Where to begin???

[Tason28]

Hello all!,

I have been woodworking for many years and have always wanted to get into cnc. I always thought I would never be able to afford it so I never looked into it. Yesterday while searching the internet I stumbled upon the whole DIY cnc community. I have found a ton of sites and plans, some free and to pay for. I am amped to get started building a machine and getting into cnc, but I have been scammed before on the internet and I am hesitant to just buy any old set of plans on the internet and build something that doesnt work. I would like to build a machine out of mdf as i always work with mdf. I am looking for a machine about with about a 2x4 overall footprint since I became paraplegic in october and now work out of my wheelchair. I have seen a lot of blueprint on the internet but I need the plans, materials list, est. cost, and any instructions as well. I am not familiar with the workings of a cnc machine but I have a lot of skill in building things.

So basically, to sum it all up, can anyone tell me where to get a good set of plans with some instructions, to build a machine out of mdf, with an overall footprint of about 2x4, that can cut material up to about 3/4 inch thick, that costs between $600-$1000 to build?

I have been searching the internet and this forum for info on where to start, but it is overwhelming how much info there is about all of this. I will continue to research the web but I appreciate any info at all that all of you can provide.

Thank you all so much for your time and I cant wait to get started!!

[ger21]

Your budget is on the low side, but the best machine for the money is probably Joe's 2006. Free plans are available here. You can also buy a kit from www.joescnc.com

[Tason28]

Thanks for the reply Gerry. I've downloaded the plans for this machine in eviewer. However, I suppose I need to learn how to use the eviewer as I dont understand how to obtain the dimensions for any of the pieces from the plan. Does anyone have any cut lists or piece layouts that they used to make their machines? I'm just not sure where to begin by using these plans. I am figuring that when all said and done I will spend more than my initial est. but I would like to start by buying and cutting/fabbing some of the pieces to start building the shell of the machine. Again, thanks all.