Looking for CNC machine

[riche543]

Could you Please PM me Gerhard ,Thanks Riche..

[Buddym]

I built the BigBear CNC machine for cutting my sim parts that I didn't buy. It was easy to build, and works pretty darn well. It is a hobby grade machine, but that's what this is, a hobby.

The accuracy is good and the table size is just what I need. I get a 14.25" x 10" X and Y with a 1.75" Z axis. It's built from high density plastic so it's easy to fabricate the peices. I put the hobbycnc kit on it and have used it with a dremel and a 1/4 router as well as a rotozip. I think the rotozip works best for my application. If I can find plans for some A320 throttle parts they will be my first cuts for the sim.

For software I ahve only used Mach3, and am still getting to know it. Cost was about $550 total. Only thing I would do differently is use stainless steel guide rods instead of just cold-rolled rods.


Saw a CNC kit in recent nuts and volts too, looked pretty awesome.

Buddy

[AndyT]

That $550 includes table, motor and software? That sounds like a very good price.

[Buddym]

nah, the $550 was everything except software, but I use free and trialware and some others. The plans were easy to follow, I was surprised at how well it worked.

[Buddym]

I mentioned earlier in this thread that I had built a cnc machine. here are some pics of a few A320 throttle lever parts I just cut. I can't believe I marked the bottom dimension wrong on the paper! Wonder what they are supposed to be anyway....

[Kerbo]

Those look great. What material is that, hardboard? What kind of bit did you use? I've been thinking of pulling the trigger on a DIY CNC. So many projects, so little time.

Thanks for sharing.

[Buddym]

Thanks! These are cut from cheap mdf hardboard from Lowes. I am planning on cutting some from the grey cpvc/pvc to see how they come out, but these are very sturdy, so I may just put them together , sand/prime/paint and see how they come out. Actually, I am not at all sure about the dimensions of these parts, so I may end up laminating the parts to each other in pairs to get it closer, it's so hard to tell just from the photos I see here.

The bit is a 1/16" stainless/carbide end and side mill on a 1/4" shank. The cuts were made .04" per pass so it took a while. My machine uses threaded rod for drive screws so it is pretty slow, about 10 inches per minute on a straight cut. That's ok with me, I have more time than money, and it's cool to watch it cut, at least the first few dozen times! Sorry if my terminolgy isn't the correct machinists lingo, I am pretty new to CNC and machining in general.

The CAD part of this is the hardest part for me, I am not much of an artist. I am pretty good at electronics, programming, and building things in general (although not in the same league as some of the builders I see here).

If you have a few parts you want to see cut in this stuff send me a clean dxf file and I will knock em out so you can have a look at them (nothing too big, please).


Buddy