New Machine Build- Vertical CNC Mill: X-axis work table

[mm_cristi]

This is my first post on CNCZone, alltough I am a member since I don't even know when. I was just reading and watching with interest what others have built until now. I started aquiring parts for a vertical CNC mill, and hopefully my dream of building my very own performance CNC mill will become true. But I need help for this. I am planning to build something simmilar to what this guy built:
http://www.5bears.com/cnc.htm
But sure, if I manage to make something at the fraction of the quality of that machine I would be very happy. And I will use steppers instead of servos, my budget like maybe yours is very limmited.

I want the machine to be able to cut aluminum with ease, and possible other metals as well, nothing fancy tough, no steel and stuff like that. I want to be able to use the machine to also build parts of other machines, like a future CNC router. When I start putting parts together I want to post pictures as well.

Today I was thinking of what I will use for the table. So first question:
Is it ok to make the table out of a piece of aluminum profile?
I have seen that usually a cast iron T-sloted table is used, but I currently have no idea where I could easily acquire one.

The profile I am talking about is an 160x16 extrusion like the one found here:

http://catalog.item.info/Onlinekatal...00021847/26590



Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[mm_cristi]

I've started building my second CNC machine about a year ago. Here are the pictures with the first parts i've got:



Used linear guides from ebay for the Z axis:



My silly atempts at squaring the ends of the big Z axis Al profile:


I think I've learned a lot since then from my mistakes, anyway here's a picture of a temporary assembly to get a feeling of how rigid and square I can get it to be:


The biggest problem is that I don't have the proper tools for the job. And since there aren't many machining enthusiasts where I live that I could ask for help from, I try to improvise as much as I can, my little toy milling machine isn't up for this job unfortunately:


Another shot from the back:


I haven't worked on this project much in the last half a year or so, since I was busy with a software project. I am a programmer, machining is just something I like to do and learn in my spare time. But since I don't have the proper tools I realised that maybe it is better to start with something else. So crazy as it may sound I started building a very simple CNC Lathe. Currently I just have a used mini mill X2 xy table with some missing parts. So I am trying to build the missing parts and attach two stepper motors to it and use it as a tool holder/changer. I might be going in the wrong direction, but I don't have to many options currently. I hope to be able to post some pictures with what I'm trying to do next, I've got into some trouble and ruined one of my leadscrews. That's how you learn that hammering a leadscrew is bad.

I mentioned at the beggining of the post that this is my second CNC machine because the first attempt was part of my college diploma thesis. Back then I had even less tools at my disposal, and sure less money to waste on such ambitios projects. Here are a few pictures with that improvisation:















I've also written a dedicated control/simulation path editing software for it, this was actually more rewarding then building the machine:


I know it doesn't look like much, didn't have experience, didn't have knowledge, the right materieals nor the proper tools, I know it is a piece of junk, but I learned a lot doing it.

Hope to read some comments from you more experienced people out there since as you can see I am nothing more then an amateur, but everyone's got to start from somewhere.