Scale Cat Twenty Two Dozer Ride On For My Son

[mjncad]

I should have such tools available to me.

[dozerbuilder01]

Dozerbuiler01;

What! Your not gonna make the pulleys??

Gotta say its looking real good!

Haha. Not this time. For $8, I just had to buy it.

I should have such tools available to me.

That is true. Maybe you'll get the first set of plans.

Been working on stuff but nothing exciting. Got a few things from Surplus Center the other day. Pulleys, belts, some fittings etc. Still waiting on the corrected sprockets. My plasma guy has a been a little busy. I want to know one side of the track frame all fits before I build the other.

So I felt like taking a little break.

My plasma guys have trouble opening my .dxf files. I don't know why because they look fine in my CAD software. So I decided to try and learn a little more about CNC. And the wife wants a few things for the house so I figured if I have a CNC router, I can make what she wants.

So I built one.



It's a desktop kit but I upscaled it a bit and made a few mods.

So far, I've only done tests with a Sharpie. So far, it works well. And I built it in the basement because I don't have anymore room in the garage. Just need to clean up the wiring, mount the router and move it out to the garage. .

I also have a few plans to use this on some dozer parts.

Now that I see what was wrong with my DXF files (have to export as a 2D dimension instead of straight DXF), I'm hoping my plasma guy can get me in instead of having to fix all of my lines.

Should get back to the dozer soon.

[npalen]

Interesting stuff! I grew up on a CAT D2 pulling a 3 bottom plow later graduated to a 1936 CAT RD6 three cylinder. We ran the right track of the D2 down in the furrow which made it very easy to learn. The probably is that it wore the track rail more on one side and then wouldn't track straight down the road without constantly pulling on the steering clutch lever. The D2 was narrow gauge also which meant that it leaned quite a bit while running the right track down in a 6"-8" deep furrow.

[turnkey4099]

Interesting stuff! I grew up on a CAT D2 pulling a 3 bottom plow later graduated to a 1936 CAT RD6 three cylinder. We ran the right track of the D2 down in the furrow which made it very easy to learn. The probably is that it wore the track rail more on one side and then wouldn't track straight down the road without constantly pulling on the steering clutch lever. The D2 was narrow gauge also which meant that it leaned quite a bit while running the right track down in a 6"-8" deep furrow.

I started on a Cat T10 (I think it was the 10) very old, by the time Dad bought the 22 as a replacement it wouldn't run 30 ft without having to correct it. At the time I figured it was a steering clutch problem. Someone bought the 10 to put a bucket loader on it.

Harry K

[mjncad]

My plasma guys have trouble opening my .dxf files. I don't know why because they look fine in my CAD software. So I decided to try and learn a little more about CNC. And the wife wants a few things for the house so I figured if I have a CNC router, I can make what she wants.

Now that I see what was wrong with my DXF files (have to export as a 2D dimension instead of straight DXF), I'm hoping my plasma guy can get me in instead of having to fix all of my lines.

Do you have a link on the CNC router kit, or did you build it from scratch from plans you found online?

As for the DXF files; I'm pretty certain most if not all 2D plasma/laser/water cutting services need 2D DXF files. I know I made sure my vise pedestal parts I had waterjet cut were made from 2D DXF files. When I exported the vise pedestal parts from Inventor, they came through as 3D DXF files, which meant I had a lot of extraneous line-work to remove. Fortunately that was easy to do. Although it sounds like you got the problem solved, another factor could be which DXF version you submitted to the plasma guy.

The only other real advice I can offer the forum regarding DXF files for plasma/laser/water cutting is to make sure as much as possible is a closed loop polyline instead of separate lines and arcs. This will make the CNC machine follow fewer paths with fewer starts and stops. We used to use a similar trick in the old days of pen plotters if we had a picky client and cranky pens that tended to blob a bit when starting and stopping lines.

Vise pedestal for those that may be interested in what I'm talking about. https://picasaweb.google.com/1101061...isePedestal02#

[dozerbuilder01]

Do you have a link on the CNC router kit, or did you build it from scratch from plans you found online?

As for the DXF files; I'm pretty certain most if not all 2D plasma/laser/water cutting services need 2D DXF files. I know I made sure my vise pedestal parts I had waterjet cut were made from 2D DXF files. When I exported the vise pedestal parts from Inventor, they came through as 3D DXF files, which meant I had a lot of extraneous line-work to remove. Fortunately that was easy to do. Although it sounds like you got the problem solved, another factor could be which DXF version you submitted to the plasma guy.

The only other real advice I can offer the forum regarding DXF files for plasma/laser/water cutting is to make sure as much as possible is a closed loop polyline instead of separate lines and arcs. This will make the CNC machine follow fewer paths with fewer starts and stops. We used to use a similar trick in the old days of pen plotters if we had a picky client and cranky pens that tended to blob a bit when starting and stopping lines.

Vise pedestal for those that may be interested in what I'm talking about. https://picasaweb.google.com/1101061...isePedestal02#

It is a kit. It's called the Shapeoko. It's small so I upscaled it a bit. There is a ton of information out there for this specific kit. Really nicely put together.

It's crazy with those DXF files. I figured it would be simple. I exported it as a 2D dimensional with dxf selected (instead of just exporting as dxf). Also saved it as R14 or something (can't remember now). Not sure if that helped. Now it at least opens properly in the CAM program I have. Took very little clean up (couple stray points) and then I joined all lines and arcs to make all closed loop polylines. But when I opened the file on my friends Plasmacam table with their software, it didn't like it. Came in with a bunch of random circles. So I went back into my CAM program and exploded all polylines and it opened perfectly fine. Once I get the pattern for the sprocket that we just cut out and make sure everything fits up, I'll send the files off to my other, local guy with the better table to cut the final sprockets. I'll see how his software likes my files. Thanks for the tips though. I'm slowly getting it figured out.

That vise pedestal looks great. You have a nice vise to go with it too.

[mjncad]

Thanks, that vise was a present to myself after my Mom died in 2010.

Version R14 DXF files are pretty bullet proof as AutoCAD R14 was one of the best versions they ever released. From what you describe, you did the right things with your DXF files. From what little I've heard about PlasmaCAM's hardware and software, it's not the best. Exploding the polylines into their constituent lines and arcs is an indication of poorly written software by PlasmaCAM.

[mjncad]

GRRRR...sorry for the double post...TBN is being cranky tonight.

Thanks, that vise was a present to myself after my Mom died in 2010.

Version R14 DXF files are pretty bullet proof as AutoCAD R14 was one of the best versions they ever released. From what you describe, you did the right things with your DXF files. From what little I've heard about PlasmaCAM's hardware and software, it's not the best. Exploding the polylines into their constituent lines and arcs is an indication of poorly written software by PlasmaCAM.

[plumbstraight]

I can hear it now, sorry son, I need that dozer to go after an elk that I have down. Wonderful job on it. Imagine having a father with talent like that to pass on.

[dozerbuilder01]

Thanks, that vise was a present to myself after my Mom died in 2010.

Version R14 DXF files are pretty bullet proof as AutoCAD R14 was one of the best versions they ever released. From what you describe, you did the right things with your DXF files. From what little I've heard about PlasmaCAM's hardware and software, it's not the best. Exploding the polylines into their constituent lines and arcs is an indication of poorly written software by PlasmaCAM.

Yeah that did seem weird. I'm going to send both files to my other guy to see how they open on his equipment. I'm not what software he runs. I've been meaning to get down to his shop and check things out.

I can hear it now, sorry son, I need that dozer to go after an elk that I have down. Wonderful job on it. Imagine having a father with talent like that to pass on.

No way. I'll have him do it. I could have used it today with the snow we got last night.

Got my sample piece of the new sprocket design. This time, it's right. Should have do that the last time. Then I wouldn't have two sprocket shaped paperweights.



Now that I know everything fits, I can start working on the other side while I wait for the new sprockets. This was kind of putting me in a rut. So now things should start moving again.