Quote Originally Posted by Richard View Post
Very nice build! Is this really your first one??? Can I ask a couple of questions?

Did you use epoxy on the gantry as well or did you get it machined flat?

Did you have any problems getting everything square?

I see you have the z rails on the moving z plate, which is the better method. Is the z plate rigid enough with just the rails bolted to it? I wondered if C channel steel or a box made from ali plate would be better? (the rest of the machine looks super rigid)

(that's 3 questions! Sorry!)
1. Yes, its my first CNC machine build.
2. I used epoxy on the gantry too.
3. Squareing is time consuming. Have to use creativity and long machinist squares.
4. I can measure quite a lot of deflection on my Z. For sure you can design it stronger. Steel is more rigid. It all depends on your requirements and budget. It is nice to have a super strong machine, but it all comes with a cost. Also I like to point out that good machinist can produce superb parts with mediocre machine. There is no black and white, only gray :D