I have this crazy idea of building my own CNC router and starting an online service of making custom panels for DIY projects, as a part time activity.
I've done some designing in Blender and part sourcing, and I believe a very decent precision machine can be built for less than 1500 euro (90x90cm working area). Much cheaper than a finished machine.
I'm going to use standard aluminum profiles used for automation, which I'm already familiar with.
This is how I would approach it:
I finish the design, confirm it is a good design, and I make a detailed list about the costs.
I open a crowd-funding campaign, and provide custom aluminum anodized panels as 'gifts' (which will be manufactured using the CNC machine). The price would be 50% of what commercial CNC shops ask, to make it attractive. So for instance, if you donate 40 euro, you get a panel that would cost you 80 euro elsewhere. Better value if you order multiple panels.
I also could provide wood guitar amp cabinets (fender tweed style), which I'm building in my workshop using traditional tools, but CNC router would make it much easier.
Once I have enough funds, I order all the parts, build the machine, make all the panels and send it to everyone.
I'm going to build CNC with or without crowdfunding, but this is a nice way to help each other (I get the funding, you get cheap custom panels).
I live in Belgium, so shipment inside the EU won't be expensive.
Currently I'm designing the machine in 3D, looking for parts and going around forums looking for people who would be interested, asking for advice. So feel free to say what you think about it.
I've done some designing in Blender and part sourcing, and I believe a very decent precision machine can be built for less than 1500 euro (90x90cm working area). Much cheaper than a finished machine.
I'm going to use standard aluminum profiles used for automation, which I'm already familiar with.
This is how I would approach it:
I finish the design, confirm it is a good design, and I make a detailed list about the costs.
I open a crowd-funding campaign, and provide custom aluminum anodized panels as 'gifts' (which will be manufactured using the CNC machine). The price would be 50% of what commercial CNC shops ask, to make it attractive. So for instance, if you donate 40 euro, you get a panel that would cost you 80 euro elsewhere. Better value if you order multiple panels.
I also could provide wood guitar amp cabinets (fender tweed style), which I'm building in my workshop using traditional tools, but CNC router would make it much easier.
Once I have enough funds, I order all the parts, build the machine, make all the panels and send it to everyone.
I'm going to build CNC with or without crowdfunding, but this is a nice way to help each other (I get the funding, you get cheap custom panels).
I live in Belgium, so shipment inside the EU won't be expensive.
Currently I'm designing the machine in 3D, looking for parts and going around forums looking for people who would be interested, asking for advice. So feel free to say what you think about it.
Unless you have built and run a DIY CNC machine it could be months, if they are lucky, before investors will see a return. Do you have access to machine tools to produce the parts required?
It is a"crazy idea" if you have no experience, you should not have written that 🙂
Build the machine using your own money and when up and running, then offer a product, it will be less stressful.
It is a"crazy idea" if you have no experience, you should not have written that 🙂
Build the machine using your own money and when up and running, then offer a product, it will be less stressful.
Everything cool I ever did I considered a 'crazy idea'. DIY forums is were crazy idea's come to life (or die). And at this point it is just an idea. Once I have worked everything out, it will be a plan, not a crazy idea. 😉
I'm not asking for fund at this point - just what you think about it.
Yes, it will take months (probably 3 or 4 after day 1 of the campaign) - but that's to be expected with crowd-funding.
I do have access to CNC router to produce some of the parts (a local fab lab), but the idea was to use as much of standard parts as possible. I'm also not new the building, and I have my own workshop and most of the tools required.
But the idea was to use standard parts as much as possible anyway, to avoid the cutting or milling of aluminum parts. I already have a bunch of 4x8cm aluminum profiles lying around btw, so this saves me a lot.
I wouldn't put too much effort into custom design when there exists already very good designs. For example, take a look at Openbuilds and their parts store:
OpenBuilds Part Store
The C-Beam kit and the Sphinx version are easy to build. The design is open source, you can make the parts yourself and just use the standard c-beam profiles. It's easy to modify and extend.
OpenBuilds Part Store
The C-Beam kit and the Sphinx version are easy to build. The design is open source, you can make the parts yourself and just use the standard c-beam profiles. It's easy to modify and extend.
Have you factored dust extraction in? that could easily be another 1500 if your going to use a reasonably powerful and fast router. Also if your thinking that the major use for this would be making speaker cabinets, you need to be able to machine to at least a 610x1220 piece or you will be turning too much work away.
In all seriousness cnc is for production runs. If just one pair of bespoke baffles I or any decent carpenter could have nearly made them before you have finished programming the machine....Sorry😡
In all seriousness cnc is for production runs. If just one pair of bespoke baffles I or any decent carpenter could have nearly made them before you have finished programming the machine....Sorry😡
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