A basic test of the fourth axis. This is actually a prototype for the limit switches.

Here's what it looks like currently, with lots of attached bling.

A tool holder built from the leftover stair riser used as a door threshold to my shop. In case you're wondering why there are two empty holes, ah, I can't count to 10 correctly.

In a picture from much later, I had to disassemble the drive motor because it had ingested microscopic foam particles from test-engraving my dog tags. (I added to my to-do list a button to disable the cooling fan on the motor so it doesn't do this again.) This gives a good look at the drive system, a 500W 130VDC 8A treadmill motor. I had to rebuild the AquaDog motor (supposedly 2000W 10A) at one point, too, so this process is quite familiar. And it gave me the opportunity to lubricate the spindle bearings, etc. One thing to watch out for (speaking from experience here) is not using cleaning fluids that seap into the bearings and dissolve the grease packing. When I first got these motors (three), I had to replace several bearings because of that.

The drive was designed to be disassembled, so no issues here.

Reassembled and ready to be put back into action.

Here's a gallery of examples from RhinoCAM. I included the 2-1/2 axis, 3-axis, and 4-axis machining only because that's all my mill (and mind) can do. These are cool, but in reality, most of my work is prismatic 2-1/2D parts.