Scratch Build – In Progress My Homebuilt CNC Machine

Not much need for a metric conversion. I only document a few basic measurements. The other means to getting the correct sizes for pieces is to measure as the build process evolves. It's a lot of test fitting and measuring, but the build is really easy. I am getting a slew of emails informing me that viewers have completed the machine, and I'm not even done with the tutorial.

 

i really wnna know how much the end bill will cost as i think this is a great project and wanna build one

 

Axiom UK,

There are many combinations of driver boards and motors. If you go with a light duty machine, you can probably use the k179 kit for unipolar steppers for $16 each, you will need 3. Stepper motor can be acquired from many surplus stores very cheap. I got mine for about $9 each. so you can go as little as $80-$90 on the driver and motors. Add that to the structure of about $150, or less depending on the size, the total will be about $240 without the cutter. The cutter, and the variations are endless can range from $0 (acquired from trash) to upwards of $400.

Like guerilla says, the cutting tool can be anything with the correct adaptation. You could even make a heater/coil setup to create a fabrication machine, or attach a laser diode to cut, or heat materials for fabrication.

I will include this on the site soon with all kinds of combinations and links for futher research.

 

seeing all these people making cnc stuff makes me want to do it to. and seeingthe price of it i think i will, but unless i have extra monies i will have to wait till next year. theni could build one that hold my dremel and router.

when building it to be able to cut metal or copper is there different parts you need? in the last day ive seen lots of DIY CNCs online and the stucture seems very easy to build which is nice but everything lse lik hat motors to use and how all the electronics goes is confusig me. i'd ned to have a PC made for this wouldnt i? or can it be done some other way to control it? and what if i want to do manual milling? can i still do that with motors attached?

 

talladega,
to cut metals, it's best if you have a router that has more than 3-4 hp. This will enable the machine to cut the metals at a quick feed rate and route out large chunks of the metals. You can still use a standard router, but the bit will need some kind of coolant so the metal does not gum-up from the heat.

You can use your pc as long as it contains a port that the drive will need, like a parallel port (the old port type used for printers a while back). Laptops don't usually carry one anymore. Some drivers can use serial or USB ports, but they are hard to find. Your pc doesn't need to be special, or dedicated (unless that is desired), but any old pentium III that you can get surplus for $30-$50 will do. Any pentium can output 60000 hz for the step signals.

I have a bunch of info on motors and drivers on the site. You can use stepper motors, servomotors or even motors with encoders. Servomotors are better for speed and precision. Steppers are inexpensive for hobby use. Motors with encoders work similar to servo motors in a closed loop configuration but require a great learning curve if assembled from scratch.

If you have any questions, I can get you any information to get started and up and running. The site is very well documented and will sling shot you to a place that will enable you to make the decisions to get going fast.

Patrick

Paraphrased quote from Jacobs R. (A builder and viewer of my site) This is the time when individuals should be able to design and fabricate in their garages. This open cnc architecture should revolutionize the way ordinary people with modest budgets build. Enjoy.

 

thanks. your site is real nice and gives good info. id love to build it this year but i need to do my pc and wont have money till spring. unless somehow the costs get way less.

to me the speed dont matter really. for cutting metal i dont think i would be doing very thick stuff. probaly mostly aluminum.

for cutting tool i would make the mount so i can put my dremel on it or our router. dremel would be for metal. router for wood i guess. can you use bits other than router bits in a router?

but i have planned that i would build it so it sits in a pan with a hole then filter then a tub type thing where coolant is with a pump sending it up a tube to cool the bit and metal.

but with that i would not be able to use wood as the base or any of the parts would i? i get for the base the piece being cut is on i can use wood then have thin metal plate on it.

for pc i guess id make some small cube that will just do that. a screen would be needed to huh? just get old crappy stuff that doesnt matter then.

but would need to transfer the files for the piece id wanna cut to it through cd i guess. i faster pc to design what to cut would be used then or are the programs not intense. maybe i could find an old laptop with printer port?

for precision i aint lookin for amazing precision. just dont want to do things by hand and want to do things i cant do by hand.

motors and such i just want to be ale to cut metal properly. and is want it set up somehow so that failure is a low risk and if something goes wrong my machine isnt destroyed.

for size im thinking 2'x2' i want.

now one big thing. i dont always want to have to go in a program and design exactly what i want. what if i want to just freehand mill something. building another mill aint something id want to have to do. maybe have them able to disconnect easily and put on dials or little wheels? need to have it so im not only one able to us it. lol

with what i described here what kind of price am i looking at with and without the CNC part (just a regular mill) ?

i guess if i could build the mill part cheap enough i could do that now and use it freehand untill i can afford th electronics and stuff.

thanks so much! i am so excited to see more of yours and to build my own.

 

any updates with this? i keep checking your site and this everday

 

do you have any pics to post in this log?

 

Talledega,

Aluminum gums-up pretty bad if the feed rate is slow and the router bit is turning at very high speeds. Yes, you can use other bits in routers. If it were me, I would use the router exclusively. The dremel has too much runout where the bit will not stay in place. Routers are much more resilient and tough.

Coolant can be simply those cans that shoot compressed air that you get a Radio Shack (get it from somewhere else, though). Depending on the application and the material thickness, all you may need is compressed air and lubricant.

Any PC will do as long as it has a db25 parallel port. The software will allow you to jog the machine so you can cut without design.

If I were you, I would start off with the machine on the website. It's very cheap, about $150 for the structure, and there are various options for electronics and motors.

Sorry I haven't posted/replied, I do not get reminders of posts in my email. Thanks, Patrick

 

thank you.

can the software control feed rate?

a liquid coolant and lubrication going through a pump would help with the aluminum.

but would making it out of wood be a problem then? getting a sheet of steel or something isnt too much for me anyways.

when you say jog the machine do you mean like manually control it sort of? like i just tell it to cut like 5 inches one way. then tell it to do a few another, then a corner of whatever i want?

what is the runout with the dremel you are talking about? like it doesnt stay perfectly aligned? im not looking for accuracy to a thousandth of an inch.

but with router i dont think mine is speed adjustable. whereas my dremel i got the most expensive one the 400 xpr and i has adjustable speed up to i think 30,000 rpm.

thanks for reply. i am in no hurry to make this.


BTW to get emails about your posts getting replied to you just need to subscribe to the thread unless you have it so it doesnt email you then either.

 

Yes, the software controls every movement, including the feed rate. It controls velocity, acceleration and direction.

Yes, you could do the collant that way, but I think there are better alternatives for an MDF CNC machine. I would use cooling by convection and some lubrication. There is a lot of information out there on the subject.

Jogging the machine is like pressing the arrow keys to move the x and y axes and pageup and pagedown to move the z axis'. As long as your finger is on the button, it will move in that direction, as long as you are within the mechanical limits.

Because of the construction of the dremel and the long bits that it uses, the probabliliy of the bit vearing out of it's intended position good. You can prevent this a little by reducing the feed rate so the load does not force the bit out of position.

Yeah, mine isn't speed adjustable either.. but I recommend against any constant speed routers.

Ah yes, I see the subscribe thing just below this box. Ok I will subscribe.

Thanks, Patrick

P.S. Feel free to contact me through this forum to ask questions. I am happy to oblige.

 

ahhh nice. thats good. so i could still make it out of MDF even for cutting metal. k thats good. easier to build and cheaper.

but for metal cutting with router do i need special metal cutting bits or just those with carbide tips. ive seen on ebay a big thing of 80 carbide bits for like $60 so thatd be good. but with CNC can you program in what bit you use?

now i want to do this for sure but wondering if maybe i should make a 5 axis one. would that be hard? i would like to make a gun stock with the machine.

thanks.

 

Yes, you will need special bits to cut metals. I have heard of people using wood cutting bits in the form of spiral bits, but I would get the metal cutting ones. You probably want spiral fluted bits or end mils.

You will need to put in the information for the CNC machine to cut the metal properly (feed rate, spindle speed, etc.). Also, CNC machines that have bit changers usually run pretty high in price, unless you build one yourself with the proper chuck. I haven't built a bit changer yet, but it is possible. If you build my machine, at least you will start to learn the fundamentals, and have fun along the way.

Creating a 5 axis machine will be difficult. You will need to do some research on DIY 4th and 5th axes. The 4th axis is not that difficult since you are just creating a lathe type of attachment. The 5th axis has various possibilities and you will need to do some searching to find out the best possible route for your application.

Start small and work up to the machine of your dreams.

 

i don't mean an automated changer. i mean like how does it know what shape and size the bit is?


ok so i don't even used router bits. just milling bits. and they work in wood?


the more you explain and the more i understand the more i want to build it! cant wait!