YouCarve CNC User manual
Page 1.
YouCarve CNC
Assembly Instructions
Safety precautions
Like any power tool, operating and using a CNC machine can be dangerous. Diligence must be applied when operating any
machine. It is recommended to wear appropriate PPE such as eye protection and ear muffs for your own safety.
NEVER leave a powered machine unattended at any time!
In the event of an issue or if something doesn’t seem right, it is recommended to immediately disconnect power to the machine
and unplug it from the wall power outlet. Contact our customer support team if you have any concerns about your machine.
Always ensure your machine is free and clear of any swarf, dust or other obstructions that may impact the motion of your
machine. We highly recommend the use of a Dust shoe and vacuum system for keeping your machine clean and clear of swarf
and dust.
Always ensure to follow the maintenance guide at the bottom of this manual after initial assembly and setup and also
periodically to ensure your machine always performs to its optimal capacity.
Page 2.
Tools required
M3 Allen Key
Small Flat head screw driver
Kit Components
Extra components
Meanwell Power supply
Endmill + Collet adapter
USB cable
Page 3.
Frame Assembly
1. Remove the bolts that are loosely threaded in the end of the gantry extrusion and the
bolts that are on the side plates (see photos) and attach the sides of the machine to
gantry using the bolts making sure to keep the sloped sides to the front.
Page 4.
It should now look like this:
2. Now we are going to fasten the X axis belts and set tension. Firstly, loosen the T-nuts
on the belt tensioners on both sides of the gantry. You will notice on the bolts we
removed earlier that one side is shorter than the other. Starting on the shorter bolt
side, insert the bolt so that it pulls the belt tensioner towards the side plate, once
firmly secured, tighten the downward T-nut bolt into the gantry as per photo. Once
you have secured the short bolt side, proceed to the other side and use the longer
bolt that goes into the side plate to apply tension to your belt. Please Note: You do
not need to put too much force on this bolt and it is OK to have a gap between the
belt tensioner and side plate on this side.
Page 5.
3. Now we are going to setup the bottom of the machine. You will have 2 longer 2020
extrusions and 3 shorter extrusions with a right-angle brackets on the ends. Take the 2
longer pieces and slide them onto the front and rear plates and secure the T-nuts on
the plates.
4. Insert the 3 shorter 2020 extrusions in the middle of the machine and secure to the
middle supporting brackets using the attached T-nuts. For the middle extrusion, make
it as close to the middle as possible. Repeat the process on the other side of the
machine. Once both sides are on, secure the Angle brackets to front and rear and the
machine. It is OK to have a gap between the crossing extrusions, we have designed
the machine this way.
Page 6.
It should now look like this:
This completes the frame assembly.
Page 7.
Wiring Assembly
1. Secure the Controller side of the wiring loom to the left-hand side of the frame
approximately 300mm from the front of the machine.
2. Remove this bolt from the left-hand side plate to allow us to secure the middle
of the wiring loom to the side plate. Insert the mounting bracket and re-
tighten the bolt back in.
Page 8.
3. Take the lead that has no connector on it and feed it through the larger round
hole on the side plate. Run it all the way through inside the channel of the
gantry extrusion so that it comes out the hole on the other side plate. This is
for your X motor. Once it is out the other side, attach the Y2 motor connector
using your small flat head screw driver to look the same as the photos.
Connect your X motor to the wired connector.
4. Attach the far end of the wiring loom to bolt hole shown below in photo by
removing the nut off the bolt on the mounting bracket.
Page 9.
5. Connect up Z and X limit switches and motors.
6. Connect up your Motor wires to the Controller See photo below for which
wire goes to which.
Page 10.
7. Connect up your limit switches to the controller
8. Mount your controller either under your bench or high above the machine to
prevent dust from entering. Please disregard further photos of the controller
being mounted to the machine itelf.
Page 11.
9. Connect up your USB and Power cable from your Power supply.
10. Mount your Y axis limit switch with enough room to clear the cable tie and
linkage.
Your YouCarve frame and electronics are now assembled!
Page 12.
Squaring your machine
1. Make up all 6 of the frame securing kit fastening brackets by inserting an
8mm bolt through each bracket and loosely attach an M5 T-nut to the bolt
on the square side of the bracket so all 8 look like this:
2. Fasten 3 of the angle brackets to the outside rear bottom support extrusion
by sliding the T-nut into the extrusion and screwing/bolting it down into the
work bench/table beneath it using bolts or screws (not provided). Make sure
to evenly space them across the rear bottom rail for a consistent hold.
Page 13.
3. While the machine is powered off grab the Z axis from the front of the
machine and carefully pull it towards you so that it is around 150-200mm
from the front of the machine. (You can also choose to jog the machine here
too if you prefer). Grab a ruler and measure one side of the machine from
the side plate to the front plate and record the distance, then do the same
for the other side of the machine. Hopefully your machine should be within
1mm on both sides. You can also check across the diagonal edges of your
YouCarve to square your machine. Compare both sides with a tape measure
and adjust the frame until both sides are within 2mm of each other.
Squaring tips
If your machine is not within 1mm try loosening off the front and rear plates, bottom edge
side extrusion angle bracket bolts and adjusting the machine until it is square. Once it is
square re-tighten all bolts and check if it definitely square. If so, you are good to go! If you
have trouble doing this, give our support team a call for assistance on (07) 5522 0619
Page 14.
Attaching your spoil board
Material type: MDF or FormPly
Recommended thickness: 17-18mm
Size: 998 x 936mm
Spoil boards can be sourced from your local hardware store. If in Australia, Bunnings usually
has a sheet cutting service available that can precisely cut your spoil board for you
998x936mm. We recommend getting them to cut it precisely for you.
1. Once you have your cut spoil board place it on the top of the bottom extrusions so
that it fits inside the machine frame. Not, it will only go in one way so if it doesn’t fit
in, try rotating it around 90° so that it fits.
Page 15.
2. Carefully measure 3 holes ~10mm in from the front of the spoil board in front of
where the frame securing kit brackets are located and carefully drill into the spoil
board with a 5-6mm drill bit. Once you have drilled through the spoil board itself the
drill bit should drop into the channel in the extrusion. If you notice you are drilling
into the extrusion below, cease drilling immediately and have a look where your
original hole was and adjust accordingly so that your drill hole is directly over the
extrusion channel. Don’t be concerned with making too many holes next to other
ones, it is a spoil board after all. 😊
3. Once you have made your 3 holes, use a countersinking bit to recess the holes ~ 5mm
deep into the spoil board.
4. Repeat this process on both the front and rear of the machine so that there are 3
holes on the front and the back in the same position front to back.
Page 16.
5. Pay attention to where the extrusion is that is in the middle of the machine at the
bottom and attempt to repeat the above process to drill and countersink one hole
right in the middle of the machine. This one can be a little tricky, good news is you can
keep drilling holes over and over again until you get it right.
6. Carefully remove the spoil board from the machine and insert an M5 20mm bolt into
each hole that was drilled and countersunk (these are provided in the spoil board
securing kit) from the top and attach an M5 drop-in T-nut to the bottom of the spoil
board and then place the spoil board back into the machine and carefully move it
around until the T-nuts fall into the channels. You will notice this is correct when the
spoil board is flat top the extrusions without an air gap. Once this is done, fasten then
bolts securely to tighten the spoil board to the base extrusions. Once this is done it
should look like this:
Pro Tip: If your front and rear centre
fastening brackets are lined up with
your middle extrusion you can use
these as a reference guide and draw
a line across the middle of the spoil
board front to back to find the
middle point of the extrusion and
then drill into it. Hopefully, this
should be right over the extrusion
channel.
Page 17.
Your spoil board assembly is now complete!
Page 18.
Attaching your router
1. Unpack the router bracket assembly kit and attach the M5 8mm bolts through the
angle brackets and attach an M5 drop-in T-nut to the rear of each one.
2. Loosely fasten the angle brackets towards the rear of the spindle in the outer edge
mounting holes
Page 19.
3. Attach the router clamp to the front of the Z axis loosely and use a spirit level to get
the router clamp relatively level then tighten all of the bolts to hold the clamp to the Z
axis.
4. Loosen the front bolts on the router clamp and insert your trimmer. Ensure when
fitting the router that the bottom of the collet nut sits just below the Z axis to ensure
it is the lowest point. It is recommended to secure your router with the clamp as low
as possible but if you are using a dust shoe make sure to leave an allowance for it.
Page 20.
5. There are a few options for running your router cable through your machine. One
option and likely the simplest is to cable tie the power chord to the outside of the
existing cable chains and feeding them off to the power point for the Makita.
Alternatively, you can remove the links in the cable chain and feed the power chord
through the cable chain itself, this can be a bit cumbersome but will be the tidiest
installation. If you want to run it through the cable chains you can use a screw driver
to pry the bottom clips on the cable chain of and then insert your router power chord
and reinsert the clips.
Here is an example of how to cable tie it to your existing cable chains:
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