Rockcliff Router Build, MDF

[Neale]

Given where you are coming from and where you are going, then I would have thought that threaded rod for a short-term, cheap, solution would be fine. Can it handle high speeds? No. Can it handle heavy or 5-days-a-week commercial-type use? No. Will it wear out nuts fairly quickly? Probably - but see below. Will it work and give you something to play with, as well as do something useful, while working on Mark 2? Yes. Use stainless rather than BZP as it's much smoother, but if it's any reassurance, the M10 leadscrews on my JGRO router together with the Delrin nuts have been in use, intermittently, for the last 3 years and have done many useful jobs in that time. They are far from being the weakest part of the design. And I've never needed to adjust the anti-backlash nuts in that time.

It's always possible that this machine will encourage you to be even more ambitious for the Mark 2!

[JAZZCNC]

Don't see the point because You'll buy TR16x4 for around £15 mtr which provided you build the frame strong means for just a few dollars more you'll only need to do it one time and have usable machine not something your constantly chasing issues with.
You'll have none of the hassels that come with threaded so won't be chasing accurecy or reliablity issues meaning you can get on with using the machine for the purpose intended.

V2 can then be down properly with Ballscrews and Linear rails if required.!!

I've seen too many people give up on Cnc because of these machines. Mostly because they used inferior and wrong components which makes think building a working machine is much harder or costly than it really is. When the reality is if they'd just spent a little more on the right stuff and took a little more care with building they'd have working machine that usable and reliable.!!

[paul-l]

Posted at the end of September about finishing off a part built Rockcliff moving gantry design that I bought on ebay. As usual thing got in the way and only the last couple of weeks have seen it in running order, not finished you understand but working. I had no trouble with the mechanics and the electrics were fairly easy(arduino uno, protoneer cnc shield, 4 A4988 drivers and 4 Nema 23 motors). My problems start with my lack of knowledge about g code, everything I try to cut is back to front and a mirror image of what is on screen in UGS or Grbl Controller also I don't seem to be able to know where the job is going to start despite setting all axis to zero and positioning the router to the bottom left of the bed (1000mm x 500mm). I generate the g code file in either Easel or JSCut. Any help would be greatly appreciated