HELLO TO ALL AND ANY.I,M NEW TO ALL THIS AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN.I,M INTERESTED IN BUILDING A CNC MACHINE THAT WILL ROUTE GUITAR BODIES AND NECKS .I,VE SURFED MANY SITES AND DONE A LOT OF READING ,BUT NOT ENOUGH.JUST LOOKING FOR THE BEST START POINT ......THANKS.GREAT SITE LOTS OF COOL PICS.

Try to read as much here as you can.

Corrie, here are a few initial directions that I believe must be put to rest before you can really get involved with component purchasing.

1) Determine that you have the space to build, the tools or availability of them at work, friend etc.

2) You must set a maximum amount you are willing to spend, all CNC machines work essentially the same way, what can drive up the expense is how big, how fast, how repeatable and how accurate do you need. Keep the cost realistic.

3) Purchase a set of plans, I have seen them from free to $150 dollars, actually there is enough information and help available on this site to build from scratch (as ger21 says, read all you can here) but for most, a single set of plans will bring it all together quicker, saving a lot of time. These plans can be modified as needed for your own requirements.


Here is a link on this site that you may find helpfull
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2580


Ken

THANKS KEN AND GERRY .I THINK REALISTICALY IM WILLING TO SPEND $1000-$1300.00. I HAVE THE SPACE TO DO THE WORK THATS NOT A PROBLEM.I THINK IF I START WITH SOME KIND OF DESIGN AND DEMENSIONS THAT WOULD HELP .JUST WONDERING THOUGH,IS MAKING A MACHINE OUT OF WOOD APOSED TO ALUMINIUM CLOSE TO BEING PRETTY ACURATE.OH SO MANY QUESTIONS .THANKS ONCE AGIAN. OH IS THERE ANY PLANS FOR FREE ,EVEN FOR A SMALL MACHINE JUST TO GET STARTED AND LEARN BY THAT?

We are triying to make ones:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3868

Fer

BEEN LURKING HERE ALMOST EVERYDAY AND IM READY TO MAKE MY MACHINE.IM GOING TO GO WITH MDF BUT BEFORE I PURCHASE THE MATERIAL SHOULD I WAIT FOR MY STEPPER MOTORS .WHAT I DONT KNOW IS WHAT SIZE HOLE TO CUT FOR THE SHAFT OF THE MOTORS. IS A HALF INCH HOLE LARGE ENOUGH TO ACCOMIDATE MOST ANY STEPPER .THE STEPPERS ARE 300 OZ IN,. AND WILL INCLUDE THREE SEPERATE CONTROLLERS ,IM GETTING THEM THROUGH EBAY.ALSO WHAT MAX SIZE MACHINE CAN 300 OZ IN,. BE APLLIED TO X,Y,Z. I WAS THINKING X-40" Y-24" Z-6".THANKS.

It's not really the size of the machine that dictates how large motors you need, but rather what you want the machine to be able to do. You could build a huge, lightweight, slow machine for cutting say balsa with a dremel and use quite small motors, or you could build a small machine for steel work and then you would probably need bigger motors.

The strength of you motors together with gearing and the type of screw you use, and the weight of your gantry/table, is what decides maximum acceleration and speed.

Oh, by the way, writing in only capitals is CONSIDERED SHOUTING :D

good luck :)
Arvid

Where in Ontario are ya?

Hello arvidb and thanks for the reply.what ive done so far is start the base for my machine im going with a bearing system for the fist one.ive got 3 stepper motors ,they are slo-syn m092-f009.hold 300 oz.in, 2.5 volt 4.6 amps 200 per rev.3 drivers-anehiem automation 1-6 amp selectable model no.mbl-500.I,ve got a couple of pc power suplies but i think im missing something that will connect this all together.Still learning.I live in whitby ontario just east of toronto.I would like to put pics on the site as i goe but not sure how to do that in this forum.my machine will be similar to the selph that john klienbuor made with the moving gantry.have put together the base,top and ends but have not drilled for the pipe rail because i,m waiting to get to work and get it for free.Also i,ve been collecting lots of free aluminum from the guy who installs windows at work.pretty heafty stuff but i,ll use it when i can afford better linear bearings.anyway thanks for any advise I realy appreciate it and feel free to mail anytime.i,m usualy lurking about the site reading almost everyday.now that i got most of the mechanics of it down i think its time to learn more about the electrical end of things ,that stuff is still kind of confusing.cheers.