My DIY-carve

Yes it is, this model was the main reason to get a ShapeOko2. 762 grams in this stage for 1m50 span and detachable is something that is not possible with hand tools, the machine allows me to build with less wood. Then the machine became the hobby, I did some strength calculations and optimised my machine for balsa and plywood.

The best upgrade was to make stronger V wheels for a SO3 type Z axis with an 8mm ballscrew (balsa is max 12mm thick) and full length support for the Y axis (6x100mm alu) and of course sandwiched the X axis makerslide with an 4x40mm strip. A very silent 400W Quiet Cut (runout 0,01mm) controlled by the Arduino. Final upgrade was to replace the 6mm belt of the X axis to 9mm, this really helps to reduce backlash on X, I kept the 6mm on Y.

In order to see how good the machine is now I designed a square where each leg has a part with backlash and a part without backlash. Next to the square a circle. If you have your ballscrew up and running I would love to see the results to compare.

BacklashTest.dxf (11.2 KB)


When executed in 3mm Brich Ply it shows my machine is capable of making parts at an accuracy of 0,2mm and is pretty round. It exceeds any tolerance I can make with hand tools.

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