Goose's 80/20 build in Ottawa, Canada

[V8Goose]

Hi and thanks for looking.

After wanting a CNC for several years and reading up on them for around the same amount of time, I am moving ahead with a plan to build an 80/20 machine.

I titled this thread very geographically on purpose as I have been burned (a lot!) by shipping & brokerage fee's over the last 5 years when ordering parts from all over the world for my giant scale r/c aircraft addiction.

A significant part of this build will be sourced locally (where possible) to avoid these extortionate charges and to minimize cost however experience has taught me that when sourcing very specific equipment that local supply is short or non-existent.

This is why I am here... to tap into the wealth of knowledge in 'the zone'.

I have purchased the plans from 80/20cnc and I'm reading through the BOM to understand what I am up against.

Any of you looking with information about this particular machine or local knowledge of parts/material supply please let me know and I thank you in advance...

Goose

[blake374]

Hi

You didn't mention what type of plans you have, just that they use 80/20.

[V8Goose]

Hi Blake...

I bought the plans from 8020cnc.com but like some of my other projects, this one has run out of steam before it got going (where steam=$).

Cheers.

[kolias]

Hi there Goose

I will be starting my 3rd CNC build soon and here is my experience sourcing materials from Montreal.

Its true that Canadian Customs are a big minus when you buy from US but the way I understand you take a chance because they don’t investigate all parcels and therefore if you are among the lucky ones you will pay nothing. But always ask to ship your items by USPS (US Postal Service) and NOT by courier. If they ship by courier you will ALWAYS pay the Customs + the silly brokerage fee's which is a minimum $45.00. If I find a place which I want to buy something and they don’t ship by USPS I look elsewhere. I will never order anything from US and have it shipped by courier.

First, nuts and bolts are a big part of the budget and if you plan to buy them from your local box store I will suggest looking for an alternate source. In Montreal I use Home | Fastenal I don’t know if they have an office in your area but it’s worth the trip to Montreal. They sell in quantities of 10+ but mush less expensive then the hardware stores.

To source the 8020 I use RPT Motion Inc. 1460 Hymus Blvd, Dorval , Qc , H9P 1J6, (514) 683-1612, Fax : (514) 684-0080, very good place and very helpful. They stock all sizes and also have cutting service.

Also in Montreal if you need any size aluminum, brass material try About us huge warehouse with cutting service and they sell in any quantity.

To buy all the special mechanical parts (ACME, coupling, bearings, etc) I use Motion Industries - Keeping Industry in Motion also an excellent place

For electrical wiring etc. I use Accès Électronique - Accès Électronique
Plus Canada - Electronic Components Distributor | Newark/element14 Canada

For spindles I use CNC on a Budget : Inexpensive Technology and Engineering from US

Now for the motors and drivers I buy always from US and have been cut at the Customs only once (35.00) but I didn’t pay brokers fees because they were shipped by USPS. Some times these guys they will pick up your parcel from USPS and charge you $45.00 for expediting. If this happens, fight them! I did it and I got my money back but took a long time and many calls to find the source.