Cheaper Linear Carriage maybe

[FandZ]

Hi all, I'm in the early stages of my first cnc design and one of many builds that have inspired me is this one http://www.glacialwanderer.com/hobbyrobotics/?p=17

Anyways, I really like his axis but I'm trying to cut corners where I can. I started thinking and came up with the design below. (someone else must have also come up with this also. If there is a writeup please link me.) Basically I'd be using angle rolled steel, skate bearings, flat rolled steel, nuts, bolts, and washers to create Linear rolling axis. What I like about it is the cuts don't have to be precise; just the wholes to be drilled on a drill press. Just rough calculations you could have all your axis for under $50.

Please let me know your thoughts. Please forgive the roughness of the pictures. They are by no means to any sort of scale or precision. I haven't even made all the necessary wholes and whatnot's. Just enough to convey the idea, hopefully. It was one of those spur of the moment ideas gathered on the john...lol

[GlacialWanderer]

There are lots of designs our there for people making their own linear rollers. If you haven't looked those up then try googling it. That said I like your design and it wouldn't surprised me if you had done your research while designing it.

If you end up using a design like this I hope you post about how it works. I'm always interested in how well the cheaper designs like this work in the real world machines.

[FandZ]

Originally Posted by GlacialWanderer If you end up using a design like this I hope you post about how it works.

Whatever I end up making I'm going to be surely posting on here and asking for suggestions. This place has been great for research. I still haven't gotten all the cnc jarggin down but I'm I'm starting to understand what makes a good design and what makes a bad one. I have a project I'm working on now, a wall mount pc, that is eating up my time. But once that is done I'll be fully focusing on building my CNC router.

I'll probably build just the rail of my desighn posted here in about a month. I'll post back with some pictures once it is done. Hopefully someone else will build it before then and let me know how it works out...lol