Newb looking for advice on diy cnc mill thats rigid

[joedesu1]

Hi,
I'm looking to build a machine but am having a hard time deciding what to get and how to go about building this. I am a machinist (Blohm Profimat Creep feed grinder with sunimerik 810d) and have ALL capabilities to grind ID/OD, Blanchard grinding, centerless grinding and a whole lot of other capabilities. I also have access to a mill but no lathe at the moment. I am looking for a standard mill size, I don't know much about size but would say I want at least 32"X12" table. I am looking to machine all types of materials (steel, stainless, and some alloys included) so I need something rigid that could handle this. I have an unlimited amount of materials at my disposal and also am able to weld. So what I am looking for is blueprints or instructions or whatever can get this project going. I have searched extensively and everything seems to be geared toward machining soft materials. I am planning on a $2000 to $3000 budget and want to use mastercam x4 if possible. Please direct me to a good site or some prints. Also a material list would be great. I also am debating between an acme thread or a ball screw and servo vs stepping? Any advice? Thanks in advance.

[jsheerin]

Try looking at the metal working section of cnczone for some ideas. This is the woodworking forum. I don't think I've seen any plans there though. People tend to build around the parts they find. As I'm working on designing a mill right now and gathering some parts, I'd say you will be hard pressed to make a metal working machine that's that large for that much money. I mean I guess if all your materials are free you might have a chance, but if you have to buy linear bearings and rails, ball screws, motors and drives and a spindle that will probably blow your $3k budget right there unless you can really find some good deals on used parts. You might be better off buying a used Bridgeport clone and converting it to cnc.