[Ski-N-C]

First and foremost I'm not only new to this wonderful forum, but I'm new to the whole CNC game, so go easy on me.
A year ago I purchased a 4' x 8' CNC Mogul kit, primarily for a part of my ski building endeavors, but also for some hobby carving. As well, I built a very big and sturdy table from 2x4's and 2x6's. Now, I finally have a basement I can set up shop in and get back on the horse! And with my luck the CNC Mogul page seems to be down... for months... so instead of bothering Mike now, I get to bother you guys! Be prepared, a lot of these questions will sound simple to yall, but I'm just learning. Here goes nothing.

-If my rails are 4x8 and the dimensions of my table top are 4x8, how do I mount the rails to the table? If necessary, I could sacrifice a few inches from the rails, it's not that crucial.
-Vacuum tables. Do you NEED one? Do you clamp it to your table top? Mount the rails to it? Is one necessary for a beginner?
-I was told to use NEMA24 Stepper motors. I have yet to find a router that will fit in the 3.5" router clamp my machine came with, so I'm not positive on how much weight these will be moving yet. (Open to good suggestions for routers, and starting bits.)
-CNC Moguls are a very "Plug and play" setup, so I have to choose all my electrical components and build a control box. Stepper online has 3 axis kits that seem like they will have what I need. Anyone have good or bad opinions on these?
3 Axis CNC Kits- StepperOnline
(I don't know how to add links)
-I run Solidworks for my CAD, but I'm brand new to CAM. It is to my understanding that Mach3 is the norm?

If any of yall have built a Mogul from scratch I would LOVE some guidance.

Any bit of info, tips, or comments is HUGELY appreciated!

[awerby]

-If my rails are 4x8 and the dimensions of my table top are 4x8, how do I mount the rails to the table? If necessary, I could sacrifice a few inches from the rails, it's not that crucial.

[Judging from the picture I found online: cnc mogul 4x8 cnc machine - RC Groups this machine uses intermittently supported round rails. The main thing you need to assure is that they are mounted flat and level, and a constant distance apart. In practice, that probably means getting them as close as you can with whatever levels and straightedges you've got, shimming if necessary, and running the gantry back and forth as you gradually tighten things down, so it continues to be able to move freely.]

-Vacuum tables. Do you NEED one? Do you clamp it to your table top? Mount the rails to it? Is one necessary for a beginner?

[You don't need it. It's primarily useful for doing cutout work on large flat sheets. If that's the sort of work you plan to do, it's best to build it as an integral part of the table when you're building your machine. But if you didn't do that, it will eat up valuable headroom to add it now. For smaller things, you can build a vacuum pod that you can mount or dismount as needed.]

-I was told to use NEMA24 Stepper motors.

[That's probably NEMA 23.]

I have yet to find a router that will fit in the 3.5" router clamp my machine came with, so I'm not positive on how much weight these will be moving yet. (Open to good suggestions for routers, and starting bits.)

[If you can afford it, a 3-phase spindle with VFD is better than a router designed to be run by hand. They're more powerful, with better bearings, easier to speed-control and last longer.]

-CNC Moguls are a very "Plug and play" setup, so I have to choose all my electrical components and build a control box. Stepper online has 3 axis kits that seem like they will have what I need. Anyone have good or bad opinions on these?
3 Axis CNC Kits- StepperOnline
(I don't know how to add links)

[Chinese stepper motors are okay (except those seem to have unduly high inductance), but I'd avoid those drivers. With a 36v power supply, you won't get the optimum performance from them either. I'd suggest instead getting a Geckodrive G540 and a 48v power supply, with motors of lower inductance. It's more money, but it will really work, and you'll get support in English.]

-I run Solidworks for my CAD, but I'm brand new to CAM. It is to my understanding that Mach3 is the norm?

[No, Mach3 is a CNC control program, that uses your computer to produce pulses that make the motors run. It comes with a very limited CAM program (LazyCAM) that can't deal with 3D parts and can only do a little 2D work. If you're running Solidworks, I'd suggest VisualMill for Solidworks, which plugs into it and gives full 3D CAM capabilities. See my site for more info and a discount price on it.]

[FandZ]

I've been running the same G540 for 6 years or so. I've also been using CNC router parts prewired stepper motors for about 2 years now. And they have been ran hard. 12 to 16 hour days for weeks at a time is not uncommon for my machine. So I would highly recommend the kit below. Just go with the 320oz motors rather than the 380oz.

On mounting your machine to the table I guess you will have to invert those risers so the L bracket is facing inwards. I would then mount a sheet a of MDF between the L brackets with a second one on top that hangs over the brackets to regain some of the space you will loose from inverting the brackets. A better idea would just build a bigger table.

3-Axis DIY Nema 23 Electronics Kit | CNCRouterParts

Not trying to be a bummer but looking at the machine itself I'm just not sure what kind of performance you will get. Plastic wheels rolling on somewhat unsupported aluminum rails is not the best way to go about it. Also the R&P looks to be direct drive and not geared for better performance. I would start looking into ways to address those points. I'm curious to know what kind of performance you get from it though. Please do post back with what kind of feeds and speeds you get.