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Easy to Build Desk Top 3 Axis CNC Milling Machineby Tom McWire on August 14, 2007

Table of Contents

License:   Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Intro:   Easy to Build Desk Top 3 Axis CNC Milling Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1:   The Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 2:   The X Stage Rails and Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 3:   X it Stage right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 4:   The Y stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 5:   Zee Z Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 6:   Get it together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

step 7:   What's it Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

step 8:   Easy Mill the movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

step 9:   Engraving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

License:   Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa)

Intro:  Easy to Build Desk Top 3 Axis CNC Milling MachineHere is a way to make a computer controlled milling machine. That puts the real power of a computer control machining into the hands of the average human. Smallenough to set on the desk but scalable to any size. As inexpensive as possible without sacraficing accuracy (too much). All most all the parts can be purchased in localretail stores. And above all CHEAP you can be up and running for well under $200. With it you can do 2 Dimentional engraving and PC board etching and 3D milling andmodeling in Foam, Wood, Plastic and other soft materials.Also try watching the YouTube movie at the end (the last frame).

New information on the Motor Driver Circuit is (HERE).

step 1: The FrameThe frame needs to be a flat base that you can mount everything on horizontally and a goose neck of some kind to hold the Z axis (the up and down part with the motortool)firmly in place. I used one inch pipe just for fun but as it turned out it was pretty handy too. When I needed to make adjustments I could just tap it with a hammer. Asyou can see the post that holds the Z axis doesn't have to be in the center. It just needs to be firm and the water pipe does a good job of that. Later, after you are sure allthe pipe joints are in the right place, you can add a drop of thread sealer to the joints and it will be a good solid structure.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

step 2: The X Stage Rails and MotorNext its time to add the rails for the X axis stage. These rails are 3/4 inch U chanel aluminum that you can get from the hardware store. Put a washer under each end tospace the rail off the pipe just a bit. Don't worry about the rails being perfectly parallel. You'll see why later. Now mount the stepper motor with a bracket like you seehere. Connect a length of 1/4 by 20 threaded rod to the motor shaft with a short piece of rubber hose (1/4 inch fuel line). Now your ready to set the movable part of the Xaxis(the stage).

step 3: X it Stage rightTake a piece of plastic(I used Plexiglas) or metal, something strong and flat and mount a piece of the U channel to it. Now the tricky part. The round thing is a bearing.You can get them out of motors or buy them at a hardware store. Mount it to a short piece of aluminum like so. Then take a 1/4 in. coupling nut(a long nut) and wrap itwith aluminum like so(see pic.) The bearing will hold the X stage to the X rail and the coupling nut will allow the motor to run the satge back and forth. It wouldn't hurt togrease the skids a little and the nut too.Here's a video on making the bearing fixture.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

step 4: The Y stageThe Y stage is just like the X stage but turned 90 degrees. Mount two rails and a motor on the X Stage and then take another piece of flat material and a U channel andmake the moving Y stage. Make the little bearing thing and a coupling nut for it too. When your done it should look like this.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

step 5: Zee Z AxisAgain we are going to reproduce the X and Y Stage to create the Z axis stage. Take a flat piece, here I used a piece of white Plexiglas. Mount some rails and a Motor toit. Then make a moving stage piece with a u channel and a roller bearing. We'll do something a little different with the nut(see picture). The four posts you see on thestage will hold the motor tool. Now since this stage is going to move up and down the weight of the motor tool will make it want to come off of the rails so lets add a fewmore roller bearings to each side to keep it together.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

step 6: Get it togetherNow we slap the motor tool into the Z stage. Then its time to mount the stage to the frame. And there you have it. This is the mechanical structure. From here we willneed to hook up the stepper motors to a controller and get some software running on the computer but I'm going to save that for future articals.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

step 7: What's it DoIf you were interested in this project it's likely you have already seen what can be done with an 3 axis(XYZ) computer controlled milling machine. What is suprising is whatkind of accuracy you can get out of this thing after you tinker with it a little bit. Make sure all the rails are held firm and straight. Tighten the roller bearings so the stagedoesn't shift.I used it to make PC boards. It's real good for engraving name tags and signs. And it's pretty exciting to see it carve a 3D object out of a block of foam or plastic.WARNING there's a lot to learn about the software. Some venders offer package deals of motors, drivers, and software. That makes it easier but you pay for it.I'll add more to this later. Send me comments and questions.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

step 8: Easy Mill the movieIf the literal instructions are confusing try watching the YouTube movie:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6drMZqmyXQc

Also check out the follow up instructions on Stepper Motor Control: Easy Mill Stepper Motor Controller

step 9: EngravingNow that I got the machine back together after making the instructable and I did some engraving and made a PC board.Cutting plastic is no problem but doing the PC board the bit went a little too deep on the left side of the board and took out all the finer traces. This is when you starttweeking on it. Just take some aluminum foil and put it under the rail of the Y axis. So as the stage travels left to right the height of the bit should stay the same.Notice I'm just holding the material down with masking tape. What I like about this thing is, it's easy to fix these kinds of problems because it's all made from simpleelements.Here's the new video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcdozYDpzjU

Also check out the follow up instructions on Stepper Motor Control: Easy Mill Stepper Motor Controller

Related Instructables

RapidTechnique:PreparingPlastic #11;CNCMilling "Blanks"for Parts Usedin#11;PrototypingScientificEquipment bysiderits

My 30$ MillingMachine(slideshow) bynarpas

Make your owncnc controllerby charcoal999 Mostly self-

reproducing 3-axis CNCmillingmachine(SHELVEDPROJECT) byebidk

How to use aCNC Mill withGoogleSketchUp byBovineDiozzi

3 Axis CNCRouter -60"x60"x5" -JunkBot byrussaanderson

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

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Comments50 comments Add Comment view all 862 comments

 userhck says:  Sep 1, 2007. 5:22 PM  REPLYThis is my first full-on, serious project I have done from this site. Well, maybe I shouldn't say that, as i am not quite done. Went shopping for most of thesupllies this morning, which took me from Home Depot to Ace Hardware to Big Joe's. The only things I need now are the plexi planes and the motors, whichare coming. An interesting day to say the least. Also, I don't suggest getting the pipe at Home Depot, as they semm to be downgrading their one-inch pipesupply. Weird. Here are the pics so far, how does it look? You can see the threaded rods in the back.

 Tom McWire says:  Sep 1, 2007. 8:42 PM  REPLYHey nice job. That looks like it will work (so far). Keep us posted. People will want to know how it goes for you.

 userhck says:  Sep 1, 2007. 9:30 PM  REPLYQuick question. What type of bit did you use for drilling into the steel? I had quite a bit of trouble with my current bits. Threading it was a breezethough.

 Tom McWire says:  Sep 2, 2007. 8:56 AM  REPLYI found that a sharp bit works the best (just Kidding). I just used a regular high speed steel bit. It's hard but after you get the X Asis rails and motorset you don't have to drill steel any more.

 userhck says:  Sep 2, 2007. 10:09 AM  REPLYWell that's good. I guess I'll try a higher speed on the press. Oh by the way, what kind of motors did you use? They look like Vexta, but i'm notsure. I am about to order some Superiors myself, don't know how well they will mount to the frame though. Guess I'll find out.

 Tom McWire says:  Sep 2, 2007. 11:25 AM  REPLYI got two of the motors out of an old coppier and one out of a floppy drive. They all worked at different voltages but all I had to do ischange the light bulb to get the torq that I wanted. Slightly larger motors wouldn't hurt, The smaller ones tend to get a little hot. As long asyou've got more than 4 wires comming out of it you can be 99% sure it will work with the circuit.

 userhck says:  Sep 2, 2007. 11:43 AM  REPLYWell I am using a pre-made driver board, and the motors are 60oz, so ill be able to use them later hopefully.

 fredan says:  Sep 3, 2007. 9:16 AM  REPLYI have also started one of these projects and have completed two stages. I also made some changes to the design perhaps you may find them helpful.The upper image is the current state of the project. If you look on the upper rail, I have added limit switches to prevent over travel. I found the switches invarious microwaves which I salvaged for parts. The second image shows the roller tensioner. I uses two roller blade bearings and some picture hangerswith springs, purchased at the local hardware store. Added a couple bends to the hangers, so the screw head would not rub on any surfaces, thenlocated a pivot point which would allow the rollers to contact the guide and allow the sprint to tension. see third image. The last image shows how I addedconnected the threaded rod to the bracket. I found these screws used to go into the bottom of wood legs, drilled holes to match the prongs and bent themover to fasten the item to the bracket. The coupling was created using a few collars and a nylon bearing. I also used 8-32 threaded rod which I need toadd shrink tubbing to in order to mount it in the coupling. Hope this helps

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

 userhck says:  Sep 3, 2007. 9:52 AM  REPLYNice use with the u-channels on mounting the motors. I really like that idea, and i might steal it from you, haha. But it is looking great, you are quite abit farther than I am. Still waiting on those motors. Lol.

 userhck says:  Sep 3, 2007. 9:54 AM  REPLYAlso, the spring tension on the bearings is an interesting concept. Perhaps i'll try that out as well. The amazing thing about this project is it'sversatility to make changes.

 Tom McWire says:  Sep 3, 2007. 10:01 AM  REPLYThat looks nice. Looks like you used cutting boards. The thicker the harder the flatter the better. A word of caution and not to discourage youespecially because this design technique allows you to easily make changes. The bearing may need to be pressed very firmly to the rail so that thestage won't shift when milling. The spring may work but you should make sure it's very strong. I also suggest just one bearing in the center will allowthe stage to travel 1/2 way to the left and 1/2 way to the right. It's also good to have the rails extend well beyond the travel of the stage. Aside fromthat Id like to say an awsome job and to all of you undertaking this project far out, right on - ride on.

 Tom McWire says:  Sep 3, 2007. 10:04 AM  REPLYOh yes...and don't forget to grease the rails. That aluminum will grind into powder.

 fredan says:  Sep 3, 2007. 1:47 PM  REPLYWell the inspiration comes from your genus. I truly like this project, I agree with your former comments. I have used a very stiff spring, as forthe rails,and I have made plans to expand the length, but for now I just wanted to prove out the design. Glad you told me about lubing therails.

 userhck says:  Sep 4, 2007. 7:16 PM  REPLYQuick question, I am looking for some cheap steppers, and ebay definitley isnt the place. Any ideas people? And please dont jsut say"copy machine", i mean where would you find a copy machine to destroy?

 Tom McWire says:  Sep 4, 2007. 8:47 PM  REPLYTry MPJA.com here's The_Motor_PagePretty good motors for around 10 bucks

 userhck says:  Sep 4, 2007. 8:52 PM  REPLYThanks!

 wpflum says:  Sep 8, 2007. 2:26 PM  REPLYI was looking at this web site and I need some help on figuring out what motors to buy. There are a couple of different degree perstep and a bunch of voltages and currents/resistance of coils. Which ones do I get??? I've never dealt with steppers before. Help!!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

 wpflum says:  Sep 8, 2007. 4:43 PM  REPLYI did a bit more digging and I came up with something I felt might work so I ordered a bunch to play with. They are fromwww.allelectronics.com, part number SMT-89. Its a Oriental Motor Vexta, PX245-02B-C8 which is listed as having a 1.8degree step. Its 6volt, .8amp 2 phase. If the picture is correct it looks like it has a collar with set screws to attact to the drivebar. It has 6 leads and is currently at 5 bucks a piece. I bit the bullet and ordered 6 so I'd have enough to build two machines.Sure hope these will work, I'd hate to waste 30 bucks but I decided to take a chance.

 Tom McWire says:  Sep 8, 2007. 10:07 PM  REPLYI think your going to be very happy with those. I like the brass shaft couplers on them. Five bucks is a really good deal.

 wpflum says:  Sep 9, 2007. 7:12 AM  REPLYI thought so too. I got 6 of them, I figure I can build your design as is then use it to help make the next version. Myoriginal, and on going, reason for building this is I want to use it to help make pinewood derby cars. I'd like teach mykids some 3d design and let them play with creating car shapes in software then have the CNC machine mill out thebasic shape which they can hand finish. With your current design what is the envelope? It looks like its somewherearound 6 or 7 inches and I need at least 8 and 9 would be best so I figured instead of offsetting the z axis I'd use thelonger piece of pipe on each side to get a slightly bigger envelope.

 hexapod says:  Sep 10, 2007. 7:47 PM  REPLYYou can return anything you buy from them within 30 days. Just follow instructions on yellow sheet. No return nubersneeded just what you are returning and do you want a refund or credit. It's that simple.

 wpflum says:  Sep 15, 2007. 10:27 AM  REPLYGot the motors yesterday. They do come with the brass couplers. I'm planning a more direct method to connect theall thread to the motors, I bought 5/16 instead of 1/4 inch thread and am going to mount it in my lathe and cut offabout 1 inch of threads and size it to fit the coupler, looks to be about 3/16. I'm planning on doing the same to theother end but fit that to a bearing that I can mount to the frame. Harder to get everything alligned but should makefor a much sturdier setup.

 gus_452000 says:  Oct 21, 2007. 5:20 AM  REPLYSome photos of the build so far, everything is going very well and I am very pleased with it so far. Hope that Tom can still recognise his design but here inUK very limited to what I can get hold of, hopefully the bits for the interface will arrive and I can build that and see if it all works :o)) The mini tool I found in asecond hand shop for £3.00 about $6.oo and works very well up to 25,000RPM and 145watts so we shall see. Keep building and posting, you startedsomething very good here Tom. Will post again when the interface is built and I have some photos of the fist mill. regards Gus

 Tom McWire says:  Oct 25, 2007. 6:56 PM  REPLYHey Gus looking good. That's the first Z axis I've seen. I think everybody gets a little stuck there. Now for the motor drivers and you'll be up and running.

 codex says:  Nov 6, 2007. 10:38 PM  REPLYHi, I loved your frame design! Can you please post the height, length and width of it? Thanks

 gus_452000 says:  Nov 6, 2007. 11:28 PM  REPLYHi, the back piece is 14" long the legs are both 9" long and the neck is 9" long all working except for the Z-axis due to a faulty counter chip(replacement on its way, Mine is almost finished and as you build you notice the weight going up and up, its now very heavy. Thanks to Tom's greatdesign been using the machine to draw pictures and lifting lowering the Z-axis by hand, great fun. regards Gus

 gus_452000 says:  Nov 6, 2007. 11:31 PM  REPLYIn case you need to know the X-axis on mine are 19 1/2" and the Y-axis is 11 1/2" the neck is 4" away from the end of the frame, try and get it alittle closer to the end is you can it will give you a slightly larger cutting area. regards Gus

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

 fjr122 says:  Nov 24, 2007. 7:53 AM  REPLYI just won the auction on some stepper motors on ebay and am looking in more detail at building this. I just wanted to ask you to please explain the rollerbearings in more detail, like what kind you used and how you secured them to aluminum you used. Thanks --Josh

 Tom McWire says:  Nov 24, 2007. 2:49 PM  REPLYI just discovered a really good source for bearings. Just go to your local skate board or roller blade shop. Or try this http://www.skatebearings.com/Then just take a flat head screw with a head that's a little larger than the hole inside the bearing. Screw the bearing to a small piece of aluminum.I'll try to put up a video of it soon.

 fjr122 says:  Nov 25, 2007. 7:56 AM  REPLYI've been looking at bearings for months.

The least expensive I've found is definitely http://www.vxb.com .They have many many sizes and more than a few that are less than $1/bearing.

The last time I built something with bearings the best way I could figure to get a solid structure was to use some 8mm shoulder bolts frommcmaster.com (about $3 each) and some 8mm washers ($0.79 each). So I'm really wondering how you got your bearings good and steady withoutusing shoulder bolts or expensive washers.

 Tom McWire says:  Nov 25, 2007. 12:26 PM  REPLYOK here I just posted a youtube video on how to make a bearing fixture. Enjoy

 fjr122 says:  Nov 25, 2007. 6:52 PM  REPLYCool, I will start building mine soon. :)

 akiriwas says:  Nov 27, 2007. 6:40 PM  REPLYAwesome! Thanks a lot for posting extra videos to give us a better idea how some of the parts were done. Question -- Where did you get the tinybearings? I'm having an awful time trying to find a source for bearings. Thanks in advanced, and thanks a lot for keeping up with us.

 akiriwas says:  Nov 28, 2007. 3:31 PM  REPLYScratch my question -- I should have read more comments. Thanks everyone.

 la3bna says:  Dec 11, 2007. 5:24 AM  REPLYYou can find copiers at a electrically resycling senter. I just hacked on apart to get the two steppers out. Althou i dont know if both aresteppers (hmm i can really feel the steps so i guessing it is.)

 fjr122 says:  Dec 16, 2007. 9:45 PM  REPLYLast night I completed my construction :D Tom, Thanks so much for helping me get here! Here's some pics (yeah I've still gotta hook everything together)

 sefi says:  Jun 6, 2008. 7:48 AM  REPLYhi tom, i too was inspired by your simple design, and actually guided a high school project based on your designe, the hope was that it will enable students tomake low cost pcb in school. after the project(wich was a bit diffrent from yours and didnt works all that well duo to my lack of technical skills andexperience(im 18) and other things) ended i decided to make a V2 wich is almost the same as yours, and it dose work well,i manged to see it do very presicethings with a pencil. the problem is i cant find a right drill for making the pcb's,(im pretty sure thats it) i got this 8 pcs kit from drill bit city but the drill that dosethe routing dose not have a pointed tip in the very end and there for dosn't penetrate the circuit until much pressure is applied but then it goes in way todeep, im guessing its the drill bit but id like to hear what you say, and maybe recommend me a drill or a set from drill bit city or anywhere else(take inaccount i live in Israel ) my main goal is PCB's although i already did some name engraving and it came out very well! 1 more thing... is there a way to uselazycam with kcam? and what do u think about mach3 it look way more complicated is it any better?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

 Tom McWire says:  Jun 6, 2008. 4:25 PM  REPLYCongratulations. That's a good piece of work for a class project. I can give you some tips on PCB work. The motor tool can have a problem withwobbling, that is the bit may be off center. It may have an aluminum collet that is just not very good. I was suprised to find the 3 jaw chuck replacementworked better. May be because it has more mass. Also I found bits at this site:http://www.precisebits.com/products/carbidebits/scoreengrave.aspGood job.I hope this works for you.Tom

 codex says:  Jun 7, 2008. 1:11 PM  REPLYRegular Dremel engraving cutter (#105) works fine for me. It's 0.8mm wide and I use it for PCB Isolation Routing. You can find it in any hardware store(Ace\Home-Center\Rosenfeld) here in Israel.

 Roidy says:  Jun 8, 2008. 4:37 AM  REPLYHi Tom your design is fantastic and so easy to make this is now the second one I`ve made, I work in a uPVC window factory and so I made mine out ofwelded uPVC window frame. I got my stepper motors out of an old fruit machine of all places! Still needs a bit of tweaking but I`ve routed a few PCB`s andeverything works great. Rob

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

 sefi says:  Jun 8, 2008. 8:12 AM  REPLYi tryed ace/homecenter with no luck, in tel aviv & hertzliya where exacly did you get it? by the way lior, i sew you website - VERY NICE :) i want to talkwith you if i could il email you from your forum.

 creed4545 says:  Aug 3, 2008. 5:15 PM  REPLYHey Tom, great project! I had a lot of fun building this and as soon as I can scavange a DB25 cable, i will be able to use it. Here are some of my pictures.The table is 9"x11". I added a simple fish tank pump to blow off the dust. The plexiglass extenders allow the router to utilize the full 9" x11". I will be postingpictures of my slightly modified circuit board.

 altomic says:  Sep 16, 2008. 4:10 AM  REPLYfish tank pump- sweet.

 Tightwad says:  Sep 30, 2008. 4:35 PM  REPLYWouldn't the extenders flex and cause the table to move? Either up/down flex due to the weight of the Stepper, or torsional flex as the motor moves thetable?

 creed4545 says:  Sep 30, 2008. 5:06 PM  REPLYthe weight of the table itself, the anchoring provided by the x axis motor provide stability and prevent wobbling of it.

 snowpenguin says:  Mar 25, 2009. 6:52 AM  REPLYConsidering you've finished yours, do you think that a machine with 10" x travel would have to have 20" x rails, or is my logic screwed up? Thanks, snow

 narpas says:  Mar 31, 2009. 4:40 PM  REPLYHere is my mill I guess its not cnc and does not follow many of your design concepts but you inspired it!

 snowpenguin says:  Apr 7, 2009. 12:11 PM  REPLYWow! I like the design of the machine in the last three pictures... Do you have any kind of build log for it? More pictures? What did you make the frameout of? Thanks, snow

 sefi says:  Apr 7, 2009. 1:44 PM  REPLYhi, yes sure there are plenty more pictures at my website (sefi.tk) the frame is made from U channels alone, it was a much much more stable designyet it requires precision with assembly cutting and the whole process, out of my experience, after building 3 models, its clear to me that the cost of astable machine is it requires more precision in ever step of the way, if you have experience, tools, and two right hands then go for something stable,otherwise stick with the basic plans. btw i solved the whole pcb making thing by getting an endmill and made already a bunch of pcb's and manyother thing, thanks alot tom. hopfully my next project will be my own instruct-able :P

 granolape says:  Apr 9, 2009. 10:00 AM  REPLYthat's rad. it's like an etch-a-sketch mill!

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