I feel like an utter fool for asking this.
I read a lot about people turning down the ends of rods themselves and tapping as well. I don' t have any tools that can do anything like this. Should I be looking into buying a set of taps before I attempt my first machine? If I can't find a machinist to turn down rod ends for me, what kind of machine should I be looking into?
On a side note, and again I apologize for the sophomoric question, but for the Z axis, obviously I'm going to need an Acme lead screw shorter than 3 feet. I'm assuming I'd have to cut one down, but I've never cut anything outside of plexi and wood. Am I assuming correctly, and what would I use to cut a rod into pieces?
Assume I have nothing outside of the basics, but I do have a compound miter and scroll saw.