Build Your Own CNC Machine (Technology in Action) |  | Authors: Patrick Hood-Daniel, James Kelly
Publisher: Apress
Category: Book
List Price: $39.99
Buy New: $24.95
as of 3/11/2010 06:40 WIT details
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Seller: pbshop
Rating:  3 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 1430224894
Dewey Decimal Number: 629
EAN: 9781430224891
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9781430224891 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
Do you like to build things? Are you ever frustrated at having to compromise your designs to fit whatever parts happen to be available? Would you like to fabricate your own parts? Build Your Own CNC Machine is the book to get you started. CNC expert Patrick Hood-Daniel and best-selling author James Kelly team up to show you how to construct your very own CNC machine. Then they go on to show you how to use it, how to document your designs in Computer-Aided Design programs, and how to output your designs as specifications and tool paths that feed into the CNC machine, controlling it as it builds whatever parts your imagination can dream up. Don't be intimidated by abbreviations like CNC and terms like Computer-Aided Design. Patrick and James have chosen a CNC-machine design that is simple to fabricate. You need only basic woodworking skills and a budget of perhaps $500 to $1,000 to spend on the wood, a router, and various other parts that you'll need. With some patience and some follow-through, you'll soon be up and running with a really fun machine that'll unleash your creativity and turn your imagination into physical reality. - The authors go on to show you how to test your machine, including configuring the software.
- Provides links for learning how to design and mill whatever you can dream up
- The perfect parent/child project that is also suitable for scouting groups, clubs, school shop classes, and other organizations that benefit from projects that foster skills development and teamwork
- No unusual tools needed beyond a circular saw and what you likely already have in your home toolbox
- Teaches you to design and mill your very own wooden and aluminum parts, toys, gadgets—whatever you can dream up
What you'll learn - Build your very own CNC machine
- Learn about linear movement and motion transmission
Who is this book for? Build Your Own CNC Machine is the perfect book for hobbyists who like to build and create using wood and metal. It's especially for those who have ever been foiled by lack of specific parts to help realize their creative designs. Build Your Own CNC Machine is also an excellent choice for organizations such as scouting and church groups, school shop classes, and so forth, as it provides an educational project of modest cost that all can work on together.
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| Customer Reviews:
Build Your Own CNC Machine December 6, 2009
Ken (Dallas, TX)
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
I've had my copy of "Build Your Own CNC Machine" a week and have finished reading it. I've waited years for the cost of computer controlled tooling to become affordable for artisans and hobbyists. Even so, acquiring the needed information has always been daunting. I believe these authors have opened the gates wide and will impact many disciplines.
This book walks you through making a simple yet robust CNC machine that permits 3 axis, computer-precise milling in whatever your application, be it printed-circuit boards, violins, or aircraft parts. With this book knowledge of your own field may now be more limiting than your tooling.
The author's machine is made of medium-density fiberboard (MDF,) available in every home-improvement store. They use relatively easy joinery. The order of presentation and construction makes great sense. The author's techniques require reasonable accuracy but not high skill or tooling. Their website videos were made at a kitchen table with a few hand tools. The book is similar in approach but is clearly a refinement of their earlier writings. Motors, control circuitry, and the power supply are purchased, but the bottom line remains well under $1,000 and could even be much less if you have the needed skills.
I found the information in the book totally accessible and never lost in jargon or predispositions of a reader's skill. The authors are especially supportive. Their presentation clearly comes from substantial experience developing both the machine and the persons they've guided before. Every part of such a project involves "buy or build" decisions, which can make or break success . I believe the author's choices are excellent. This book is well worth buying, and there aren't others like it that I can find. I cannot thank them enough for what they've put into it.
An epic win for the hobbyist community! December 9, 2009
Andy L. Kimble (Boulder, CO USA)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
I got my copy of the book today. I've spent maybe a half hour skimming the book, and my initial impression is that it is very thorough and complete. It goes through the basics of why / how the linear bearings will work, how to cut and drill the MDF, etc. Even a novice, that had only minimal experience with simple power tools could understand and follow these directions to completion.
Everything seems to be very well documented, and is supported by many photos, schematics, and drawings. The photos are clear, even though they are black and white. The color versions of most of the photos are even on the website, if you need them, as are some videos.
Each chapter includes some nice quick-glance features, like a "Summary of Work" and a list of what MDF parts you'll be working on next. This is a nice addition, to help "ground" what you're doing, and keep you understanding what is going on.
The second chapter, titled "Hardware and Tools" is going to help a lot of people, I think, because it sets an understanding for what tools the author assumes you will have access to, and skill using. The requirements are not much cause for concern, since they are all simple power tools you can pick up at almost any hardware store. One thing that I would liked to have seen, would be more specific listings of some of the tools. For instance, almost every hole in the machine is either 1/4", 7/16", 3/8", or 3/4". It probably wouldn't have been to hard to give a specific list of all the drillbits used during construction if you follow the book to the letter. However, it still says you need drill bits, of course, so a little reading will quickly let you figure out which ones.
One final thing I want to point out is that, as far as I can tell, there is no special hardware (besides the electronics) that are required. You can buy everything off the shelf, at pretty much any local hardware retailer (Lowes, Home Depot, True Value, etc.). This is great, and in stark contrast to some other stuff out there (like this book, read the reviews, http://www.amazon.com/CNC-Robotics-Build-Your-Workshop/dp/0071418288/ ) that requires special parts, or hopes you can find the same "suprlus"/recycled items that the author used.
I can't wait to get started! (And I'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes.)
--------UPDATE--------UPDATE---------
I just finished reading the book, and I think it very much lives up to it's purpose. With only common hand and power tools, you can build yourself an affordable CNC router.
The book is about 200 pages, but it's easy reading. It goes very quickly because almost every page is 1/2 covered by pictures, diagrams, or plans.
You should DEFINATELY read the whole book before you do anything. It's as much of a learning journey along with the author, as it is an instruction manual for getting the job done. Because of this, you read about and discover things as the author discovered them in the process. This makes it a bit backwards, as far as a manual goes, because the best way to do something is not always given up front. For instance, it is suggested in chapter 15 that you test drilling holes in scrap wood to figure out just how deeply you have to go in order to submerge the bolts below the surface, despite the fact that you've been drilling counterbored holes for this reason since chapter 8. Also, some of the dimesions in the plans are not real, and you are expected to replace them with more exact dimensions of your machine parts, as you created them, for a more appropriate fit. However, this should in no way discourage you from reading this great book. Just do so before you try to build the machine.
It's a great book, and I highly recommend it. I'll post a new update after I get my machine built.
--------UPDATE #2--------UPDATE #2---------
I decided to see exactly how much it would cost to build. I tried to find deals, or reasonably good prices, on all the pieces. The bare minimum for the machine, including router and a couple bits, is about $800. You will probably also need $100+ dollars worth of tools, unless you have some of the required odd ones already (1-1/8" forstner bit, 45-degree chamfer router bit, 5/16" tap, etc.). The computer needed to run it is not very powerful, but unless you can get a good used one from someone, expect to drop another $200-300. So all total, this is realistically a $1000-1500 project. (I kept track of accurate costs, but provided generalizations here.)
I have a final thought on the perspective of the book. When you read it, consider it a written documentary about someone building the machine, not an instruction manual for building it. There are lots of subtle things left out, but a competent person can figure them out. If you take this attitude towards it, you will save yourself frustration when you run into inconsistencies, errors, or omissions. I still fully recommend the book, and it will give you a great entry into CNC, but the role of the book has caused some people grief.
Just Learning About CNC March 9, 2010
Harley P. Parks (Honolulu Hawaii)
The previous reviews are accurate, so I will add in my two cents. First, you need this book if you're going to get into CNC. I just finished reading through "Build Your Own CNC Machine" and I was very impressed with how much information was covered. It took really about 3 - 30 minute sessions to get through the meat of this book. Obviously, building your own CNC is going to require careful thought about the contents of this book, your own resources, and your abilities. The authors provide a very up-to-date website with all kinds of help and resources to step through the process and deal with specific issues and problems. Before reading this CNC book, I explored the website and was overwhelmed. However, after reading this book, many of my concerns were addressed, while some issues not covered were quickly addressed on the forum.
This is really important, as being able to visualize the process and the troubles you run into is key, but quick support from not only the authors but the community is fantastic. For example, my initial plan is to use a laptop, however, I was able to find out that I would need a parallel port and either an adapter that supports the enhanced standard was needed or to use a different machine, one I wouldn't mind leaving in the shop.
Another important plus of this book was the numerous pictures and descriptions of what was used to develop the CNC projects discussed in the book. By seeing the pictures, plans, and lists I am pretty clear about my next steps.
Reformatting the contents to something like "Head First" Series by O'Rielly would be asking a lot, although it's a crafty way to communicate to readers.
However, there are many times in the book the authors make specific suggestions that clearly need to be emphasized, including gems within the book you will want to flag and come back to later.
I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading about this technology and hopes to be getting deep into it soon. The authors did a great job on a technical book that makes it easy to read and understand a new subject.
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