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Chapter 01 — Frame

One page per step

Read this chapter one step per page — big pictures, prev/next, and the same tick marks. This page is the whole chapter in one scroll.

Builds the 2020 frame — bottom square, four verticals, top square — plus the two bed extrusions, squared on a verified-flat surface. Unlocks Ch 02 (Z drives) and Ch 03 (build plate), and fixes the squareness every later axis inherits.

What you're building in this chapter: the box the whole printer hangs off, out of 2020 aluminium extrusion — 20 × 20 mm bars with a T-slot down each face, so anything can be bolted anywhere along them. Three sub-assemblies. The bottom square is four horizontal extrusions joined by the four verticals that stand in its corners; the top square is four more horizontals closing the cube at the top. Every one of those sixteen corners is a blind joint — a screw threaded into the end of the horizontal, its head hidden inside the vertical's slot, tightened through a small access hole in the vertical's side. The bed extrusions are two more horizontals running front to back across the base, left and right of centre, carried on corner brackets from the front and rear bottom rails; the heated build plate sits on them in Ch 03, and their spacing has to match the plate's own mounting holes. Everything is assembled loose, squared with a tape measure and a mallet, and only then tightened — because a bolt taken to full torque locks in whatever error was there when you tightened it.

Revali turning a hex key
Square the frame once, properly. Everything above copies this frame, including its mistakes, forever.

Time: 2.5–4.0 h hands-on, first build, two people (survey §5.1 P01 / §7.2).

Sessions: 4 × ~40 min — the Pause: lines below break the chapter into 4 segments of 25–65 min; every minute figure is a first-build estimate.

Prerequisites:

  • Ch 00 — inventory, extrusions counted, tools to hand.
  • Print batches: none gate this chapter. No printed part is required for the frame; you can square it the day the kit lands (print plan §2). Nothing is printing underneath it either: all 22 plates, B00 through B10, came off the Prusa before the cartons arrived, so Ch 02 starts the moment this chapter closes.

Tools

  • 3 mm hex key, straight, long-arm — the kit's 3 mm L-wrench, if the kit has one (verify on bench); the Fabreeko precision set is ball-end — for the 16 M5×16 BHCS blind joints; the access hole is in line with the bolt, so no ball end is needed and a straight key is better for the torque pass. A 3 mm ball-end is optional for the first snug
  • Machinist square, 150 mm, DIN 875/2 or better
  • Steel rule 300 mm, plus a steel tape ≥1 m (a 350 frame's plan diagonal is ≈721 mm)
  • Straightedge + feeler gauges, 0.02–0.10 mm — to re-check the reference surface (Step 01.1)
  • Flat reference surface: the kitchen stone counter, verified (decision: Ch 00 Step 00.10)
  • Rubber or nylon mallet, for nudging the frame square
  • Torque screwdriver 0.5–3 N·m — optional; the manual specifies no torque value
  • Masking tape + marker (FRONT label, extrusion labels, log)

Printed parts

STL Qty Colour
none — this chapter needs no printed parts — —

Hardware (chapter totals)

Fastener / part Qty Where
A extrusion 10 4 bottom + 4 top frame (p.15–17), 2 bed (p.18–20)
B extrusion 4 verticals (p.15–16)
M5×16 BHCS 20 16 frame blind joints + 4 corner brackets
Corner bracket, 2020 cast — from the kit, no LDO BOM row 4 one per bed-extrusion end (p.18); (verify on bench) which box carries them
M5×10 BHCS 4 bed extrusions down to the frame (p.19)
M5 precision spacer, brass 4 under each M5×10 head — replaces the manual's "M5 shim"
M5 T-nut, roll-in 4 bottom rails, under the bed extrusions (p.19)

C, D and E extrusions are sorted here but not used in this chapter — they are the gantry (manual p.85, p.88, p.101 → Ch 05).

Read first

  • Frame squaring is the one irreversible quality decision in this build. Re-check after every tightening pass. Gantry racking, quad-gantry-level and bed mesh all inherit what you set here (survey §4.4 #1).
  • Extrusion and roll-in T-nut tolerances are tight in this kit. LDO: "Due to the tight tolerances of the extrusions and roll-in t-nuts it is advisable to either test fit before assembly to identify the sides of the extrusions that fits the best or to pre-load the t-nuts into the extrusions." src
  • Every "M5 shim" in the official manual is a brass M5 precision spacer in this kit — here and for the rest of the build.
  • Titanium extrusion backers are NOT installed in this chapter. They go onto the gantry's X and Y extrusions during Ch 05, on the face opposite the rail. Leave them bagged; fitting them to frame extrusions now would be wrong and fitting them after the gantry is assembled costs a teardown (survey §4.4 #3, §5.2 W2). This is the only place this note appears.
  • Nothing here is printed. Build it the day the kit lands — the printer is idle and every bin is already full.

Sources for this chapter:

Video coverage (Steve Builds, pre-release LDO kit — differs from Rev D+): Part 1 @0:54:42 (+2m), Part 1 @0:55:46 (+19m), Part 1 @1:14:12 (+14m), Part 1 @1:29:00 (+19m), Part 5 @3:14:50 (+2m)

Step 01.1 — Verify the flat reference surface

What you're looking at: Manual p.12 opens the frame section. On your bench it is the stone counter, a long straightedge and feeler gauges. This surface is the frame's only reference: any twist in it, one corner high, is copied permanently into the printer.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Re-clean the patch you masked at Step 00.10.
  2. Run the straightedge and feelers over the same five positions: left–right, front–back, both diagonals, centre.
  3. Work where both of you can reach all four corners. Put nothing underneath.

check Check

Worst feeler gap ≤ 0.1 mm, no larger than your Ch 00 figure, and no rock of the straightedge. Write the number in the log.

Helper: Reads the thickest feeler leaf that slides under and writes it in the log.

tip Tip

tape a strip marked FRONT on the face you want to face you. Any face will do until the bed extrusions go in; after that it is fixed.

Source: Voron manual p.12 · Voron manual p.15 · Video: Part 1 @0:53:46

Step 01.2 — Sort the extrusions by length

What you're looking at: Manual p.13 lays the eighteen extrusions out by length. These 2020 extrusions are 20 × 20 mm aluminium bars with a T-slot down each face. A is the horizontal, B the vertical, C / D / E the gantry in Ch 05.

Parts:

  • staged: A extrusion ×10
  • staged: B extrusion ×4
  • staged: C extrusion ×2
  • staged: D extrusion ×1
  • staged: E extrusion ×1
  • consumable: masking tape
  • tool: marker

Do:

  1. Lay every extrusion out and sort by length.
  2. Label each group A/B/C/D/E with masking tape.
  3. Bag C, D and E separately, labelled for Ch 05: manual p.85, p.88, p.101.

check Check

10 A, 4 B, 2 C, 1 D, 1 E. Only the four B extrusions have small round access holes near each end.

Helper: Sorts the extrusions into piles by length and counts each pile aloud.

Source: Voron manual p.13

Step 01.3 — Inspect the ends and test-fit a T-nut

What you're looking at: The same p.13 layout plus one roll-in T-nut, a nut that drops into an extrusion slot and rotates a quarter turn to lock, see glossary. You are checking for a burred end face and a slot that will not accept a nut.

Parts:

  • tool: M5 roll-in T-nut, fit test, back in its tray
  • tool: M3 roll-in T-nut, fit test, back in its tray
  • tool: machinist square

Do:

  1. Deburr all 10 A and 4 B end faces.
  2. Roll the M5 nut down each A's four channels; tape the easiest one.
  3. Roll the M3 nut into each B's two channels without access holes.

check Check

Every end face sits flat on the machinist square with no rock, and every T-nut rolls in and rotates with finger pressure.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: extrusion and roll-in T-nut tolerances are tight on this kit — LDO's advice is to test-fit before assembly and identify the best-fitting sides, or to pre-load T-nuts. If one refuses to rotate, use a different face or a different extrusion; do not force it. src

Source: Voron manual p.13 · LDO Build Notes (Rev D)

Step 01.4 — Start an M5×16 BHCS in each end of eight A extrusions

What you're looking at: Manual p.14 shows eight A extrusions with an M5×16 BHCS button head cap screw started in the tapped bore at each end. The screw goes into the horizontal first because in the finished joint its head hides inside the vertical.

Parts:

  • A extrusion ×8
  • M5×16 BHCS ×16

Do:

  1. Take 8 of the 10 A extrusions, keeping 2 back for the bed.
  2. Thread an M5×16 BHCS into each tapped end bore, 16 bolts, until the head plus about 2 mm of shank stands proud. Leave finger-loose.

check Check

All 16 bolts start cleanly and stand proud by the same ~2 mm. A bolt that binds means a damaged thread; fix it now.

Source: Voron manual p.14

Step 01.5 — Understand the blind joint before you make one

What you're looking at: Manual p.15 and p.10 show one horizontal and one vertical dry-assembled: the blind joint, see glossary. The screw head slides into a slot of the vertical, and you tighten it through the access hole in the opposite face.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Dry-assemble one A and one B extrusion on the bench. src
  2. Slide the bolt head into a channel from the vertical's open end, then reach the 3 mm key through the access hole opposite.

check Check

You can see the bolt socket through the access hole and get the 3 mm key straight onto it.

Source: Voron manual p.15 · Voron manual p.10 · blind-joint video · Video: Part 1 @0:54:58

pause Good stopping point · ~40 min since the last one

extrusions sorted and labelled A–E, all end faces deburred, 16 M5×16 BHCS started finger-loose in eight A extrusions, and one blind joint dry-run understood. Nothing is assembled. The next segment is the long one — the frame goes from loose extrusions to squared-and-torqued in ~65 min and cannot safely be broken in the middle, so start it with the time to finish it.

Step 01.6 — Lay out the bottom square on the reference surface

What you're looking at: Manual p.15 shows the first corner: two A extrusions meeting at one B vertical, flat on the build surface. Here all four bottom A extrusions go down first, with a void at each corner where a vertical drops in.

Parts:

  • reused: A extrusion ×4, prepared

Do:

  1. Lay four A extrusions flat on the stone in a square, taped channel up, each end face pointing into a corner void. They do not touch each other.
  2. Keep every part flat on the stone.

check Check

All four extrusions lie dead flat with no gap under any of them. The four corner voids are square and roughly 20 × 20 mm.

Source: Voron manual p.15 · Video: Part 1 @0:53:47

Step 01.7 — Join the first vertical to the first corner

What you're looking at: Manual p.15 shows the first corner going together: one B extrusion standing in the void with its two access holes on the outward faces. The two horizontals occupy the vertical's inner faces, so only the outer pair can take a driver.

Parts:

  • B extrusion ×1
  • reused: M5×16 BHCS ×2, already in the two A extrusions
  • tool: 3 mm hex key, straight

Do:

  1. Stand a B extrusion in the first corner, access holes facing outward.
  2. Slide it over the two bolt heads and push both A extrusions home.
  3. Snug through each access hole with the 3 mm key. Not tight.

check Check

Both A end faces sit flush against the vertical, its bottom is flush with theirs, and the corner sits flat on the stone.

Helper: Holds the two A extrusions together at the corner while you snug the bolts.

Source: Voron manual p.15

Step 01.8 — Add the remaining three verticals and close the bottom square

What you're looking at: Manual p.16 shows the other three verticals and the last two bottom horizontals, closing the base into a rectangle. Everything stays snug rather than tight so the assembly can still be nudged square before anything locks.

Parts:

  • B extrusion ×3
  • reused: A extrusion ×2, prepared
  • reused: M5×16 BHCS ×6, already in the A extrusions

Do: Repeat Step 01.7 at the other three corners, working around the frame, adding the last two bottom A extrusions as you go. Access holes outward every time. Snug only.

check Check

Bottom square closed, four verticals standing, 8 of the 16 blind joints engaged. The assembly still sits flat on the stone with no rock.

Helper: Holds each vertical upright while you slide it over the bolt heads.

Source: Voron manual p.16

Step 01.9 — Snug and check the bottom square

What you're looking at: Manual p.16 shows the closed bottom square with the machinist square standing in each inside corner. A machinist square is a precision-ground right angle; you are looking for light between its blade and the extrusion.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Press each corner down onto the stone.
  2. Snug all 8 bottom bolts in a diagonal pattern: corner 1, corner 3, corner 2, corner 4.
  3. Put the machinist square in each of the four inside corners.

check Check

All four inside corners read 90° against the square with no light. All four extrusions still touch the stone along their whole length.

Helper: Holds the square in each inside corner and calls out any light under the blade.

Source: Voron manual p.16

Step 01.10 — Fit the four top A extrusions

What you're looking at: Manual p.17 shows the four remaining A extrusions dropping onto the tops of the verticals. Their screw heads enter the verticals' slots from the open top ends, which is why this half needs a second pair of hands.

Parts:

  • reused: A extrusion ×4, prepared
  • reused: M5×16 BHCS ×8, already in the A extrusions

Do:

  1. Drop the four remaining A extrusions onto the verticals, bolt heads entering the channels from the top open ends. Two people.
  2. If one will not drop in, run its bolts in further; never spread the verticals. Snug only.

check Check

All 16 blind joints are now engaged and the top square is closed. No end face has a visible gap.

Helper: Holds the far end of each top extrusion level while you guide its bolt heads in.

Source: Voron manual p.17

Step 01.11 — Snug the top square

What you're looking at: Manual p.17 shows the completed 2020 cube, all sixteen blind joints engaged. The second pass over every joint matters because the frame settles as it is assembled and the joints you snugged first are no longer snug.

Parts: none.

Do: Snug the 8 top bolts through their access holes, again in a diagonal pattern. Then go back over all 16 joints once at snug.

check Check

All 16 joints are snug. The cube stands on its own and does not rack under a light hand push.

Source: Voron manual p.17

Step 01.12 — Square the bottom square and lock it

What you're looking at: Manual p.21 shows the squareness check, measuring both plan diagonals of the bottom square. A rectangle whose two diagonals are equal is square. The absolute number does not matter, only that the pair agree, so hook the tape the same way both times.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Measure both plan diagonals of the bottom square, outside face to outside face.
  2. Tap the longer diagonal's corner inward with the mallet until the pair agrees.
  3. Tighten the 8 bottom joints fully, diagonal pattern, then re-measure.

check Check

Both diagonals equal, near 721 mm on a 350, and all four corners 90°. Record the pair in the log. src

Helper: Holds the tape's far end on the corner and reads each diagonal aloud.

Source: Voron manual p.21 · frame squaring video

Step 01.13 — Square the top square and lock it

What you're looking at: Manual p.21 again, applied to the top square. Both squares can be individually square and still be rotated relative to each other. That is a twisted frame, and it shows up later as a gantry that will not sit parallel to the bed.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Repeat on the top square: both diagonals, mallet.
  2. Before the torque pass, sight down the four verticals for lean and square the top inside corners.
  3. Tighten the 8 top joints fully in a diagonal pattern and re-measure.

check Check

Top diagonals equal to each other and within a millimetre or so of the bottom pair.

Helper: Reads both top diagonals aloud and says which one is longer.

Source: Voron manual p.21

Step 01.14 — Check the four vertical faces

What you're looking at: Manual p.21 shows the four upright faces of the cube, each measured across its own diagonals. This is the check the first two cannot make: it catches a frame leaning over like a square-based prism rather than a rectangular box.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Measure both diagonals on each of the four vertical faces and square their inside corners, top and bottom.
  2. A face that will not come square means a joint not fully home: back it off, reseat it, re-tighten.

check Check

Each face's two diagonals equal and every corner reads 90°. A 350 pair lands near 735 mm, from 510 × 530 outside.

Helper: Holds the square flat against each upright and calls out any gap.

Source: Voron manual p.21 · Video: Part 1 @1:13:15

Step 01.15 — Check the frame sits without rock

What you're looking at: The finished, torqued frame standing on the reference surface. All four bottom corners should touch at once; a frame that rocks between two diagonal corners is twisted. The render already shows the bed extrusions, so ignore them here.

Parts: none.

Do: Set the frame back on the stone and press each top corner in turn.

check Check

No rock, no rattle, all four bottom corners in contact. A frame that rocks is twisted: go back to Step 01.13.

Helper: Watches the bottom corners and calls out any that lifts as you press.

Torque note: the manual specifies no torque value for these M5 blind joints. Tighten firmly with the straight 3 mm hex key — not the ball end, which cams out under load. If you use the torque screwdriver, pick one setting and apply it identically to all 16 joints — consistency matters more here than any particular number. (not specified — snug, then even)

tip Tip

The CAD is the 250 mm machine — its frame is 370 mm horizontals on 430 mm verticals. Yours is the 350 set; the contact geometry is the same.

Source: Voron manual p.21 · Voron manual p.15 · CAD: Voron 2.4r2 STEP @ de7e89d

pause Good stopping point · ~65 min since the last one

the frame is assembled, squared on both squares and all four vertical faces, all 16 blind joints fully torqued, and it sits on the stone with no rock. This is the first genuinely safe stop in the chapter: a frame left snug-but-untorqued keeps whatever error was in it, so never walk away between squaring and the torque pass. Leave the frame on the reference surface, covered.

Step 01.16 — Fit corner brackets to the two bed extrusions

What you're looking at: Manual p.18: the last two A extrusions with a corner bracket on each end. These bed extrusions are 470 mm and carry the build plate. They hang on their brackets between the front and rear rails, underside level with the rail tops.

Parts:

  • A extrusion ×2
  • Corner bracket ×4 — from the kit, no LDO BOM row
  • M5×16 BHCS ×4

Do:

  1. Bolt a bracket to each end of both A extrusions: one leg on the end face, M5×16 BHCS in the centre bore.
  2. Free leg flush with the bottom face, past the end, to sit on the rail. Snug.

check Check

4 brackets, 4 bolts, every free leg flush with the bottom face and pointing away from its end, all four oriented identically.

tip Tip

Leave the M5×16 snug. Step 01.19 tightens them once the brackets sit flat on the rails.

Source: Voron manual p.18 · Voron manual p.20 · CAD: Voron 2.4r2 STEP @ de7e89d · Video: Part 1 @1:29:21

Step 01.17 — Load four M5 T-nuts into the bottom rails

What you're looking at: Manual p.19 shows four M5 roll-in T-nuts dropped into the top slots of the two bottom rails. Each is the thread a bracket bolt picks up, loaded now and slid into position later.

Parts:

  • M5 roll-in T-nut ×4

Do: Roll two M5 T-nuts into the top channel of the front bottom rail and two into the rear, one per bed-extrusion end. Leave them loose, roughly where the brackets will land.

check Check

All four T-nuts rotate freely and sit flat. If one is tight, swap it or use the other channel face.

Source: Voron manual p.19 · LDO Build Notes (Rev D) · Video: Part 1 @1:28:12

Step 01.18 — Set the bed extrusions and start the fasteners

What you're looking at: Manual p.19 shows both bed extrusions in the frame, each bracket leg on a rail over a T-nut, with an M5 precision spacer under each bolt head. The brass spacer is a controlled thickness that sets stack height, not a washer, see glossary.

Parts:

  • reused: the two bracketed bed extrusions
  • M5×10 BHCS ×4
  • M5 precision spacer ×4

Do:

  1. Set the bed extrusions front-to-back, bracket legs on the rails over T-nuts. Move the FRONT tape if parallel to the bed extrusions.
  2. Drop a precision spacer on each hole and start an M5×10 BHCS into the T-nut, finger-loose.

check Check

Four bolts started, four spacers seated, ends flush with the rails' inner faces, undersides level with the rails' top faces.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: the manual calls this part an "M5 Shim" (p.19). This kit supplies a brass M5 precision spacer instead, for every M5 shim in the manual from here on. LDO: "The brass M5 Precision Spacer are used in place of the M5 Shim. This will be for all M5 Shims in the guide unless noted." src

Source: Voron manual p.19 · LDO Build Notes (Rev D)

Step 01.19 — Position the bed extrusions on the centreline

What you're looking at: Manual p.20 shows the two bed extrusions set symmetrically about the printer's centreline. Their spacing puts the build plate's mounting points where the plate's own holes are, so measure it at both ends of both extrusions.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Mark the centreline 255 mm from the left rail's outer face, front and rear.
  2. Slide each bed extrusion's inner face to 65 mm from that line.
  3. Tighten the M5×10, then the M5×16, brackets flush with their extrusions.

check Check

65 mm each side of the centreline at both ends of both extrusions, four equal measurements, and both extrusions read 90° to the rails.

Helper: Holds the tape on the centreline mark and reads each 65 mm aloud.

tip Tip

p.20's dimension lines land on the facing inner faces: 130 mm clear, 150 mm centre to centre. If the bed's holes disagree later, trust the bed.

Source: Voron manual p.20 · Voron manual p.58 · Video: Part 1 @1:46:36

pause Good stopping point · ~35 min since the last one

both bed extrusions are bracketed, spaced with brass M5 precision spacers, set 65 mm each side of the centreline, their four M5×10 and four M5×16 tightened. Nothing is half-fastened. Do not fit the titanium backers, and do not move the frame off the stone yet — Step 01.20 re-checks squareness there.

Step 01.20 — Final squareness verification

What you're looking at: Manual p.21 one last time, on the fully torqued frame with the bed extrusions in. Bolting the bed extrusions in can pull a square frame out of square, so this is the pass whose numbers go in the log.

Parts: none.

Do: With everything torqued, walk the whole check once more: both bottom diagonals, both top diagonals, both diagonals on each of the four vertical faces, machinist square in every inside corner, frame flat on the stone.

check Check

Every diagonal pair equal, every corner 90°, no rock. Anything you cannot null out here is permanent. src

Helper: Reads each diagonal pair aloud and ticks it off as you go.

Source: Voron manual p.21 · frame squaring video · Video: Part 5 @3:15:10

Step 01.21 — Titanium backers: not now

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: The titanium extrusion backers, still bagged. A backer is a titanium strip bolted to the face opposite a linear rail; it cancels the bimetallic bow of steel rail on aluminium extrusion, see glossary.

Parts: none.

Do: Check the titanium backers are still sealed and labelled for Ch 05. They are not frame parts and fit the gantry's X and Y extrusions, on the face opposite the rail.

check Check

Backers bagged, labelled "Ch 05", stored with the C/D/E extrusions. src

Source: whopping_Voron_mods — extrusion_backers · survey

Step 01.22 — Record the frame log

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: The finished frame, a tape measure and the log table. These numbers are the only baseline you will have when Ch 06 asks why the gantry will not square. "It looked fine" is not a measurement you can compare against.

Parts: none.

Do: Fill this in before the frame leaves the counter. Two people, two jobs: one measures and calls the number, one writes it down.

Measurement Target Measured (mm) By / date
Reference surface — worst feeler gap under the straightedge (Steps 00.10 / 01.1) ≤ 0.1, no larger than the 00.10 figure
Bottom square, diagonal 1 ≈721 (350)
Bottom square, diagonal 2 = diagonal 1
Top square, diagonal 1 = bottom pair
Top square, diagonal 2 = diagonal 1
Front face, diagonals 1 / 2 equal (≈735)
Rear face, diagonals 1 / 2 equal (≈735)
Left face, diagonals 1 / 2 equal (≈735)
Right face, diagonals 1 / 2 equal (≈735)
Centreline to bed extrusion inner face — 4 places 65 each
Clear gap between bed extrusions 130
Torque setting used, if any one value, all 16

check Check

Table filled, both diagonal pairs written down as numbers rather than "looked fine".

Helper: Writes the four diagonals and the final torque into the frame log.

Source: Voron manual p.21 · survey

pause Good stopping point · ~25 min since the last one

final squareness pass done, backers confirmed still bagged for Ch 05, and the frame log table complete. Work through Checkpoint 01, then the frame can come off the counter.

Checkpoint 01

  • Reference surface re-checked with straightedge + feelers in five positions; worst gap no larger than the Step 00.10 figure
  • 10 A, 4 B extrusions used; C ×2, D ×1, E ×1 bagged for Ch 05
  • All extrusion end faces deburred and flat against the square
  • 16 frame blind joints engaged and fully tightened, evenly
  • Bottom square diagonals equal; top square diagonals equal and matching the bottom
  • All four vertical faces: diagonals equal, corners 90°
  • Frame sits on all four corners with no rock
  • Every vertical's access holes face outward and take the straight 3 mm key face-on
  • Two bed extrusions running front-to-back on the front and rear rails, corner brackets, M5 precision spacers (not shims), 90° to the rails; FRONT tape on one of the two faces their ends land on
  • Bed extrusions 65 mm each side of the centreline, 130 mm clear gap, checked at both ends; all four M5×10 and four M5×16 bracket bolts tight
  • Titanium backers still bagged and labelled for Ch 05
  • Frame log table filled in
Revali passing a gate
You built a square frame with both bed extrusions on the centreline. 5 gummy worms.

Common mistakes

  • Tightening as you go. The frame must be assembled snug, squared, then torqued. Bolts taken to full torque corner by corner lock in whatever error was there at the time; the mallet cannot fix it afterwards.
  • Verticals installed with the access holes facing inward. The two horizontals occupy the vertical's two inner faces, so the holes must face out. Caught late, this is a full corner disassembly — check it at Step 01.7 on the first corner and the rest follow.
  • Building on a "flat enough" table. A surface with one corner a few tenths high becomes a twisted frame that reads square on every diagonal and still racks the gantry. Verify the surface (Step 00.10, re-checked at Step 01.1) or do not use it.
  • Using an M5 washer where the kit supplies a precision spacer. The brass precision spacer is a controlled thickness, not a washer; the M5 shims in the manual are all replaced by it. Substituting a washer changes the stack height.
  • Forcing a roll-in T-nut. LDO flags the tolerance explicitly. A forced T-nut galls the channel and the next one will not go in at all. Try another face or another nut.
  • Fitting the titanium backers to frame extrusions. They are gantry parts and go on in Ch 05, on the face opposite the rail — putting a backer on the same face as an MGN12 makes bimetallic bowing worse, not better.

Next

Ch 02 — Z drives, Z idlers, Z rails and deck panel (manual p.22–51); gated on batches B00 + B01 + B02-P1 + B02-P3, all of which printed months before the kit and are sitting in bins 02-Z0 … 02-deck. Nothing waits (print plan §2).