[chbot] CNC Router Query

[Chris Hellyar]

Hi-ho,

We're running a midsized commercial router and had previously messed
about with DIY stuff..  I decided I wanted to make stuff with a CNC
router, not piss about making CNC routers so I bought one of these:

http://www.quick-cnc.com/en/cnc-router/28-quick-cnc-router-woodworking-machine-chinese-.html

(And I just noticed that Taney used my youtube video for their demo
which is kinda funny..)

It's a bit bigger than most folks would want at home at nearly 350kg and
pulling about 5kw with the vacuum table and dust collection running. 
Also note that I chucked out the supplied 'DSP' controller and went with
EMC2/Linux CNC due to limitations of their controller.  The router
itself has been rock solid though and it's done 1000's of hours of
cutting since we got it back in 2011.

I've taken on a lot of alloy / brass work with it and even some copper
machining although that was a bit of a mission and wouldn't do it
again.  Most of what it does is plastics, wood and some Carbon/RF16
stuff along with engraving brass plaques.

Belt feed machines are faster, but less accurate/rigid so if you really
want to cut alloy go with screws of some kind.

On the cutting head / spindle end... Single phase routers/dremels etc
are a massive pain in the butt noise wise and make the entire experience
pretty horrid if you're running a long job and you have to listen to a
screaming brushed AC motor for an hour.

There are lots of good reviews on the forums at cnczone.com, as well as
many complex DIY build threads if you've not found that already.

One thing you didn't mention is software tool chain..  I found pretty
quickly that the open source / free / cheap options were either totally
crap or came with learning curves that made the idea to finished product
path too long.

If you want to make stuff with a CNC router, expect to send real money,
or a lot of time, on your tool chain.

If you want to make a CNC router, by all means go the open
source/free/cheap route as you'd gain a lot from the learning experience
but you'll spend more time messing about than actually making stuff.

Also, think about what you want to cut/route and how it will be held down.

I wasted a _lot_ of time early on with fixtures and double sided tape
games on my DIY routers before I got the current machine with 3kw of
vacuum hold-down goodness.  Reading the cnczone forums you'll find a lot
of people under estimate the importance of fixtures when designing DIY
machines.


Cheers, Chris H.

On 28/09/17 22:47, Mark Beckett wrote:
> This may open a very large conversation, but you guys seem to be a
> really good source of info.
>
> I'm interested in opinion's on CNC Routers.
> I was thinking of something around A4-A3 work area, and the ability to
> handle aluminium would be nice but not essential.
> My thinking is that more solid items are better sent to a shop.