[kkester1963]

Hi, I'm new to the site but have been thinking long and hard on making a CNC. I like to create an entire kitchen carved doors, scrollwork style glass uppers etc... CNC seems to be the way to go and they just are too cool not to have one.

I purchased the SolSylva plan set 24x48, 25x25, 13x13. But ideally I'd like to get a 48x48 build. Was thinking of using 8020's for the x-axis, want something much stiffer than wood as I want to push a dewalt 1-1/2 hp router with it.

I really have no idea on how to mod the design as the 24x48 says expanding the y would require different motors and warns about belt stretching.

This is a first time build, I've got decent wood working skills but metal is beyond my experiences.

Is a 48x48 too ambitious for a first? If I get 425oz steppers I figure that I should have the power necessary to carry the router over a 48x48 so if I should start smaller I can cycle up the steppers to larger builds.

Any suggestions?

It's going to be an interesting and slow process to build for me as money will come in small chunks. I'm excited to do this and with all the great builds I've seen here I'm sure I can do it, with all the help you have shown to builders.

[ger21]

Take a look at cncrouterparts.com
I think they have a 4x4 that's a much better machine than the Solsylva.

And don't buy the 425oz steppers. Bigger isn't always better when it comes to steppers.

[louieatienza]

I found the 425in-oz steppers work great with my 1tpi leadscrews. If you are using the belt drive plans it might not be a bad choice. Depending on the belt used you can mitigate stretch; I believe he also has plans for R&P as well...

As to the extrusion, not all of them are made the same and not all of them of the same dimensions have the same ridgidity, depending on the species wood can be stiffer.

The CNCRP design is really nice, but I guesstimate about 2-3 times the cost of a Solsylva build...

[kkester1963]

The cncrouterparts kits are out of my price range. Kind of leaning to the lead screw with a belt. My concern with the solsylva is they show 24x48 or 25x25 but if I extend it out to 4x4 the rigidity could come into play. I've no problem getting maple or another hardwood glued up into a nice beam just figured aluminum isn't going to be that much more expensive. But yeah 8020 extrusions there are so many not sure which way to look.

My thought on the 425 vs something lighter is that eventually I could see myself tooling up to a 4 x 8.

The other kit I've seen is the Joes Hybrid 4x4 but the solsylva looks like a better first time build.

[Devastator]

I've been building a Solsylva 24X48 so I can give some advice to the weak points. I've built most of the parts three times, once to find them totally inadequate for what I needed, the second time with improvements, the third tome to refine. It costs more than you would think and takes longer than you imagined when you do everything three times. It has taken me over a year and I'm just now getting close to being done.

Forget the dimensional lumber, my first build warped horribly after about a week. I then made dimensional lumber out of birch ply and it still had twist in the X supports but was ok after being bolted to the uprights. If you use wood, it has to be reinforced in some way, or modify the design to include a torsion box, especially if you plan on a 48" Y. Use steel for all of your angle iron/bearing skates not the aluminum that the plans call for. The gantry can be ripped right off the bar with little effort if you follow the plans without modifying the brackets to get the bearings further around the bar.

Don't get me wrong, it is a great way to get into CNC, but consider you will be doing a lot of R&D to get a tight rigid machine. I enjoyed it to some extent, but it was frustrating at times whan I thought I had a problem nailed down and something else popped up. The more wood I replaced/reinforced with steel the happier I was.

That being said, I bought about a half dozen plansets from different people before deciding on this one because of the raised gantry design. I'll probably use it to make parts for of my self designed CNC.

[jm82792]

Wood is never dimensionally stable, even Ipe warps.
So it's a loss to build anything with wood imho,
I'd rather use good quality MDF with a good shellac sealer instead of wood.

[Devastator]

Wood is never dimensionally stable, even Ipe warps.
So it's a loss to build anything with wood imho,
I'd rather use good quality MDF with a good shellac sealer instead of wood.

Laminated MDF might be worth a try for the X rail supports on the solslyva. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably try it even though I hate working with the stuff.

[kkester1963]

Did some looking for the most stable and strong wood ... while hardwoods are great LVL lumber or timberstrand are super strong and resistant to warping.

The tortion box makes a lot of sense. May be a bit tedious to construct but the stability would be incredible.