I knew absolutely nothing about building a cnc until i stumbled across this site. I then studied hundreads of threads on this site and spent 2 weeks designing. I modelled it in 3-d to be sure of the design which i highly reccommend to everyone who has any 3-d software. It makes it much easier to catch any errors in measurements and clearances. Ony major thing i changed was the gantry sides since they were way to flimsy as you can see in the 3-d image.
I spent about 5 solid 12 hour days building and then a few days adjusting and modifying slightly. Overall i probably spent $1200 total but i could have used much cheaper parts if i had been willing to wait a few weeks (which i wasn't). I didn't mind spending so much because i now have the knowledge to build my 2nd more professional machine.
CncMage |