Most of my projects use sheet material as the main material. My usual way of making parts out of sheet materials was to design on graph paper, stick it onto the material using a glue stick, roughly cut it out using a jigsaw and then sand and file it down to shape. This was a very tedious method, and I saw it necessary to build a CNC Router in order to automate these tasks and also enable me to make more intricate things.
You’ve probably noticed a common theme with my machines now: they’re all cheap. This machine is no different, and I had to go about this with a budget of about £150. I used skateboard bearings riding on steel rectangular tubes and
The machine was a massive success, costing £60 for the mechanical assembly, £30 for the router and around £70 for the electronics (although I did need to replace a faulty stepper driver). It has a build area of about 500x500mm, and a Z-axis depth of about 50mm, which is perfect for milling sheets up to 18mm thick. I have used this machine extensively, with all of the parts for the Plybot and the frame for the DesktopWorkshop being milled on it.