About 5 years ago I discovered CNC machines, at first I was very confused but then became very excited. A machine that can cut out whatever I design? Where do I sign up?!
However it wasn’t long before I found out how much a CNC machine costs. I was a student at the time and the prices were not even close to what I could afford. So CNC went in the back burner for the time but I kept reading up on CNC’s, how they work, what they can do etc.
It wasn’t long before I had learnt enough that I felt I could make my own DIY CNC router. A CNC router is a larger machine, made with a larger cutting footprint and faster cutting of soft materials in mind as opposed to a CNC mill that has a small footprint but is very strong (able to cut metals).
My first CNC router was made from MDF wood and to put it lightly it was not very good. Bad accuracy, poor rigidity, too much backlash, sloppy operation… It did however show me the potential of a CNC. With my wooden CNC machine (World’s worst CNC I called it) I was able to machine aluminium and make parts for a robotic arm for a project that was part of my university degree.
I soon realised that my MDF CNC wasn’t going to suffice and it was time to spend some real money, build a new machine from metal and spend a lot more time and effort in the designing stages.
I started designing the CNC in October of 2009 and completed the machine in June of 2011. However I’m still upgrading the machine and finishing it off. I’m using the CNC router to make parts for the CNC router itself, which is really cool I think!
Anyways reading is tiring and nothing in my opinion beats a good video. Here is a video showing how I built my CNC. Enjoy!
