Is there a 'standard' base design, or does everyone start from scratch?

[Richard]

Looking at all the many build logs, I wondered if anyone would find a basic gantry design, that's open source useful?

I know many people enjoy the process of design from scratch and going though several builds to get to a 'prefect' machine, but I also see a lot of posts where people ask the same questions or make the same basic mistakes. Many people are all trying to build the same kind of machine after all.

A 'MyCNCUK' router design would also make a good start for a standard kit of parts, a bit like RepRap did with 3d printers...

It might also be a way for some people to mass produce parts, like the gantry side plates, which are hard for a beginner to fab without a CNC machine!

It may also allow for some bulk group buys of rails, bearings, spindles, VFD's ect.


Maybe there is already something like this, that isn't the OX thing?


Just a thought!

[Neale]

It's a good question that gets asked from time to time. However, it ain't happened yet! I think that there's a whole bunch of reasons. A prospective builder wants a machine that's just a bit bigger/smaller/faster than the reference (my own first router was to the JGRO design, but I tweaked dimensions to suit me), some want steel, some alu, some a mix. Building facilities/tools/skills vary, which changes the approach. And anyone motivated enough to undertake a project like this and carry it to completion probably has a few ideas of their own to include. After all, there isn't even agreement on which way X and Y axes run! :smile:

However, because so many of these ideas have been described in build logs, if you have the energy to plough through a good selection of them, there are plenty of ideas just waiting to be stolen. Sorry, borrowed...

[Richard]

It's a good question that gets asked from time to time. However, it ain't happened yet! I think that there's a whole bunch of reasons. A prospective builder wants a machine that's just a bit bigger/smaller/faster than the reference (my own first router was to the JGRO design, but I tweaked dimensions to suit me), some want steel, some alu, some a mix. Building facilities/tools/skills vary, which changes the approach. And anyone motivated enough to undertake a project like this and carry it to completion probably has a few ideas of their own to include. After all, there isn't even agreement on which way X and Y axes run! :smile:

However, because so many of these ideas have been described in build logs, if you have the energy to plough through a good selection of them, there are plenty of ideas just waiting to be stolen. Sorry, borrowed...

Hi Neale,

Well I have been trawling through a lot of the build logs and I am getting used to seeing some standard concepts that are based on sound engineering theory and should lead to a decent machine!

I get that everybody want's something slightly different, but I think there are some optimal sizes for the x,y,z travel that should easily scale downwards without changing specs on the important bits, although that may not be so cost effective. (1000,500,100 springs to mind).

In theory it should be possible to evolve a perfect design! (if such a thing exists...)

In the meantime, I thought that Jeremy Young's design looked reasonable, to my untrained eye. I see that Alan Doran has borrowed it too.

Jeremy has been kind enough to post the cad for it on his webpage too.

He says that having built it, there were not any major items that he would have done differently.

https://jeremyyoungdesign.com/2016/05/26/diy-cnc-router-final-assembly/

Maybe there's a little bit of 'pin money' to be made by kitting up parts, especially if the built machine is able to machine it's own parts!

[EddyCurrent]

This proved to be a good design for me; http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/6565-Ready-Steady-Eddy?p=54294#post54294

When the machine is working , the forces you can feel on the frame are amazing, a lot more than you would have imagined.

But if starting again I would go for something like this; http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/4th-axis-cnc-router-for-wooden_60359135104.html
where the 4th axis runs down one side.