What could be much better than making 2 CNC makers from 1? That's what I finished with the Stepcraft M1000 I had, and this smaller one will be used specifically for cutting metals and plastic.
Breaking rules … what could be more fun?
– This CNC uses regular 3/8" x 16 threaded rod for the lead screws and recycles the initial stepper motors from the M1000.
– Cut from aluminum bar stock direct bearings due to the fact that shipping from Europe for original replacements that fit the Bosch Rexroth direct rails is insanely costly.
– The leadscrew nuts are just pieces of UHMW plastic I already had (purchased 10+ years ago) and tapped with the threaded rod itself.
– The water resistant bed, spoil board and enclosure made from 1/2" thick plastic, the same stuff I utilized to build my homemade table saw.
– 3D printed parts all over the location, including the couplers for the stepper motors.
– Cordless! I'm utilizing a cordless trim router for the spindle which's working much better than I would have expected. It can't run for hours at a go, however like I stated in the video, I can break up the machining into little portions to alter the battery for a completely charged one.
The maker is strong and works flawlessly. There is no reaction on the leadscrews and the aluminum on hardened steel "bearing" is holding up just fine.
The cutting area is roughly 16" x 16" with a substantial 5" clearance under the gantry for crushing larger parts.
Overall cost was low – I simply needed to purchase the breakout board and the drivers for the stepper. Whatever else either originated from the initial CNC or was stuff I had currently (like the plastic for the bed).
While it didn't cost much, I did spend a great deal of time designing, building and fixing issues, so this isn't the best way to get a CNC like this … what am I saying?? Obviously it's the best method, when you resemble me and LOVE structure it!
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What could be better than making 2 CNC machines from 1? That’s what I did with the Stepcraft M1000 I had, and this smaller one will be used exclusively for cutting metals and plastic.
Breaking rules… what could be more fun?
– This CNC uses regular 3/8″ x 16 threaded rod for the lead screws and reuses the original stepper motors from the M1000.
– Cut from aluminum bar stock linear bearings because shipping from Europe for original replacements that fit the Bosch Rexroth linear rails is insanely expensive.
– The leadscrew nuts are just pieces of UHMW plastic I already had (bought 10+ years ago) and tapped with the threaded rod itself.
– The waterproof bed, spoil board and enclosure made from 1/2″ thick plastic, the same stuff I used to build my homemade table saw.
– 3D printed parts all over the place, including the couplers for the stepper motors.
– Cordless! I’m using a cordless trim router for the spindle and that’s working better than I would have expected. It can’t run for hours at a go, but like I said in the video, I can break up the machining into small chunks to change the battery for a fully charged one.
The machine is SOLID and works flawlessly. There is zero backlash on the leadscrews and the aluminum on hardened steel “bearing” is holding up just fine.
The cutting area is roughly 16″ x 16″ with a hefty 5″ clearance under the gantry for milling larger parts.
Total cost was low – I just had to buy the breakout board and the drivers for the stepper. Everything else either came from the original CNC or was stuff I had already (like the plastic for the bed).
While it didn’t cost much, I did spend a LOT of time designing, building and troubleshooting problems, so this isn’t the best way to get a CNC like this… what am I saying?? Of course it’s the best way, when you are like me and LOVE building it!
Nice!
John you are such and inspiration. I don’t have to finances to tackle such projects. However I can live vicariously through you videos.
Is there anything you cannot do?
👋👍
Hi! that delrin like bearing is very clever. Cool machine! I know you don’t like to being told what to do (same here) but, now that you’ve gone to the open source path, you could try linuxcnc, Im building something similar but with steel tubes instead! Cheers from Argentina!
I have a Mach 3 license, so there’s no reason to try Linux CNC, but I did consider it.
Mmmm, always worth watching, thank you
That cnc is really cool. I’m glad it’s working out, not that I had any doubt that it wouldn’t.
Thanks 🙂
It was quite a long build, almost as long as the big one, and I learned a lot doing it. Oh and it was fun and interesting, so there’s that too.
Nice video John. No tariffs were paid for this video import to USA, hopefully this reply is tariff free for you.
Excellent work as usual John! 👍👍
Thanks for sharing.
18:25 I have an ancient shop vac which needed new brushes but none were being made anymore, but brushes are easy, they are soft carbon, so I was able to order some random brushes online, don’t know what type of motor they were meant to go in, but they had almost the right dimensions and length, and then I just used my belt sander to reshape them gently until they fit in my shop vac. So don’t be afraid to experiment with brushes, they are usually less than a buck or two, and they are really easy to reconfigure and reshape to fit your specific motor. Much easier than ordering expensive or rare OEM brushes from overseas.
I haven’t watch in a really long time. This was a very interesting show, especially since I’m considering building my own laser etcher.
Recently learning about water accelerating super glue hardening was funny since it came up in this video.
What about using a MQL or “Mist” coolant system? Basically an automated version of your spray bottle?
Great stuff John!
Brilliant work, John! Really well done!!! 😃
But what’s next? A huge 3d printer? 😬
(I’ve seen people building those!)
Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Très impressionnant les réalisations des CNC !!!!
👍great video
Great job! Very inventive. Thanks for sharing!
Great work John. I’m hoping to build a room in my shop to house my computer, 3d printers and mini CNC. I have a ton of things I need to do with them.