Am I being silly?

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Originally Posted by Neale

Just to show it can be done - Lego CNC machine.

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All I can say is some people just have just too much spare time!... Lol

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Originally Posted by JAZZCNC

The only place for MDF in CNC for lighting fires to keep shop warm

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I wouldn't even burn MDF, it has some nasty stuff in it!

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Originally Posted by brman

Yeh, but there are so many build logs and youtube videos out there so it is deciding what to copy that is the problem. After all, there are a fair few wood machines that people appear to be proud of :whistle:

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Ah, now - that's an easy one to answer! Just decide what you want to do with it, what do you really want to be able to do with it. Subject to affordability, everything else follows from that!

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Originally Posted by brman

So did you use profile rails or supported rails? And did you use resin to level or some other technique? Just curious about different options :friendly_wink:

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I used 20mm fully supported rails as they are cheaper and much more tolerant of alignment errors than Hi-Win. Despite coming off the tip the 65mm box section steel the long axis is mounted on looked flat enough to me and my 1m steel ruler so they are directly mounted onto the metal. The gantry is 2 pieces of 50 x 100 mm box welded together and though the surface seemed much flatter than I would have expected I used epoxy to level the face. Unfortunately this was before I knew about the West Systems 105 resin and 209 hardener combination and my chosen goo was too viscous. The result is probably worse than the underlying metal and will be re-done during planned upgrades later this year once we get into winter and the shed daily maximum temperature drops below 50C.

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Originally Posted by Neale

Ah, now - that's an easy one to answer! Just decide what you want to do with it, what do you really want to be able to do with it. Subject to affordability, everything else follows from that!

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I think that might be the crux of the problem. What I really want is a machine that will do anything, including taking the place of a conventional milling machine. I am unlikely to get that though.....

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Originally Posted by Kitwn

I used 20mm fully supported rails as they are cheaper and much more tolerant of alignment errors than Hi-Win. Despite coming off the tip the 65mm box section steel the long axis is mounted on looked flat enough to me and my 1m steel ruler so they are directly mounted onto the metal. The gantry is 2 pieces of 50 x 100 mm box welded together and though the surface seemed much flatter than I would have expected I used epoxy to level the face. Unfortunately this was before I knew about the West Systems 105 resin and 209 hardener combination and my chosen goo was too viscous. The result is probably worse than the underlying metal and will be re-done during planned upgrades later this year once we get into winter and the shed daily maximum temperature drops below 50C.

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Thanks, more food for thought.

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Originally Posted by brman

I think that might be the crux of the problem. What I really want is a machine that will do anything, including taking the place of a conventional milling machine. I am unlikely to get that though.....

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I can tell you for certain you won't get that, not even for real money!

As I've worked my way through the collection of threads here it's noticeable how many of the serious router builders already have a manual milling machine which they use to good effect when building a CNC router.

Kit

PS. On reflection, a 'machine' that can do anything is called a 'workshop' and contains a variety of tools each designed to do a limited range of tasks well. Building a really good workshop is definitely a project of it's own and can take many years.

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Originally Posted by Kitwn

I can tell you for certain you won't get that, not even for real money!

As I've worked my way through the collection of threads here it's noticeable how many of the serious router builders already have a manual milling machine which they use to good effect when building a CNC router.

Kit

PS. On reflection, a 'machine' that can do anything is called a 'workshop' and contains a variety of tools each designed to do a limited range of tasks well. Building a really good workshop is definitely a project of it's own and can take many years.

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Yes, I realise that. It has taken years for my workshop to get where it is and in reality it is still a small garage which is already severely lacking in space but still lacking in machine tools. I do have access to a bridgeport mill but it is not practical to use that for regular stuff. Hence the idea of building a small router style machine in a fairly rough and ready way but one that is capable of cutting ally so it can be used to upgrade itself (or, more likely build a better one).
The alternative is to bite the bullet and rationlise my garage so I can fit one of the larger mini-mills, cnc that then think about whether I still want a router style machine.

One day I'm going to retire to a place where the nearest Bridgeport mill is less than 1300Km away. It won't be for a few years yet I'm afraid. Do the best you can and live with it.

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Originally Posted by Kitwn

One day I'm going to retire to a place where the nearest Bridgeport mill is less than 1300Km away. It won't be for a few years yet I'm afraid. Do the best you can and live with it.

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Ha, and there is me complaining that I have to drive 20 minutes to a mates house to use a bridgeport
:witless: