Hi, now this is just my take on doing something like this, YMMV. The first thing I would(am) do is figure out what you are going to use for a spindle.
Why? because that will tell you how much bigger your 'X' axis will need to be to get the amount of 'workable area' you want. Why? Because your linear rails and screws will need to be longer than your actual movement. And without your basic "z" axis size how will you know.
While a CAD program is great, the best thing you can get for something like this is some poster board. I know, blasphemy on a CNC-CAD-CAM site!! But after you get a starting design, if you draw to full size on poster board and cut it out, you will get a better feel and possibly even find out things that won't work. Old school for sure, but still works as good today as it did back then.
Sorry to post so much in your thread, cary |