I happened to come across 8, 1/2" x 22" pieces of precision ground, hardened stainless steel rod in my school's engineering shop and the lab manager said I could just take the stuff. How big of a machine should I attempt with 1/2 shafting? Would 21" or so of unsupported shafting like this flex.
The other day I picked up a 36" x 36" x 1/2" chunk of 6061-T6 for $50 and plan to build my machine from it. I also picked up some big old 1"x10"x24" chunks of that plastic they make cutting boards for $5 from the local plastic shop. Does anyone have any experience making linear bushing from plastic sheet?
My plan is to build my router, for less than $200.