Hi, I just recently discovered DIY CNC machines. I really want to get started on an Ox build and was wondering if anyone out there has used solid surface material for the plates? I have some Corian left over from a counter-top job and it's very sturdy and easy to machine. The thickness is 1/2 inch, would that be to thick for the plates?
Om sure Corian can be machined but not sure if the would work for plates. Corian can be susceptible to heat and can also bend ( last one is actually a good quality but for countertops )
Just finish roughing out the side plates, now I can start drilling holes. The reason for this approach is that I don't have access to a Cnc to make the plates, so if I can build one with the Corian then I can mill the plates more precisely later. The material is actually very solid, there is no flex what so ever!
It's not a very rigid material, but I think this is going to work well for what you intend to do Charlie. Keep us updated. Joe
Savvas did a Acetel (Delrin) cnc machine very successfully, Corian is actually over 2x stiffer than acetel so this will work fine.. the only issue i worry about with plates other than metal is the wear on the eccentric nut holes every time you move them they will bite into the plate a little more.
I'm basing my design on Savvas' model, I figured if he could do temporary plates from plywood the Solid surface material should do fine. Thanks for all the feedback, like I said, this is my first attempt at building a cnc and I know there will be a bit of a learning curve. I never would of even considered such a project until I stumbled upon Openbuilds for inspiration, Thank you!
The plates are all routed out, time to start drilling holes. If anyone has any tips on how to accurately mark and drill holes, I'd like to hear from you.
I tend to run out sticky labels on my printer. Be sure however to re-measure the holes on the printouts to make sure the printer hasn't distorted anything. The only holes that are truly critical are for the (non-eccentric) wheels that run along the top of the Y-axis. If you have a drill press it would be a good idea to set up a fence board to where you merely slide the piece along the fence thus guaranteeing all the holes are in the same line. If you don't, it would be a good idea to use some form of perpendicular drill guide and to center punch all the holes before drilling.
When I did my aluminium plates, i did as Rick mentioned and used a fence on the drill press. I uses a nail to put an indentation in the center of the hole to help prevent the bit from wandering, but maybe it is unnecessary with your material. There is a way to print out the plates on paper and I did that and documented it in my build. I made sure to put crosshairs in my sketchup drawings so finding the center of the holes would be easy. Then I stuck them to the material with 3M spray adhesive
Thanks for the info. I ended up taping off the face so I could see my marks easier then lit it up big time with a halogen lamp and found a super fine mechanical pencil from my drafting days. After marking everything I ground a pin point on an old scratch awl and marked the centers, then just started a hole with a 1/16" bit before drilling the actual hole. It all fit together great, man I'm having a blast!
