budget diy cnc controller question

[dangerousdave]

Money in the bank will be spent up I would need to purchase bits monthly to do it. I would go down the ball screw route if it were possible.. or necessary I have searched through other build threads and they are not greatly detailed nor do I want to spend a grand on electrics I would have liked to got electrics all sorted for 2-300 quid including motors and psu. What would you recomend for me? I dont need anything mega quick but would like repeatability and fairly decent accuracy

cheers for your input its all greatly appreciated

[irving2008]

Money in the bank will be spent up I would need to purchase bits monthly to do it. I would go down the ball screw route if it were possible.. or necessary I have searched through other build threads and they are not greatly detailed nor do I want to spend a grand on electrics I would have liked to got electrics all sorted for 2-300 quid including motors and psu. What would you recomend for me? I dont need anything mega quick but would like repeatability and fairly decent accuracy

cheers for your input its all greatly appreciated

Dave,

It's not like me to be blunt (I usually leave that to Jazz or JohnS lol) but, with all respect, if you don't have the willpower and focus to put the money aside in a separate account then you're unlikely to have the determination and focus to ever finish a project of this scale; an 8 x 4 machine is not a light undertaking, ask those few who have done it successfully.

Your question about motors and PSU re repeatability/accuracy suggests you have a huge learning curve to go through to understand the basics before you're ready to purchase anything.

The build logs have a wealth of detail but they need to be used as part of a learning process; they are not, and never can be, a step-by-step hand-holding guide. No two machines are the same, especially at that size.

Also consider this: this is a year-long project, if you buy the electronics now they will be out of warranty by the time you come to use them so you'd better budget for replacing them because if you buy that cheap crap you're almost guaranteed to need to do so. So save the money now and buy the right stuff when you need it.

The members on this site have a huge amount of expertise; you are well advised to listen to them if you don't want to throw money away.

Off-topic, but relevant; for putting money aside, if you're in the UK, I suggest premium bonds as a saving vehicle; ok you get no interest but it's sufficient hassle to get the money out to keep it safe and you might win something!

[EddyCurrent]

nor do I want to spend a grand on electrics I would have liked to got electrics all sorted for 2-300 quid including motors and psu. What would you recomend for me?

A rethink !

Im by trade a qualified engineer albiet a cnc turner thats never worked with wood but cant be that hard

I've found that the softer the material the harder to get good tolerence. You just have to compare hand cutting dovetails in hardwood and softwood to see that hardwood is much easier.