Project Schedule and System Diagram Updates

The Project Schedule sticky post has been updated. Things are more or less on schedule. Assuming the kit arrives in 2 weeks or so the plan to assemble everything during the Thanksgiving holiday week still holds.

The update to the System Diagram was to note specifics such as EMC2 and Gecko 540 as the actual components being used.

Controller PC Fires Up

I mentioned the new components that were purchased and the old parts that would be brought back into service to build the CNC Controller PC here. This morning I assembled everything and was relieved when the system fired up without a hitch. This first boot up was using the original boot drive that has Windows XP installed. Since I transferred the Windows license to my newer system when I built it a few years ago I am in a position where I need to either purchase another license for Windows and purchase Mach 3, or give Linux and EMC2 a go. I decided to try Linux/EMC2.


Information about the Enhance Machine Controller (EMC2) can be found here. Linux comes in different flavors, known as 'distros'. EMC2 comes bundled with the Linux distro known as Ubuntu. As a result, when you install EMC2 you also install the Ubuntu flavor of Linux. This turned out to be a painless process. It is possible to create an 'ISO image' of the OS and EMC2 application and then boot the system from a 'live' CD-ROM. Since the boot up from the CD went well I went ahead and installed everything on the hard drive. Here is the process I followed:

• Download the EMC2 Live CD file image from here (this takes awhile since it is a large file).
• Download CDBurnerXP, a freeware application capable of making 'ISO 9660 Image' discs.
• Burn the ISO Image to CD.
• Boot the controller system using the CD.
• Launch EMC2 application.
• Whoohoo! We are in business!

The next step will be configuring EMC2 for my controller hardware. Hopefully this will prove to be as easy as the basic installation.

CNC Controller Progress Report

I have spent the past few days gathering the various bits and pieces to connect up the controller electronics. I have mounted the three stepper motors in a test stand built from some left over pieces of Baltic birch plywood. I also cut a piece to mount the power supply and Gecko G540 on. The A/C power chord will connect to the power supply through a fuse and lighted rocker on-off switch. Pictures to follow when this comes together.

Avoid Release of Magic Smoke - Read the Documentation

While awaiting the delivery of the CNC Router kit one of the best uses of my time is to get the CNC Controller setup, configured and tested. When working with any type of electronic device it is important to avoid releasing any of the magic smoke hidden within. When the magic smoke is allowed to escape from an electrical component it usually ceases to work, clear evidence of the importance of the magic smoke to its proper functioning.


One of the best ways to avoid the inadvertent release of magic smoke is to make sure everything is connected correctly before applying power. To this end I will carefully review the following documents:

• Power Supply Spec Sheet
• Stepper Motor Spec Sheet
• Gecko G540 Manual
• Gecko G540 Initial Setup Guide

Electrical Components Arrive

Arriving home from work today I was pleased to find my CNC Router Parts order had arrived. As mentioned previously this past Sunday I placed an order for the stepper motors, power supply, cables and Gecko G540. Ahren at CRP apparently got the order out right away and made the necessary arrangements for a prompt delivery by a uniformed agent of the Federal government.

No excuse now for not making some progress this weekend.

PC Reanimation

One of the pieces of the CNC puzzle is a computer system to function as the CNC Controller. This system does not require blazing speed or the latest and greatest components. I have decided to bring back into use a motherboard, Pentium 4 CPU and 1GB of Ram that I replaced a few years ago. I also found the 60 GB hard drives I used in the older system. The video card from this older system has less memory than required by Mach 3 so I purchased a new PCI video card with 128Mb. I also needed a case, DVD ROM drive, keyboard and mouse to have a complete system. As usual newegg.com delivered the needed items in record time. I hope that everything will work as well as it did when they were decommissioned. Hopefully the CPU will be reanimated running Linux sometime this weekend. The following costs will be added the Project Cost Sheet.

• Keyboard and Mouse $23
• Video Card $40
• DVD ROM $19
• Mid-Tower Case $50

CNC Spending Spree

The past 24 hours has been significant for this project. I made the BIG purchase decisions and pulled the trigger. The Project Cost Sheet has been updated and a big chunk of the budget has been expended.

I placed an order with Fine Line Automation for the FLA100-00 Complete 2x3 Router Kit. This kit includes all of the hardware to build the CNC Router described in this post. The kit includes everything needed in the following categories:

• Fasteners
• Power Transfer Components
• Linear Motion Components
• 80/20 Aluminum Extrusion

I also placed an order (actually yesterday) with CNC Router Parts for the electronics kit for the project. This includes:

• Stepper Motors (3)
• Parallel Cables
• Gecko G540
• Power Supply (48v/7.3A)

When the electrical items are delivered the process of setting up and configuring the CNC Controller system can begin. We are on or slightly ahead of the Project Schedule so far.

My goal for the remainder of the week is to build the PC that will be used for the CNC Controller. I am also considering using EMC2 under the Linux OS. Nate at Fine Line Automation mentioned in an email that he uses EMC2 rather that Mach3. I have found some information on how to create a bootable ISO image of Linux and EMC2 on a CD. It will either work or not. It seems worth a try before spending money on an OEM XP license and purchasing Mach3. My brother Vern has volunteered to provide 'phone support' on the Linux install. I will post on progress on the PC build soon.

Project Ideas

This is a 'sticky' post to be updated regularly with CNC project ideas and requests.

• CNC Controller Box Panels
• Cable Chains
• Dust Cover
• Topography Templates for Classroom Visual Aid
• Norm Abram's Plantation Shutter Jigs
• Tele Style Guitar Body
• Tele Style Neck
• Tele Style Bakelite Pick Guard
• Signage for Optometry Practice (Dr. Eliza)

If you have some suggestions or requests leave a comment.

CRP/FLA-100-00 CNC Router

This is another image of the CNC Router built by Glacial Wanderer which I mentioned previously here. It uses the linear motion hardware from CNC Router Parts. I have also mentioned the plans for the CRP/FLA-100 CNC router are available free of charge in this post.

I refer to this as the CRP (CNC Router Parts)/FLA (Fine Line Automation)100-00 because this is the result of a collaboration between Ahren Johnson owner of CRP and Nate Lowrie proprietor of Fine Line Automation. From what I have gathered Nathan has joined in a partnership with Ahren to provide kits and component bundles for their CNC machine designs, the 100-00 being the first, that utilize the components offered by CRP, including the CRP linear motion carriages and rails. I imagine that Ahren provides the CRP specific components and Nate combines them with other hardware into convenient kits and bundles for builders like me. Since I hope to buy a kit I will just refer to this machine from now on as the FLA100-00 since Fine Line Automation is the kit supplier. You can find information about the FLA 100-00 here, including a link to download the open source plans.

The usable cutting area of the FLA100-00 is 24"x36". The frame is built from 80/20 aluminum extrusion and could be a bench top or free standing machine. It has only one drive for the gantry (three motors total), which is adequate for a 2' wide gantry. It utilizes ACME thread lead screws. This type of lead screw is much better than 'all thread' bar used by some basic machines built by hobbyists, but is not as efficient (or as expensive) as ball screws. It is a suitable choice for a mid-level machine. There is an informative build report by Matt Taylor that indicates that machine accuracy is adequate for my needs and recent improvements in the couplers provided in the kit may result in less backlash in the drive line thus improving the accuracy and repeatability reported by Matt.

The other important aspect of the design is the use of the CRP linear motion carriages and rails. The carriages utilize skate bearing along cold rolled plate rails. The cold roll process inherently produces a smooth consistent plate thickness and surface. This inherent accuracy is utilized by Ahren's carriage design. The rails could be surface ground for even greater flatness, etc. It is an cost-effective combination of readily available parts and materials combined to good advantage. I have some concern about debris on the rails causing problems, but a simple rail wiper/brush setup could mitigate this if there is a problem.

The complete ready-to-assemble kit, not including the stepper motors, is $1,300. The machine fits all of the criteria I established earlier here. Yes, I am stoked!

I agree with Matt Taylor's evaluation that this machine has found a good balance of cost and performance. Almost as important to me is having a complete ready-to-assemble kit that requires few if any specialized processes or tools that can be assembled quickly before, due to my short attention span, I loose interest in the project.

What do you think of this design?

PDJ Inc. Pilot Pro Dual Drive CNC Router

PDJ Inc. offers the Pilot Pro CNC Router. It can be built using 80/20 extrusion, steel square tubing or a combination of these materials as shown in the photo. The standard cutting capacity is 24"x26" but there is the potential to extend the bed length. The system appears suitable for a 690 or smaller router. The machine uses precision rails or rods for the linear motion and ball screws. These are higher end components and it is reflected in the price of the machine. A fully assembled machine is $4,350. A complete kit that includes the four stepper motors is offered at $3,250. The aluminum parts in the kit come with the hole centers 'pecked' but final hole drilling is done by the builder. Parts can be purchased in bundles. To give an idea of how the precision rails and balls screws affect the price of this router the set of rails and Z rods can be purchased separately as a set for $995. The ball screw set for the system is $510.

I purchased the Plans DVD for $34. The disc includes informative 'screencast' videos on various aspects of CNC. There are designs for multiple configurations of the machine, plus designs and information in many other items (including a ice cooler-based cat house) and component data sheets. It is a good source of information for a newbie like me. The Plans DVD is a good value.

I really like the 'professional' grade components - the 20mm rails and ball drive screw, but given the capacity of the machine it is a pricy package.

Project Cost Sheet Sticky Post Update

The project cost sheet sticky post has been updated.

Joe's 4x4 CNC Router

It didn't take long lurking at the cnczone.com forum to notice that Joe's 2006 and Joe's 4x4 Hybrid CNC routers were the topic of many threads. The 4x4 Hybrid is the latest design by Joe.

Joe made a significant contribution to the home brew CNC community by developing the the 2006 design and making them available free of charge. They can be found here. Joe offers a partial kit for both the 2006 and 4x4 Hybrid . The 4x4 Hybrid plans are available for $100 at Joe'sCNC.com.

I purchased the 4x4 plans and joined the private forum. What I received was a set of quality design drawings (assembly and detail parts) in a 27 page .pdf file. This document also included a fairly complete Bill of Material (BOM) with source information. At first I was disappointed that there was no assembly instructions, but I soon realized that the many build logs in the private 4x4 forum provide extensive information on the build process.

The machine is a 'hybrid' in that it combines steel uni-strut (for the base), 80/20 aluminum extrusion, MDF, and HDPE components. It has dual gantry drive lines and has a cutting area of 4'x4' (who would have thought!). It is a clever combination of materials resulting in a capable machine for a reasonable cost.

The private forum is very active and supportive from what I have observed. Some participants have contributed supplemental information such as a very complete Super BOM spreadsheet that includes some parts not included in the basic BOM and parts and sources for common options and alternatives.

There are build logs for many completed and in-process builds. Some have chosen to scale up the design to 8x8 or down to a 2x4 size, which would be my course of action due to my limited shop space.

Joe offers a kit of CNC routed MDF and HDPE parts, but the base, frame, rails and so forth require sourcing and some fabrication by the builder. The linear motion systems uses steel angle for rails and 'V' bearings.

I am very impressed with this design and the diligent support given it. It is a bit bigger than I would want given my space constraints and I would prefer a complete ready-to-assemble kit. The cost to build this machine would fit within my allocated budget.

Ken's Dream CNC Router Machine

Cheaply - Quickly - High Performance, you can choose the two you prefer. Many decisions involve making trade-offs between Cost, Schedule and Capability and this is one of them.

Machine Type: The main choice here is a movable X-Y table or movable gantry configuration. I have concluded that movable gantry machines are the dominant configuration, especially for machines with larger cutting capacities. My preference is a movable gantry. With that decided the question of single or dual gantry motors needs to be considered. I had an informative email exchange with Ahren Johnson of CNC Router Parts. He indicated that his rule of thumb is that gantries wider than 2 feet benefit from a dual drive system (where each side of the gantry has a drive line). As width increases the tendency for the gantry to rack between the ways increases. Narrower gantries (2' or less) can be driven well with a single centered drive line. So this decision is dependent on the machine size chosen.

Cutting Area: I have concluded that a minimum of a 2' x 3' cutting area will suffice for most projects I currently have in mind. I plan to machine the profile and contours of bolt-on guitar necks with the machine. Bass guitar neck blanks are approximately 34 inches in length so this should just fit in a machine with a 3' capacity.

Size: This of course is related to the cutting area required. In my case I have very limited shop space so although I might like a bit larger machine to accommodate larger projects in the future space constraints dictate that the best choice would be a bench top sized machine.

Moreover, I live in a typical suburban housing tract in Temecula, CA. The city of Temecula has stringent noise ordinances. Currently my use of hand and table routers is intermittent. You do a setup, turn on the screaming banshee, make a cut or two. Turn the little screamer off. Rinse and Repeat. Things will be different with a CNC Router. A roughing and finishing cut on a complex 3D carving might run for an extended time. This could be more than even easy going and tolerant neighbors could take. The smaller the machine is the easier it will be to enclose it to reduce the noise level. The noise issue may also warrant looking into a true milling spindle with VFD.

Another aspect of size is the router spindle itself. My envisioned uses will require more than a trim router can handle and less than a 3 hp big boy. I have always liked my versatile and venerable Porter Cable 690. This class of router would be adequate.

Tolerance: My primary use for the router will be profiling wood and plastic material, and possibly engraving brass. Precision and repeatability within a few thousandths of an inch would be adequate for my purposes.

Materials and Tools: My shop is setup primarily for woodworking. With the correct saw blade I can cut aluminum material, but I am not setup for steel fabrication. I have a pedestal drill press but I would prefer that components be supplied pre-drilled, especially if close tolerances are required. Jobing out some fabrication work would be an option for a small number of components. I like, no I love, many forms of wood, but it is not my first choice for a machine tool material. A bolt-together aluminum machine would be my first choice.

Given my tendency to start and not finish things I would be wise (know thy self) to go with a complete kit rather than attempting a build-from-plans project, even though the cost may be more. Remember the three options? You get to choose any two. For a given level of performance I can choose lower cost (more DIY) or a quicker schedule (less work and time on my part).

Budget: Thanks to a small windfall I have been able to set aside the funds needed to do this project. My goal is to have a functioning system, the controller, machine and basic software for $3K. I am willing to spend more if warranted, however this is my first foray into CNC. I do not consider it to be a 'now or never' situation to build the ultimate machine. This is a learning experience and there are more than a few participants in the CNC forums that are on their 2nd or 3rd build. If this project goes well I may eventually scale up in size and capability, if and when I have the good fortune to have a dedicated shop space.

For those who think: Wow, 3 grand for a tool! I may have more to say about this, but for now I will just say that for me this project will result in more than a CNC Router. It is adding to what can be referred to (by Thomas Sowell and others) as my 'human capital'. A topic that my daughters are probably tired of hearing about from me.

How about you? What do you think of my decisions? What kind of CNC Router would you build? Leave a comment.

Glacial Wanderer's CNC and the 'Ultimate' Source

This is a photo of 'Glacial Wanderer's' CNC Router built from CNC Router Parts components. Every living room should have one! I am not sure if he is the Glacial Wanderer because glaciers are his favorite travel destination or if he moves about somewhat aimlessly at an extremely slow pace. I do know he has built a great looking CNC Router and knows photography. Notice the pleasing composition of this image. Check out the build log and more photos here.

Although there is a lot of information in forums such as the cnczone.com it is difficult to wade through various threads to quickly get a general understanding of the whys and what fors of CNC routers. It is there, but you have to troll for it. I came across a site that is attempting to provide a source of comprehensive information about buying or building a CNC machine. It is definitely a work in progress as some pages are just placeholders for things to come. I hope those responsible will keep at the project. I plan to make a donation since I have already benefited from the information there and I want to encourage the author(s) to continue. It is called the CNC Router Source. Take a look. There is a lot of information there and hopefully more to come. I am sure I will reference this site again in future posts.

Part of this site includes a page on Key Design Decisions which I have used to help clarify what I am looking for in my first CNC Router. The the key decisions described there are:

• Mobile bed or mobile gantry
• Required cutting area
• Machine size requirements
• Tolerance requirements
• Materials and Tools
• Budget

In my next post I will consider these key decisions and maybe a few more. Then, armed with these parameters, I can begin to evaluate some of the available CNC Router plans and kits and choose the one that is best for me.

CNC Project Schedule - Phase 1

Updated 10/26/2009



The first phase of the project will have the following groups of activities:

• Project Preparation



• Ordering and Deliveries



• CNC Controller Prep



• CNC Router Build

Project Preparation is on the plate for the next week or two. This will include specifying the requirements for the router (complete). Unless I clearly define the key criteria for the machine it would be just a matter of luck to select the right option.

The next step is to evaluate the most promising CNC router designs and kits (complete) informed by the previously defined criteria. Once the router configuration is known the parameters for the CNC Controller, including the power supply requirements, can be determined and sourcing for the hardware can be decided and orders placed. Then evaluation of controller software can be tackled as time allows since there shouldn't be much lead time to get the software.


While waiting for the CNC Router kit to arrive work can be done on the Controller and the table/platform for the router.

Hopefully all will be ready to assemble during the Thanksgiving week.

CNC System Diagram

Updated 10/26/2009

This post will be a sticky post since I expect this diagram to change as I learn more about what I am doing.

CAD/CAM Workstation

I will be using an existing PC to create 2D and 3D geometry using CAD and other applications. This system will also host any CAM applications used to program tool paths and to generate the G-Code files. The resulting files will be transfered to the CNC Controller by sneaker-net or using our wireless network.

CNC Controller

I am most uncertain about this portion of the system. As best I can tell the "CNC Controller" will consist of a PC running CNC Controller software, such as Mach 3, and a hardware controller box that has a Power Supply, a break-out-board and stepper motor drivers. I have more to learn about the function of the break out board but it includes isolating the PC from the high current and voltage being sent from the drivers to the stepper motors.

The Controller PC and Controller Box are connected through a parallel interface. I am planning to dredge out a decommissioned mother board and CPU from the closet and build up a PC dedicated to this CNC Controller function. I have a spare NEC LCD monitor for this system. These will live in the garage/shop with the controller box and router.

Stepper Motors

The stepper motors are connected by cables to the controller box drivers. Depending on the router design there will be either 3 or 4 stepper motors. The Y axis can be driven by dual motors or a single motor.

Machine Tool

The stepper motors are attached to the machine tool and its lead screws. The rotation of the lead screws move the gantry and carriages which hold the router spindle along their axis.

Every Project Needs a Plan

This image is from a 3D model of the CRP 100 router. It uses a linear motion mechanism that I am really impressed with. This hardware is sold by CNC Router Parts and plans for the CRP 100 are free to download! It is a design that makes excellent use of the characteristics of the materials used. It is likely that we will be looking into these linear motion mechanisms in future posts.

Now to the subject at hand. It is time to think a bit about what this project involves, at least in outline. I have a general idea of the main pieces needed, so let's begin. We can fill in the details as we go along.

First, I am thinking it would be nice to use the Thanksgiving holiday to assemble the actual CNC Router. If things go well in the assembly and setup perhaps a turkey carving attachment could be designed. This would create great excitement around the table! However, I would hope to just get the basic assembly complete during that week.

I have pretty much decided that a kit would be the best approach for me rather than having to source all parts and materials and building from plans. Based on what I have seen so far CNC kit purveyors require up to 4 weeks of lead time to deliver a kit. Many of the businesses that serve the hobby CNC market are cottage industries that probably order their material only after receiving a firm customer order. This would mean making my final decision and placing an order no later than mid-October for a kit (i.e. in the next week or so). That is a useful data point. I will need to structure my plan so that I make good use of the 4 weeks of waiting time. Otherwise this will be a very slow moving blog and project.

Here are the major capabilities, activities or items that need to be in place for a complete system:

• Create Part Geometry (2D and 3D) - CAD and Drawing Applications
• Create Tool Paths and G-Code Files - CAM Application
• PC-based CNC Controller - Hardware and Software
• CNC Power Supply and Drivers
• Configure and Test Controller/Driver/Stepper Motor Sub-System
• Build Router Stand/Table
• Router Machine Assembly and Setup
• Testing and Tuning

I will detail out a project plan and get it posted this week. It will be fun to watch the plan depart from reality as things go along!

Alibre Design Deal - To Good to Pass Up

I need to confess - I began investigating things regarding this project before I started this blog. Sorry, for the time being I am a few weeks ahead of my readers. The good news is that for now I have few, if any, readers - so no harm done. I figure I am pretty much writing posts to myself at this point. Nonetheless the deal described below expired about a week ago.

While grousing around the Internet for all things CNC I came across a reference to a 3D Parametric CAD product called Alibre Design. I googled 'Alibre' and found alibre.com. As is typical for CAD software they offer several levels of their product, each package having additional features at a higher price point. Alibre Design is their basic system, which regularly sells for $999, plus any ups and extras you might want to add. Alibre seems to be positioned as the value player against competitors like Solidworks.

I guess the recession has not been good for CAD vendors. Alibre management apparently decided to shake the market up and make a play for market share prior to the release of version 12 of the product. For about a month they offered Alibre Design 11.2 for $99. Basically they knocked a 9 off their regular price.

I investigated the feature set and gave it a few minutes of sober thought. OK, enough of that - I whipped out the credit card and down loaded Alibre Design 11.2 and in doing so incurred my first project expense ($99). Thus, I put the first piece of my mini-CNC manufacturing enterprise in place. Ordinarily I would not have chosen to have my first purchase for this project be a 3D feature-based CAD system , but I figure you need to take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself. Alibre's marketing tactic certainly worked on me, probably to the eventual disadvantage of Rhino 3D.

I have been going through some of the tutorials and other things to get acquainted with my new Alibre software. So far I have been favorably impressed with both the power AND usability of the product, which is saying quite a bit since CAD systems are infamous for having a steep learning curve.

I will post more about my experience using Alibre Design when I start to define 3D geometry for the CNC router to chew on, maybe a guitar neck contour or a plantation shutter project.

What is a CNC Router?

It occurs to me that some family and friends looking into this project may not be familiar with what a CNC Router is, and that is very understandable. Not everyone dreams of having a screaming computer controlled routing machine in their garage creating piles of dust.

Above is a picture of one of the CNC routers I have been considering for this project. It is a PDJ Pilot Pro router with dual gantry drives. It is available from pdjinc.com. There is the option to build this router from plans, purchase a kit, or purchase a fully assembled router from PDJ Inc.

The workpiece is held on the bed of the router. Stepper motors, under the control of the computer (this is where the Computer Numerical Control part comes in), precisely move the router spindle and bit into the workpiece to cut the material. The physical motion is controlled by the rails of the machine which restrict movement along three axis; x, y and z. The result is the router cutting or carving the workpiece into the designed shape.

Here is a video from Youtube of a Joe's 4x4 Hybrid CNC router. It is a bit larger than Pilot Pro mentioned above. I have also been evaluating the plans for this router. More on that in an upcoming post. The router is cutting signs for a doctor's office in what looks like a urethane foam or MDF material. Signage is one of the most common items made using a CNC router. In spite of the video title this is not 'My' CNC Router but someday I hope to have one like it!

Project Cost Sheet

CNC Router Project Cost Sheet

This Sticky Post documents the costs involved for Ken's CNC Router Project. I plan to update this periodically.

CAD Software

Alibre Design - $99

CAM Software

Controller PC

Keyboard and Mouse - $23
Video Card - $40
DVD ROM - $19
Mid-Tower Case - $50

Controller Software

Controller Hardware

CNC Router Parts 3-Axis Electronic Kit - $529

• (3) 380 oz.-in. NEMA 23 Stepper Motors
• (3) 12' CNC Motor Cables
• (1) Gekco G540 4-Axis Stepper Drive
• (1) 48v/7.3A DC Power Supply

CNC Router Plans

Joe's 4x4 CNC Router Plans - $100

PDJ Pilot Pro Plans DVD - $34

CNC Router

Fine Line Automation FLA100-00 Complete Kit (single start Z) - $1290

Other

About Sticky Posts

This blog will have several posts that I intend to return to and update on an on going basis, like the Project Cost Sheet. I have created a 'Sticky Post' list which you will find with the other blog lists in the right column. This should make it easy to check in on these frequently updated posts.

Let me know how this idea is working out for you in the comments!

CNC Power to the People!

It was the early 1980s and I knew something significant was afoot when I began to use the new and highly coveted Apple Laserwriter printer. My department within a large aerospace company had diligently worked to justify the purchase of this printer, which as I recall cost in the neighborhood of $5-6K. Suddenly I was no longer dependent on the department secretary and her IBM Selectric typewriter to create a professional looking document. In fact, the output quality of a Selectric became sub-standard in comparison to the near typeset quality of the Laserwriter. I was joining the Desktop Publishing revolution. The result of this technology shift was the creation of way too many bad newsletters by empowered, but sometimes un-artful, individuals. But today hardly a thought is given to how much power we have to create sometimes amazing printed material with common and affordable tools.

During the 1990s another computer-driven revolution was underway - CNC (Computer Numerical Control) for the individual! Increasingly one could build or otherwise acquire the tools needed to design an item and manufacture it using CNC. Capability that in the past was reserved for only well capitalized manufacturing businesses was becoming available on a personal scale.

I have dabbled with the prospect of adding CNC capability to my shop arsenal for years, but now the time has come and I have much to learn. This blog is about my process of learning about, planning for, acquiring, building and using my own CNC Router system - from CAD to chips. Let the transformation from CNC 'Newbie' to 'not-so-Newbie' begin!