How to Make Your Own CNC Milling Machine

Part 1

I recently decided that I wanted a CNC Milling Machine to add to my workshop. A CNC Milling machine will allow me to do my prototype work in my workshop instead of using a service. I thought I would share the process with you and show you How to make your own CNC Milling Machine, by modifying a manual milling machine.

Now, CNC Milling Machines are not cheap. They can cost tens of thousands of dollars if you buy a commercially made machine. I am not made of money so I guess a $50,000 CNC Milling Machine is out of the question. But what if I #Make a CNC Milling Machine instead? Could  I keep the cost down to a level that won’t break the bank? Can I get decent performance without having to take out a new mortgage on the house?

My original plan was to modify my Harbor Freight Minimill to use #CNC. This would be a quick project because I already had a Minimill and it would greatly reduce the cost of making the machine. So I did some research and found a set of plans online from http://stirlingsteele.com, the folks who made my mini mill belt drive upgrade kit. I ordered the plans and began to fabricate the parts  to make the conversion.  It was a good set of plans and the work went fast. However  as I got further along into the project I began to realize that the Minimill was just too small for my needs. I was lucky because I hadn’t spent a lot of money on the upgrade so far since I had been using materials I had on hand to make most of the parts. I decided to complete the mini mill modifications and then sell it to pay for a larger milling machine.

Why do you need a CNC Milling Machine Anyway?

Before I get too far into the project you might be wondering Why do you need a CNC Milling Machine Anyway? Most people never have a need for computerized milling machines. But I do. For one thing  it is my hobby. Another reason I need a CNC milling machine is to make parts for my business. I currently have several parts machined from a 3rd party source and I would like to bring those parts in house so I have better control over the finished product.  Bringing these parts in house is also the only way I can compete with larger businesses.

Most people would be afraid to tackle a project as complex as a CNC Milling machine but not me. I have already built several other machines including a CNC router table so I feel confident I can tackle this project. Most projects can be tackled if you take it in small chunks and especially if you follow in the foot steps of someone who has done it already.

One other reason I need a CNC Milling machine is to do my part to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.  When I was a kid there were machine shops all over the place and now they are few and far between. More manufacturing here in the U.S. means more jobs here in the U.S. I would love to see the cottage industry movement revitalized. That is what making is all about.

Lastly, let us not forget the huge number of Geek point I will gain. Enough said.

Why I bought a Grizzly G0704 Milling Machine

I looked around on the web and found a number of Youtube videos that showed completed machines that people had built. I began to notice that a lot of people were converting a milling machines made by Grizzly Tools., the G0704.

After A bit more research found a DVD available from Hoss Machines which had plans to convert  the Grizzly G0704 to a CNC Milling machine. The DVD offered a bunch of additional projects and choices and was money well spent. After reviewing the DVD I decided to follow some of the plans and also go in  a slightly different direction with some other things.I chose the G0704 milling machine because it had one of the largest cutting areas of the mills in it’s price range. It had a very long X axis  (left to right and a very high Z axis. With some modifications the Z axis travel could be vastly increased to nearly the same as a knee mill. The only area where the mill fall short is in the Y axis travel. However I intend to open the Y axis up and add a few more inches of travel.

Lastly, I chose the Grizzly G0704 because there is a large body of information available about it online. Obviously it is an advantage when you have others who have documented their changes before you begin. Knowing that any changes you make to the machine voids your warranty also really forces you to focus.

 The Journey

I hope you have found this interesting and will follow along on my Journey as I show you How to Make Your Own CNC Milling Machine. Next time I will tell you about the Dirty Little secret.

If you want to keep up to date on this project why not subscribe to my free newsletter or leave a comment below or reach out to me on Twitter: @BillGriggs.

 

 

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SOURCES:

http://www.tormach.com

http://grizzly.com

http://ebay.com

http://youtube.com

http://stirlingsteele.com

http://harborfreight.com

http://littlemachineshop.com

http://www.hossmachine.info/