My small CNC router is finally working after 1.5 years in the
making. It is stepper & lead screw driven and cuts are done
using a HF trim router,...need more horses, but it works.
The machine was built using an Atlas/Craftsman 104... 6 inch
bench lathe and a HF 12" drill press. Has 3/4" linear bearing on
all three axes, lead screws are 1/2" 0.100 double start anti-
backlash acme type. All of the steppers and linear bearings
were purchased surplus.
I said it was small, here's the specs:
X=12.5, Y=12.5Y, Z=3.5, that's inches/imperial.
X-stepper, #34 Vexta 2-phase, 4-wire, 220 in-oz
Y-stepper, #23 Slo-Syn 2-phase, 6-wire series connected, 65 oz-in
Z-stepper, #23 EU 2-phase, 6-wire series connected, 90 oz-in
Camtronics XYZ controller with micro-stepping, 60 ipm all axes
TurboCNC is the control program running on an Intel MMX CPU
w/networking
It has been a fun project. I've been a Software/Hardware
Engineer for many years so the electronics build went smoothly.
In a previous "LIFE" I was a Journeyman Machinist for 12 years.
All of these skills were used in fabrication of the various parts
and pieces used in the assemblies.
I just started using BodCAD-CAM V18 for the toolpath generation.
I'll see how this goes as compared to the other CAD-CAM
software I have evaluated over the last 1.5 years.
My first project is a large wooden clock from the Brian Law’s
Woodenclocks web site. Some great plans sets, but you need to
rescale the DXF drawings to a size you can easily build. Alot of
gears that can be made using a CNC router.
I posted some pictures of the router in the gallery.
BTW, I have some good left over parts that can be used in
building a small router. i.e., linear bearings & rails, lead screws
and a number of different #23 stepper moters. I'll post these
items for sale on this web site in the next day or so.
Harley