I have a lot of CNC Router project logs to transfer over. It’s going to take some time. So for now I’m going to include some links to the Google Albums so you can see some of our projects.

The New CNC Router – Bigger & Stronger

The time has come to build a new CNC router. The old one is okay and works well enough for wood, but my attempts to use it to cut metal (aluminum, light-gauge steel) have been a little disappointing. The other issue it has is that seems perpetually either “too big” or else “not big enough” for whatever project I’m doing. It’s cutting envelope just doesn’t lend itself well for the range of projects that I want to work on.

 

So I spent some time back in January working on the old router, including rebuilding the Z-axis, and while it is now better than it was, it still doesn’t really solve the whole problem to my satisfaction. So after some deliberation, I have decided to build a new one to tackle these issues. Plus, let’s just be honest, I was kind of looking for an excuse to have a new machine project to work on… 😉

 

The Old CNC Router – First Foray into CNC Machining

This is the first foray for my kids and I into the world of CNC routers. I based this largely on the ‘OX’ design put out by Mark Carew of the OpenBuilds community. As you can see it uses the typical V-Slot ‘roller bearing’ arrangement which is promoted through OpenBuilds. So, while I did not buy all the components together specifically as a “kit”, I did go through the BOM (Bill of Materials) of the Ox and several other projects to accumulate a list of necessary components. The gantry plates and carriage assembly plates were all fashioned by Chris Laidlaw (‘ChrisClub’ on eBay). Chris is very easy to work with and has even made some custom parts for me which you’ll see later on in the photos.

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You can also check out the links in the sidebar for additional projects related to the CNC routers.