Desktop build with zero budget. Critique my design please?

**Desertboy** · 08-07-2017

Ditch the pipe replace with smooth rod! Pipe won't last long at all.

If you can machine the required parts I think this would work fine it's not a production machine but certainly no worse than a lot of Chinese cheapo machines.

**Nealieboyee** · 08-07-2017

I don't have smooth rod

, and considering the stainless pipe is free, I want to get it working using that. I can always change to solid rod later or even proper linear rails when budget allows. How does the z axis look?

**Zeeflyboy** · 09-07-2017

Looks to me like the z-axis will flop around in a stiff breeze...

Needs to be captured both top and bottom.

This sort of linear motion stuff will work (for a time) but obviously precision and rigidity are fairly low. It will certainly struggle with aluminium but you may get passable results in thin sheet for your purposes. how are you intending to drive the axis?

You will certainly get plenty of opinions on here that what you are building there is not exactly ideal (to put it nicely!), but given that you are basically building it for free, you don't have much to lose other than your time.

**Boyan Silyavski** · 09-07-2017

In DIY CNC world LATER=NEVER , take my word on that. Stuff might be free but what? Do you have a breakout board, PSU, motors piling around? Or you have to buy them . At the end of the day you will have to buy much stuff including software.

But if you are up to making a worse than Chinese cheapo machine which costs only a couple of hundred euros, we will watch.

if you lived in some god forgotten country in Africa, i wouldn't have said that. But you are in UK for gods sake..

**Nealieboyee** · 09-07-2017

Thanks for the replies all. I've stretched my budget as far as I can. I've changed the z-axis to use 10mm linear shaft bearings on a solid 10mm aluminium plate. The x and y axis will stay with skate bearings but I've changed the 20mm pipe to 16mm round bar. The spindle mount will also be aluminium plate.

If I had the budget i'd go for proper stuff but I have to fork out almost 4k for other stuff right now, so please forgive my frugality. This little project is the only thing keeping me sane.

The electronics will come in time, hopefully when my budget frees up in a few months. At the moment I'd like to get the frame done and sliding.

**JoeHarris** · 23-07-2017

Originally Posted by Nealieboyee

Thanks for the replies all. I've stretched my budget as far as I can. I've changed the z-axis to use 10mm linear shaft bearings on a solid 10mm aluminium plate. The x and y axis will stay with skate bearings but I've changed the 20mm pipe to 16mm round bar. The spindle mount will also be aluminium plate.

If I had the budget i'd go for proper stuff but I have to fork out almost 4k for other stuff right now, so please forgive my frugality. This little project is the only thing keeping me sane.

The electronics will come in time, hopefully when my budget frees up in a few months. At the moment I'd like to get the frame done and sliding.

I started my build with a tiny budget as many on here do. Realistically Boyan is right you need to spend on electronics, software, tools etc. It is impossible to build a CNC for nothing. Mine has evolved from an MDF horror to something I'm quite proud of. If you are willing to go slow you can put aside a bit each month and make a half decent machine without it crippling you financially! That said, mine has taken a few years so far and is still not finished. I'm saving for the motion controller at the moment (I've gone for a really good one) but it will be worth the wait and in the mean time there are tons of other things to work on on the machine. Slow, steady and good has got to trump quick and crap! Good luck with the build its a lot of fun!