3 Axis CNC router

[D.C.]

Sorry about the thread hijack Joe, you seem to be more of a wood guy and not an engineer so make a cup of tea and read this thread on cnczone:

My First Router, Built in Steel - CNCzone.com-The Largest Machinist Community on the net!

A few years ago this english guy Haydn that builds custom guitars built his cnc machine from 80x40x4 steel box section, bolts and epoxy. It is a really great thread because he posts on it over several years and gives lots of details and photos not just of the machine but the work he does on it.

If you check out the mop/abalone inlay work his machine is producing on page 9 I'm pretty sure you will be stunned by what his machine is capable of, exactly what I am aiming for.

It is quite inspiring that a guy with basic wood tools and a drill press can put together a machine like that on a realistic budget. I don't have access to an engineer's flat table but I can work round that by using a few car jacks to get my box section roughly level and then putting a layer of self leveling epoxy on top of them. After reading that thread I'm about 90% sure I can build a similar machine without going over £1500.

If I'm not happy with the rigidity of the machine I will still have the option of pouring some fibre concrete into the gantry and just have to live with a slower machine.

Edit to add: The guy is using the machine to make a living and the epoxy joints are holding up fine after a couple of years of regular use that is good enough for me, long live the epoxy! :)