I have the new one and it is good. Better than the belt Z and quick and easy install.
1 Like
It’s probably a silly question, but why don’t you install the linear Z the other way round? i.e. the moving plate fixes to the Shapeoko back plate and the router/spindle fixes to the bottom of the ‘fixed’ side. The motor has to haul a bit more weight, but the advantage is you could cut deeper because the router would always be at the end of the z gantry. Imagine a 12" ball screw linear plate assembly and a Shapeoko with a hole in it’s wasteboard and support table. You could do 12" deep cuts… For shallow cuts the router would be better supported because the mount could be close to the base of the router where the cutting is happening.
Just an idle thought…
2 Likes
I have this new one on mine and wasn’t a fan of where the router sits. It is cantilevered off the end of the aluminum and so deflects more than it should under load. I swapped the aluminum plate with the steel one Carbide3D sells and although I had to drill 4 custom holes, it fits on and works great.
1 Like
Hi Everyone
I have been using the shapeoko 3 xl for a few months now and love it. However, like many in this thread, I found the z-axis to be a bit too soft. So I just mounted the new Cnc4newbies z-axis upgrad, which look very well made. My questions now is how to I get it to work. Do you guys change the code inside carbide create (or motion) or do you use another sender? I downloaded Universal G-code which looks really great. However, how do I add the code like @xcaper or @JoseD3? Any help here would be very appreciated.
And then, what is the workflow? Do you use carbide create to create the tool paths and then export to another sender? I am a bit confused here…
Thanks.
Ps: I will post pics of my build when I get to my garage.
All the settings I changed are in my original post above. I use UGS. I do not use Carbide Create, but yes, your workflow would be to create your toolpaths in CC, then run them using UGS to get them to the machine.
1 Like
Ok, thanks, I must have missed a part of your post. I also have fusion 360 and I’d love to use it to createy g-codes. Has any of you used to and exported it to UGC?
I do it all the time, many on the forum do (fusion360 -> shapeoko). There are a few different posts that work, some better than others. I like the Schroom (?) one a lot. If you aren’t using the original Z, you -must- use a different sender than carbide motion.
I also use Fusion 360 to UGS with my CNC4Newbie z-axis. It works great. Make sure to tweak all your grbl settings to set your right z steps/rev and z-axis distance.
Thank you all for your help. It’s done I am all setup, I familiarized myself with UGC and I love it over Carbide Motion. My setup looks amazing now! I can’t wait to start my upcoming projects. Since I have the Makita (I am looking to upgrade to a water cooled 2.2kw spindle soon) I did not need the spacer, so I have a bit less counter lever… Here are some pics:
1 Like
I think i’m going to have to jump bade on this bandwagon. The beaver has a weird name 
and is out of my reach money wise.
You could do like I am doing and making my own Beaver HDZ from the files that @Luke most graciously provides for an older version of it. @Griff made his own and still uses it last I heard.
3 Likes
I can’t go past the HDZ… Sturdy as, and something about the blue anodizing
2 Likes
Not being made of money, I bought a big-ass stepper motor for my z-axis. It was cheap from ebay. i was careful to get one that matched the original specs pretty closely, in everything except torque! It’s not as capable as a linear Z like the HDZ but as a money saving, but still functional measure it’s working out pretty well.
I bought this stepper:
and this replacement G20 pulley as the new stepper has a larger shaft:
I bought the belt and larger pulley in case I needed to go a step further and add some mechanical advantage to the increased torque of the new motor. - it turned out to be unnecessary. The original motor does 1.2 Nm holding torque. The new one does 2.29 Nm (including the loss from not being able to drive it at 3A). That’s a 191% increase. With the large pulley and belt (and a lot of messing around) I could have achieved 573% increase in torque over the original motor.
It drives my admittedly HEAVY 2.2kw water cooled spindle with no problem. The video shows it working. The big-ass Z-stepper also made a useful and easy place to hang my rear-mounted dust collector.
1 Like
I’m having trouble opening the files which i downloaded from the website a couple times.
I renamed the extentsion - giving it f3d. Though fusion is refusing to open it, throwing ‘corrupted’ errors.
Might have figured it out - need to import in to existing fusion 30 project?
Instead of double click to open? Will try in a couple ours when i get home.
Yep, import to existing project. Have fun with it. I’m finishing up my second.
1 Like
Finally got the files open in Fusion, Trying to double click open it was throwing errors, I had to create a new folder in Fusion and upload F3D file to Autodesk in order to get it working, for anyone playing along at home in the future.
Do you have a build thread or parts list i might be able to cheat off?
Tips/advice etc. for getting this together?
This is not a build thread but all the info is here: New Linear Z - Rev 2 - Now updated for easy tram adjustment
See first post for parts.
I used generic 6061 T6 plate for mine, didn’t know it should have been leveled and, ideally, stress relieved. Result was not flat, required shimming and hand finishing to make accurate. PITA. Use ATP 5 from Midwest steel supply. It’s cast, flat and stress relieved. And, actually cheaper then the stuff I sourced from McMaster-Carr. McMaster is a great source for nuts, bolts, washers and so on, I used SS hex head cap screws mostly.
https://www.midweststeelsupply.com/store/castaluminumplateatp5
The ball screw is non-standard, just include a drawing when you order it. I think AliExpress is probably best source for all parts now.
3 Likes