Newbie needs advice on where to source components in Australia

[sli21]

Hi everyone
I'm really excited to be embarking on this CNC adventure. I want to construct a Joes 2006 to use at the School i teach at (DEsign & TEch, Woodwork).

What companies/people can reliably supply me with quality components in Australia?

Particularly the electronic side of things; threaded rods, bearings.

Does anyone have METRIC DXF files of the table components they could share?

A local kitchen manufacturer is keen to be involved and has a large CNC setup that could assist with the cutout.

Any links or info about cheap (prefwrably free) software would also be useful. I can use Illustrator to design etc but i'm not sure from then on. It needs to be 'relatively simple' hopefully.

cheers and thanks Scott

[tumutbound]

Scott,

Go and introduce yourself over at the Woodwork Forums. There's an active CNC forum there and, as it's an Australian site, you'll be able to get details on local suppliers for most of the bits you're after.
Here are a couple of local suppliers you'll find useful:

Homann Designs
Ausx

[gully]

Hi Scott,
Good luck with your Joe's, they are a great project to build, I am really pleased with my version.
I will try to answer some of your questions.
1: you will struggle to find metric drawings, I had to redraw all the parts I required to suit my needs (my build thread of a scaled down Joe's is in the Aust/NewZealand club house on this site.Scaled down Joe's 2006 R2 - CNCzone.com-The Largest Machinist Community on the net!) So resizing/ altering the drawings will need to be included as part of your project.
The other option is to print the original plans and adjust the slots to suit and cut it out by hand

2: I went with 16mm ballscrews rather than Acme thread. (personal choice as I found trying to source Acme thread overly expensive and 6tpi was the only choice)
The ball screws were purchased on Ebay from a local (Melb supplier) PM me if you want his details.

3: I just purchased all the required bearings directly from a local wholesaler

4: Pipe rails came from Robot Trading but most steel merchants would carry it

5: Homann designs (Melb based) was my choice for BOB, drivers, steppers etc

6: Best tip I can give you is don't bother with a cheap Chinese driver board,
Budget for using Gecko drivers if you can, and save yourself the grief.

Good luck and enjoy, they are a lot of fun to put together.

Gully