Re: wanted .... starter machine

Hi Ed,
Welcome to the world of CNC. I have a machine built with MDF and
drawer slides, using a Dremel tool for the spindle. It has a working
area of about 14" x 24". It would be a little small for cabinet doors
but would do well on the small wooden gears. Have you checked out
the CNC Zone forum ( http://www.cnczone.com/ )? There is a lot of
information there similar to what there is here on this forum. If you
do check it out, I have a photo section in the gallery with some
pictures of the machine. Just look in the Gallery for Marv. It is a
big enough machine to put a trim router on but even then I would
recommend not taking more than a 1/4" depth of cut with a 1/4" end
mill. I have done photo engraving with it as well as cutting some
aluminum using the Dremel. Of course the aluminum requires a small
bit with a shallow depth of cut and slow feed rate. I also have some
photos of things I have done on the Yahoo Meshcam group site if you
want to check them out. Don't worry about being a newbie, everybody
was one to begin with. I have only been doing this for a little over
a year and am totally addicted to it. Went overboard from nothing to
two routers, two lathes, two milling machines and lots of tooling.
Just can't seem to get enough. I'm gathering parts right now for a
servo system to put on a bigger router or one of my milling machines.
Just to keep the list traffic down, you can e-mail me at lstovall AT
cfl DOT rr DOT com if you want more details.

Marv




--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Russell Ed" <ed.russell@t...>
wrote:

> Hi Marv and thanks for the response. You are correct about the CNC

router. I have a few books and

> it looks like a gantry style router would be the most appropriate

for woodworking applications. The construction material isn't that
important at this point other then the accuracy issue. Since I'm not
well versed in what 'accurate' really means yet I can only say that I
would want to cut out small wooden gears and other pieces but have a
machine size that would accommodate larger applications such as
cabinet doors later on. I believe that wood of any thickness would
have to be cut in multiple passes so repeatability of tool path might
be an issue. The things I'm seeing on the net seem to suggest that
'bigger' is directly proportional to cost as far as CNC goes. I
believe that my first system will most likely not be my last so the
starting size would be less critical but for a ball park range I
believe that 24" x 24" x 4" axis travels might keep me from having to
upgrade for awhile until I get my feet wet. Again, I've been in
woodworking for a few years but am a complete novice to CNC so If some
of what I try to explain doesn't make sense please allow for the
obvious learning curve. My zip is 46268 Indianapolis area. (
additionally photo engraving in wood really has my interest peaked but
again I don't know if I'm talking a totally different process here or
if it can all be handled on the same machine )

>
> best regards
>
> Ed