Time for a Reality Check and encouragement to New builders.!

[mitchejc]

Jazz, I totally agree with what you are saying. I got on here a few months back with the intention to build a small very sturdy router from alu and after calculating the cost and seeing the nice solid steel builds and not fully understanding remarks like "use larger profile" and "extra weight might be a good", things got out of hand... You over design one bit and then you strengthen something else to be in line with that and before you know it your are caught up in a viscous cycle of adding more strength and weight. The other issue is that parts are MUCH larger in real life than the CAD drawing suggested but at that point its a bit too late. I did not see this coming but to give you a good example, I had to fit a hook to the roof trusses and buy a chain block just to get my gantry on an off my machine while I'm building it, so how wrong is that for a little DIY router. Well, for me there's no turning back now and it will be finished like that and maybe I can do a future version 2 in a more sensible manner.

I wish someone could get hold of a drawing of the Datron M8 gantry and post that on here as a reference of what the ultimate steel gantry looks like. I bet you one does not need a chain block to lift that gantry.

I think classifying the build threads into 4 classes: Wood, Alu, Steel and OTT Wackjob is a good suggestion.

[Clive S]

Jazz, I totally agree with what you are saying. I got on here a few months back with the intention to build a small very sturdy router from alu and after calculating the cost and seeing the nice solid steel builds and not fully understanding remarks like "use larger profile" and "extra weight might be a good", things got out of hand

Etc etc. I for one agree completely that if you're not careful things can get a bit out of hand. Its alright trying to measure to the nth degree in the morning and then when the sun comes out in the afternoon (or in the case in England when the big wood burner gets going) the whole machine has expanded and the first lot of measurements go out the window.

I do realise that different people see things in different ways but as Dean has pointed out we have to be careful not to put people off in what is achievable to the average Joe Blogs trying to build a machine in his garage with just basic tools and I would suspect there are quite a few folk out there wanting to build a machine having never even been in a true machine shop.

I could not have built my router without the help of some of the truly helpful guys on here.
So lets keep it light. As this forum is a mine of information and I have met some really nice and genuine people on here. Happy New Year ..Clive

[mitchejc]

Well said Clive In the end most of us are building and using these machines for pure entertainment value whether its a little 6"x 6" mdf router with old hard drive steppers or a 3x2m monstrosity, as long as everyone is having fun doing it, all is good. As soon as I have finished this ice cold beer you subtly suggested I'll be back in the shed to continue bolting the battlestar galaxtica together and I sure as hell hope I don't discourage anybody else to pursue there cnc dreams by doing so :-)