Build Your CNC

Learn how to construct a computer controlled router completely from scratch using minimal resources and tools.

Alessandro's CNC Machine Build with Guitar Example

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:35:00 PDT - I have gotten a lot of requests asking, can this machine make a guitar? Alessandro created a 2nd generation CNC machine using this website as a guide and from the images he provided, I can say he was quite successful. Not only that, he also built his electronics from scratch and his wire management is absolutely fantastic. Read on...

Maker Faire Austin 2008 Fabrication

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:33:00 PDT - As always, the Maker Faire was an awesome experience. There were makers from all over. All of the really great stuff was exhibited like engineering, crafts, sustainable technology, art and other interesting things that was conjured up by makers. Can you guess what my favorite part of the show was? Well... Fabrication, of course. Oh yeah, they were nice enough to slap on a couple of Editor's Choice ribbons (very very shameless plug). Read on...

Single Starts, 2 Starts, 5 Starts, TPI, Lead, HUH?!?

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:34:00 PDT - I think it's about time to talk about lead screws. So, what is a lead screw that is always mentioned throughout this website. Lead screws also have all of these terminologies and esoteric language that I will demystify. Maybe you will also start to understand the math behind the linear motion and how different lead screws will provide various linear motion characteristics.

Some Information about End Mills (Rotational Cutters) for CNC Machines

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:28:00 PDT - I receive a healthy dose of questions about end mills and which ones that I use. I usually respond with answers like, my end mill will probably differ from your end mill. So, what is this thing called an end mill anyhow. If you are new to CNC machining and routing, you may have never heard of the thing. I could imagine people googling something like, "CNC bits". Using the terminology "bit" is not all that incorrect. Bits are commonly referred to as drill bits, but routers use router bits. If you're looking to cut various metals and composites, end mills are the tools of choice. However, end mills will also work on wood, depending on the type of end mill selected. Read on...

The CNC Process - From CAD to Product

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:59:00 PDT - I have put together a video tutorial of the entire process from drawing a part in CAD (Computer Assisted/Aided Design) to the final product that is cut out from the CNC machine. This three part series will step you through the design of a very simple object that uses drills and profiles. Drills are simply holes created from the end mill (router bit) into the material and profiles are horizontal cuts, usually in geometric form, that create various shapes. Read on and watch the videos...

Video Wiring Instruction for the Electronics Combo

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:58:00 PDT - I finally got around to creating step by step instructions on how to connect the stepping motors, drivers, power supplies, fan and computer. These videos detail the procedure for wiring the electronics combo for sale here. This may also show similar wiring schemes for other systems like Geckos. Read/View on...

DIY Coupling: Motor to the Leadscrew

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:02:00 PDT - This creative coupling solution comes from another generous user of the site (Marc K.). He has devised a way to couple the motor to the leadscrew with standard aluminum tubing. Marc has graciously allowed me to show you this creative idea. Read on...

Creative Commons

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:01:00 PDT - I am extending the rights associated to the work I'm doing here. I have licensed my work and kits under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Since this is a machine that can replicate itself, I'm giving the users the right to be able to reproduce the machine and elements of the machine for non-commercial distribution. So, if you purchase or build the machine, you can improve upon the design and/or make reproductions of it and give it to others, but you must attribute the credit to this work and site. Click on the license to get more information.

CNC Machine Workpiece Clamping

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:19:00 PDT - This technique comes from one of the users of this site (Robert L). He has come up with a brilliant clamping idea. I get many emails asking, "how do you clamp your workpiece." I would often reply with the screw and wood scrap idea, but when I saw the method below, I knew this was the one to seriously consider. The historic reference is icing on the cake. When he talks about the moving to various positions, he is making reference to g-code. He specifies, assuming that you have zeroed out the correct position of the origin, that you move to x0 y0... and so on. You would read on...

CNC Machine v1.2 Kit Assembly Videos Released

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:16:00 PDT - If you enjoy the antics of the family chaotically trying to assembly the CNC Machine, or you just want to know how to do the assembly, watch the videos. My wife tries to do it, but I think she better at filming the process. :)

Demonstration of the CNC Ver. 1.2 Kit

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:14:00 PDT - There have been a few requests for a demonstration of the new CNC Router Kit Ver. 1.2. Since I have been hard at work cutting out a bunch of CNC parts for shipping, I dusted off the camera and shot a bit of the CNC in action. The beginning of the video shows actual speed. The video is sped up so a majority of the cutting can be shown. Enjoy the video and as always, give me some feedback.

CNC Kit Ver 1.2 Update and Video

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 22:52:00 PST - Update:
I've added a video to give a first look at the version 1.2 kit. I would like to thank all those that purchased the CNC kit during the development phase of the new expandable CNC router kit. Your patience is greatly appreciated and you will find that as I state below, the price you are paying is well worth the wait. Below, you will see a video of the progress of the machine. It is nearly completed and I can start on the next phase: production. Errata to the video: I state that the smaller kit has a routing area of 24" x 48" and the correction is that the x-axis actually has a longer routing area than 48" (approximately 51") due to the modular pieces being used.

After understanding the amount of work that goes into creating this CNC machine, the price points will be higher than previously stated. Read on...

CNC Machine Pecking

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 22:51:00 PST - So, what does a woodpecker do? It pecks, and the pecking is to bore a hole. It would be very difficult for a woodpecker to bore a hole in a tree with just one thrust into the tree. The same goes with machining various materials. I previously mentioned pecking in a previous page, but I think it's important to mention it with an example. Read on with video...

New CNC Router Kit Ver 1.2

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:34:00 PST - No, my son didn't build it, as much as he wanted to. That drill he is holding will soon be in a very deep hiding place. Thank goodness cordless drills are cheap! The new expandable CNC Router Machine is in the final phase of development and everything is fitting perfectly and sliding smoothly. In the image above, you will notice a few pieces to the CNC machine. I'm only showing about half of the pieces necessary to assemble the complete CNC. All of these parts are machined so the alignments will be to acceptable tolerances. You will also notice that the CNC machine's structure is beefed up. This machine is built like a house. Read on...

Prototype PCB Finally Arrives

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 07:49:00 PST -
The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) finally arrived in the mail today. I can't believe it took so long, but I'm excited regardless. I spent about 4 days non-stop... Driving my wife and kids crazy designing this thing. It was so bad that when I got up from the continual sitting position, my back had some serious hurtin'. I fit 3 axes in an extremely small footprint. Not that I really had to work in such a confined space... I mean, I could have just purchased the Eagle license to work with a larger board area, right? The board is about half the size of a slice of bread. Yep, that's why it took me four days, and the signal routing was especially fun?!? Read on...

Expandable CNC Router!

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:24:00 PST - I have devised a CNC Router that is actually expandable, in a modular way. Does one even exist in this world? At this time, I'm offering pre-sales introductory prices for these units. The standard CNC router kit will also take on these same design features and they are offered also. Introductory prices will be $750 for the expandable CNC router that will have a routing area of 2'x4' expandable to a whopping 4'x8'. Yes, I said it right, routing area! The non-expandable CNC router with an actual routing area of 2'x4' has an introductory pre-sale price of $405.00. These prices are only available during this design phase to implementation (a price break for the expanded lead time, if you will). Once the kits are available, new purchasers will have to pay the regular price of $1050 (expandable) and $550 (non-expandable) respectively. See the kit in the sales page.

A New Combo CNC Kit is Available

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:21:00 PST - Hamburger? Not! ... Tasty? Absolutely not! ... Fulfilling and enjoyable? YES! Well, if your a fabricator junkie like me. This is the budget kit that replaces the MDF pieces with cut sheets and plans. These are my hand picked components and hardware for the perfect leap into this CNC process. You will also get the cut sheets and plans for cutting the necessary MDF pieces (including my easier and improved design). This is the perfect kit if you don't want the expense of shipping all of the MDF with the original kit read on...

CNC Structure Kit Ready

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:20:00 PST - It's the new year and the kit is ready to go! Check out that beautiful dust collector and vacuum attachment. When I turned this on and started cutting, my alergenic wife, in total shock, said "there's no dust!" I was confidently standing beside her in the "I told you so" mode.

The size of this kit, if purchased as standard, will travel 40" in the x direction, 20" in the y direction and 5" in the z direction. Other table sizes are possible upon request. The lead time for this kit is 7 to 10 days and read on...

Electronics Kit in Development

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:19:00 PST - Happy New Year!! Although the CNC structure kit is available, I'm still in prototype stage with the electronics. The driver design has changed slightly to take advantage of more power to enable a wider variety of stepper motors. The electronics will now be based on the L297 and L6304 combo and will drive bi-polar stepping motors up to a whopping 4 amps per phase. The driver circuit will be designed to drive three axes without the need for a breakout board. That is to say, you will only need one driver board that the parallel port will connect read on...

CNC Kit in Development

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:16:00 PST - Wow, it's that time of year again and Christmas is right around the corner. This means that I have my vacation and during this time I will produce a CNC kit, of course. While on my vacation, I'm developing the electronics and a CNC structure kit. The kit will include all of the necessary components to either construct the CNC structure, motor drivers (electronics that connect to the computer and the motors), or both. Read on...

Pipe CNC Step 1: Linear Slide Mechanism and Concept

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 20:51:00 PST - Happy thanksgiving for those that live in the United States. This is my first post in the Research and Development section of this website. You are probably wondering why I am adding the pipe CNC machine in such an illusive section. I want visitors of this website to know that this machine is a work in progress and all of the bugs and concepts are not fully known yet. Anyway, this enables me to share some of the ideas that run through my head.

I am starting with the first video of the pipe CNC. I am going to first demonstrate the concept of how the aluminum angle of the linear slide fits in and connects to the pipe assembly. Then I will construct Read on...

New R & D (Research and Development) Section

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 20:44:00 PST - I have added a new section to the website to show my work in progress. I'm starting the new section out with the first video of the pipe CNC. I would like to get feedback on the R & D idea and the content within. My hope is for collaboration, design ideas, suggestions, and comments to be engendered through this section. I would like this research and development section to be very broad, touching on ideas of linear motion, backlash removal/mitigation, frugal assembly concepts and resources for design and research.

With the introduction of the pipe CNC (sneak peek), I have already gotten many ideas to come my way. I encourage more ideas and I will post them all, with a bit of evaluation and collaboration with you. For now, enjoy the new section.

Bill of Materials Revision

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:53:00 PST - I've added the electronics to the BOM (Bill of Materials) page. It is a skeleton list and I intend to improve the list with numerous options, and pictures of what each item looks like.

Sneak Peek: A Totally New CNC Machine (In Pipe!)

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:49:00 PST -
I'm back and I have a treat for you. I have been doing a lot of tinkering lately (yup, that's why!). I cannot get the mechanical aspect of CNCs out of my system, so until then, enjoy the crazy concoctions.

Today, I'm offering a sneak peek to what I've been working on for the past two weeks. It is possible to build this CNC within a weekend, if you have all of the correct parts. In addition, manual cutting and power tools are at a minimum. So far, the only major tool that I've used is a hack saw to cut-off some threaded rod (very simple). With the vast selection of pipe sizes, the scalability for this CNC machine is great. I have also been recording the build on video... again. Read on...

Step 36 - Software Toolchain Part 3 - The toolchain concept

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:56:00 PDT - Happy Halloween! At this point, you should have the control software that is described in Software Part 1 or Software Part 2. Software part 1 shows the process to install Mach3 and Software Part 2 shows the process to install a Linux control software application called EMC2. If you're still unsure what I'm talking about, then here is my detailed explanation of the entire workflow. Later posts will go ito greater detail and tutorial on each program.

The entire link from the design all the way to the motors and motion goes like this: First you need to design something. Lets say you want to cut out a square piece of wood that is 3/4" thick, 2" in length and 2" in width. You will first design the square in a Read on...