Originally Posted by
TheHitman04
Hi all, im new around here and have been looking around alot at making my own CNC Miller, my original plan was to get another bridgeport and convert to run on the EMC software. That quickly went out the window as i have no where to store one, nor the money to rent.
[If you don't have space for a mill, where are you going to put this router, let alone build it? ]
Ive read that its possible to use the stepper motors from printers and possibly the rails too? is this a viable option for machining in terms of rigidity and motor strength while cutting.
[Not for the size of machine you're proposing, unless you're talking about scrapping some sort of giant industrial printing machine. The steppers in a normal printer only have to deal with the inertia of the parts they're moving; the steppers in a router have to deal with that and cutting forces as well.]
And for a spindle, would it be possible to convert a pnumatic die grinder and run a belt drive to it from a spindle motor? i have a spare grinder at work that i dont use that has an extended spindle which is only about 30mm diameter and has collet toolholding
[That might work for a while, although it doesn't sound like an optimal solution. If this is a typical cheap China-made air tool, the bearings in it won't last very long in this use.]
My whole plan was to try and make one from MDF and utilize as many cheap parts as i could, then use that machine to build a more rigid and overall better machine from aluminium.
[What makes you think that this MDF router made with cheap parts will be able to cut aluminum accurately and effectively? Most people that have tried it haven't had great luck with that.]
As for a budget, i dont necessarily have the cash at hand to buy all parts now but i have no real deadline either so i dont mind saving for parts, i want to keep it as cheap as possible, that said i dont want to skimp on performance so id rather save up and buy the better part than go for a cheap alternative that wont give the results. Once i know what parts im going to use then i can draw up my design on solidworks and maybe machine some parts at work
[If you have access to precision machining equipment, that sounds like a better plan than the MDF route. And yes, if you keep your eyes open but don't feel compelled to purchase anything right away, you're likely to happen on some good deals on machine components.]
So far my build was going to be :
Fully supported base
Mobile gantry
600mm (X) , 300mm (Y) , 200mm (Z) axis movement
Approximately 1000mm x 750mm x 750mm machine footprint
Tolerance and repeatability of around 0.001"
MDF (Prototype) then aluminium body
Linear guide blocks and rail systems (Can locate from work)
Mach3 Controller (I have no idea about LINUX
Motors TBC
Lead Screws TBC
Controller TBC
Spindle TBC
Any recommendations, info etc is welcomed