Cheapskate CNC router

Build summary

I wanted to build my own CNC router rather than buy one as both a means of getting one cheaply and so that I could learn more about how they worked and become more familiar with the failure points, making it easier to fix and repair myself. I found a lot of similar designs from sellers on Amazon and AliExpress which featured a 300x180mm cutting volume. I took their architecture and scaled up the Y axis significantly, leaving me with a 300x500mm cutting volume. I already owned a Makita hand-router, so I used that rather than buying a spindle, similar to how the X-Carve uses a DeWalt router.

Future plans

While the machine is capable of cutting metals as hard as 5052 aluminum, it requires a shallow cutting depth and slow feeds. I hope to soon find time to replace all of the laser cut panels and gantries with aluminum ones to make the machine more stable, and to replace all of the lead screws with ball screws.