[ToMMY2ooo]

Ok where to start…this may be long but please bear with me.

Ive been lurking here and other places for the past 6 months, learning and doing as much research on the web as possible while trying to decide what to buy.

I have a budget of about £5k and want a ultimately a CNC milling machine, but I don’t mind getting a manual one learning how to use it, making the parts for the CNC conversion and then doing the retro fit.

Im the sort of person that doesn’t want to buy a kit, I would like to get each part based on its own merits and then assemble them altogether. In the past I have found this principle to have worked for me so I don’t want to risk going about it in another way (plus I like to make things and mess with (ie break) stuff 

I want to mill steel, alu, copper to make various parts with a view to some light production work when I move to CNC. Im not sure exactly what size requirements I am going to need just yet but I know that a Taig/Sherline/Grizzly wont do what I want simply due to their small size.

I’m in no rush, and want to do this properly and in return payment of all the help that I have seen given and resources that are available I will document the CNC conversion of my mill to a stupidly detailed level. Perhaps even offer the retrofit parts to other users for a small cost to cover the materials as I know I have had a really hard time getting my head round it all.

I have been looking at a BRIDGEPORT BRJ VARI SPEED. This one (see attached piccy) is selling for £2.5k, I have seen others for less but the rule you get what you pay would surely apply here?

The next step would be to convert this over to CNC and so Geckodrives 320’s have caught my eye here, what do you think? Do I need the step pulse multiplier versions? Perhaps I should have asked that in a second or two…

I want to gear my mill using 2:1 ratio belt driven servo system, so perhaps the PLL pulse multiplier bit comes in now? So what servos do I get…Im more interested in brands and model numbers than the spec of them although I would need both to accurately compare them for price/performance etc. Im in the UK and stuff is harder to come by CNC wise so if someone could give a good listing of several brands/specs that would be really helpful.

As for the power to the beast Im aware that it is likely to be 3 phase, and so some conversions need to be done in order to keep the table drive, Im an electronics person mainly so I expect I can come up with a homebrew phase converter without the need for an additional motor and Ill post that with PC board and kits if there is a demand.

Ive got lots more questions, some basic and some perhaps advanced electronics stuff but no doubt Ill get there in the end.

Any help is appreciated so thanks for your time reading and Ill keep you all updated with how I go on.

Cheers,
Tom