DIY CNC Build

All together

2010-03-13T21:12:00.000-08:00

Everything is all together. Just waiting on the transformer and I'll start soldering everything for the driver board this week. I used the dremel 300 instead of the 395 which was in the original plans. I used the modified Z sled made by Bill Hastings..

Going together.

2010-03-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

Started to actually build some pieces. I got all the metal cut and tapped. The metal band saw wasn't working so I used a Chop saw.. Much faster but not as clean.. Assembled all the parts needing bearings and started on the base, X-Beam and Z Cart. I added 3/4" strips of wood to raise the entire mill so I can mount my material on 3/4" insulation foam. Hopefully i'll be able to utilize the extra 3/4" of Z travel. I have everything needed to finish this thing, Just need some more free time...

So it begins

2010-02-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to build a cnc for well over a year.. . I have never done any sort of cnc build before so this will be my first attempt and I am extremely confident I can pull this off.
All information for this DIY CNC can be found at www.diylilcnc.org. there are many users building this all over the world.
I downloaded and got the panels cut out about 2 months ago when I was still in Cincinnati and had access to my schools Laser cutter. (cost $78) I was in a rush to get this done before I moved back to NY for CO-OP. So I have to cut a few parts by hand after the revisions. Its not a problem so I still have to get that done..
Since I couldn't obtain chipboard I opted for MDF since it was cheap and available on short notice from home dept. Because of my rush I ran into the problem that my MDF was exactly .25" thick ..and the slots where .24".
Some of the tabs fit but where really snug. I decided to get out the orbital sander and slim up the cut panels a bit, spent about an hour sanding now everything fits just fine.. I placed an order for the hardware and will order the motors and controller next week. I'll keep this updated as progress continues.