x-y table for homemade cnc

The usual suspects (Chester UK, Axminster, Warco) all do cast iron X-Y tables of various sizes. If you're looking for something smaller/lighter (but not necessarily cheaper!), Proxxon do a couple of X-Y tables made from ally extrusions.

Regards, Tony

Proxon - advertise regularly in the mags.

spleen wrote:

Chester (also Arc Euro Trade) sell a nice small one as an accessory to their Micro-Mill.

see :-

Neil Barnes

I've been thinking about something similar for a small milling sub table.

Are you proposing to use the feedscrews supplied, or swapping them for ballscrews?

I've no experience with CNC but am keen to learn.

I've found a couple of websites that might be of interest.

Bob

Cheers for the link, the first one you posted i havent seen before that thats the sort of thing i had thought of building,

Ive seen the compucut stuff in model workshop but i think for what you get for that much money its a bit of a rip off, as the actual circuit from what I could see is very basic and not worth the money in my option as somehting more complex could be designed and implemented relativly simpley, that said i think it would be useful if you dont have a clue about electronics. Although I obviously havent seen the documentation and the amoutn you pay for this could really be worthwhile.

I like the like to the chester xy table, thats priced at £75 think i might use that if i cant find something cheaper.

I plan to keep the exisiting feedscrews and use toothed belts to rotate the handles. Although I havent put a great deal of thought into this yet.

I plan to program the control software myself in C under linux and use the real-time patches. There is a no-install bootable CD at

greg

Hi Greg, I'm comfortable with all levels of electronic assembly, drivers PSU etc once I've got an outline of a design. I have metal working facilities and a fair amount of experience of maching and fitting.

Depending on what you propose to use the table for, I guess you could well need to think about backlash which could be 0.1 -0.25 mm in all but the newest nut and feedscrew. Ball screws I've found (WWWRS.com) are horrendously dear typically 4 times what you are preparing to spend on the table!! However i have not the first idea about what software I need or programming. I use a PC simply as a tool running windows and high level applications MS office type applications so diving into unknowns such as Linux or dos is all a bit daunting.

Maybe we can keep in touch?

Regards

Bob

Near Southampton UK

Yep, throw me and any email and ill give you the email address that I use as my proper email address.

this one will work, it just gets clogged with spam so i dont use it

greg

programming.