Am I being silly?

[Neale]

My first router was made from MDF. Look for references to "JGRO" with Google - lots of people have built them. It may be OK in the warm dry areas of the USA, but in a British climate in an unheated garage it has the structural integrity and long-term stability of cold-rolled cow dung. I built that machine (and around 7 years ago, it probably cost no more than £500) before I found this forum and based on glowing reports from people who had built one. I also saw a similar machine built from ply at an exhibition at about that time, which persuaded me to have a go. And, yes, it did do the job I built it for (basically, house-sign style of engraved plaque) and it built a number of models for my son's architecture degree. It is now firewood. I went steel for the mk2. Not sure why you talk about it not being very "modifiable" - angle grinder with cutoff wheel and a MIG welder and away you go. I wrote it up on this forum (search for "AVOR") and if you look closely you can how crap the welding is. Grown men have cried when they've seen it. Do you know, though? It's a bloody marvellous machine that continues to please me every time I use it. Probably cost around £2500 all told. Prices don't go down that much as the machine gets smaller although these days I would source more from China which would cut costs a bit.

Hey, there's a whole range between toy and carved-from-concrete machines that some guys here build. I had a go at the first as well as something half-way through that range and I don't regret my early learnings. But I am glad that I had half an eye to the future and did buy a decent spindle, steppers and stepper drivers for the mk1 that could be reused. Even if that first machine bent under the weight of the spindle even before starting to cut!

[brman]

My first router was made from MDF. Look for references to "JGRO" with Google - lots of people have built them. It may be OK in the warm dry areas of the USA, but in a British climate in an unheated garage it has the structural integrity and long-term stability of cold-rolled cow dung. I built that machine (and around 7 years ago, it probably cost no more than £500) before I found this forum and based on glowing reports from people who had built one. I also saw a similar machine built from ply at an exhibition at about that time, which persuaded me to have a go. And, yes, it did do the job I built it for (basically, house-sign style of engraved plaque) and it built a number of models for my son's architecture degree. It is now firewood. I went steel for the mk2. Not sure why you talk about it not being very "modifiable" - angle grinder with cutoff wheel and a MIG welder and away you go. I wrote it up on this forum (search for "AVOR") and if you look closely you can how crap the welding is. Grown men have cried when they've seen it. Do you know, though? It's a bloody marvellous machine that continues to please me every time I use it. Probably cost around £2500 all told. Prices don't go down that much as the machine gets smaller although these days I would source more from China which would cut costs a bit.

Hey, there's a whole range between toy and carved-from-concrete machines that some guys here build. I had a go at the first as well as something half-way through that range and I don't regret my early learnings. But I am glad that I had half an eye to the future and did buy a decent spindle, steppers and stepper drivers for the mk1 that could be reused. Even if that first machine bent under the weight of the spindle even before starting to cut!

Thanks Neale. I had a quick look at JGRO and have to admit the design horrifies me for something that needs to be rigid. But I have already been beaten into submission by jazzcnc so will not be going down the wood route anyway. Well, I don't think so anyway..... ;)

I have also had a quick read of the frame build on your AVOR. If you think your welding is bad you haven't seen mine! One thing I liked from your description was “If you can’t build it accurately, make it adjustable!”. This is something I have been thinking about but have not come up with anything I am happy will not affect rigidity other than semi-perminent epoxy. I do like your comments on epoxy though and that somehow makes it less daunting to me although I am still concerned it might be a lot of faff to get right.

[JAZZCNC]

But I have already been beaten into submission by jazzcnc so will not be going down the wood route anyway. Well, I don't think so anyway..... ;)

Well, my work here is done then.! . . . . Some times people need to be given the shock n aww treatment to get them to listen. My only aim is to help not only you but others also reading this post. If other long term members of this forum are honest they will tell you a lot of what they learned or machine designs they use or some version of it came via me or the person they learned it from got it via me.
ie; "Building in lots of adjustment". "Buying quality components to save money". "Using steel and epoxy" " Mixing Steel n profile" " High sided machine frames rather than flimsy gantry sides" among others.

Also, I doubt those that started with wood/Mdf, or bought a shity component package, knowing what they know now would do it again or advise anyone else to do the same even if they did learn from it. . . . We don't drive cars with stone wheels because our cave-dwelling brothers learned how to build the wheel do we.?

So it's your choice if you choose to ignore my advice because like you, I won't lose any sleep if you do ignore it. But I guarantee you will have several sleepless nights and hair-pulling frustrations if you do proceed and try to cut corners or not listen to those with experience. Again good luck.!