A couple months ago, a co-worker told me about his CNC machine he built at home. He answered A LOT of my questions on the general building process and I then began searching online for more designs, tips and tricks.

I finally embarked on my very first router. If anything seems wrong, please let me know, I won't get offended, I'm here to get things right and learn.

Here's a list of specs:

-Material used is 3/4" MDF
-I'm using a HobbyCNC controller with 305 oz-in steppers
-I'm hoping to cut mainly wood and plastic, and maybe try aluminum.
-The guide shafts are 5/8" diameter.
-I'm using PTFE linear bearings, since they are cheap, I figured I could just upgrade if they didn't perform well. (so far they seem okay)
-I bought a porter cable router, but I think it will be too heavy for the machine, so I'm probably going to using a dremel instead
-The Z-axis has not been designed yet.
-The platform (for the workpiece) has not been assembled yet.
-I'm using 1/2 - 10 precision acme rod
-I don't have exact numbers for travel, but its roughly 36" x 36" x 4". The overall dimension of the machine is 41.5" x 41.5"

What do you guys think? Overall it seems pretty sturdy. I'm using wood glue and nails to secure the thing together. The thing is so big I had to build its own table. The table is 4' x 8', I tried to make it big enough to also support a desktop computer.










-Levino