HB2 Construction

Here is the start, A maximum packed Priority Mail carton full of of HB2 (or PPEX) raw materials. The HB2 is no longer vapor ware. There is real STUFF on the bench from which to make parts.

The long steel parts came in another HEAVY package at the same time as the first. The blue tape is identification of the components. There are hundreds of holes to be accurately drilled so I bought the drilling template package. Those are several of the templates in the foreground.

The squares on the MDF to the left are some more of the drilling templates. They need to be fully cut out and trimmed. I am sure they were made on a PDJ machine! Some of the aluminum has been surface finished by PDJ.

I have cut out all the pattern squares using a bandsaw and following the grooves you can see in the picture at left. That leaves a little flange around the pattern. The flange is then removed using an edge trimming bit in the router.

This is my work horse Delta bandsaw. I bought this saw about 20 years ago and I know it will run forever. At least as long as I care about forever... The router table has been around about 8 years. I needed it when I made the built in cabinets in the great room.

Here are all the drilling patterns cut out and trimmed. There are also some long pre-cut patterns that don't need this trimming work. Just a couple of hours work here since I had the necessary tools. I have this pile of drilling patterns ready to go!

Who would have thunk ah... thought that the GTI could serve as a lumber hauler. I had to have the store cut all the lumber in half so it would fit. I actually have two 40"x40" sheets of MDF on the bottom of this pile.

Yep, it really has been over 100 degrees in Dallas and higher than that in my shop. There is a river that runs off that oversize forehead. What I am making is a very heavy 40"x40" x32" bench for the permanent home of the HB2.

I like to use 2"x6" for the top edge. All the rest is 2"x4". I laminated two boards for the legs. The screws act as clamps. The Titebond III does all the holding. The woodworkers bench underneath was a free gift from a friend. Sometimes my luck is good.

Here is the bench right side up. The center brace is made by cutting a notch in each board and assembling like an old egg crate. This bench will support an elephant, but I wanted enough mass to adsorb vibration from the HB2.

Here is a quick peek at the bottom side. Actually I had to belt sand about 1/32" off one leg to make it rock solid. There is one layer of MDF on the bench now but I have a second sheet to apply after I get the HB2 assembled.

Here is the bench, rock solid and flat! I kind of feel like the Quaker Factory lady. Some of you know what I mean. :) I needed to get the bench built so I would have a big enough surface for the assembly of the HB2 frame. This is a milestone for me.

After two coats of Almond enamel, the bench was left in the oven... er... ah... shop to bake a few hours to desired doneness. I knew this Texas heat spell would be good for something. The fans just blow the heat around but make it a bit more bearable. My daughter gave me a dew (doo) rag for my head and that helps. Now where did I put my Harley?

This is close to where the bench will be located when the HB2 is installed on top. Look close and you can see the second layer of MDF. It is not attached at this point but will be, before the router is a permanent fixture. The stuff around it (including the gas can) will of course be gone.

I received the KERK brand lead screws and nuts. As mentioned in the first section I opted for the larger 5/8" screws for X and Y. The 5/8" is the bottom screw. The top screw is a 1/2" diameter and is used on the Z axis. The human hand is my infamous reference tool.

These are the Kercote TFE coated screws which are designed to provide lower drag and much longer life. They are both double start threads. That makes them 10 threads per inch but 5 turns per inch. The design of the nut is so simple, I wish I had thought of it.

Now you see why I needed the bench first. I have laid out all the parts. The side tubes already give an idea how big this machine will be when assembled. I haven't received the linear components yet, but they also haven't billed me. I placed to order with Lee Linear and corresponded with Jim Ashworth several times. I ordered the eight ball bearings from Enco today.

All the peck drilling is done through the templates except for the side rails. I want to be sure the linear parts match the templates before I start poking Buick port holes in the side rails. If you look on the back right edge of the table you can see my lettering set. I am putting tiny ID's on some components. That's the wood lid to the lettering set on the left edge.

Great weather for awhile in texas. It was a wonderful weekend for working in the shop. I finished up some template spot drilling on the frame members. Then I started drilling the real holes. This requires careful attention to the drawings to determine what size hole goes where!

I drilled the frame and gantry rails (all the long square tubes) except for the linear rail mounting holes. Then I did the brackets shown on the left and here. The large holes in the five flat plates I did on the X3 mill using a boring head. Drilling would have been ugly.

The linear rails from LEE have arrived. Here is one of the rails with the two linear bearings that came with it. They are nicely wrapped and well lubricated. There is absolutely no looseness or slop detectable by hand movement. I expected nothing less.

This is where I checked to make sure the template spacing was proper for this rail. It is. Also take note that every OTHER bolt hole will be used. I am certain that will be adequate for the intended use.

Here I am drilling the 15/64" size holes as specified. The light on the right gives adequate side illumination to properly see and spot the 1/16" pilot holes. The drilling proceeds quite rapidly at this point.

This is how the "Buick Portholes" are made for access to the backside of the rail mounting screws. I pre-drilled a 15/64" hole before using the Unibit. The drill press is actually running in this and the next photo.

Note the smoking chips. Some readers tell me they miss these action shots. So this one is for them. I use cutting oil (drill & tap) for every hole drilled including these. I set the drill press stop to always make 1/2" holes. This does a great job.

The parts pile is bigger. Note all the "port Holes" in the rail supports. HA! There is a bit of surface rust on the steel already so I am anxious to get them painted. The rails are piled here for now.

This was the basis of the photo in the Ramblin' Dan Blog.

Angle iron is hot rolled product so there is a lot of very tough scale that must be removed before painting. You can see that scale in the picture far above where the angles are in nice stacks on a paper towel. The dark spots on the surface must come off for a good paint job. Several hours of work with a wire wheel and drill motor did the job.

The wire brushing actually got the parts so hot I couldn't touch them.

I rounded the corners on a grinder for a little better appearance. The prep work includes a thorough washing in soap and water to remove any oils and remaining dirt. Once cleaned and degreased (as well as these need to be for painting), the rust will set in almost immediately. So I had to be ready to go to the next step and at least get the primer sprayed on.

The tubes we cleaned the same way. Since I had not nor needed to wire brush them, I sanded them very thoroughly with wet and dry sandpaper (wet). I was amazed how much carbon in the steel is released by sanding. The water was always black.

All parts were wiped down with denatured alcohol to remove trace fingerprints and help the water to evaporate. It also removes the "flash rust" That forms almost immediately.

I used Rust-Oleum clean metal primer followed by John Deer Yellow. BUY THE HANDLE! That's the best $6.00 investment I made when painting with rattle cans. This one from Rust-Oleum is especially nice.

The cap matches the color closely. I could skip the primer but why do half a job with all the prep work? Note the can says, "For the Ultimate Finish"!

The other tubes are still drying when this was shot. All steel parts are now painted.