also recommend getting the SD card and some 1/8” single flute endmills. You will need a router too. I have the Kobalt and the Carbide 3D routers.
If your friend is willing to print the parts for you, purchase some quality PLA for them to use to print all the parts.
Read through the build Docs before you start. Once you get your parts don’t hesitate asking any questions that come up as you are building your LR4.
As someone who just built this machine with no prior experience, the docs (build guide for the LR4) along with buying the hardware kit, will guide you step by step. Read carefully, take a look at the pictures, and you will not have a hard time.
If you get stuck, trying searching your issue on the forums, someone else has probably encountered the same problem or issue.
Another thing I was intentional about was taking my time, reading, re-reading, etc. I only had to do disassembly once as a result. I have a tendency to rush to get to the results, I did not do that on this project and have been rewarded thus far.
You will get stuck. We all did. Reread or post and ask. No shame in asking. Please do. That is the purpose of this forum… for us with troubles to ask the masses and then when someone else asks your question you can link to your question or just answer.
There are lots of smart skilled people here. They are nice and i think we all cheer when we each succeed with our builds. Jump in! The instruction pre-read advice is good.
As many others have pointed out: building it yourself will make you know your machine alot faster. The lr4 is really capable! Just build it stock/following the Docs directions, any mod leave it for when you get more experience. Ask anything, we all can help you and make your journey easier.
The machine is your first step. The software side is easy once you have your machine running. Do a lot of testing to dial things in (some people skip this)
the hardware kit has photos of what is included and is most of what you need except:
the control board (can be selected as an option to be purchased with the hardware kit)
struts that you cut for the gantry (these are custom to the size of your gantry)
the EMT tubing conduit piping that are used for rails on the xmax side and as the gantry bars (custom lengths depend on X and Y dimensions you choose)
the printed plastic parts (can be purchased as the printed parts kit)
the trim router (Makita, sienci, carbon, bauer, hercules, or other similar size… make sure to print or specify the correct mounting attachment size for the router you choose)
mills to go in the router to cut with (1/8” or 1/4” 1 or 2 flute upcut or a 30, 60, or 90 deg v-bit)
a table or piece of plywood or mdf to mount the thing on to run
cam software (estlcam or millmage)
It is a great option to buy the parts kit. It is reasonably priced and makes it so you don’t spend forever finding the parts. Having sourced all the ones I bought, I wish I had just gotten a kit. There isn’t a wrong way and there is help here when you ask.
Great breakdown, I would like to add a little detail to a couple of points -
EMT, also called conduit. Use 2 pieces on the gantry span and one on the side as a guide rail. If you are in the US 1” conduit in the Home Depot electrical department will do. If you are elsewhere (using metric) then there are printing options for you too.
For the router, specifically a trim router. You don’t need a big 3hp router or anything. People around here are big fans of the Makita. You will also need something called a collet that holds the bits, you may or may not have to get that separate an 1/8” and a 1/4”.
I agree with just getting the parts kit and the Jackpot 3 controller. One click and done, cheaper than buying things 3 times because I purchased the wrong thing (or is that just me?).
I think all of us who self-sourced bought way more than we needed and probably didn’t save any money or time, but it was many small hits rather than one big one to the budget.
You will get a 1/4” collet with most all new trim routers in the US. You can buy a specific 1/8, or you can buy the 1/4→1/8 adapter and they work just fine for 1/8” mills if you tighten them correctly. Of the 5 different routers I have used with the different cnc’s I’ve built over the years only one had a dedicated 1/8 collet and it is nice to have as is a work light near the collet, but it is not a requirement. If you have the $30, then buy one for the makita that Ryan has in the shop. If not, the adapters are a couple bucks on amazon. The sienci router is the lexus. the makita is the honda. Pick the best one for your budget. Most any trim router with an appropriately sized (65-68 mm?) shaft diameter and a speed dial will work. Some spend more and get nicer spindles, but there are some stories of excessive slop in some of the cheaper ones. You can search that up. I’ve used the bauer (red Harbor freight makita knock-off) and I currently have a couple makitas and a kobalt.
I think most of us, but maybe just me… I went through an overthinking stage of anxiety stressing about if I could build this thing, if I should build this thing, is everything included, if it actually works how do we use it, what else is missing, and how well will it actually perform before pulling the trigger and buying parts??? For me reading the instructions before having parts didn’t really help. Once the parts arrived, it was more about studying the pictures. It will work. You can do it and we can help you.
You already started this thread, a great start. Post some real build photos once you get going and tell us the story of your build colors and what software you plan to use.
I picked the Lexus myself, being able to turn on and off and set speed is very nice - and comes with all the parts so there isn’t an add-on buy to this one:
For every person having trouble in the forums, there are many more cranking away just fine.
Your use case is the bread and butter for a low rider. Please share your build and your creations here!
BTW, there are official docs: docs.v1e.com with instructions. They aim to be just what you need and nothing you don’t. If they fall short, there are a lot of people here hungry to help.
!
from the jump.