DIYLILCNC

1. gonzo454
   Member

   Believe me when I say I am dumb as a stump in this arena, I apologize for having overly simple ideologies and a monumental lack of understanding:

   I am planning to begin this with no prior skill in the area of machining, CNC, or any form of CAD/CAM. I have no idea how this is to work once I assemble the thing nor do I fully understand if the instruct as presented will take me (stumpy) from no items, to complete and functional machine by the time I have completed…I simply wanted to determine if this can be done by someone with 0 information in the area, successfully. I have at my disposal a limited number of basic hand tools as well as a power drill a hacksaw or two, and a bit of motivation.
   I do plant to use this to not only learn to use CNC to a good degree, but to teach a number of kids this as well.

   You guys may simply advise me to hang up my hammer, and go back to other tasks…I hope to be able to cut plans for RC planes out of 1/8-1/4 ply and balsa at the conclusion…of course this will require I learn some g-code or some form of visual development environment for modeling as well…probably gonna be as hard or harder that the build…
   Suggestions, comments, laughter???

   Posted 1 year ago #

2. Taylor
   Key Master

   @ gonzo545

   You are our target audience. A quick spin around the tubes will reveal that there are many DIYCNC projects to choose from. Many are great, but few are truly honest about the demographic that they target. Primary among these issues are cost and accuracy. Few projects promote education as a central goal, so that's exactly what we've done. Thus, the DIYLILCNC cost is low enough, and the accuracy is high enough for our purposes (non-scientific, art/design applications).

   A beginner can definitely complete this project. Soon we'll be offering laser-cut panel kits for about $250, but you could get this done for "free" if you can find a friend with access to a laser cutter. I'm sure you've seen our instruction booklet (in the downloads section), which provides a low vendor-count parts list, illustrated assembly instructions, software tuning, etc.

   You've already taken the first step by identifying an appropriate material/model of output for the device. Balsa is good and soft, and the parts you want to cut are 3D but with very low relief. You've got the right expectations, so you won't be disappointed when your life-size, case-hardened steel bust doesn't come out right.

   If you are totally green, there will be challenging moments. A portion of this project is tied to Linux, which has similar up/downsides. Hooray for a free + enthusiastic community! Boo to no customer service when you can't figure out how to install things via command line at 2am. Luckily, our growing forum has tons of hints, especially for the areas where builders have encountered difficulty. Also be aware that power tools are dangerous, and coke-can-sized capacitors can injure or kill (as can 110VAC and power tools for that matter). Take extra caution with the electronics, and consider working with an informed buddy to render everything insulated/grounded before you get those kids involved.

   As you've pointed out, there is a lot of related material you'll need to learn. This includes 3D modeling, toolpath generation, G code post-processing, EMC2/machine control, plus some mechanical/electrical to build the rig. Does that lineup sound exciting or exhausting? Now you've got your answer ;)

   Posted 1 year ago #

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