CNC Router

Thanks to the internet, there is a ton of information on how to do almost anything. A couple of years ago, I ran across a website where someone had built their own CNC router. I knew I would have to have one myself some day.

Today is that day!

I started building it about a month ago and was able to put it to use for the first time this weekend.

CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. A CNC router is a router that is mounted in a machine that can be precisely moved in all directions under control by a computer.

It really is amazing what you can learn off the internet!

In the photos you can see the router clamped in the z carriage. (Z moves up and down). The Z carriage runs back and forth along the gantry. This is the Y axis. The gantry moves along the length of the base- this is the X axis. The machine sits on a table I made just for this purpose which is on wheels to move around easily and has room under the top for the computer and the CNC electronics.

 The beauty of all of this is that you can design your project with a computer drafting program (CAD) and after some additional instructions to define machining operations (CAM), the CNC computer will make the cuts automatically and precisely.

The next photo shows one design I drew to be cut. It is just a grid of 1" squares that will be cut into a sacrificial piece of 1/4 plywood that will go on the CNC base. The grid will make it easy to line up the work pieces with the XY directions.

 Here is a picture of the CNC router cutting out the lines.

 Here is what the CNC computer screen looks like while it is cutting:

 Here is the finished grid. It is the same size as the work area- 18 inches x 30 inches. That is the maximum size area that I can cut in.

 The precision is pretty good for a machine built out of wood!

I did a quick search on the net and found a drawing of a bear that I imported into the CAD program, added some text and made this sign. The wood is some old "barn" wood that actually came from the old smokehouse on our property.

I will post some video later of the machine making some cuts.