The Builder's Guide - Hambrew

When I first started to design and build my first homemade CNC router, I had it all figured out in about a day. I had my design ready to go. Then as I started to buy the parts, I did a little research. I found bits and pieces of information here and there, but it just lead to more questions.

“Do I really need ball screws or will ACME screws work fine?”

“What kind of linear bearing is the best, and can I afford it?”

“How big of a motor do I need, and should I use steppers or servos?”

“Will this material flex too much over that span?”

Etc.

Luckily, some of my questions I could answer with my mechanical engineering background. However, many of the problems I would encounter could not be “calculated”. I just needed someone with experience and information on the subject.

So I researched the internet. The information available is scattered and hard to come by, and how do I know if it’s valid. Most of the answers to my questions came through reading hundreds and hundreds of threads like CNCzone.com. Which is a rood resource. I would post my questions and wait for people who already have built a homemade CNC router to hopefully give me a good answer.

Of course I would get many answers to my questions from different people, many of which contradicted each other. Then I’d have to read though a thread where people were bickering back and forth. Of course then I would have to research further to find out which answers were worth while and which ones were garbage.

Every time I had a question that I didn’t know, I would have to go through the same process. A lot of this was due to the fact I was on a budget and wanted the best design my money could buy. Which is the same situation many people building a homemade CNC router are in?

Yes, there are homemade CNC router kits available, but I have yet to see one that gives any explanation as to what you are actually doing. It just says “do these things” and you are supposed to follow directions. But what if you do not have the parts available? Or you want your design to vary slightly. Then you are left to fend for your self.

Maybe you don’t want to design your own, but still want to build your own. That’s where the kits and plans help you most, like the CNC router kits at www.solsylva.com . Plans are good for what they are, they are instructions.

There are a lot of them out there and how do you know which one is the right one. No matter how good the instructions are, if it’s a bad design it WILL be a bad machine.

That is why you need to be educated as to what you are building and what each part does!

This is where this guide will help you. After designing and building several of my own homemade CNC routers, I would like to share the knowledge from my experiences, good and bad. I think it’s sad that this information isn’t out there, and I DON”T think it should cost you anything.

This guide aims to keep you for making some of the same mistakes that I made costing me precious time, money, and frustration.

We will walk through ever component down to the bolts, looking at advantages and disadvantages of every type of each component. I will discuss every aspect of designing and building your own homemade CNC router. It will take you through the mechanics to software and everything in between. If you still want to use a homemade CNC router plan or kit, you can find CNC router plans here. Keep in mind, homemade CNC Router plans offer little in the way of explaining concepts. This often leads to a "sloppy" design or unsatisfactory machine performance. That is why I suggest I you read through this guide first.

By the end, you should be talking CNC like a pro! This will give you a real heads up when you go to build and design your homemade CNC router. Regardless if you are using your plans or someone else's .