Re: newbie to the cnc world
Machines made out of wood to cut wood do work, but making the machine out of wood tends towards compromising speed (material removal rate strictly speaking) and accuracy.
It's hard to give a more specific answer without knowing what materials you need to cut?
Re: newbie to the cnc world
il be cutting mdf ply and pine i dont think i will be doing hard wood but you never know
Re: buying help for a newbie
Hi Blackbird,
You have a potential conflict happening here.?
Your goals or desires for Accurate, quick and no compromising yet still be cost affective conflict with building with wood.?
Wood can be used but to do it and meet all your goals then it's not an easy route and not always cheaper.!
The work involved will be far more than if you used Steel or Aluminium and won't come near in strength if made from wood without some time consuming torsion box type arrangements mixed with a very good design. . . . Not a material I'd recommend for first time machine if you realisticly expect to meet all your goals.!!
The time saving of building can pay for any extra cost steel or Aluminium cost because the machine will be earning sooner. Then you have the reliability factor because the stronger machine won't need any where near has much upkeep so down time will be minimal.!!
Wood/MDF builds are ok to get your feet wet but ultimately if you plan using the machine for making money doing lengthy working hours then they leave something to be desired unless very well built and even then in a very specific way to a good design.!!
Good luck.!
Re: newbie to the cnc world
Welcome to the forum Blackbirds, new here myself but I have already learnt that there are at least 2 other people on the forum in the Edinburgh area. Michael is one of them but you will know that as he answered one of your posts, if your looking to use this machine to make money then it would probably be a good idea to at least see what sort of changes & extra cost would be involved in cutting hard woods, you may think that part of your plan is still far away but once you get up & running it may well come round much sooner than you think.
Probably also be best to be a bit more specific about what sort of help you need right now as well. Do you already have a design or an idea of a design you would like to use.
Re: newbie to the cnc world
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jonathan
Machines made out of wood to cut wood do work, but making the machine out of wood tends towards compromising speed (material removal rate strictly speaking) and accuracy.
It's hard to give a more specific answer without knowing what materials you need to cut?
Jonathan there seems to be 2 threads about same thing can you do your MOD stuff and combine into one.?
Re: newbie to the cnc world
You're not cutting anything particularly demanding (e.g. aluminium/hard plastics) so a wooden machine could be made to work, but that's the point - just work, not excel. If the machine is made from steel and aluminium, the higher rigidity obtained will enable you to cut much faster without compromising finish or accuracy, which is likely to be important if you're starting a business where you want to be concentrating on what you're making, not what you're using to make it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
JAZZCNC
Jonathan there seems to be 2 threads about same thing can you do your MOD stuff and combine into one.?
Done it.
Blackbirds - you may wish to start a build log in this section before this thread gets too in depth. Perhaps when you have done an initial concept drawing would be a good time.
Re: newbie to the cnc world
ok guys thanks i think i may need to go back to the drawing board as i am a total noob and dont know where to start the main reason i was choosing wood is because its a material im good with (not built much out of metal) so any advice or pointers are great
jonathan if you want i can start a building log now if thats what is best
Re: newbie to the cnc world
Quote:
Originally Posted by
blackbirds
ok guys thanks i think i may need to go back to the drawing board as i am a total noob and dont know where to start the main reason i was choosing wood is because its a material im good with (not built much out of metal) so any advice or pointers are great
The top 10 'Hottest threads', which are highlighted on the homepage, are almost all build logs. If you read all, or even just a couple of those you'll know the vast majority of what's required since the same things repeatedly crop up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
blackbirds
jonathan if you want i can start a building log now if thats what is best
Up to you...
