Microcarve)MV3)Assembly)!These!instructions!are!by!no!means!the!official!instructions.!!They!are!the!steps!I!used!to!assemble!my!MV3!that!worked!well!for!me.!!YMMV.!!Before!the!instructions!begin,!some!things!to!remember:!

• Until!you!have!the!machine!completely!assembled,!do!NOT!use!any!tools!to!tighten!bolts,!screws,!or!nuts.!!FingerFtighten!only.!

• Make!sure!you!have!enough!room.!!A!large!workbench!is!ideal,!but!working!on!the!floor!worked!for!me.!

• Lay!parts!out!that!you!are!going!to!use,!first.!!It!saves!time!trying!to!find!a!part!later.!• It!is!up!to!you!whether!you!paint!the!sides!before!you!begin!assembly!or!later.!!The!machine!easily!

disassembles!so!the!sides!can!be!painted!after!you’ve!had!a!chance!to!give!it!a!try.!!A!full!disassembly!isn’t!necessary;!one!side!can!be!easily!removed,!painted,!allowed!to!cure,!then!put!back!on,!followed!by!the!other!side.!!Of!course,!adjustments!for!alignment!will!need!to!be!redone,!but!that!is!not!a!difficult!task.!

!Here!are!the!steps!I!used,!along!with!pictures!of!each!step:!!

1) Lay!out!the!following!parts:!a) sides!b) extruded!aluminum!braces!(3)!c) side!plates!d) end!plates!e) two!of!the!long!bearing!blocks!f) threaded!rods!(6)!g) table!mount!h) ZFblock!mount!(missing!from!the!picture)!i) guide!rods!(4)!j) guide!rod!ends!(8)!k) nuts!and!washers!from!the!bat!labeled!threaded!rods!

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2) On!one!of!the!sides,!place!one!of!the!bearing!blocks!into!the!slot!provided!for!it!on!the!inside!of!the!side!support.!!The!central!hole!in!the!bearing!block!has!a!chamfered!edge!on!one!side.!!That!side!goes!toward!the!inside!of!the!side!support!(see!picture!where!a!second!bearing!block!is!shown!with!the!chamfered!side!up.!!The!one!that!has!been!put!into!the!slot!should!have!the!chamfered!edge!down.!!The!picture!shows!the!mounted!bearing!block!incorrectly!installed.!!I!corrected!that!later.!!Remove!the!nuts!and!washers!from!the!two!of!the!guide!rod!ends.!!Note!that!there!are!two!lengths!of!bolts!in!the!guide!rod!ends.!!For!the!side!supports,!use!the!ones!with!long!bolts.!!Place!the!bolts!through!the!bearing!block.!!

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3) Holding!the!guide!rod!supports!in!place,!turn!the!side!over!and!install!one!of!the!side!plates!using!the!two!bolts!from!the!guide!rod!holders!to!align!it.!!Place!a!washer!and!nut!onto!each!of!the!bolts.!!Remember!to!only!fingerFtighten!the!nuts.!!

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4) Repeat!step!3)!with!the!other!side.!

5) Locate!the!three!extruded!aluminum!braces.!!One!of!them!has!no!holes!in!the!front!(top!brace),!one!has!five!holes!(back!brace)!and!one!has!nine!holes!(front!brace).!!When!installing!these,!make!sure!the!slots!all!face!to!the!back!of!the!machine.!!These!have!been!labeled!front!and!back!braces!for!when!the!YFaxis!stepper!motor!is!mounted!on!the!front!of!the!machine.!!If!you!intend!to!mount!yours!on!the!back,!use!the!one!with!nine!holes!for!the!back!brace!and!the!one!with!five!holes!for!the!front!brace.!!Elsewhere!in!the!document!where!the!front!and!back!braces!are!mentioned,!remember!yours!are!reversed!from!what!is!in!this!document.!!

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6) Install!two!of!the!guide!rod!holders!with!the!short!bolds!onto!the!rear!brace!and!two!on!the!front!brace!in!the!outer!holes!of!each!brace.!!The!guide!rod!holders!on!the!rear!brace!go!on!the!flat!side!of!the!brace.!!The!guide!rod!holders!on!the!front!brace!go!on!the!side!with!the!slots.!!Remember:!only!finger!tighten!the!nuts.!!Also,!make!sure!you!place!a!washer!between!the!brace!and!the!nut.!!The!picture!below!is!of!the!rear!brace.!!

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7) Place!the!longer!two!guide!rods!into!the!guide!rod!holders!on!the!front!brace.!!Slide!the!table!mount!onto!these!guide!rods,!making!sure!the!table!mount!is!pointing!the!correct!direction!(there!is!an!indication!on!the!table!mount!as!to!which!direction!is!the!front.)!

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!8) Put!the!back!brace!onto!the!guide!rods.!

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9) Place!four!of!the!threaded!rods!into!the!lower!holes!of!one!of!the!sides.!!On!the!outside!of!the!side,!place!two!of!the!end!plates,!one!on!the!front!and!one!on!the!back.!!Put!a!washer!and!nut!on!each!of!the!threaded!rods.!!Only!screw!the!nut!on!to!the!end!of!the!threaded!rod!is!at!the!surface!of!the!nut.!

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10) Slide!the!subFassembly!from!step!8!onto!the!threaded!rods,!making!sure!the!front!brace!is!in!the!front,!the!rear!brace!is!in!the!rear,!and!the!table!mount!facing!up.!!

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11) Add!the!two!remaining!threaded!rods!to!the!plate!and!put!a!washer!and!nut!on!the!outside.!!

12) Slide!the!top!brace!onto!the!threaded!rods,!making!sure!the!slots!are!on!the!back.!!

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13) Place!the!remaining!two!guide!rods!(the!shorter!pair)!into!the!guide!rod!ends.!!Slide!the!ZFblock!mount!onto!these!guide!rods.!!Look!carefully!at!the!ZFblock!mount;!there!is!a!recess!on!one!of!the!edges.!!The!recess!goes!to!the!front!and!down..!!In!the!following!picture,!you!will!notice!that!I!didn’t!put!the!ZFblock!mount!on.!!I!ended!up!having!to!take!the!newly!placed!side!off,!put!the!ZFblock!mount!on,!then!put!it!back!on!again.!!The!design!of!this!machine!makes!it!simple!to!partially!disassemble!it,!so!there!wasn’t!much!pain.!!

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14) Place!the!remaining!side!onto!the!rest!of!the!assembly.!!Take!your!time!and!carefully!line!up!the!threaded!rods!and!bolts!from!the!guide!rod!ends!with!their!holes.!!

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15) If!you’ve!followed!the!directions!so!far,!you!can!skip!this!step.!!I’ve!included!it!only!because!this!is!what!I!did.!!I!had!forgotten!to!put!the!ZFblock!mount!onto!the!guide!rods,!so!had!to!remove!the!side!to!put!it!on.!!After!I!had!put!it!on,!I!placed!the!guide!rod!holders!onto!the!ends!of!the!guide!rods.!!

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16) Put!washers!on!the!ends!of!each!threaded!rod!(and!the!guide!rod!holder!bolts!if!they!aren’t!there!already)!then!put!a!nut!on!the!end!of!each.!!Make!sure!to!only!fingerFtighten!the!nuts.!!

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17) Here!is!a!picture!from!the!top!of!the!completed!base.!!Even!with!the!nuts!only!finger!tight,!the!unit!is!remarkably!stable!and!has!no!discernable!flex!at!all!in!it.!!

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18) Locate!the!remaining!two!bearing!blocks.!!Also,!in!a!bag!containing!bolts,!there!are!four!bolts!with!two!washers!and!a!nut!each!on!them.!!The!longer!of!the!two!bearing!blocks!will!be!mounted!on!the!front!brace;!the!shorter!one!will!go!on!the!rear!brace.!!The!bolt!head!goes!toward!the!outside!of!the!machine.!!The!order!of!the!pieces,!starting!with!the!bolt!head,!is!bolt!head,!washer,!brace,!bearing!block,!washer,!and!nut.!!Make!sure!the!chamfered!hole!in!the!bearing!block!faces!inside!the!machine.!!Here!are!pictures!of!the!front!bearing!block!and!its!bolts!as!they!came!out!of!the!packaging.!!

!!And!a!picture!of!the!bearing!block!mounted!on!the!front!frame.!!

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19) Mount!the!smaller!of!the!two!bearing!blocks!on!the!rear!brace.!!Here!are!pictures!of!the!bearing!block!and!its!two!bolts!as!they!came!out!of!the!packaging.!!

!!And!the!bearing!block!mounted!on!the!rear!frame.!!

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20) Locate!the!package!that!has!twelve!spacers,!twelve!machine!screws,!and!four!washers.!!Remove!four!of!the!spacers!and!four!of!the!machine!screws.!!On!the!side!where!you!are!going!to!mount!the!XFaxis!stepper!motor,!loosen!the!four!nuts!holding!the!two!threaded!rods!and!two!guide!rod!holders.!!Insert!a!machine!screw!into!each!of!the!standoffs!and!screw!them!lightly!into!the!side!plate.!!Adjust!the!position!of!the!side!plate!so!all!four!machine!screws!go!all!the!way!in,!lightly!seated!on!the!standoffs.!!ReFtighten!the!nuts!for!the!threaded!rods!and!guide!rod!holders!(again,!fingerFtighten!only.)!!

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21) Put!four!standoffs!and!their!machine!screws!on!the!top!of!the!ZFaxis,!lightly!seating!the!machine!screws!on!the!standoff.!!!

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22) Put!the!remaining!four!standoffs!and!their!machine!screws!on!the!front!frame.!!!Note!that!the!machine!screws!will!NOT!seat!onto!the!spacers,!as!the!holes!in!the!front!frame!do!not!go!all!the!way!through.!!Don’t!worry!about!this,!as!the!flange!on!the!stepper!motor!is!thick!enough!to!allow!the!machine!screws!to!be!tightened!enough!to!hold.!

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23) At!this!point,!it!would!seem!right!to!put!the!lead!screws!in!and!tighten!up!the!machine.!!However,!it!is!best!to!leave!them!off!for!the!moment!and!mount!the!stepper!motors!onto!the!standoffs.!!This!provides!any!tension!the!weight!of!the!motors!will!put!on!the!frame!so!full!alignment!can!be!done.!

24) Start!by!moving!the!machine!to!its!work!location.!25) Now!is!the!time!to!get!some!tools!handy.!!!You!will!need!the!following:!

a) PhillipsFhead!screwdriver!(the!right!size!for!the!stepper!mounting!screws)!b) Two!7/16”!wrenches/sockets!c) 3/32”!allen!wrench!d) 7/64”!allen!wrench!Reminder:!Do!NOT!tighten!too!much.!!Start!with!fingerFtight,!check!for!free!movement!of!all!the!axes!then!tighten!a!little!bit!with!the!appropriate!tool,!constantly!checking!that!the!axis!being!tightened!has!free!movement.!!

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26) Mount!the!three!stepper!motors!onto!their!standoffs.!!Use!a!3/32”!allen!wrench!to!loosen!the!setscrew!on!the!ZFaxis!coupling!to!allow!the!motor!shaft!to!slide!into!the!coupling.!!Do!not!tighten!the!setscrew!at!this!time.!!You!do!NOT!need!to!tighten!the!mounting!bolts,!but!just!snug!them!up.!!The!stepper!motors!will!come!off!again!soon!to!allow!the!insertion!of!the!lead!screws;!they’re!here!to!put!the!appropriate!tension!on!the!frame.!

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27) Slightly!loosen!all!nuts!on!the!threaded!rods,!guide!rod!holders,!and!aluminum!plates.!!You!don’t!want!them!ready!to!fall!off,!but!you!don’t!yet!want!them!even!fingerFtight.!

28) FingerFtighten!the!nuts!on!the!two!upper!side!plates!for!the!XFaxis!(both!the!guide!rod!holders!and!the!threaded!rods).!!Slide!the!ZFaxis!from!side!to!side!to!make!sure!it!slides!freely.!!Tighten!the!nuts!¼!turn!with!two!7/16”!wrenches!and/or!sockets.!!Check!again!to!make!sure!the!ZFaxis!slides!freely.!!If!it!doesn’t,!loosen!the!nuts!and!keep!trying!until!it!does!slide!freely.!!Do!NOT!tighten!any!more.!

29) FingerFtighten!the!nuts!on!the!two!YFaxis!guide!rods,!front!and!back.!!Make!sure!the!table!slides!freely!frontFtoFback!(and!viceFversa).!!Tighten!the!nuts!¼!turn!with!two!7/16”!wrenches!and/or!sockets.!!Check!again!to!make!sure!the!table!slides!freely!on!the!guide!rods.!!If!it!doesn’t,!loosen!the!nuts!and!keep!trying!until!it!does!slide!freely.!!Do!NOT!tighten!any!more.!!Once!it!slides!freely!and!is!tight,!doubleFcheck!the!ZFaxis!again!and!make!adjustments!until!both!it!and!the!table!slide!freely.!

30) FingerFtighten!the!nuts!on!the!two!front!threaded!rods!and!then!the!two!back!threaded!rods!at!the!bottom!of!the!base.!!Check!that!the!table!and!ZFaxis!still!continue!to!slide!freely.!!Once!verified,!tighten!the!nuts!¼!turn!and!doubleFcheck!once!more!for!all!slides!moving!freely.!

31) Remove!the!stepper!motors.!

32) Locate!the!shorter!of!the!two!lead!screws.!This!will!serve!as!your!XFaxis!lead!screw.!!Also!locate!the!package!containing!four!bearings,!four!collars!and!four!plastic!washers.!Remove!two!each!of!the!bearings,!collars,!and!plastic!washers.!!Insert!the!lead!screw!carefully!into!the!large!hole!on!the!stepper!motor!mounting!side.!!Do!not!drag!the!screws!across!the!sides!of!the!hole!as!these!have!been!carefully!machined!to!accept!the!bearings.!!Do!not!insert!all!the!way,!yet.!!On!the!end!of!the!lead!screw,!slide!a!bearing,!plastic!washer,!and!a!collar,!in!that!order.!!Then,!screw!the!lead!screw!into!the!ZFblock!mount!until!it!sticks!out!the!other!side!about!3F4”.!!On!that!end,!slide!a!collar,!plastic!washer,!and!a!bearing,!in!that!order.!!

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33) Slide!the!bearings!into!the!bearing!blocks,!followed!the!washer!and!collar.!!Do!this!for!both!sides.!!!

34) A!side!note!here.!!It!is!highly!recommended!that!the!stepper!motors!have!flats!on!the!shafts.!!If!yours!do!not!have!them!from!the!manufacturer,!grind!the!shaft!to!make!your!own.!!There!is!no!need!to!grind!much!away,!just!enough!that!any!displacement!of!the!soft!steel!of!the!shaft!doesn’t!interfere!with!future!removal!of!the!stepper!motor!from!the!coupler.!!When!you!do!the!grinding,!do!not!let!the!shaft!get!too!hot.!!Grind!a!little!at!a!time,!allowing!the!shaft!to!cool!between!grindings.!

35) Loosen!the!setscrew!in!the!coupler!so!it!won’t!interfere!with!the!shaft!of!the!stepper!motor.!!Get!one!of!the!stepper!motors.!!Supporting!it!with!one!hand,!align!the!flat!on!the!shaft!with!the!setscrew!in!the!coupler!and!slide!the!shaft!into!the!coupler!until!there’s!about!1/8”!clearance!between!the!motor!and!the!coupler.!!While!continuing!to!support!the!motor!with!one!hand,!for!each!of!the!four!mounting!holes,!slide!a!nylon!spacer!between!the!motor!flange!and!the!mounting!plate!then!put!a!machine!screw!through!the!flange!and!spacer,!aligning!it!with!the!mounting!hole!in!the!plate.!!Turn!the!machine!screw!until!it!is!near!the!flange!(do!not!tighten,!yet).!!Once!all!four!machine!bolts!are!in,!slide!the!bearing!into!its!housing,!the!plastic!washer!up!against!the!bearing,!and!the!collar!up!against!the!plastic!washer.!!Snug!the!four!machine!screws,!making!sure!the!lead!screw!will!turn!easily.!!With!your!fingers!press!the!collar!against!the!plastic!washer!and!thus!the!bearing.!!Use!a!7/64”!allen!wrench!to!lock!the!collar!into!place.!!There!should!be!no!sideFtoFside!play!in!the!lead!screw.!!Don’t!use!too!much!pressure;!the!goal!is!to!prevent!play!in!the!lead!screw,!not!crush!the!lead!screw.!!Repeat!this!with!the!bearing,!plastic!washer,!and!collar!on!the!other!end!of!the!XFaxis.!!

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36) Use!the!same!method!to!insert!the!lead!screw!and!stepper!motor!for!the!YFaxis.!

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37) The!only!differences!for!the!ZFaxis!are:!a)!there!is!an!additional!washer!between!each!of!the!nylon!spacers!and!the!ZFblock!top!plate,!b)!the!lead!screw!is!already!in!place.!

38) Mount!the!ZFblock!to!the!ZFblock!holder.!!The!ZFblock!has!many!mounting!holes;!use!the!ones!that!provide!the!clearance!you!need.!!In!the!advertisement!pictures,!the!ZFblock!is!mounted!using!the!bottom!two!holes!and!the!third!from!the!bottom!holes.!

39) The!machine!is!now!assembled!and!ready!to!start!using,!other!than!the!electronics.!!That!is!left!as!an!exercise!for!the!reader!.!!There!are!so!many!different!combinations!of!computers,!drivers,!breakout!boards,!etc.!it!is!beyond!the!scope!of!this!document.!!