My first CNC router

Dave,

My small CNC router is finally working after 1.5 years
in the making. It is stepper & lead screw driven and cuts are done
using a HF trim router,...need more horses, but it works.

The machine was built using an Atlas/Craftsman 104... 6 inch bench
lathe and a HF 12" drill press. Has 3/4" linear bearing on all three
axes, lead screws are 1/2" 0.100 double start anti-backlash acme type.
All of the steppers and linear bearings were purchased surplus.

I said it was small, here's the specs:

X=12.5, Y=12.5Y, Z=3.5, that's inches/imperial.
X-stepper, #34 Vexta 2-phase, 4-wire, 220 in-oz
Y-stepper, #23 Slo-Syn 2-phase, 6-wire series connected, 65 oz-in
Z-stepper, #23 EU 2-phase, 6-wire series connected, 90 oz-in
Camtronics XYZ controller with micro-stepping, 60 ipm all axes
TurboCNC is the control program running on an Intel MMX CPU
w/networking

It has been a fun project. I've been a Software/Hardware Engineer
for many years so the electronics build went smoothly. In a previous
"LIFE" I was a Journeyman Machinist for 12 years. All of these skills
were used in fabrication of the various parts and pieces used in the
assemblies.

I just started using BodCAD-CAM V18 for the toolpath generation.
I'll see how this goes as compared to the other CAD-CAM software
I have evaluated over the last 1.5 years.

My first project is a large wooden clock from the Brian Law's
Woodenclocks web site. Some great plans sets, but you need to rescale
the DXF drawings to a size you can easily build. Alot of gears that
can be made using a CNC router.

I'll have some pictures of the router in the gallery.

OBW, I have some good left over parts that can be used in building
a small router. i.e., linear bearings & rails, lead screws and a
number of different #23 stepper moters. I'll post these items for
sale on the CNCzone web site in the next day or so.
I will ONLY except email through that web site.

Harley