I have just received my 1000x1000 Ultimate Bee and have started to put it together. Rewatching your videos for a second time as I go. Thank you so much for posting these. Invaluable!!!
@@G28CNCI'm getting mine today, 1500X1500 😉 How long would you estimate the assembly takes in total? By the way, you opted out of using the L shaped hex key, aren't you concerned the screws aren't torqued enough? Thx brother! 🤗
@@G28CNC I purchaced an Ooznest 750 x 1000 cm Workbee about three years ago and upgraded it to the Ratrig Killer Bee last summer. I'm curious as to the performance of the Ultimate Bee as compared to my Killer Bee.
@@graveurgraveur2691 very cool, once I get this up and running let me know if there are specific things you’d want to see cut so you can have a comparison
hi, your videos are very helpfull for me as owner of bulkman ultimate bee 750x1000. As seen from video you are cleaning rails with alcohol C2H5OH, or ch380 izopropil. is this cleaning procedure MUST or can simply just grease rails
@@bblloobb1000 I cleaned everything off that had the sticky packing grease on it from shipping. I think it might vary from purchase to purchase but for me, the rails has an almost tacky feel and I used 70% isopropyl to get it off and then greased them with a superLube PTFE grease. I clean the rails after every use with wiping and regreasing included if I used misting or light flooding so they don’t rust
At what point should I be concerned if the y axis isn’t moving smoothly? It all got slightly worse up until the motors went in and at that point I felt it wasn’t healthy to keep moving them. Will the alignment happen later?
Have you energized them and tried moving with the motors? Mine felt very tight to be honest- I did at one point loosen the plates that hold the bearings as well as where the ball nut attaches to each gantry plate and worked it around to try and center it better. The other thing I found was that over tightening the three screws that attach the ball but to the gantry will make things bind up. You have to find a balance between over tightening and having it too loose which creates some slop in the movement.
@@G28CNC I haven’t reached that point but I realized they easily move with one finger when spinning the coupler. The way you were pushing the gantry got worse for me once the stepper motor was connected. Did you ever find another use for the extra 2040 you put under the spoil board? I wondered if it could strengthen the x axis any more. Btw, awesome series
Definitely- it is 100% a huge pain to do. The best method I’ve found so far is a needle attachment which I use to push the ball into the nipple. I will get a video of it soon for you
I think in a few of those shots I grabbed the footage from the left side y axis versus the right side. I can’t remember for sure but I believe I got better shots in one side versus the other for part of it so I used that.
Hello, I'm planning to make my own but would prefere to put two rails on the Y axis and using the queenbee pro gantry plates instead to make it stronger. I'm wondering why bulkman reduced to one rail per axis?
Are the grease fittings on this the same as they are on automotive grease fittings or are they special fittings and require a special grease gun? Also do you happen to know how much grease you are having to put into them?
The fittings in the ball nut are a standard size- the fittings on the linear bearings are not and they are honestly a huge pain in the a$$. I have recently been using a syringe and small EFD needle to grease those- I grease them until I see the grease come out from the rail area.
@@G28CNC ok then thank you I currently have a shapeoko 4 XXL but I'm looking for a CNC with a 4ft x 4ft work area and I'm strongly considering the ultimate bee
what kind of greese gun tip are you using? are the tips compatible/interchangeable with most gease guns? and how much greese do i put in for the 1st use and when i do the maintenance? I'm brand new to this, so sorry if it's a dumb question. 😊
Not a bad question at all! I intended to give a nice video on this but hadn’t had the opportunity yet- I’ve most recently been using a needle attachment in my mini grease gun that is small enough to push the ball of the fitting in. I put enough grease in that it starts to come out of the bearing between the rail. I grease 1-2 time a month depending on how frequently I use the machine. I also clean the rails after every use to get any chips off.
@@G28CNC No, to me. It looks like the spacer is not big enough. I lined it up on the other Y axis and I have 1/8 inch gap in my spacer and the axis and spindle are touching. (I was able to see this without the coupler installed) Sorry to bog your feed. You have great videos! I was just hoping for more support.
58:35 do we know the thread? Just curious as mine is en route due for delivery Wednesday EXCITING! 😏 So will just run a tap through all the holes if need be 🤩
So what I found was that the thruholes for the bolt were very tight and not letting the bolt heads easily through or aligning. I have to find where it is in either this video or the x axis but I end up just drilling the holes slightly larger and it made it so much better. You can test before assembly by taking the correct bolt and simply trying to be able to freely drop it through each of the four holes on every motor. If a hole is tight drill it.
First of all thanks for effort of the nice videos :) I was wondering which kind of adapter you are using at the grease gun's end? I find it hard to imagine how the end shall be formed to stick to these grease nipples without putting heavy pressure on it :( Also were you able to see actually any grease coming out on the rails or on the bottom of the blocks? Because my grease screw holes look as if the grease could go nowhere :D
What a struggle right? I currently have a needle on the gun- I don’t actually clamp to the nipple- I push the ball of the nipple in with the needle tip and then grease. It works but is a huge pain. I had a couple of thoughts when I was doing the ultimate bee build but none came to fruition as I was rushing to get through the videos. A few things I did investigate but did not have much luck with: 1. completely different nipples. I scoured the internet for larger nipples, extended and right angle nipples, etc. I had some results but nothing fully planned out. 2. Threading in a barbed connector or ptc fittings and adding in some flexible extension hoses that I could add standard nipples to and get out of the way. 3. Making my own rigid extended fittings with brass tubing and standard nipples. I would turn down one end and thread to the m3/m4 for the bearings and then internally thread the other end for standard nipples. All would take some decent effort so I just continued with the needle method for now.
Thanks for your fast response. Yes, really frustrating. I also run into some other issues already Y-axis.. For the greasing, I was also searching for some other nipples but had no luck. Someone used a syringe without the needle, without the nipple, but with an O-ring. I think I try this option and if it fails I'll lubricate the rails.
I have a question, I greased the bearings including on the screw and the stepping motor is still disconnected. When pushing the y axis I expected it to move easier. It moves, for sure, but not that easy. Is that normal? I was considering to put another lithium grease on it. I ordered another one but didn't arrive yet. Once arrived, I will check if viscosity feels different. Also, it is very difficult to get the grease in through the grease nippels. I tried to unscrew them and push it in that way and I applied it directly to the rail. Any suggestions? Is it ok that it moves a little difficult?
I also thought that it was difficult to move and was worried but let it play through to the end and everything seems to be fine. It’s hard to say without feeling yours but I recommend you keep going and see how it operates. If it still sound or appears rough you can always loosen the bearing blocks on the end and adjust the alignment.
@@G28CNC indeed it is difficult to explain how easy / not easy it goes. But I can imagine that the stepping motors are rather powerful. Will play around. Now checking out the different ways to connect the cables of the stepping motors. Would be nice to have a forum or something like that.
My Amazon cart is always loaded haha- but for real, none of the items I use are 100% necessary, they’ll just make it easier for you. If you have a set of metric Allen wrenches already they’ll definitely work. I think I got 3 hours into my queenbee build and then ordered the long handled ones
On my Queen Bee, I had started out using a dry lube to keep chips from sticking to the linear rails, it's great for keeping the rails clean and free of rust. Here's a link to that: amzn.to/3qAsMO7 However, that did nothing for the bearings themselves as they need to have grease packed in them so after some research I found many people using this: amzn.to/3OEqaGQ The grease is difficult to shoot into the linear bearing but this gun has worked the best so far: amzn.to/47wMRFG Between the two my machine has been running smooth and I've now continued the practice on my ultimate bee, also using the same grease in the ball screw nut. I highly recommend doing a rail cleaning and dry lube after every heavy job and/or every week or two with light but frequent use.
Hi Lukas, The real overall length of the y axis including the motor and bearing plates is 66 inches (1676mm) The overall width of the 1515 is 63inches (1600mm) I think I remember you saying you got the 1015 so I'm guessing your overall width will be about 43.5inches (1100mm). I built my table from a Kreg tool system and it has been working great, here's a video of that option with some links to the individual parts to customize the size, I think if you did (1) 44" rail set and (1) 64" rail set you'd have the perfect size for the 1015 - (ruclips.net/video/w4Swu8lTHI4/видео.html). I added 2" of overhang to the MDF top on all sides so I could build a full enclosure around the machine.
So happy for you.
I have just received my 1000x1000 Ultimate Bee and have started to put it together. Rewatching your videos for a second time as I go. Thank you so much for posting these. Invaluable!!!
Awesome, thanks for checking it out and happy to help! Good luck on the build and hit me up if you have questions along the way
@@G28CNCI'm getting mine today, 1500X1500 😉
How long would you estimate the assembly takes in total?
By the way, you opted out of using the L shaped hex key, aren't you concerned the screws aren't torqued enough?
Thx brother! 🤗
Thank you for going through the whole process with up.
Happy to help, let me know if you get stuck or have questions and thanks for checking it out
Found your videos really useful. thanks!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback
Looking foward to the rest of the build. Thanks!
Thanks for watching- hoping to have the spoil board/base video this week!
Do you already have a machine you’re assembling or still thinking about picking one up?
@@G28CNC I purchaced an Ooznest 750 x 1000 cm Workbee about three years ago and upgraded it to the Ratrig Killer Bee last summer. I'm curious as to the performance of the Ultimate Bee as compared to my Killer Bee.
@@graveurgraveur2691 very cool, once I get this up and running let me know if there are specific things you’d want to see cut so you can have a comparison
hi, your videos are very helpfull for me as owner of bulkman ultimate bee 750x1000. As seen from video you are cleaning rails with alcohol C2H5OH, or ch380 izopropil. is this cleaning procedure MUST or can simply just grease rails
@@bblloobb1000 I cleaned everything off that had the sticky packing grease on it from shipping. I think it might vary from purchase to purchase but for me, the rails has an almost tacky feel and I used 70% isopropyl to get it off and then greased them with a superLube PTFE grease. I clean the rails after every use with wiping and regreasing included if I used misting or light flooding so they don’t rust
@@G28CNC thanks. your videos for asembling were very helpful. thanks again
At what point should I be concerned if the y axis isn’t moving smoothly? It all got slightly worse up until the motors went in and at that point I felt it wasn’t healthy to keep moving them. Will the alignment happen later?
Have you energized them and tried moving with the motors? Mine felt very tight to be honest- I did at one point loosen the plates that hold the bearings as well as where the ball nut attaches to each gantry plate and worked it around to try and center it better. The other thing I found was that over tightening the three screws that attach the ball but to the gantry will make things bind up. You have to find a balance between over tightening and having it too loose which creates some slop in the movement.
@@G28CNC I haven’t reached that point but I realized they easily move with one finger when spinning the coupler. The way you were pushing the gantry got worse for me once the stepper motor was connected.
Did you ever find another use for the extra 2040 you put under the spoil board? I wondered if it could strengthen the x axis any more. Btw, awesome series
Hello, it would be nice if you can show us how to re-grease all the bearings after you fully assemble the machine for maintenance.
Definitely- it is 100% a huge pain to do. The best method I’ve found so far is a needle attachment which I use to push the ball into the nipple. I will get a video of it soon for you
Thank you sir.@@G28CNC
I noticed the brackets are flipped from 45 min mark then at 47 min they are in different positions?
I think in a few of those shots I grabbed the footage from the left side y axis versus the right side. I can’t remember for sure but I believe I got better shots in one side versus the other for part of it so I used that.
Hello, I'm planning to make my own but would prefere to put two rails on the
Y axis and using the queenbee pro gantry plates instead to make it stronger. I'm wondering why bulkman reduced to one rail per axis?
That’s a good question- it seems to work totally fine still - my guess was to reduce costs for their raw materials?
thanks for help to advertising😊
Thanks for making an affordable large format CNC router! Can’t wait to fire this thing up
Are the grease fittings on this the same as they are on automotive grease fittings or are they special fittings and require a special grease gun? Also do you happen to know how much grease you are having to put into them?
The fittings in the ball nut are a standard size- the fittings on the linear bearings are not and they are honestly a huge pain in the a$$. I have recently been using a syringe and small EFD needle to grease those- I grease them until I see the grease come out from the rail area.
@@G28CNC ok then thank you I currently have a shapeoko 4 XXL but I'm looking for a CNC with a 4ft x 4ft work area and I'm strongly considering the ultimate bee
what kind of greese gun tip are you using? are the tips compatible/interchangeable with most gease guns? and how much greese do i put in for the 1st use and when i do the maintenance? I'm brand new to this, so sorry if it's a dumb question. 😊
Not a bad question at all! I intended to give a nice video on this but hadn’t had the opportunity yet- I’ve most recently been using a needle attachment in my mini grease gun that is small enough to push the ball of the fitting in. I put enough grease in that it starts to come out of the bearing between the rail. I grease 1-2 time a month depending on how frequently I use the machine. I also clean the rails after every use to get any chips off.
Great videos!.. I do not recommend that you really crank on your servo motor screws... I just broke my screw holding the motor together.
I think I saw your post on the queenbee group! That is a huge bummer. Did you find that the holes were not fully drilled to the right diameter?
@@G28CNC No, to me. It looks like the spacer is not big enough. I lined it up on the other Y axis and I have 1/8 inch gap in my spacer and the axis and spindle are touching. (I was able to see this without the coupler installed)
Sorry to bog your feed. You have great videos! I was just hoping for more support.
58:35 do we know the thread? Just curious as mine is en route due for delivery Wednesday EXCITING! 😏
So will just run a tap through all the holes if need be 🤩
So what I found was that the thruholes for the bolt were very tight and not letting the bolt heads easily through or aligning. I have to find where it is in either this video or the x axis but I end up just drilling the holes slightly larger and it made it so much better.
You can test before assembly by taking the correct bolt and simply trying to be able to freely drop it through each of the four holes on every motor. If a hole is tight drill it.
First of all thanks for effort of the nice videos :)
I was wondering which kind of adapter you are using at the grease gun's end? I find it hard to imagine how the end shall be formed to stick to these grease nipples without putting heavy pressure on it :(
Also were you able to see actually any grease coming out on the rails or on the bottom of the blocks? Because my grease screw holes look as if the grease could go nowhere :D
What a struggle right? I currently have a needle on the gun- I don’t actually clamp to the nipple- I push the ball of the nipple in with the needle tip and then grease.
It works but is a huge pain. I had a couple of thoughts when I was doing the ultimate bee build but none came to fruition as I was rushing to get through the videos.
A few things I did investigate but did not have much luck with:
1. completely different nipples. I scoured the internet for larger nipples, extended and right angle nipples, etc. I had some results but nothing fully planned out.
2. Threading in a barbed connector or ptc fittings and adding in some flexible extension hoses that I could add standard nipples to and get out of the way.
3. Making my own rigid extended fittings with brass tubing and standard nipples. I would turn down one end and thread to the m3/m4 for the bearings and then internally thread the other end for standard nipples.
All would take some decent effort so I just continued with the needle method for now.
Thanks for your fast response. Yes, really frustrating. I also run into some other issues already Y-axis.. For the greasing, I was also searching for some other nipples but had no luck. Someone used a syringe without the needle, without the nipple, but with an O-ring. I think I try this option and if it fails I'll lubricate the rails.
I have a question, I greased the bearings including on the screw and the stepping motor is still disconnected. When pushing the y axis I expected it to move easier. It moves, for sure, but not that easy. Is that normal? I was considering to put another lithium grease on it. I ordered another one but didn't arrive yet. Once arrived, I will check if viscosity feels different. Also, it is very difficult to get the grease in through the grease nippels. I tried to unscrew them and push it in that way and I applied it directly to the rail. Any suggestions? Is it ok that it moves a little difficult?
I also thought that it was difficult to move and was worried but let it play through to the end and everything seems to be fine. It’s hard to say without feeling yours but I recommend you keep going and see how it operates. If it still sound or appears rough you can always loosen the bearing blocks on the end and adjust the alignment.
@@G28CNC indeed it is difficult to explain how easy / not easy it goes. But I can imagine that the stepping motors are rather powerful. Will play around. Now checking out the different ways to connect the cables of the stepping motors. Would be nice to have a forum or something like that.
Time to load up the Amazon shopping cart 😂
My Amazon cart is always loaded haha- but for real, none of the items I use are 100% necessary, they’ll just make it easier for you. If you have a set of metric Allen wrenches already they’ll definitely work. I think I got 3 hours into my queenbee build and then ordered the long handled ones
What kind of grease are you using?
On my Queen Bee, I had started out using a dry lube to keep chips from sticking to the linear rails, it's great for keeping the rails clean and free of rust. Here's a link to that:
amzn.to/3qAsMO7
However, that did nothing for the bearings themselves as they need to have grease packed in them so after some research I found many people using this:
amzn.to/3OEqaGQ
The grease is difficult to shoot into the linear bearing but this gun has worked the best so far:
amzn.to/47wMRFG
Between the two my machine has been running smooth and I've now continued the practice on my ultimate bee, also using the same grease in the ball screw nut.
I highly recommend doing a rail cleaning and dry lube after every heavy job and/or every week or two with light but frequent use.
What’s the total external length of the 1500 y axis including the steppers? Just preparing the landing pad.
Hi Lukas,
The real overall length of the y axis including the motor and bearing plates is 66 inches (1676mm)
The overall width of the 1515 is 63inches (1600mm)
I think I remember you saying you got the 1015 so I'm guessing your overall width will be about 43.5inches (1100mm).
I built my table from a Kreg tool system and it has been working great, here's a video of that option with some links to the individual parts to customize the size, I think if you did (1) 44" rail set and (1) 64" rail set you'd have the perfect size for the 1015 - (ruclips.net/video/w4Swu8lTHI4/видео.html).
I added 2" of overhang to the MDF top on all sides so I could build a full enclosure around the machine.
@@G28CNC awesome. I think i’ll build my bench but Nice to know There are kits for that too :)