Hello everyone
I joined this forum just to revive this kinda old thread. Hope it's ok..!
Well, the thing is i'm totally new to CNC machineing. I saw a video on youtube two years ago and have been spellbound ever since. Yeah, i know it sounds silly, but thats how i got into this..
So, my former hobby was related to hifi, home theatre gaming and such. Well, i kinda realized over time that as you invest in better and better equipment, you get to spend big money on subtle improvements. So.. i'm done upgrading. Now, i just need to find another hobby, and thought that i would give a CNC machine a go. I want to use it to make parts for speaker building, make some acoustic panels i've designed and that sorta things.
My background.. well, thats the really tricky part. I'm a student graduating this summer as an engineer in thermal process systems. So, no experience using tools, or, limited experience i prefer to say.
So, my budget is around 3-4 grand. Thats how much i saved by being satisfied with my former hobby. You may ask how a student has that kind of money, but payrolls are high here in Denmark and the cost of living is also high. A little CNC to cut in foam with a dremel costs around 15-20 grand.. So i figured i could save some by building my own.
Thats where my question lies. How hard is the mechanical part of building a Joes CNC? - i think i can figure the electronics out.. but i don't know how much goes into building the frame etc.. I would like to buy the plans as well as the MDF and HDFE pre-cut kit.
I would also like to know what gear you would propose to fit into my budget. I don't know which design is the better, or what the pros and cons are with the different systems.. rack n pinion vs belt drive etc. I've pretty much settled for a chinese spindle.. stepper motors, i would like to be able to machine very fast. I see some have really big motors, like NEMA 34's and jog at 1000 ipm and have fast cutting speeds. I see kits on ebay for around 600-800 USD including stepper drivers for 4 axis (NEMA 34 1600 oz-in + DM860 stepper driver) . They should give nice speeds i believe. However, can the construction of Joes cnc take these kinds of motors?
Also, i would like to be able to process a whole sheet of MDF, which in Denmark measures 2440 mm x 1220 mm. It's just over a 4 x 8 layout. Does this make it much more expensive?
I would love to have some suggestions on a complete setup and what i should expect from it. How much work goes into making it and so on. The difficulty of the build..
So, chinese spindle, perhaps rack n pinion, 4 x 8 layout, good cutting speeds. Perhaps a vacuming system to minimize "splatter" of cut material. PS3 controller setup with EMC2.. What do you suggest? I have a delivery address in VA, so i can shop in the US. I Would love any advise as i'm almost at rock bottom and want to climb the latter to a successfull build..