[Hack]

While reading this site and a couple of threads in particular, I think it is obvious that most / all people here are interested in a set of nice and thorough plans for building a cheap cnc router, or converting a mill or lathe to cnc. Obviously these plans should be suited for the beginner with minimal tools and use readily avialable materials either locally or over the net.

I would be interested in getting together a few of this site's gurus together to develop these plans. I am by no means a cnc guy, but can offer some cad work and good writing skills to help with the actual plan development. I need people with the technical knowledge to help.

Any interested parties, please reply with comments, suggestions, etc.

Dan

[email protected]

[owhite]

Hack,

I hear ya. I think it'd be a shame if we couldnt get together some drawings for new people to at least get a general idea of what's going on.

I do a lot of cad drawing, and have built three tables. feel free to contact me if you think there's some way I could help.

owen

[email protected]

[ehiebert]

I would be interested to help out with a plans set. Probably the most confusing to a new hobbyist is the electronics. So I would contribute to that section.

I am just starting my own router design and will be developing a unipolar driver board employing the Allegro chipsets.

Their best micro-stepping PWM drive can do 36 V at up to 3A per phase. I will be building an opto-isolated 4 axis driver with limit and home switch inputs. The board has onboard current limit adjustment and LCD display of the current limit setting via a PIC ucontroller and 2 line LCD. I already have the schematic designed, but I need to get some boards made and I am waiting for chip samples. Allegro seems to be rather tight fisted with their chip distribution, which is a problem for small volume buyers like hobbyists.

Eldon.

[teilhardo]

I'd like to contribute to some CAD drawings. I am somewhat of an amateur, but I can do most 2d operations and some 3d operations. But hey, anything that I can help do is practice.

I also think that the electronics are a good idea. Basic schematics, info on stepper motors and a glossary of fairly common terms would al be a plus

-Tei

[email protected]

[pminmo]

I agree with the goal. I started designing my own and that has evolved as I have built. My suggestion is cheap and available. Along the klingenberg (sp) lines, using roller blade bearings (common, different grades different prices, but inexpensive in comparison to precision rails an bearings). While I'm pursuing a moving gantry, I would recommend a fixed gantry for those with limited budget and tools, and if I were to start over it would be a fixed gantry with a 42" Y axsis and a 18" Y, using steel pipe on the y, roller bearings on the x, and mdf as a construction material.
Let me know what I can do to help, but at this point I'm well into the learning phase, not an expert.

Phil

[teilhardo]

I forgot to mention that I don't think I can be to useful on the design side. I have not had the "pleasure" of building my own DIY router, I am the happy owner of a CNC taig mill. But I am planning to build a router. I thik that Pminmo has good ideas on what type of materials to use though.

[pminmo]

I think Balsaman had some of the right idea, and what I was referring to as a fixed gantry here :

http://webpages.charter.net/pminmo/rec0.jpg

I think by making the y longer with open ends (i.e. +/- a couple of inches so long pieces could be routed)

Incorporating bearingsetups such as xairflyer and Jer21:

http://webpages.charter.net/pminmo/rec1.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/pminmo/rec2.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/pminmo/rec3.jpg

is there way I would go if starting over.

Pminmo

p.s. I have a simpler driver design I'm going to post when I get a chance.

[owhite]

well, looks like we have people that would contribute to the drawing. s'what should get drawn up? I think its about picking a particular design and then going at it, perhaps with emphasis on all the variations that could be made for each part. It'd also be helpful to elect a general manager that was looking at the drawings and putting in requests for what other designs would be required.

[vacpress]

i would say count me in, but i am working on some similar ideas indipendantly - however, i would love to compose a "book cover" for the thing, or a "Style sheet" that would be a template for you guys.. something along the lines of what i put in my "18 page machine design" in the opensource cnc file section.

i like the idea of it being a "cnczone.com" planset, so it would either be free, or come with a $5 donation to the site, or something.. i really like some of the MDF routers here -they look good, and probably work well.

maybe a good place to start would be digging around and everyone comming to a consensus on what ideas work best in terms of leadscrews, linear guides, motor boards, etc.

i think the allegro chips are to hard for a beginner to solder... some sort of pic-driven H-bridge bipolar might be best in terms of ease of assembly and cost.. the hudle there is programming the chip.. but at least microchip.com is very generous with samples.. ive got 25 pic chips in nice little cases from ordering samples over the last year.. you can request 5 of their top-of-the-line $20 chip, and get them a week later for free....

[vacpress]

maybe offering a blank PCB with the programmed PIC chip for $15 per axis would be reasonable? and the h-bridge idea means high-current.... i know there are some opensource boards out there like this...

[owhite]

I like where vacpress is going. And I'm thinking it would help to break up the project into bite-size chunks. One person handles the base, another the gantry, another the z-axis. Opinions?

[Hack]

I think in my mind that since this is going to be a group effort, that perhaps no one should really profit from the design work, and that maybe these plans don't need to be in print so to speak but hosted on CNC Zone. If we could get some input from CNC Admin that would be great. If we could provide these for a small fee downloadable in say PDF format or something with the proceeds going to the site to help cover bandwith, storage space etc.

Any other thoughts?

Dan

[owhite]

my thoughts are not to worry about costs until we actually produce something. just in the interest of minimizing disucussion about policy and focusing on getting started.

[Zagroseckt]

Now this looks interesting

I'm gona keep my eye on yall but why not just make the plans open sorce...

[owhite]

I'd vote to license it under open source too. Anyone know of a good license that applies to plans or hardware designs?

[bean7795]

Ilike the idea of helping your fellow hobbiest out i would gladly pay a nominal fee for useful information and ideas

[High Seas]

My 2 cents
First I Really Really Really like the cnc zone plans set idea a LOT. A WHOLE LOT. Just what newbies are looking for - something thats had lots of scrutinity, thought, and review - not just a "get rich quick" scheme. Something with real value for the money that they spend.

So - how about we ask CNCAdmin - Paul if he could link it to a donation scheme to support the site? Access to the download of the plans could be tied to an email address, password, whatever makes most sense. I think we could rely on most members not "sharing" the plans - as they support the site.

My thinking here - the users of the 'zone provide the input (plans details development etc - most likely offline, contacts and virtual organization made here). But rather than just give the plans away the site funding is then "bootstrapped" as each new donation - gets a "free set of plans" with a contribution of say $5.00 or more.

Seems like everyone wins.
Cheers - Jim

[chuckknigh]

Considering that so many people have such varyied requirements for a router platform, and that I see people asking questions about routers with capacities ranging from a few inches square to 49x97" and larger, I think any single planset would represent a compromise to a good number of the recipients.

Consequently, rather than creating a planset that is a compromise for so many, why not take a completely different path? An "Inroduction to CNC" first project, that can be used to build whatever router they decide to make?



A 2D X-Y table, with a Z axis option, as a "CNC-101" type of conversion, might get more people into the hobby.

This Cummins cross slide vise (almost identical, save for the level of finish, to the offerings from Harbor Freight, Grizzly, Enco, and others), while small, is superbly built for the price, and provides a very good 2 axis base. Its travel is essentially 4x6 inches, and it is extremely stiff and usable even for metal milling.

Since it sells for $20US, and similar units are commonly available worldwide for similarly low prices, it seems like a reasonable and cheap platform from which to work.

If simply clamped to a drill press/mill, it would produce a very workable 2 axis machine. By implementing a simple 3rd axis, you get a fully functional, but admittedly small router table. Attaching it to a wood lathe would give the necessary 2 axes for a CNC lathe.

A perfect "starter machine?"

It would also serve as a good and stiff platform with which to build parts, mounts, etc for a much larger and more ambitious router... It also eliminates the need for bearings, linear ways, etc...it is all there, and would prove to be a fairly simple conversion.

And, isn't that what we're aiming for? A good "starter" planset that would encourage people to finish the project with relative ease?

Though I've not done this yet, I'm thinking of upgrading the rather pathetic included leadscrews with hardware store allthread. Yes, I said upgrading...it's that bad. By threading in some nylon "spacers" and then threading the nylon, it could be done without significant modification to the original castings...and nylon nuts have extremely low backlash.

-- Chuck Knight

[teilhardo]

I vote for plans for a small and cheap router that are available free to download. Although I agree with high seas that it is a good idea to have a good way to keep the forum afloat, I think that by allowing anyone to freely dowload the plans from an "organization" that is not making any profit on it will make the downloading party(s) wish to contribute, without having to pay for a product

To chuckknight, I think that that is a good tool, but don't you think that a lot of people would feel like they could go down to their "neighborhoood" home depot and get the parts. They would learn what a leadscrew is, what a delrin nut is (I am still trying to figure this one out) and the basic mechanics to making an automated machine set-up.

I agree with owhite and think that we all need to come up with a certain type of router thats easiest to build, and then agree on very common materials that ALL neighborhood hardware stores have. I think that we need to have a poll where all of the diy router builders vote on how much time they put into their router and what design it was. That way we can find out what design to promote. Now, we need to work out the details of the poll and who to ask...
We're onto something here guys
-Tei

[Ferenczyg]

Um.. and please do not forget all of those who are not in the USA and have no access to your resources. At some places there is no harbor freight, grizzly, enco, and similars. Even ebay is not a solution when the delivery expenses are over the price of the item.

Using worlwide, non propietary standards will be useful too.

I think a good idea is 'if you can buy it do not build it, but if you cannot buy it, build it this way'. At least time is something we have, but money.. not so sure.

Fer