Thread: CNC router build planned!

Thought you might be pleased.

14 chairs You are going to have to stay away from auctions.

My build has stalled a bit while I sort out a new job.

That taken care of, I'm off to order a few sheets of MDF, can't pick it up until next week when I'll have a 1 tonner for a day. Pity I can't get it today so I'd have the long weekend to cut up the timber.
Hoping to get over to Edcon next week for the required aluminium bits as well.

Update: Dropped in to the MDF shop to place an order for 4 sheets, 3600mmx1200mm. To make it easier for me to manage, I asked to have them cut into 1200mmx1200mm pieces. "No worries" the man said "that will be an extra $87"
Decided to have them delivered for less than half that.

What was the quoted price? what motors?


Fark $87 for cutting some MDF, about 2 minutes work. Should just bring a portable circular saw and cut it in the parking lot

I think I read the post 5 or 6 times, I dont think he was pleased

What was the quoted price? what motors?


Fark $87 for cutting some MDF, about 2 minutes work. Should just bring a portable circular saw and cut it in the parking lot

A bit of confusion has snuck in here. My fault

I was annoyed about the chairs, annoyed at ME for not reading the auction properly. The price I paid for the chair in question was reasonable. The other 13 chairs could be considered a bonus (Having to hire a vehicle is not an issue as I have a few other items to collect as well, Where the hell I'm going to put them could well be an issue)

I was very happy with the quote I got from Rod's supplier for stepper motors. NEMA23, 2 Nm (270oz-in) - $US22. I just need to confirm that they are the best option for what I'm building and the Gecko drivers.

I was surprised (to say the least) at the charge for putting 6 saw cuts in some MDF. . The last place I got sheets cut are no longer in business, at least not near to me. They used to charge $10 a sheet for any cutting. This new place charge $5 per sq meter. (4 x 3600mm x 1200mm).

There, all clear now.

Originally Posted by snowyskiesau

A bit of confusion has snuck in here. My fault

There, all clear now.

I was confused in the end so I just removed it.

Originally Posted by blue^ray

I was confused in the end so I just removed it.

And that caused me to be confused

Glad the confusion is cleared up - now what day of the week is it?

Well the build hasn't progressed much thanks to work. I've just finished a contract that has kept me busy for the last couple of months. Now the contract has finished, I hope to have more time to devote to this project - no point looking for new work until the new year, IT industry tends to shutdown about now.

First task - how to cut up some large sheets of MDF! I have a few 1200 x 3600 sheets of 18mm MDF that I need to cut to size. Problem is that I have no where that I can lay these down to cut them. Any suggestions on a safe way to do this? Sizes I want to end up with are 1800mm, 1200mm and 600mm. These will be easier to manage to cut to the final sizes.

[Also just want to let the people who've been so helpful, that their advice and assistance has not been wasted,]

Geoff nice thread I will like watch it as I am many others building CNC's.

As to MDF I guess you have these at home already knowing your limited space I could suggest if you have a SC clamp the MDF to the fence hope your side has the rails not the posts Do a cut using a support straight edge if you have one available

Or lay a few bricks down on the grass or wood with enough clearance for the SC

The problem in cutting the MDF is in moving it to the backyard which is the only place big enough to lay it flat for cutting.
The sheet are currently sitting in the hallway and I'll have to get them out of the front door, onto the footpath (very small front yard!) and then down the side of the house.

As each sheet weighs 60KG, it's not possible for one person to do it. (At least not THIS one person.)

If I can make up some sort of jig to allow me to cut it with the sheet on edge, then I can drag it out the front door enough to cut it on the verandah.

Geoff a T-sqaure type jig which attaches to the SC hang the T-square off the top hows that sound

Hand saw (not powered) is probably the safest way to break your sheets down to manageable sizes.

Personally I would just break out the circular saw, prop the MDF up on some scrap pieces of wood and clamp a straight edge, and just run the circular saw along the stright edge, that way you can have the lengths you want and accurate, well as accurate as the straight edge is.

Then again im not sure on the status of your working area out the front.

Stage 1 complete, the MDF is cut and put away.

Here's what I ended up doing to cut it.

Pic 1 - the 3660mm sheets stacked in the hallway ( not good for the carpet having nearly 200KGs of timber sitting on it)

Pic 2 - The jig I used, A piece of ply screwed to a 90mm post with a 19mm pine upright as a straight edge. There's another board behind the one you can see. It's at right angles to the front one an clamps the two together holding the sheet for cutting

Pic 3 is the are I had to work in, photo is taken from the street.

And finally, pic 4 is the workshop - for want of a better term. The floor is now about 200mm higher (for scale, that's a 2400 x 1200 sheet on ply underneath.)

Geoff I will never complain about shed space again glad you got it cut

I hope thats not where the CNC has got to be built and stationed when done

It will be hard to get around/over/under/through it