[Dman65]

I have a CNC router that I built a couple of years ago mostly out of wood a couple of years ago.

I am now wanting to build something stronger and I am needing to make some parts out of steel.

I have no imaginations of even attempting to cut steel with my existing machine unless I just want to watch it shake itself to pieces. What I am hoping to do though, is to in some way mark the steel pieces that I will be cutting since the measuring piece is one of the main reasons I have been playing with CNC machines to begin with. I have tried the blue and scribing and yet the holes I drill never seem to perfectly line up with the holes in what I am mounting.

My first idea is to just take a sharpie and maybe pipe clamp it to the router that is mounted on my Z axis and then just put some circles on CamBam and have them be drilled with a -.2mm depth or something and then I would just go behind with a center punch and punch everything. Then I started wondering if I could just mount a spring loaded center punch to my axis and just have it push it down in the appropriate spot. I am not certain how to get the g-code generated for that though.I am sure I can figure it out though.

Has anyone used their CNC router to do this or does anyone have any other ideas or input?

Thanks!

[elfrench]

You should be able to drill steel with a router cnc. Best way to find out is to try it with a new drill on a piece of scrap. Use peck drilling routing (canned cycle in Cambam, IIRC).

Cambam has a good engraving routine, so you should be able use it for scribing with a diamond or carbide bit.

[xjdubber]

why not just use a center drill or spot drill?

[Dman65]

Thanks for the suggestions. My step drills and center drill won't fit in the collet. I am considering picking up a cheap one at Harbor Freight and grinding the shank down to fit. I did try a quarter inch bit from my regular drill bit set, but it walked way too much.

[elfrench]

Sounds like a recipe for failure I'd recommend getting some new carbide drills from drillman1 on ebay: Carbide Endmills, BARGAIN BIN items in CARBIDE PLUS store on eBay!

[Dman65]

I wanted to thank you guys again. I picked up a step drill at Harbor Freight and ground the shank down to fit into the collet. My router constructed of poplar was not stiff enough to drill all the way through 5 1/4" cold rolled steel, but it was able to get the holes started well. I have spent the last two weekends trying to make an interface plate to go between my gantry uprights and the bearings and the mounting holes are always off by enough that the bearings start to bind, but by starting them on the old router this evening I was able to make one with mounting holes that match up with no binding. Hopefully I will have the same success tomorrow.

Thanks again!