Getting very close to completing the ~4ftx4ft CNC assembly using 8020 extrusions. I spent quite a bit of time making the linear slide design work with the 2inch extrusion - there are 16 bearings in each slide. The trick was finding bushings to bring the ID of the bearings down to 0.25" to match the T-slot. These motors (425oz-in) are unnecessarily large but were had for a good price. I worked the shaft for the gantry drive inside of the gantry bar, there are 7 bearings along the length to keep the shaft centered in the extrusion to eliminate whipping. Just got the drag-chain and wiring done this weekend.

Attachment 253036
"FuelCNC" - I have no idea why this name stuck

Attachment 253034
Build envelope will be around 40inch x 44inch

Attachment 253038
There's a lot of stuff riding up there. I may need to go with smaller motors at some point. I made a simple torch holder out of polycarbonate with a spring-loaded touch off switch. There will be plenty of experimentation here.

Attachment 253040
2:1 reduction on the X-axis

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2:1 reduction on the Y-axis

Attachment 253044
Finishing up the wiring this week.

Most of the side plates, etc. are 6061 Al cut on my CNC router using a fantastic cutter from Onsrud and a stream of compressed air aimed at the cut to remove the chips. Very impressed with the cut quality on these pieces. My CNC router is a DIY also based on the BlackToe design over at buildyourcnc.com - it is a workhorse!


Now it's time to design the table this will sit on. I'm going with a downdraft design. Anyone got a design that they like?

Charlie