CNC Router

[Dryseals]

I've gotten bitten by the bug and I'm embarking on the next project, a CNC Router. I figure it could save me a lot of time and allow for some very unique cuts that can be repeatable. Think of cutting some MDF over and over again enough to make an ovate enclosure for say a WMT setup with a ten inch woofer. With the CNC I could do it in a matters of couple hours and have them all perfect.

Anyone else interested. So far at a quick glance, I have about 2 grand estimate in parts, but I beleive I can get this down even lower and have a reliable machine. A 3 axis is for starting, but I think the 5 axis would do the trick.

Any takers????

What say yee fellow DIYers

[Raoul]

Hello Dryseals,

It may not be what you are looking for, but joe2000chevy has developed a CNC router, and sells certain parts for the machine. Other parts have to be sourced elsewhere, but he provides links to onlines stores where the addition parts may be purchased. The project comes in at closer to a grand as far as I can tell. The project is detailed here:

www.lumenlab.com

Unfortunately, the CNC project is part of the pay portion of the website. I think a lifetime membership runs something like $20.00. I am not affiliated with lumenlab, just someone who bought a membership and has been oogling that particular machine for a while now...

Hope this helps.

[edit] I believe the safe cut area is something like 48" (Y) x 24" (X) x 6" (Z) Joe2000chevy estimates the cost in the range of $700-1200, depending on what parts you decide to use, and local material cost. I think that the machine has a maximum travel rate of something like 80" per minute if you purchase upgraded/ large motors, but I can't remember if that figure is 100% accurate...

[Dryseals]

Thanks Raoul,

I'll get in touch with him. I've been looking around and have seen some very reasonable prices on the stepper motors, the servo types would be better, but I want to build this on a budget (something that most of us can afford).

My background is perfect for this, I've been doing industrial controls for a tad over 30 years with a heavy lean on PLCs, DCS and computer HMI's. So this is not a pie in the sky dream, it's a matter of getting the right parts for the application. I even have a few PLC's here at the house waiting for a project like this.

My only draw back is that I have not been involved the type of motion controls where I can pick up a phone and call a vendor and say send me X amount of these. Iv'e done some rather unique robotiks and conveyor systems, but the positioning devices were already selected and all I had to do was make it move to the desired position via a control system.

I have researched the drive mechanics and it looks as though a ball screw system would work perfect. Most decent stepper motors are capable of 200 steps per revolution. So depending on the revolutions per inch travel of the ball screw, gives you the accuracy of the position. Ie a half inch movement per revolution of the ball screw would give you a theorical .010" accuracy of movement on the device. Not accounting the losses in mechanical movement which hover around .004" for the screw. So I can get it pretty tight. Try that with a table saw or Jasper jig.

What I'm hoping to generate is enough involvement to come up with a good, decent, repeatable design that we as DIYer's can build at home. And I know there are folks out there that can add experience to the design>

I love experimenting with different enclosures, but the time it takes to cut one out slows the whole process. In this manner I could slice one in a matter of minutes, assemble and test. Hopefully we can generate some interest.

[jackinnj]

I will bet you a dollar to a donut hole that -- IN TEXAS -- you could find a shop which routes MDF from CNC drawings.

[Raoul]

Huh, didn't notice that before, but joe2000chevy happens to live in Texas as well. Also, I think that you can view the CNC forum of lumenlab.com as a guest for free. It is a good starting point anyway...

[gbyleveldt]

I replied to another thread elsewhere that I'm also keen on trying something like this, albeit on a smaller scale. My idea was to have an XYZ plotter that you can use for whatever. Anyway, getting cheap stepper motors seems to be a bit of a problem here, so that kinda defeated the object for me a bit... Don't you guys in the States know where I could find a couple of surplus motors on the cheap?

[Bill F.]

Hey Dryseals,

I'm in! I already have 3 axes worth of steppers, ball screws, and linear slides, and a 4-axis controller. The hardware should be good for at least a 60" x 40" x 3" workspace. I've also built a very stiff 4' x 8' table. I have a rough plan for the gantry.

What I don't have is any real experience or expertise to help me put it all together and make it run, so I'm eager to learn.

Please keep posting!

A working CNC router would be a dream come true for me! Truly limitless speaker cabinet possibilities.

[Dryseals]

Originally posted by jackinnj
I will bet you a dollar to a donut hole that -- IN TEXAS -- you could find a shop which routes MDF from CNC drawings.

Yes, even in the small town I live in, pop 8,000, I could probably find some one in the within a thirty minute drive that has these capabilities, but it’s not the same. I have a rather nice sized shop, 30 X 60 brick four car garage with two small offices that serves as a full time shop. I do old cars restorations and woodworking. The real estate in the shop is rather thin. Taking up floor space is a table saw, a 20” and a 13” planer, 48” jointer, 12” compound miter saw, 10” radial arm saw, drill press, paint shaker 60 gal compressor and a paint shaker and the associated bench tops to support these. Not including the bench top grinder, router table and sander. Along with a 1972 pinball machine, an area for darts and my music system. This doesn’t even take into consideration the tool boxes and work benches, numerous engine blocks and car parts mig welder and all the tools necessary to support the rebuilding and care of a 66 GTO and the 68 Firebird that share floor space in the same shop. I just finished building a 10 X 18 storage shed for all the portable power tools and the Corvette and the MGB stay outside, they’re tough they can handle it.
I have still yet to pick up the wood lathe from my fathers house and I have this over whelming desire for a milling machine, keep looking at them and talking myself out of them.
So I’m a bit of a DIYer in everything.
The CNC router can take the place of many of these tools. The plan is to build it large enough to handle an 4X8 sheet of lumber and make the cutting device removable to allow any type of cutting tool to be attached quickly and easily, spinning head, saw blade, plasma cutter. Also I plan to adapt the lathe to the table so I can make normal cylindrical devices and spiral cuts. Oh yeah, did I mention the antique furniture restoration, lots of odd spiral cuts.

Another major plus is the dust (did I mention the dust collection system) any time I get involved in a project, I spend hours cleaning the stray dust particles. The dust collector gets the larger stuff but the some of the smaller stuff always escapes. Properly enclosed, I can get a better handle on the movement of the dust, it’s all inside the machine.

I have a friend with a saw mill so I get a lot of ruff cut lumber at a drastically reduced
price. The last haul was a truck bed full of red/white oak and hickory, he charged me $45. Once dried, the lumber will tend to warp in odd ball directions. Planning will flatten it out good, but to straighten it out correctly, I need a S4S planner. So normally I’ll use a jig I made for the table saw and follow with the jointer. The CNC router could do the straight cut in one pass, no jointing required.

Sorry this is so long, but I know that other out there feel like I am going into over kill on the CNC router. But It really does serve a purpose and I’m just scratching the surface.

[Dryseals]

Originally posted by Bill F.
Hey Dryseals,

I'm in! I already have 3 axes worth of steppers, ball screws, and linear slides, and a 4-axis controller. The hardware should be good for at least a 60" x 40" x 3" workspace. I've also built a very stiff 4' x 8' table. I have a rough plan for the gantry.

What I don't have is any real experience or expertise to help me put it all together and make it run, so I'm eager to learn.

Please keep posting!

A working CNC router would be a dream come true for me! Truly limitless speaker cabinet possibilities.

Tell me the brands and model numbers, I would be glad to do some research on them, the controlers that is. I've got a friend here at work that is diving off into the same idea another controls person, so we'll be getting deeper and deeper.

I'm as giddy as a kid on christmas

[Bill F.]

My controller was part of a limited production run by a hobbyist. I have the documentation at home. It's got a parallel-port input.

What type of software are you thinking of using?

Bill