[met4life]

I've had plans to build a cnc machine for years. I found it on this site and I'm finally now in a position to build it. I'm kinda lost as to where to start though. There is so much info on these forums I find it a little overwhelming. Plus I'm not really sure what I should be searching for to get me started.

I am only going to be using this to cut wood, mainly guitars. I should apologize in advance if I sound a little ignorant!

First, do I need specific routers & bits? or Can I just slap on anything that sounds durable?

Second, I was browsing Ebay among other sites and may have settled on a DIY kit. Would be a good purchase for a starting point?

CNC Mill Router DIY 3Axis Kit 3X 1 2 Motor 24V10A PSU Handle Controller | eBay

Third, any recommendations on software? Preferably freeware, for now. I have modeled many guitar designs in Rhino and have converted them into Cut3D and Freemill but I don't know if the exports from either of these will be enough to get me started or if I need another program for the CNC machine to run.

Last, when it's build and ready to run, are there any good tutorials that could get me started? I'm not sure what it takes to calibrate the machine before starting and how to zero everything out. This could fall under the software category too, does software take care of this stuff for me?

I hope these questions don't make me sound too bad, but I can't wait to start learning & testing this stuff.

Thanks,
Jason

[ger21]

I'm kinda lost as to where to start though.

Just start reading everything, and don't stop for 2-3 months.

First, do I need specific routers & bits? or Can I just slap on anything that sounds durable?

You can use any decent 1.5-2.25HP handheld router, or spend more money for a higher powered spindle.
There are different types of bits for different applications, so it really depends on exactly what operation your performing.

Second, I was browsing Ebay among other sites and may have settled on a DIY kit. Would be a good purchase for a starting point?

CNC Mill Router DIY 3Axis Kit 3X 1 2 Motor 24V10A PSU Handle Controller | eBay

Stay far away from any stepper systems using a TB6560 drive(s).

A Gecko G540 kit offers the most performance for the money, but if money's tight, HobbyCNC is a good option.

Third, any recommendations on software? Preferably freeware, for now. I have modeled many guitar designs in Rhino and have converted them into Cut3D and Freemill but I don't know if the exports from either of these will be enough to get me started or if I need another program for the CNC machine to run.

You need control software to run the machine, usually either Mach3 or LinuxCNC.
Cut 3D will work, but won't be the most efficient, and doesn't offer a lot of control.

Last, when it's build and ready to run, are there any good tutorials that could get me started? I'm not sure what it takes to calibrate the machine before starting and how to zero everything out.

Again, start reading, and you'll soon have an understanding of how things are done. If not, just ask whatever specific question you may have.

[Plan_B]

Hi Jason,
Ditto on all that Ger21 said..
But to answer on "Where to start"..

Here's what I recommend..
1. Decide on the size of cuttable area that you want.
2. From there, weigh the pros/cons between using lead screws or rack/pinion for each axis.
3. Then decide what type of linear bearing system you want to use.
4. After all that, there's still lots to do, but you'll be well on your way by then..

[DonFrambach]

Since you are just starting, I would strongly suggest that, after you decide what you want your router to do, that you either identify plans that other have successfully followed to build what you want or consider buying a kit from a reputable source. If you decide to go the kit route, I suggest you look at those offered by CNCRouterParts.com.

Don

[met4life]

Thanks for the responses guys, it's really appreciated.

I really like what I've read about the G540 and I think I'm gonna order that kit from CNCRouterParts.com but before I do that I had another question about feed rates.

I'm looking at making a JGRO CNC router and I've read a couple things about being limited with the size of lead screws. Are there any diagrams or posts about how different size lead screws affect feed rate? Or what is the typical cost of going to something other than lead screws?

I'm not sure what kind of feed rate would be considered fast but like a said in my first post, I'm planning on cutting out guitar size objects and I'm hoping the idea of cutting out a guitar in an hour isn't impossible. What would I wanna look for to achieve this goal?

Anyway I'm still reading... this is an enormous knowledge base.

[ger21]

Use multi start acme. You basicaly have 4 options, depending on where you get it from.
1/2-8 2 start which is 4 turns/inch
1/2-8 4 start which is 2 turns/inch
1/2-10 2 start which is 5 turns/inch
1/2-10 5 start which is 2 turns/inch

1/2-8 2 start is good for around 200ipm.

1/2-8 4 start or 1/2-10 5 start will usually get you between 300-500ipm.