New to CNC. Reading and planning underway!

[Benchley]

Hi All,

I've seen CNC machines and have thought about having one. Buying one ... well that's no fun. I want to build one. I've got lots to read, think about, and ask you good people for advice.

Thanks,
Benchley

[riesvantwisk]

Hello Benchley,

welcome to the forum!
I can honestly say it's satisfying work to build one.

first thing to think about is the size of your machine and what you are planning to make with it.

Ries

[domino11]

Welcome Benchley!

[Johannescnc]

building one yourself allows the freedom to make it the way you want it!
Custom! :cool:

[KenC]

Benchley, are you interested in CNC or building one?
You can burn lots of free time building one. Who cares about the cost!!! :eek:

Welcome!

[Johannescnc]

Who cares about the cost!!!

I think most care about the cost... :rolleyes:

[KenC]

In my case, the cost to build a MM is significant...
I for one is one of those miser who build on shoe string budget & using junk material, tools & equipment.
There are many who can afford to spend a handsome sum just to buy tools & machine... Hire professional help... Build a garage/shop to house the MM.... :eek:
Anyway, I consider one's time as cost too, hence the comment.

[Johannescnc]

Who cares about the cost!!! :eek:

Ken, you asked the question... "who" is a question word even though it may have been in the rhetorical form...
Motives to build a MM may vary. but I think cost effect is one of the main priorities...
I also think most of us like to spend our "free time" doing what we enjoy. Working with our hands and making things.. Especially things that are pleasing to the eye... :rolleyes:

[KenC]

John, I recon everyone here enjoy working with our hands, there should be no doubt about that. Utilising their free-time or not.
If cost is a factor, one should be looking at smaller CNC made out of wood & MDF using copper bush on decorative pipes & screw studs as lead screw, dremel... etc etc...
Or looking at another angle, a commercial equivalent CNC router is over US16K excluding shipping.... The cost IS the biggest factor to build one!
Minimum build cost of MM is US2.5k at best, & can go as much as US6~8K. So if one decided to build a MM for any reasons, one should not be concern with the cost incur & get on with the building.
There are many strategy one could employ, save enough & build, buy bits & pieces as money show up, buy the "standard" components or scrounge for economical parts... etc etc, or wish for a set of stepper motors on boxing day.
Seriously, if you can not affort it or you don't wish to spend such money, & one can not get his way around it. The build can never take place.
BUT if one WANTS to build one, any reasoning is futile :D including the wife... ;)
#PS, In true fact, I can not afford this build but some how I'm close to making dust :D

[MetalHead]

I think the way folks can look at building a MM is money versus time. In all things we do we can decide that we are going to "commit to the project".

The issue of how said project is completed is typically money driven. You want (or need) a MM and you have the money to get it done? Typically time is your enemy in this situation because you need a machine to complete projects on the table and just because you have funds doesn't mean you want to spend it all on a turn key system. Building a MM lets you know how to support/repair (Has anyone had to actually repair a MM yet?) and also is typically way cheaper than a comparable turn key solution.

If funding is the issue, then time is your friend. You can shop and learn, pickup deals and progress as you can on the project over time.

We can see this in the build log with builds taking from a few weeks to over a year to complete. I am sure many MM's are still underway out there being built slowly over time. We get a lot of folks on this forum everyday who read and don't post.

The cool thing here is that we all end up with pretty much the same machine doing whatever work we need the MM to do.