I’ve been wanting to build my own CNC machine for years now, and I’m finally in a position to do so. I’m cheap, which means I’ll be using inexpensive materials and lots of my own labor, rather than spending the money for a commercial project.
I’ve gone through a number of iterations on the design, and finally have one that I think meets the dual requirements of being A) within my skill-set, B) big enough to be useful, and C) within a modest budget. Unlike previous iterations, I haven’t made a google sketchup model of the machine, and I’m making it up a bit as I go along, so I fully expect the design to evolve as I go.
Last weekend, I started on the base. This is the simple stuff. I added some bracing underneath for stiffness, and now have the two side rails for the linear bearings.
It’s not much to look at, at this point. Here’s the bottom:
