Six beginner/low budget end mills for aluminium: Test video with Feeds and Speeds: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g5Nhl7x7vM6Xoqs.html Affiliate links: Tool 1: ⅛ inch 2 flute: bit.ly/2N2DyEE Tool 2: 4 mm 3 flute: bit.ly/2N2DPXZ Tool 3: 5 mm 3 flute: bit.ly/2N2DPXZ Tool 4: 4 mm 2 flute: bit.ly/2N1KYb2 Tool 5: 4 mm 2 flute: bit.ly/2SxnT6g Tool 6: 6 mm 2 flute chamfer: bit.ly/2tmihfX

If you have problems with the threaded inserts coming out, try putting them on the bottom side of your plywood. Basically flipping the setup you have now. They'll be more resistant to pulling out of their holes.

Hi. I am a tool engineer for Cnc.. just 25 years ago... I have a sales company as well. but I do not want to sell You any.., just I take some suggestion. In case of Aluminium You must use tools without coating. For better surface You must devide the job, for roughing and finishing. Some tips: - must use some emulsion for better cut results. - Some of Iso K (cast iron) material tools what is bright also works in Aluminium. (better tool life, because that tools has more wear resistant) - The cutting speed is very important to avoid chattering. In case of HSS VC must 300 m/min or over. - The feedrate is also better if You try to use a larger what Your machine can. In this case the tool is bending a bit the machine, but the force is cause more stability. - for rougher try cordell geometry - if You can use air to remove the chips, because the cips remachining cause shorter tool life. Regards Laszlo

Great video, thank you! Really glad to see you doing upgrades to the 6040 and seeing results.

i upgraded my table also... i keep a vice mounted to the table , makes life easier for smaller parts.. nice work

A wonderful video, thank you so much for your time in making such a fine base. It is something I would like to do, in fact I stopped this video half way through, to telephone my great friend who has a steel stock yard, to put in an order for, the same size base. It will not be anywhere as good as your base, but will be good for this old man, to try. many thanks to you, Colin.UK.

I know it would be a fair bit more work involved but if you drill and tap the clamping holes into the steel plate itself, when it comes time to replace the spoil board all you need to do is drill clearance holes through the new spoil board. To make this even easier you could make small counterbores on the steel plate at each clamping hole to allow you to create a program that cuts the clearance holes in the new spoil board.

Nice job and well done. You could consider to upgrade your spoiler board with some holes to use with dowel pins. In that way you can re-position your work piece in a bit more accurate. Anyway thank you for sharing your video and love to see more

Awesome! Really like what your doing. You are really good with a hand drill. Wow.

Nice! I m looking to get the same machine and I ll definitely be following your improvement guide.

I'm redoing my bed this way . Hope to finish it by the weekend. Thanks

Really useful as a way forward for my 6040....

Really nice video and a really nice (and needed) upgrade!

Thank you for your effort and sharing. Very smart upgrade and approach.

Very informative and excellent narration! I subscribed and look forward to future videos.

Awesome video! Can't believe the difference. Nice work

Great improvement!!

Brilliant video, absolutely enjoyed

Hello there. Tks for taking the time to make theses videos; they have been super helpful to me and to put my 6040 running :] You could make a video on how to connect (wiring) the limit switches. There are some videos showing ideas on how to implement them (physically) but none with the methodical approach you take and showing how to connect and configure them. Cheers o/

I have the same cnc. I changed also to an aluminum plate and cleaned it with a 2mm bit. I use the cnc to mill aluminum parts. I use 2 transparent adhesive tape with hard glue to fix parts. That way i can word the whole part.

Good job. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for this video.... I'm debating getting a 2.2kw spindle but, because I don't like my MDF table bed, I was going to hold off until I got a more solid bed. I am much more used to $100,000 CNC machines that have massive cast iron structure and I get frustrated with these light weight machines that flex and move. I now think I will spend the time to build a bed such as yours.

Next time use .750 Aluminum "Tooling Plate" instead, it is already flat. Shim it to the machine on the bottom side for leveling with an indicator. Mill a grid pattern of clamp holes, more the better, and tap by hand using a block with a hole the same size as the tap for a guide to keep tap perpedicular to the table. You can use the tapped holes to pin parts square to the axis. Now use backup plate under every job to protect your table. Also, use screws in the table as clamp supports, not screws in the clamps. Keep the tool short as possible extending from the collet for better rigidity and longer tool life. Protect the ball screw under the table from coolant. Machinist 40 yrs.

I received my 6040 and building my own controller box but I don't know what the current rating of the stepper motors. Your videos are very good and a lot of help. thank you

Good job !!

Great job

Thats a very nice machine..good value....only about 1000$ with 4 axis on ebay...

Notevole upgrade. 👏

I use a 0.75 in. 6061 aluminum plate seems to work great.

Nice!

I love watching videos from other people who are perfectionist. The details and care you put into this project were impressive. It just goes to show that sometimes the cheap stuff that comes from China can be turned into some decent equipment. Personally I don't understand why they cheap out on a majority of the stuff they export. They clearly have the ability to produce quality products, Americans are willing to to pay to get quality, which is why made in america is so important to many people . But yet so many of these manufacturers in China feel the only way they can make a dollar (or Yen is it? IDK) is by producing stuff that barely works, and never like its advertised so they can charge next to nothing. When how much work would it be to adjust their molds slightly so that every it they produce will fit and work from then on out. That minor amount of labor spread out over millions of parts is insignificant yet is the difference between the product matching the picture on the box and performing as it should. I don't care who you are after you bought some China knock off and got it home and tried to use it, only to find out it doesn't perform as it should you would have been willing to pay 10-20% more at the time of purchase if you were informed what you were about to get into, and that price increase was the difference between the product functioning as intended compared to the cheap knock off designed to only look the part, not really live up to your expectation, but hey at least it was cheap. This guy bought this machine for around $1400 I believe, depending on the seller on eBay. They spent another $200 plus I would estimate a day planning and designing his upgrade, and another majority of a day implementing it. Where lets sa as a designer / manufacturer his times worth at least $50 per hour. Making that upgrade run another $600-$1000 time and materials, just to get that machine to function as it should. Where the manufacturer could have implemented something similar, for a fraction of the cost and included it into the machine and developed a reputation of a decent machine, instead of one "well at least it's cheap". I am pretty sure the original bed could have been used just by creating joints under the aluminum plate allowing it to be fasted more often with pan head screws that sat flush and didn't interfere with the work mounts. Rather than the way they left the aluminum plate free spanning so it flexed like it did. With steel supports the manufacturer could have added for pennies, I bet the machine would have functioned well enough this guy would have continued using the machine as it came rather than making this kind of investment to reengineer the whole mounting plate. Also, I would bet when it comes to the machine not being true, where you got those machined edges when using larger diameter mills. You are clearly skilled enough to make a new piece that mounts the head to the frame that would allow you to adjust it from time to time, at true the cutting mill to the mounting surface, if not at least just shim the new metal plate once and be done with it. If it is too hard to move the cutting head, then move the mounting plate to match the trim f the cutting head, at least that way the would both be out of line, but true where the mill meets the cutting surface. So that way the machine performs at near perfection like you clearly would like it too. Great video, I look forward to checking out some other projects you have going.

Very nice video... Glad I subbed!

Awesome work!!! Really inspiring!

Brilliant

Nice work... I did similar to mine several years ago.. but used 19mm MDF as the base piece, then 12mm MDF as the top piece. Also after initial skimming, used west sytems expoxy to soak into the MDF and then did a final skim for surface flatness. This made it much more oil/water proof.. I too used the 6mm inserts... Thinking of rebuilding my machine to give a larger work area, using the new C section extrusion..

Good idea

Really cool! Do you think the wood will swell without sealant enough to cause issues? Really good idea, none the less. If you damage the wood or you decide to switch, it will still be cheap.

I LIKE THE ACCENT OF THIS GUY.

Impressive! Maybe you’ve done this already in one of your other videos but would be nice to see a tram adjustment upgrade for the 6040.

Nice video, some real nuggets there, have you tried ‘’ Rhino Board” ? The ply you are using is very reactive to moisture, a good quality water resistant board would move much less than Marine Ply or Face Ply. We soak ours every day in the Workshop and it’s doesn’t react with anything. We use harsh solvent based sealers and highly acid water waste every day and would recommend.Thanks for the upload .

i'm more interested on the table. that some badass table of yours ^^,

I own a similar machine with the same problems. Definitely going to do the bed upgrade. How have you dealt with the rigidity of the gantry? Mine can flex a lot. If the plunge rate is even a little quick, it is not good.

Good video...there is no way to,add supports under the bed?

If you run a couple of pieces of angle iron along the bottom of that plate inboard a bit from the edges, and just bolt it up from the bottom, it will get rid of any of the rest of the slop in the machine.

Really nice, i took inspiration from you and did the same upgrade than you concernant the metal plate. It is so heavy ! Just a question what kind of drill do you use please, because my plate is so hard to drill that i just use two screw for the moment . Thanks again for all the support you bring to me

Awesome man! Are u happy with the machine overall?

On your clamps the bolt farther from the work piece should have the hex on the plate or up side down and washers on your wing nuts would not go a miss.

will you be doing a video's on how to do tool paths in fusion 360 as i can tget my head around his software and a beginner meaning like how you do little cuts as not to put to much preasure on the tool. hope to see more of your great video's.

Nice video. Did the Y axis stepper motors handle the extra weight okay?

As you installed the steel plate, you tested for flatness and mentioned the tolerance you were looking for, but did not discuss the alternative. What would you do if the steel plate was warped beyond your tolerances?

Did you consider using cast tool and jig plate? Nice work though.

Top. 👏👏👏

Nice job ,but try to flip the clamp bolt upside down for not to damge the spoil board woow by having a wide bace aria pushing on wood. Hoping you the best

Olá amigo, ficou ótimo, meus parabéns.

if you had access to an oxyacetylene torch, you could try and straignten the steel plate a little more...

1. A good alternative to steel plate is a piece of granite or quartz. Check out a dumpster at your local counter top shops, they usually have off-cuts that they throw away. Some will cut an off-cut to size for a small fee. You can use $15 diamond-tipped drill bit for drilling into ceramic tiles to make holes in the granite plate to mount it to your router (just keep it wet). 2. I very much doubt you can deflect such thick plate that much by pushing on it with your hand. I am pretty certain the aluminium frame of your router is flexing. You would need to beef up the frame to eliminate that. If you try the same "deflection test" with the plate on solid surface with indicator mounted to the same surface you will not be able to repeat the same result.

That's a great idea. My 6040 hasn't arrived yet. I might fill the extrusion with steel rod and grout or something unit I can buy steel

Do you have the file for the ply wood plate you installed?

I think ply will expand in contact with water so maybe PLEXIGLAS will be better?

switch the screwhead to the wood side to have a better wood lifetime. lower damage on the wood plade

Hello, can you tell me if this router can make precise cuts in wood? have you ever made inlay ??

Hello. I see a video that this model of cnc got a bending nx X axis because the x axis rail are without back support. Thank you

Invest in some down cut bits they are awesome for plywood.

Hello there,how did you get over the parallel port issue?

was it still bending after screwing the bed down?

Its an awesome upgrade, thanks for sharing. So you have had it and used it for a month or two now. If you had to do it again, would there be anything you would do differently? Thicker or thinner metal or plywood? While Im at the metal shop, I may as well buy a 10 or 15mm backing plate for the gantry. As I think linear rails (SBR20) for the X and Z axis would significantly drop the vibration as well.

Woo! that's awesome I have the same router, I would like to do everything the same except use an hdpe board on top, which would be more climate stable I was trying to figure out how I was going to surface the steel haha, hadn't occurred to me to stack a more millable material on top

i can say the wood under the machine act like a resonator this happened with my nas server that was making a lot og noise so i put it on the floor problem solved, so if you use a metal bench it should be fine with the aluminium bed

I have similar machine nad issues. However, because I am using a small precision vice (38 x 105 x 45h mm) on the bed that I hummer with a mallet I am wondering if the vice will press down the wood and cause position displacement of the vice on the z-axis, do you think it is possible to face mill the iron even with a slow program?

are ther 2 seperate files one for the plate steel and one for the spoil board??

After 4 year's of use do you have any rust on the steel bed. I got ½" iron plate that i got from a an ironwork friend and i am planning on doing the same thing. The only what worries me is the water mist cooling system i have. I probably would have to paint the iron first

Nice Job and a lot of work. But you lose a lot of stiffness mounting a wooden plate on top. You're next cnc has to be a concrete one. Hihi.

I have exactly the same machine. And exactly the same problem. I replaced the table, though not for such a metal plate, but still. The problem did not go away, it turned out that the spindle was slightly skewed ... that is, even when working with a spoiling cutter, stripes of the cut edges are visible. I am afraid that the spindle holder will have to be aligned. True, I do not yet know how to do this, and can I ask you for a link to the meter that you used in the video?

Hi! What's your opinion about this machine? I'm planning to buy a Shapeoko 3 XXL, but I myself find it a little too expensive as I have to ship internationally - I'm just looking into options.

Hello have you got a link for buy your cnc ? Is possible ton use the cnc with notebook ? Thanks

how log wood will stay in form??

Tip for anyone doing this. Make sure you use aluminium or bright steel. The 15mm fab steel is a pain to drill and tap.

how do you do when you want to level your machine. and does it exist auto-leveling for CNC..

Use a washer under the wing nut. Use a push on plastic button on the clamp screw so not to ruin the aluminium plate when tightening.

Hey MB! What is the holding power of your stepper motors? I have a 3040 that I'm looking to upgrade. I was going to go with the 100mm long 3.0NM NEMA23 steppers, but I can see that yours look closer to 70mm long?

still a problem, I mill 1 micron alu plates it is a headache always setting again and again, it takes me 3 months to finish 500 plates as they to be exact.

Did you ever fix the X axis flex?

Hi. I am looking at the 3040 4 axis with a 400W spindle. Can I do aluminum with that. Maybe 1/4 inch. What do you think.

Was the steel plate even needed? What if you have just used 3/4 inch plywood?

Wow nice upgrade. Ive never seen 6040 CNC machining aluminum so well. Whats the wattage of your spindle?

Can you email me the setup instructions or video you used to setup the parameters in mach 3? I have the same machine...trying to get it working...thanks

bravo, complimenti, un ottimo lavoro 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

Can I ask where you purchased this machine? I am interested in buying one

Hallo, ik heb dezelfde Frees. Bij mij staan de X en de Y as niet precies in een 90 graden hoek. Op een lengte van 35 cm ben ik 0,9 mm uit de 90 graden hoek.Kan men dat beter instellen. Verder een heel leerrijk filmpje!

Hi. The brand I was looking at was Vevor 3040t . Do you think it would be any better of a unit over buying one from China. Try to make the best decision. I am totally new at this.

Hi mate, any chance you will make a video on how you will tram your spindle? It would be very much appreciated! I’m having to use a lot of shims with the spindle on my 6040 and I’m sure there must be a better way of doing it

Can someone tell me if 400w & 500w can do Aluminum and how thick?? Looking at 3040 CNC. Newbie

When adding both materials to the bed do you loose Z axis height? Is there a workaround for that?

What is the name of this measuring device?

wich watage have your machine? 400w 600w 1500w?

45kg of steel plate😂😂😂damm heavy. Overall Worthy upgrade.

Excellent video! Why wood? ...Why not a composite or a thick Formica product?

like...!...good job

Do you still havethis cnc?

🤨Come on now, the machine extrusion t-slot bed had zero support in the middle now wonder the excessive flexing.