Thank you for the plans of the Pantograph. This looks like fun to make. This is my 40th year in the trade and I never get tired of it. I was looking to buy a pantograph for my shop Machine Shop Services but I like this idea. THANKS AGAIN JOE.
Got the plans - thank you Joe. Something else to make when I can. Nice. Looked round your site - patents - wow -- you sure do a load of super stuff. Kudos.
Thanks for making this available. If I ever find some time to burn making a 3d one would be fun after all you never know when you might want to make a mold from an existing part. :-) I hope you have a happy and successful new year!
I made one out of CPVC pipe, nails cause I didn't have any better joint pivots handy, and a sharpie, in order to blow up and transfer a 14 by 20 inch picture into a 9 foot tall image, on the floor, for a mosaic in a strip club. No kidding, worked like a dream, considering I only used ratios, no actual measurements in building it.
Not shure if you care to see but kinda interesting to me if as many as possible that built this could show pics of the completed build. I am on my last adjusting pin today.
Hi Joe, Hope you're taking advantage of the Holidays to take a rest... ;) Nice plans... Got a copy! Hey...! Wish you and your family a Happy New Year 2017, Pierre
Thanks for your detailed plans, downloaded and printed. I hope to build a pantograph that will engrave numbers on a cylindrical dial, such as the crossfeed dial on an Atlas 12" lathe. I hope to use hard phenolic for the dial. Any suggestions as to how to engrave on a cylindrical surface? DRD/ Overland Park, Ks
I see you have a link to your website in the description, maybe also adding a link directly to the project page might help u get more hits on your website. just a thought.
Hey Joe, I'm about 75% done with this build now. Just really down to building the 6 long bars and polishing everything. I'm still curious about what all the adjustment holes are for. I thought that was for changing the reduction ratio but by watching this video again, I'm thinking maybe it's for aligning somehow ?? Can't wait to try it out. Thanks.
All the holes are positioned proportionally to control the reduction ratio. The closer the grinder gets to the pivot point, the smaller the font, and vise versa. Make sure the pivot, grinder and stylus are always linear to each other. Good luck.
length wise, with a 1.5" od tube I'm sure it would be fine. what I have done in the past is to print out a label with the required info and stick it to the tube and trace it out with a dremel. I have a video showing the process, but always wanted a pantograph
Hi Joe. Turning plastic parts like these pins does present some problems. As the part becomes thinner, so it becomes more flexible! Watched a lot of YT videos about turning plastics - but most demos end up with a huge 'birds nest' around the part. Also not easy to get a good surface finish - but perhaps I'm not using the right tools. Wondered if you would consider doing a video on the subject of working with plastics sometime? Just a thought.
I have several videos about techniques that are perfectly suited for this project. HSS tools with positive rakes and very large cuts is the only way to go. Look through my catalog of videos.
It is a great design; is there any way you may have the ratio based on the configuration's? I am 3D printing the parts now I will let you know how it works Thanks
I'd have to get the plans and look them over. If this rig doesn't give you the reduction you need, you can make smaller masters using it, then use them to get even greater range of options.
Many Thanks Joe, You have come through with the goods :-) If I wanted to convert to metric I assume that the important things are the ratios of the parts. I.e the frame arm spacing holes are at 1.25 inch's. if they where all 30mm or 32mm would that be >6mm holes instead of .251 etc.. ok? Regards Max
Greetings Max. The ratios are the important part. The hole spacing dimension is also the developed dimension from the pivot, grinder and stylus centers to the first hole. DON'T miss that one if you convert to metric. If you change the hole diameters, you also have to change the long plastic pin diameters and the washers. Otherwise it should be no problem. Happy New Year.
What kind of bit are you using, and does it work for steal? Im hoping to make this to engrave numbers on a 20 sided dice im making on a bridgeport (very fun)!
Thank you Joe! How is the grinder lifted off the part between the letters? I did not watched all your videos on how to use the pantograph, sorry :) I may know some of your far relatives in Cleveland
Since the entire unit is in the collet, simply raise the quill handle and the grinder lifts right off. Re-position the stylus to the next character since it floats in its guide block, and lower the quill back down.
I don't see why it's not possible, as long as you can hold the firearm properly every time! He has another video where he shows how to use it - "engraving on a manual mill", decide for yourself :)
Hey guys. For your application, I would suggest masters at, or under 1/2" tall. This unit can get down to about 15% of original so that makes the numbers pretty small. The cutters are 1/8" diameter shank, so anything you can find with an 1/8" shank will work. Engraving cutters are dead sharp points.
Think about it....If you want to produce a full scale replica using a tracer mounted on a pivot, and the grinder and tracer are on opposite sides of that pivot, up becomes down, left and right are the same. The ideal setup would be a stacked setup, but that would be very interesting to see. Certainly not impossible.
I am sure the performance of this unit is driven by the cutter type and material selected. The 40,000 RPM air grinder combined with a good sharp 2 flute cutter should easily handle wood. The depth, setup and cut parameters will determine the quality of the cut.
Allows you to do text and design engraving on a non CNC mill. There are 2 other videos on my channel that show exactly what it does. "Engraving on a manual mill" and part 2
![[DRAGON BALL LEGENDS REVEALS ＆ STUFF] LEGENDS FESTIVAL 2024 Special Edition Part 1](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mV5bGIswTtQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you for the plans of the Pantograph. This looks like fun to make. This is my 40th year in the trade and I never get tired of it. I was looking to buy a pantograph for my shop Machine Shop Services but I like this idea. THANKS AGAIN JOE.
Commercial pantograph may be more rigid, but this got me over a big hurdle and delivered great results.
Got the plans - thank you Joe. Something else to make when I can. Nice.
Looked round your site - patents - wow -- you sure do a load of super stuff. Kudos.
Thanks. I have to update the patent page. Got 1 more issued and 1 new application !! Now all I need is a butt load of cash and I'll be set.
I am delighted with your plans. Up and running. thanks Joe
Awesome, thank you! It does add some fun to the shop.
Thanks for putting the plans up. Marc from Montreal
thanks for the plans and all your tips through the year, have a good one next year, thanks
Fantastic plans. Thank you very much. A small tie rod end works really well at the quill to accommodate 3D carving.
Thanks for the plans. Very generous to offer them free
Teriffic job on the plans Joe. Thank you so much.
You're welcome. I don't think I missed anything. Let me know.
wow joe, what a great detailed set of plans, thank you!
Thanks Joe something to keep me busy for a while
Most of the rails can be done in a stack. I believe the hole patterns are the same. That makes it very quick.
sweet Ill do that
Merry Christmas Joe. Thanks for all you share with us! Joel.....
thanks Joe, great plans, super fun build.
It is a fun thing to have available. I saved a bunch of money engraving my own parts.
Might be a little bit late by 6yrs but Merry Christmas from Auckland, New Zealand ...
Happy New year Joe, Thanks for the update, downloading the plans shortly.
Thanks for making this available. If I ever find some time to burn making a 3d one would be fun after all you never know when you might want to make a mold from an existing part. :-) I hope you have a happy and successful new year!
im gettin ready to make one of these hopefully it turns out well. i enjoy your videos and am looking forward to trying some of the techniques you use.
Joe, you simply can’t bore us.
Hi Joe,
Happy New Year,thank you for producing these plans and sharing them with us all.Keep on inspiring and educating us.
Cheers Mate.
Allen.
Great video, watched the three video you made on pantograph, clear explanation that I got the idea. 😊
Very neat. Thanks for taking the time to do this for the us Joe. Happy NewYear
Belated Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!!! Chris
Thanks for posting this! I bet there will be a run on that grinder. Chris
I bet you're right. Over 350 hits on the plans page so far.
Thanks Joe
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Very cool, Joe. Thanks for sharing. Happy New Year!
I made one out of CPVC pipe, nails cause I didn't have any better joint pivots handy, and a sharpie, in order to blow up and transfer a 14 by 20 inch picture into a 9 foot tall image, on the floor, for a mosaic in a strip club. No kidding, worked like a dream, considering I only used ratios, no actual measurements in building it.
Not shure if you care to see but kinda interesting to me if as many as possible that built this could show pics of the completed build. I am on my last adjusting pin today.
I am flattered you are making one. They are fun to play with. I would like to see everyone's builds.
Happy New Year and thanks for the tips
Thanks Joe for these plans, i will surely make one!
Happy New Year ,Thanks for posting the plans Joe they look way cool , do you have a outlet for the Masters for lettering ?
I should be able to post them this week
Hi Joe,
Hope you're taking advantage of the Holidays to take a rest... ;)
Nice plans... Got a copy!
Hey...! Wish you and your family a Happy New Year 2017, Pierre
Thanks Pierre. Happy New Year to you as well.
Fantastic thank you for sharing sir. I'm south from you a few hours
Thank you for the plans. Kind regards from France.
Good luck.
Thanks for your detailed plans, downloaded and printed. I hope to build a pantograph that will engrave numbers on a cylindrical dial, such as the crossfeed dial on an Atlas 12" lathe. I hope to use hard phenolic for the dial. Any suggestions as to how to engrave on a cylindrical surface? DRD/ Overland Park, Ks
I see you have a link to your website in the description, maybe also adding a link directly to the project page might help u get more hits on your website. just a thought.
You have to bounce off the home page to get to my plan page. It's setup pretty well.
Hey Joe, I'm about 75% done with this build now. Just really down to building the 6 long bars and polishing everything. I'm still curious about what all the adjustment holes are for. I thought that was for changing the reduction ratio but by watching this video again, I'm thinking maybe it's for aligning somehow ?? Can't wait to try it out. Thanks.
All the holes are positioned proportionally to control the reduction ratio. The closer the grinder gets to the pivot point, the smaller the font, and vise versa. Make sure the pivot, grinder and stylus are always linear to each other. Good luck.
Joe,
Where'd you get your masters?
Thanks for the plans, You're the man.
steve kaney ive just spent an hour googling and serching the web and i cannot find them...
They are very hard to find ! I'll post you another reply when I get the name of my supplier.
I want to modify one of these for my everlast plasma cutter.
Downloaded the plans...... I have no stickers, but thank you very much.
Good luck with the project.
I build my own rifle suppressors the tubes must be engraved with no smaller that 1/16th letters, have you tried engraving tubes?
Lengthwise or radial orientation?
length wise, with a 1.5" od tube I'm sure it would be fine. what I have done in the past is to print out a label with the required info and stick it to the tube and trace it out with a dremel. I have a video showing the process, but always wanted a pantograph
Awesome Joe, thank you
Hi Joe. Turning plastic parts like these pins does present some problems. As the part becomes thinner, so it becomes more flexible! Watched a lot of YT videos about turning plastics - but most demos end up with a huge 'birds nest' around the part. Also not easy to get a good surface finish - but perhaps I'm not using the right tools. Wondered if you would consider doing a video on the subject of working with plastics sometime? Just a thought.
I have several videos about techniques that are perfectly suited for this project. HSS tools with positive rakes and very large cuts is the only way to go. Look through my catalog of videos.
Thanks Joe. I did take big cuts - based on your video about machining thin wall parts. Didn't use HSS though. I'll give it a try.
Its also OK to turn multiple shorter segments and advance the material as you need to.
It is a great design; is there any way you may have the ratio based on the configuration's? I am 3D printing the parts now I will let you know how it works Thanks
I'd have to get the plans and look them over. If this rig doesn't give you the reduction you need, you can make smaller masters using it, then use them to get even greater range of options.
Many Thanks Joe, You have come through with the goods :-) If I wanted to convert to metric I assume that the important things are the ratios of the parts. I.e the frame arm spacing holes are at 1.25 inch's. if they where all 30mm or 32mm would that be >6mm holes instead of .251 etc.. ok? Regards Max
Greetings Max. The ratios are the important part. The hole spacing dimension is also the developed dimension from the pivot, grinder and stylus centers to the first hole. DON'T miss that one if you convert to metric. If you change the hole diameters, you also have to change the long plastic pin diameters and the washers. Otherwise it should be no problem. Happy New Year.
What kind of bit are you using, and does it work for steal? Im hoping to make this to engrave numbers on a 20 sided dice im making on a bridgeport (very fun)!
I believe this was a 2 flute .06 dia ball end mill. A burr cutter may be better for steel.
Thank you Joe!
How is the grinder lifted off the part between the letters?
I did not watched all your videos on how to use the pantograph, sorry :)
I may know some of your far relatives in Cleveland
Since the entire unit is in the collet, simply raise the quill handle and the grinder lifts right off. Re-position the stylus to the next character since it floats in its guide block, and lower the quill back down.
Thanks joe
Good luck
Joe, you think it's possible to do serial no's on a firearm with this?
I don't see why it's not possible, as long as you can hold the firearm properly every time! He has another video where he shows how to use it - "engraving on a manual mill", decide for yourself :)
+Chubbza5 I wonder what the reduction factor is as well as how small an engraving mill you can get for the grinder.
John Woolfrey
The reduction factor can be changed, I'm unsure of the numbers. I'm not too sure, Joe would probably know!
Hey guys. For your application, I would suggest masters at, or under 1/2" tall. This unit can get down to about 15% of original so that makes the numbers pretty small. The cutters are 1/8" diameter shank, so anything you can find with an 1/8" shank will work. Engraving cutters are dead sharp points.
Much thanks!
Thanks for plans. I will make one thank you
hi Joe from the UK. could this be adapted to be a 1:1 pantograph?
That would be a good challenge. I bet it could be done, but not producing a full scale mirrored image would be the real challenge.
Joe Pieczynski sorry mate your reply has me confused?
Think about it....If you want to produce a full scale replica using a tracer mounted on a pivot, and the grinder and tracer are on opposite sides of that pivot, up becomes down, left and right are the same. The ideal setup would be a stacked setup, but that would be very interesting to see. Certainly not impossible.
Joe Pieczynski yeah I see now it's inverted...... but that will be fine for most of my stuff I guess. ;)
I want to build one how can I get the plan
hi can this unit be modified to work with a router . will buy plans if so
I am sure the performance of this unit is driven by the cutter type and material selected. The 40,000 RPM air grinder combined with a good sharp 2 flute cutter should easily handle wood. The depth, setup and cut parameters will determine the quality of the cut.
what does this gizmo do?
Allows you to do text and design engraving on a non CNC mill. There are 2 other videos on my channel that show exactly what it does. "Engraving on a manual mill" and part 2
Joe cannot find letter number masters any where .Any ideas for UK. mike
ruclips.net/video/Ao3vIe_ZEY0/видео.html
If you have some simple wood working tools it’s relatively easy to make your own from wood.
Find someone with a 3d printer to make them for you.