My brain is on overload! This is just a general design, build and whatever thread...

[gregmcdonald]

Hello Everyone,
I've been wanting to build a CNC machine for longer than I can remember. I've spent probably hundreds of hours reading almost every design and build thread on the internet. I've looked at at least one gazillion different sets of plans and machines for sale by untold how many different builders and venders and have even bought a couple of sets of plans. And I even started building a JGRO just so I could say I've done something toward having a CNC machine. The problem is I feel like I'm still overwhelmed with what I want and what I'm going to do with it. To be honest I'm even overwhelmed with why I'm writing this thread. So maybe this is just me venting a little and maybe even more my asking for a little wisdom and guidance for those that have been there done that.

When I started looking at CNC machines I was an avid woodworker. So obviously my interests where more inclined to be toward a wood based machine to be used for woodworking. But then I bought a welder at a yard sale and quickly discovered that metal was perhaps a little more forgiving and easier for me. I mean after all I could stretch a piece of metal with almost no evidence that I had cut it too short. And I could never get the dang board stretcher I bought from the door to door salesman to work right. So with that my interest turn toward a metal based CNC plasma machine and possibly even learning to use a lathe and mill. Then 2 1/2 years ago I developed a back problem which ended my 21 year career as Paramedic and left me sitting in a recliner for upwards of 16 hours a day. During that time I realized I was might never be able to do anything again in wood or metal so I renewed my much-earlier-in-life interest in electronics. And with that came an interest in 3d printing. It didn't help that I had been following so of the discussion on the 3d printed gun world (yes I'm a gun guy). And then I hate to even mention laser engravers and that line of stuff.

So with that I went back to trying to pick some type of CNC machine to start with and just get to making something. I ordered one of the cheap CNC kits from longs motors on eBay. I thought heck. I got just a tiny bit of extra money and no matter what I build I gotta have steppers and a controller. So I got that in and put up on a shelf in the shop. And then I thought "OK...you gotta pick something" so I decided to build a JGRO. It wasn't the greatest machine ever but it should be cheap enough and if I decided to build a bigger one I could use it to cut the parts. And I already had the tubing, bearings, plenty of wood, etc.... So I ordered three acme rods, some couplers, backlash nuts and a few other pieces. The big brown truck came and now I've got everything to build it.

So I print off the plans for some guidance and out to the shop I go. The sawdust is flying and my back is breaking. But I'm able to through the base and x-axis together without any trips to the ER, chiropractor, or the pain clinic. And then it hits me. That one word that has been the monkey on my back my entire life. INDECISIVENESS. So I start thinking. "Why are you building a machine that's never going to be able to cut steel and maybe not even mill aluminum. After all you big dummy your a pretty good welder. Why don't you just build a steel machine and be done with it". But then the other half of my brain which controls the money says. "You idiot...You've pretty much got everything to finish this JGRO. Why don't you just finish what you started for once in your life!". And then the other side comes back with "look at those bearing slides. you know that's never gonna work". And so the battle in my brain goes on and on and on. It is of course the story of my life. I've never been diagnosed but it's no doubt I have ADD.

I don't have a real need of any CNC at all. I'm pretty much broken down and the amount of work I'm able to do in 2 weeks is about equal to what I used to do in a day. But I really like to build stuff. And it really doesn't matter what kind of stuff it is. And like most men I have an uncontrollable tool fetish. If I built a router I could probably make a little side cash at the local flea market peddling signs. But then I could use a CNC plasma to cut out the parts to build a router. So which came first the chicken or the egg? And if I build the router first then do I use metal or wood?

So really I guess this post is as much about me sharing the inner workings of my brain in the hope that if your brain works like mine does then you'll realize your not alone. Believe me when I say that getting married and having children was a much easier process than deciding on why/what/how to build a CNC machine.

Thanks for listening to me rant on and vent just a little....
Greg

PS....when I can't sleep my ADD kicks in...."one sheep, two sheep, a cow, look...a pig, old McDonald had a farm, Hey Macerana!....lol

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[Devastator]

If you have the parts to finish the JGRO, do it. Learn on it because the software is a big hurdle. Then when you get good enough, use it to make parts for a better machine. Right now, you'd just be guessing at what you need in a machine. After you deal with a machine's shortcomings, you'll be better able to assess what's important in a design.

[gregmcdonald]

Devastator...

Thanks for your reply. Funny that you did as I was just checking out your build right after making my post. I don't know why but I kept skipping over the Solsylva threads. I was thinking for some reason they were a pre-made kit. The Solsylva is very neat as when I was kicking things around in my head that design was kind of my first design thoughts. Since I saw yours I've been scowering the internet looking at them. I noticed that your doing some aluminum work with yours also. I'm very impressed and I'm thinking I'll order the plans. They seem reasonably priced...

On another note I noticed that you are obviously pretty big into model rockets. About 30 years ago (I was 14 then) myself and 2 friends were pretty big into model rockets and built probably a couple of hundred between us. We launched everything from cameras to eggs and even a field mouse once (who survived the trip unharmed). I haven't pursued the hobby since then. Lately I've been experimenting with the arduino stuff and noticed it's pretty popular in the rocket world.

In looking at several examples of the Solsylva the things that caught my attention were how the rail and bearings were built. It appears that the rail is somewhat supported. Is that what the bolts in the side rails do? And may I ask if you built your bearings like they appear to be pictured on the Solsylva website? I think that would be important if machining aluminum.

I should add that without a doubt I will build a would router first. I mentioned building the JGRO above but I should also mention that I've veered from the plans quite a bit based on materials that I had on hand. So far I've got the x and y axis somewhat finished. I absolutely hate how I did the bearings on the x-axis and I will have to change that as it's not going to work at all. And in changing that I'm going to have to rebuild my y-axis to accommodate the change. With that I may look more heavily at the Solsylva plans. All I will lose is 1/2 sheet of MDF and 8 hours of work. There goes the INDECISIVENESS again....lol

Thanks again
Greg

[Devastator]

The Solsylva rails are semi supported by threaded rods and nuts. Yes that is what the holes in the sides and gantry are for, so you can put nuts on the studs and bolt them down. I changed the bearing mounts on my X axis from the plans. The plans call for bent aluminum that flexed too much, so I used solid rectangular bar with the angles cut into them. All the rest of the bearing mounts are per plans, although I wish I had used steel instead of aluminum angle for them. The biggest upgrade I made was to use laminated plywood beams instead of 2 bys, and I faced the ends of each beam with steel angle where the rails mount to, so that the washers don't sink into the wood. Adds stiffness too.

Built right, the Solsylva is a beast of a machine. Built per plans, it is just barely average woodworker quality. Just depends on your talent and how much you want to do on it. I still believe that mine is not fully optimized yet, but it is getting close.

Check out my rocket company @ Binder Design I'm using the Solsylva to make everything from wood centering rings and fins to military grade aluminum fin cans in production mode.

[gregmcdonald]

Well I've had an exciting day. After I finished up about 4 hours worth of C++ homework (I'm back in college after a 25 year hiatus) I got to thinking about the solsylva and realized I had bought the plans a while back and forgot about them. So I dug out one of my terabyte external hard drives and got to looking. And yep sure enough I found the PDF for all 5 sets of plans. I had forgotten all about them. So it looks like I'm gonna spend the weekend going over them and deciding what to do.

Without a doubt there are some improvements that can be made. But I think that's the case with about any set of plans. And that's part of the fun. It's kind of like a man's truck. Yea stock is fine but why be average...lol

I took a look at your site. Very impressive, especially compared to what I used to do with cardboard tubes and such. I noticed that you mention some type of certification in the description of your rockets. What might that certification be? I've been out of the game a long time. Have you thought about offering some electronics? Heck I need to message you. Maybe I can build some electronics stuff and you can sale it on your site....

Thanks again for all your replies.
Regards
Greg

[Devastator]

And yep sure enough I found the PDF for all 5 sets of plans.

Score!

Drop me a PM about the rocket stuff. I'd be glad to work with you on marketing some electronics. Are you good at PCB development? If so you could probably DIY your own driver board. I'm also looking for someone who can help me do a board for a guitar pedal I want to bring to market.

[gregmcdonald]

I'll shoot you a pm after this post. I've looked very seriousily at doing an Arduino based controller for whatever CNC I build. I'm pretty sure I've got all of it figured out. The big plus for me would be the USB support. The CNC kit I bought came with a controller. I've hooked it up on the bench just to make sure it functioned. It uses the parallel port though. I've got a couple of old desktops to use it with but it sure would be nice to use a laptop. If I eventually do more than one machine (which I'm absolutely sure I will) then without a doubt they will be arduino based. I very seriously see me doing a small CNC dedicated to circuit board prototyping.

I've done quite a bit of PCB developing I suppose. I etch all the boards I do myself. But my requirements are usually not production quality so far.....lol

Regards
Greg

[Devastator]

I've looked very seriousily at doing an Arduino based controller for whatever CNC I build. I'm pretty sure I've got all of it figured out.

Make sure you get a GRBL shield that can do 3A per axis (or more). I've never seen an Arduino used for a serious build, but the driver boards are getting better. By the time you add up all the stuff, you'll be around the same price as a Gecko G540 though, which is a much better driver platform BTW. And generally you don't want to use a laptop for CNC. The data stream can be interrupted pretty easily with one of those.

That being said, I'm working on a Arduino based CNC guitar pickup winder. No computer. I wouldn't use it to run my router though.

[glynster]

Hi, this is my first post, I am very much at the start of my build journey and still looking at plans etc. I do fully understand your mental confusion and back and forth and it's a clear symptom of "functional ADD" - I know because I suffer from it: it feels like indecisiveness but really it's changing your mind because no solution is "perfect" and every plan of action involves some kind of drawback. Your mind whizzes over a thousand different variables in a day in stead of a normal amount, it's very frustrating, exhausting and exacerbated by a topic like CNC machines where there is so much to know and, worst still, so many different opinions and approaches. You dont cure ADHD - you just learn to manage it. I have found, as a general rule in life, that to focus and stop myself burning out, getting anxious or giving up altogether the solution is to only deal with "what's next?" and more to the point "what thing can I do right now that will advance this just one more step?" - that helps you do one thing at a time and focus on the practicalities rather than the bigger picture (wherein you'll be tempted to flit around ideas again). Strike a deal with yourself - "I will make my FIRST one using THESE plans and I wont change a single thing - I can modify or improve it later". I got through my PhD, which was the greatest challenge of my life, simply by asking myself "what's can I do PRACTICALLY today to take it forward?" and promising myself I'd "edit my ideas" at the end and only at the end. Research is great and it's essential, but research without decision and action is nothing more than worrying.

Anyway, dont know much about CNC just yet but I do know ADD and ADHD.