DIY CNC Router Build and Testing (With Limited Tools!)

In this video I show most of the details of how I fabricated a "1/4 sheet" (650 x 1300 mm travel) CNC router. It is capable of milling woods, plastics, aluminium and steel to a limited extent.

Machine specs:
Working area: 650 x 1300 mm (1/4 sheet of plywood).
1.5 kw ER-11 air-cooled VFD driven spindle.
1610 (10 mm/rev) ball screws on X & Y axes.
1204 (4 mm/rev) ball screw on Z axis.
NEMA24 size stepper motors on X & Y axes.
NEMA23 size stepper for Z axis.
1:1 drive ratio on all axes.
Dual synced motors on the Y axis gantry with self-squaring function.
DM556 stepper drivers running on 48V for all axes.
Inductive proximity sensors for homing on all axes.
Currently running GRBL on an Arduino Mini (but looking for a more advanced solution).

As this is mostly designed for milling wooden parts, the accuracy target was only +- 0.1mm. Because I didn't have access to a way to machine the linear rail mounting surfaces, I couldn't see a practical reason to target higher than this. Although the surface finish isn't the greatest on metal parts, this machine will still come in handy for milling steel plates and brackets for future machine builds.

I hope this can inspire people who don't have access to machine tools to take on a project like this. It certainly surprised me with the level of accuracy that is achievable with basic tools and commonly available materials.

Aluminium extrusions from: ModularAlu on TradeMe (NZ only)

Please feel free to comment any questions. Thanks for watching and any support is appreciated :)