[duncndonut33]

Hey Guys and Gals,

First post here at CNCzone, let me know if I mess something up, would ya?

So I've decided to dive head first into the CNC world. After months of deliberation on how I wanted to get my feet wet, I came to the decision to use cncrouterparts' kit. It seemed like the most robust and user-friendly design that was within my budget. What I've got on order:

- CNC CRP4848 kit
- Nema 23 4-axis kit
- Bosch Router Mount

I've already welded up a base table, and have it in place, just waiting for the first shipment of parts! I kind of just made up my own design for the base using 2x2 square tubed steel and 2x2 angle iron. It's perfectly square corner to corner. I'm not too worried about level yet, as I made leveling feet and will be leveling the machine independently from the table. If you all have any suggestions for additions to the table, I'm all ears!

I have Mach3 and Aspire already loaded up on a designated CNC PC. Being a print and web designer 40 hours a week will make the switch to PC a little difficult, but I have a lot of experience working in AutoCAD so hopefully Aspire won't be too much of a struggle.

I'm hoping to use the CNC as an extension of my woodworking business, who knows, it may even pay for itself(doubt it)?! I'd love to know what you guys are using your CNC for...

Anywho, For now... it's a gathering and waiting game. The UPS guy is sure to be sick of me foaming at the mouth when he shows up for the next few weeks.

Just ramblin',

- Pete @ the wood studio -thewoodstudio.us-

PS - If anyone is close to Wilmington, NC and has one of these operating, I'd love to come see it... Just sayin'
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[alan_3301]

Welcome!

I think you'll find the cncrouterparts kit easy to put together and that it works very well.
I have a crp4848 in raleigh. I think carveone is somewhere near the coast, he has made his own design routers, but you may want to check his threads out.
I checked out your website. I really like that stalactite table, as well as all the other things. Nice work.
I don't think you'll have any problem making that router pay for itself.

[duncndonut33]

Hey Alan,

Thanks for the compliments! I checked out Carveone's threads... Wow, amazing stuff.

Are you using your crp to make money or just as a hobby? I'd love to know how people in this area are using their machine... Thanks again!

[BobKovacs]

I'm in the same boat as you- the extrusions for the 2448 I ordered showed up yesterday, and I'm chomping at the bit to get started, but with just a bunch of extrusions and no hardware, it's kinda tough....lol. Ahren warned me that the extrusions would likely show up before anything else, so it's not a complete surprise, but still a bummer.

I'm not too far from you (about an hour north of Atlanta), and plan to use my table for both hobby stuff and to make money. If it really takes off, I'm going to build a 48xx96 table, and convert this one for use as a CNC plasma cutter.

[ger21]

If you have AutoCAD, and you know how to use it, then do your drawings in AutoCAD and import them into Aspire. Aspire's 2D drawing tools are not nearly as "polished" as AutoCAD's. I only use Aspire for 3D work. All my 2D stuff is done in AutoCAD, with g-code created directly in AutoCAD using a macro I wrote.

[beachcnc]

Hello...glad to see you are building the CNC Router Parts machine....I just finished a CNCRP 48x96 here in North Myrtle Beach SC....It has been working perfect and I can't wait to start cutting larger projects...I was just experimenting with a wired Xbox controller last night..seems to work OK so far..
Regards,
Dale Helmick

[duncndonut33]

Hey Guys!

@ger21 - Good thinkin' on the AutoCAD drawing, I'll probably also use is for a lot of modeling since I like the interface. I often find myself using Illustrator for drawing as well, I guess you can't take the graphic designer out of me.

Got the extrusions on Friday... A welcome surprise! Stay Tuned...

[BobKovacs]

I've got the same pile of extrusions sitting in my shop...lol. Just got an email last night that the rest of my stuff has shipped and is due here next Wednesday, so I've got one more weekend to get all the "honey-do" stuff finished because after the kit shows up, I'm gonna be busy......

[CarveOne]

Hi guys,

I'm near Roanoke Rapids, NC about 4 miles west of I-95. I'm an early adopter of CNCRP r&p drives, carriages, and G540 kits. I use steel because welding is another hobby for me and the two go together hand in hand. One kind of justifies a new project so I can use the other. Extrusions are the best option for lots of folks though, and I have no problem with that. Ahren had done a great service to the CNC community with his kits.

It's good to see that I'm near other CNC'ers. Two of my local friends jointly built a 5' x 10' Mechmate a couple of months after I started my first DIY build. The Vectric site has a Google map feature that shows the locations of their users. Using that feature you might find others nearer than I.

[FoxCNC1]

How are you guys liking your Router Parts Kits?
I am looking to upgrade my CNC to one of those kits.

[BobKovacs]

Liking mine so far. My kit got delivered today- 5 boxes totaling 220lbs plus the 80 lbs of extrusions that came last week. I got the leg set put together, and got the base assembled. Everything squared up well. I should get some time tomorrow night to mount the base to the legs, and then I can get it all leveled up and start on the rails.

[duncndonut33]

Hey guys. Got the shipping confirmation on the kit, should be here Monday! Since the wife is out of the country for the next few weeks this should go together pretty quickly. I see many late nights ahead. I'll try to let you know all my reviews of it as it goes together. Lookin' forward to it!

[BobKovacs]

While you're waiting, print out the plans off the website, watch all the videos you can, and read all the web pages of instructions/tips. There are no written instructions that come with the kit, so you've got to figure it out from all the info you can find on the internet. The hardware bags for the base include both the short T-bolts and serrated nuts that hold the base together, and the long T-nuts and thin nuts that hold the steel rails to the base in comingled bags, so if you're not watching what you're doing, it's easy to use the wrong parts in the wrong place.

[ahren]

Hey all,

Glad you guys are having good luck with your kits. Apologies to all for the delays in shipping. We've had an incredible amount of order volume in August and early September, so we're scrambling to get caught up, but we've added some logistics capacity to get kits out the door faster.

On the instructions, for both our PRO and standard machines, the full BOM is available in our machine plans section, and there are instructions available in the instructions and configuration section of our site:

Plans and How To's | CNCRouterParts

Best regards,

Ahren

[duncndonut33]

Got everything in Yesterday! Needless to say I couldn't contain myself, I immediately inventoried everything and got to work. Not too bad for a nights work, the kit goes together so easily.

No real criticisms as of yet. I put the entire base together and checked for square and was less then a sixteenth out, made a small adjustment and good to go. I will say that Ahren's "gotcha's" and tips are a great help.
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[ahren]

Looking good! I like the diagonal brace in your table -- should be really stout.

Best regards,

Ahren
CNCRouterParts

[duncndonut33]

Another long night in the shop... The actual "build" portion is complete! Woop Woop! I can't get over how easy this was to put together.

One thing I wasn't clear on that you all might be able to help out with - The bearing block on the Z axis, does the bearing side face up with the cover on top of that? That's how I currently have it and it seems to be working fine, but one can never be to certain.

Now I have to get my cable management under control and get the electronics hooked up. I did a quick and dirty wiring of the gecko and power supply to make sure everything was in order. Lookin' Good!

Tonight I'll put power to the motors, mount up my limits, and get the cables under control
Attachment 201442

[BobKovacs]

I mounted my block with the cover facing up- figured it was better to have the bearing pressing down into the block than down onto the cover plate.

[Spk64]

Nice control box!
I used the same box for my router.

Build is looking good also.

[duncndonut33]

@spk64 - Thats exactly what I intend to do once I'm up and running! I cut all the holes really tight so I could later go back w/ the router and clean them up.

@BobKovac - That was my thought exactly, plus I figured that the drawing showed the cover on top and why would you cover up aluminum w/ aluminum.