CNC Routers

[MilDoc]

Can anyone recommend a good book on DIY CNC routers? I've seen Lee's Cutty Sark I and have looked at CNCzone.com. Amazon doesn't list much.

[WLee]

Try the SolSylva plans -- you get plans for like five (really 6) different CNC machines, everything from a cheap/easy one that you can build as a "test piece" with 2x4's, bushings and other stuff you probably already have around the shop, to a big, beefy belt-driven table. The book is not just a bunch of "plans", but is really a detailed "construction" handbook with dimensioned data on how to cut/drill the pieces, etc.

I bought one of his early versions a few years back (when it only had 2 different plan sets) and then ordered the updated version last year (and paid for it again as I felt he had added enough to be worth paying again -- he tried to refund my money, saying the updates were free -- but I balked and sent the check back as I had given away the previous copy to someone else and "lost" him a customer!)

Anyway, this past spring I finally got around to building one (the cheap/quick one -- I should really write it up and upload pics one of these days) -- and it works fairly well (especially for costing less than $50 -- PLUS the cost of the stepper motors and controller of course, but those can be "moved" to a newer, bigger CNC machine I'm still working on.) Oh, and his designs are such that you can probably use them with anything from a little Dremel to a laminate router (what I'm doing) to a full-size router for the bigger machines.

Check it out online here (he has lots of pics & info): http://www.solsylva.com/

Cheers and good luck!

WLee

[jhgrady]

Hi

I'm sold on the SolSylva idea.

But, not on Ron Paul - This is a apolitical site.

John

[skipwill]

Paul,

Here's one... http://buildyourcnc.com ... that I have been looking at as a starter cnc just to get going with and get some experience.

Skip
www.ShopFileR.com

[Stytooner]

I am out of town and on slow dial up right now. I don't have my bookmarks on the laptop, but that last site is a nice one. A lot of guys use the Solsylva plans. I have seen some nice builds using those. I didn't use a book, but rather CNC Zone and a lot of the other cnc related forums to earn the basics. My lathe broke last week and I was able to get more done on the mill I have been working on. My lathe parts came in, so sharking is back online.
Here is a link to my mill build if anyone is interested in this. I still have more work to do to it, but this will have to wait until last weeks production gets completed. It is coming along, though.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32609

You can look at this page and scroll down to the cnc related links.
These are links that I use or plan to use.

http://leestyron.com/supplies.php

[Uncle Cracker]

Geez Lee, that really looks great, but it looks like soooo much more work than I have time for. I'd really like to have a mill, but I only have a few novelty uses for one, truthfully. So I think I'll just have to suck it up and get one already built.

[Stytooner]

I probably saved a bit more than $2000 by doing this one myself. I really didn't have the time to finish this one up any quicker. I built my first router in about a month. This one would have only taken about that long if I could have devoted some time to it. It took machines to deadline before I felt I had the time. I really hate to make guys wait longer than absolutely possible for the sharks.

There are some nice smaller mills that you can buy prebuilt and cnc'ed. Most have a much smaller foot print as well as cutting area. More for RC parts and the like. I built this one and it is fairly rugged even if aluminum. I still have some more work to make it even tougher. Another couple days should finish it out for me.

Here is another link for some cnc knowledge.
http://www.cncci.com/resources/forum.htm

Here is a link to some Chinese machines that a lot of the guys are just buying.
http://www.syilamerica.com/
I could have cnc'ed my X2 mill, but the travels are really small on it. Too small for my needs.
The Super X3 is a comparable mill to mine. The travels are very close to the same as mine. The X3 weighs at least twice as much though. Mine will have a 2.5HP spindle motor and the X3 a 1 1/3rd hp. My steppers are larger. I am going to use a larger power supply, which means higher powered steppers. Faster speeds on mine. X3 doesn't come with the software either and you have to add shipping to that price.
Taig and Sherline also make small mills that guys like. A more accurate than the X2. A little smaller as well. Priced probably around $2500 without software. This is about what I paid for mine with software. I had already bought all my software for the router though.
I really love to build these things as well. It's my cup of tea.

I will most likely mill out some stuff to cnc the X2. Put some ball screws on it and sell it as cnc ready. I really don't need it any longer. I'll sell it for a whole bunch less than the X2 on that site.

[WLee]

CNC pic

Couple of pictures of the "mini/cheap" CNC router that I made (dirt-cheap -- other than the CNC controller, the stepper motors & software-- the rest was 2x4's and common hardware store stuff. It actually works pretty good.)

More picks of routers made by a variety of people from the Solsylva stuff here:
http://solsylva.com/cnc/gallery.shtml

(My picks are about half-way down the page).

I do have to say that I have been contemplating whether to buy one of these:
http://www.shopbottools.com/shopbot_buddy.htm

Or... trying to build my own work-alike (though it would likely be missing a lot of the fancy features).

[pelligrini]

Cool!
How do you like using it? How much did you spend on it (if you don't mind me asking)?

[kramer katt]

another DIY fabrication site

http://fabathome.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

[Stytooner]

Those guys that are into turning know what I say when I say this is a very slippery slope.
CNC can grab you and not let go. You can build as simple a machine as you like or a complicated as you can't afford.

Here are links to my three main cnc builds.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showth...2&page=1&pp=40

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32609

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32609

I need to build or find another larger mill to cnc. I do have enough use for it. As it is now, the mill is trunning all the time that I am in the shop. I could take some of the load off of it with another. The lathe and router only run a couple days a week.

[WLee]

Cool!
How do you like using it? How much did you spend on it (if you don't mind me asking)?

Dollar-wise or time-wise? (I guess I can answer both easily enough.)

Timewise -- I probably spent a total of 12 hours actually "building" the unit (over the course of a week or so) -- and another couple of days doing "setup" (motors need to be "tuned" to the machine -- so the computer knows that X number of turns = Y number of inches, etc -- and then a bunch more time experimenting and "tweaking" it to get better performance, learn how to cut with it, etc.)


As far as dollars go -- well there are SEVEN "main" areas/components you need.

1. Computer -- I already had the computer (refurb Compaq mini desktop, basic CNC doesn't need much for power); but I needed a new screen for it (I think I spent maybe $125 on a cheap 15" LCD from Tiger).

2. CNC controller -- I bought a Xylotex 3-axis setup (pre-built), and paid in the range of $400 for it (but it came with the 3 stepper motors) -- you can cut to less than half that if you buy the kit and build it yourself (I believe the 3 axis board goes for around $150, and you can sometimes pick up the stepper motors cheap as well).

3. Stepper motors -- you need one for each axis -- cost depends on what size/kind you buy, these can run anywhere from $40 to couple hundred each. (And sometimes bargain hunters can get them cheaper -- I ran across a batch of smaller 269 Oz steppers at a "junk" store and paid like $5 each for them).

4. The "physical machine" -- the very basic (and small) solsylva one that I built was made from like 1 8 ft long 2x4 for the frame, plus a couple of steel guide rod rails & brass bushings I had hanging around, and some threaded rod for the drive mech. Obviously that wouldn't suffice for anything you intended -- better options for less friction like roller bearings, linear bearings, etc cost more; as does the "drive" rods -- using junk screw threads works, but is far from ideal, better Acme/square thread or a belt drive or even rack & pinion will give better speeds and higher accuracy.

5. The "router" -- Again depends on what you want to use the thing for -- some people are doing small scale stuff and use a dremel-type, or I've seen the Zip-saw things -- personally I've went with an inexpensive laminate trimmer (tied to a rheostat for speed control).

6. The BITS -- standard router bits are NOT suited for this stuff -- I ended up buying some combo up-down CNC bits and they improved performance 10-fold. (Cost for those was somewhere around $80 for like 2 or 3 of them -- sorry, I don't recall).

And last but not least...

7. SOFTWARE. There's a surprising amount of freeware/shareware/cheapware out there (Mach3, etc) -- but if you want to do anything "fancy" then springing for things like the V-Carve Pro will probably make a lot of difference. Since I was just using this as an "intro/test" unit -- I went with the "freebie" stuff (and the "free-trial" versions of other things).


So all told, I probably spent around $600 to $700 for everything so far. But IMO very little of that is "wasted" money, as nearly ALL of the stuff that I bought (Computer, controller, steppers, bits, etc can be used on a bigger/better machine). I figure the only money "wasted" was less than $20 for the 2x4 and the few rods/bushings (most of which I already had).

Of course... being single, I can spend whatever money I want on whatever I want... anytime I want (only constraints are what the checkbook balance can handle, etc -- but being as I'm a total frtugal/tightwad on most things [even tools] that's normally not a problem).