Mail call!!
Today I have collected my X-carve package from the post office and I have started building. The long wait is over, now it’s action time 
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Just ready tapping the holes for the gantry. The three tap step procedure is super. This is so cool!
The bracket for the Makita is the only thing missing now, but I can do some more waiting while building the rest.
Good luck!
Congrats! And yeah, there’s a ton you can do before the mount shows up, the mount is only about ten minutes of the whole project at the end. You can get all the wiring done, all the electronics running, and even run programs without the y-carriage even there.
Working on the belts and tension now. Trying the solution with shrink tubing. Looks ok, but early to say
Congrats! Good luck building!
For me, building the X-C was kind of like building the pool table in my basement. Buttloads of fun but then it’s done…
The pool table has sadly fallen into disuse, except as a cutting table for my wife’s quilting.
I am still finding things to do with the X-carve however!
Here is the level of happiness;
Best Time = Starts with waiting for the X-Carve Shipment
Worst Time = Starts with After build until all Fine tuning is over.
Good Time = Starts when you see good production comes out.
So So Time = Starts with looking for upgrade possibilities.
Family time = Starts with your Wife’s scream.
Sleep Time = Starts anytime you put your ■■■ on the couch. 
The build is now on hold for some days. We are preparing a big birthday party this weekend, celebrating 100 years combined between my wife and my self. Equal amount of years for both of us
I am not sure about the tensions of the belts. They seem very tight.
If I use a fish weight on the belt, what should the weight be in kg for lifting X cm? I have not tested current tension i kg.
Mine I pulled as tight as I could with my thumb on the bracket and my finger on the end-plate, then took it just a few turns tighter. Haven’t had to adjust it at all since, no sign of stretch at all, no slipping.
About the same as I did. Screw thight to bracket first, with a fearly thight belt. Then pushing screw through hole and entered nut. Tightened nut a couple of turns.
What did you do with the excessive belt outside the clip? I have a lot extra on the tightening side. It doesent’t seem to be in the way under there.
I cut it away, about a half-inch outside the shrink tubing on my own. My method was to fold the belt over as shown in the plans, then apply a small amount of superglue to the teeth and press them firmly together until the superglue set, then shrink tube over that.
Ok, I used shrinking tube and one small locking strip around that. I threaded up first hole and down the second. That way I could slide some of the shrinking tube between the belt and clip. No cutting of belt so far, but will try to do it later.
There’s about as many methods in use as there are users. Give it a shot, and see how it goes!
How is the build coming along?
You have probably recovered from post 50th birthday hangover by now 
A pool table would make a nice sturdy platform for your x-carve.
Sawdust on my wifes quilting pieces would make for an unhappy gas man.
Besides, I have the xcarve out in the shop where all the other important (to me) stuff is.
Gas man? How did they know I have gas?
Most of the build is done. Ready for psu, arduino and controller connections and then tuning and testing.
Picture from wiring process. I think the cables are to short for comfort. Outside the XC. The controller unit will be very close.
The cables ARE very short where they exit the drag chain, mine only has about 18 inches of cable left. It’s trivially easy to add as much more as you’d like, though. I haven’t, because the controller sits right next to the X-Carve on the bench. I think when I build my dedicated bench, I’m going to terminate them all into a single 38999-type connector, and have that mounted to the bench itself. Then I can just plug on a single wire harness and have the controller wherever I want it.
These types of cabinets could be used for controller cabinets. They come in many sizes and finishes.
