BYCNC Response:
The book build was intended to be 20 inches x 40 inches. Larger machines were designed after the book build was introduced so customers would have the option to go bigger than what the book offered. Check out our larger machines on the website as the machines sizes range from 1 foot x 3 feet all the way up to 6 feet x 12+ feet.

User Response:
I'm not wanting to spend $3,000+ on a machine, I want to build one that will do a 4x8 sheet of wood. Will the plans in the book scale up?

BYCNC Response:
It is possible to scale the book build up, but the rigidity of the gantry would be questionable at that span, even if the height of the gantry structure were to be increased. The gantry design would need to be modified to become a box shape rather than a flat configuration. The kits on the site were design for those wanting a larger machine.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I bought your book and was hopeing it had plans or dimentions on how to build a cnc to hold a 4x8 sheet of ply. Will the CNC in the book scale up?

It sounds like you got a misprinted book. If you purchased it from us, please contact us directly for a replacement. If you bought it from Amazon or a third party, you'll need to contact them. General information about lead screws is available on this website and at buildyourtools.com.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
Just bought Build Your own CNC Machine book. It is missing the chapter on lead screws that is described on page 181 at the end of Chaprer 16. Where can I get this info?

Are you using the control panel (front panel with the speed control knob known as he potentiometer)? Or are you attempting to use the computer to control the speed?

Additional Information:
I am using the control panel, however there is no knob on mine, just buttons.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
Hello, I bought your 110v 2.2kw spindle and vfd. When I turn it on it reaches the full 24000 rpm, but will not let me decrease the speed. How Can I fix this?

We are developing plans for our machine, but they are not completed yet. Please let me know if you would like to be added to our list of customers wanting plans. Thanks,

Additional Information:
If you have specific questions regarding CAD, CAM and Control, please add another question to the customer service and I will answer them in detail.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
How do I get started I would like to build a cnc router. Making the machine I can do, but I am weak on cad,cam and mach3. I am thinking about a 4’x4’. Do you have plans I can buy?

Looks like you are trying to screw me out of $30 plus tax as there will be no pdf files forthcoming unless I shell out another $255. Unless you provide the pdf files I will be forced to seek return of funds and will be notifying VISA, GOOGLE PLAY and the BBB doing so until I get satisfaction. If you are not going to honor your book title by providing complete usable information you should remove your book from the market place, or offer it for free. At this point I don't know how you justify screwing your customers like this, but this one ain't going to take it laying down.

Additional Information:
Official Buildyourcnc response:
Thanks for informing us of this issue. Have you looked at this part of the wabsite:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/Book.aspx

The link to the "book" portion of the website is in the footer of every page of the website. If there is a problem with the pdf documents on any page of this portion of the website, please let me know here. Many thanks, Patrick Hood-Daniel

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I PURCHASED YOUR BOOK TO BUILD A CNC ROUTER, THE PLAN DRAWINGS ARE INDECIPHERABLE AND TEXT WITH THEM IS ILLEGIBLE. THERE NOTE REFER MDF PARTS LAYOUT 1 PDF, 2 PDF PLANS & CUT LIST DOWNLOADABLE FROM THIS SITE. WHERE THEY CAN'T FIND THEM?

As long as the bearing has a minimum thickness of 1/4" and 9/32" is a bit thicker, there will be no problem with the book build using the bearing that is 1/32" thicker. There is actually more surface area which is better.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I am building the CNC in your book - Build you own CNC Machine. One of the bearing thicknesses is 1/4" I can't find that bearing online. I can find 9/32, will that be a problem. Do you have a source? Thx

We recommend our electronics combo for the scratch build kit, which you can find on our site here: https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-3axis-425-elcombo. This is our standard general purpose 3 axis electronics system, and includes (3) NEMA 24 425 oz-in stepping motors, (3) Drivers (3.0Amp 24-40 Volts, with 1-1/64 microstepping), (1) 36v 8.8a Power Supply, (1) Interface Board either USB or Parallel. (The USB version requires PlanetCNC software; the parallel interface board gives you a variety of options, Mach3 being one popular choice.)

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I got the plans and hardware from you guys and im almost ready for the stepper motor part of this build. what size motors are good to use for this build? the size of cnc will be 2x4 when finish or what size will not work? thanks

Does your plasma cutter have an external trigger that voltage can be applied to make the trigger engage? If I known, please provide the brand and model of your plasma cutter so we can determine this.

Additional Information:
I converted my blackToe to do plasma cutting. Used the Motor control relay on the break out board and just wired it into the plasma cutter trigger. Put a large pan (like a car oil drip pan) with about 1/4 inch of water on the table and attached fixtures. 400 15ga parts later it's still working great.

Additional Information:
That is so cool!!

Additional Information:
I would like to post a story on your setup and conversion. Do you have pictures of the process and/or the new setup?

Click the link to add information to this solution:
Hello I bought a full setup of parts a couple years ago to make a cnc router and now I have decided that I want to make a cnc router/plasma. I was wondering how to go about hooking up the plasma to the breakout board

This is a good video on how to do a vacuum table

Click the link to add information to this solution:
Do you have any videos or plans for how to make a strong table for a large CNC router? I saw the torsion box videos but would like some more guidance on how to build just a good table.

You will be fine with using 2 NEMA 23/24 (425 oz-in) and 1 NEMA 34 (651 oz-in) motors with the Woodsmith CNC build with a large heavy router with a 1/2" collet. Specifically, the Woodsmith CNC build uses lead screws for each axis and this will provide mechanical advantage allowing the motors along with the drive mechanics (lead screws) an increase in torque.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
Building the 2'x4' CNC from the Woodsmith plans and want to use a router with 1/2" collet. Will your stepper motor kit with 2 NEMA-23 and 1 NEMA-34 be sufficient for a Bosch 1617 router motor, or will it be too heavy?

The motor is helped by the mechanical leverage of the screw. The 425 oz-in motors that are included in the standard electronics combo has very high torque for that type of machine. You will have no problem using that motor for the book machine.

We use that motor for very heavy spindles on the blackToe and blackFoot CNC Machine kits.

You will need to do the mechanical leverage calculation along with the torque of the motor to determine the actual weight it will lift. The calculation will need to consider the type and pitch of the screw and it would also consider the gravity constant of 9.8 m/s/s.

If you need me to determine this formula and work out the calculation based on the screw you are using, please let me know.

Additional Information:
thank you for the reply. I would be really good to know the calculation. The lead screw is 1/2" diameter with 13 TPI. Please provide the calculation. And one more question. If I am cutting 18mm MDF with 6mm cutting bit (so 6mm pass), what can be the maximum speed rate of cutting and spindle speed of router?
thank you

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I received the electronics for book build cnc machine. I need to know how much weight the z-axis motor can hold since my (craftsman) router seems to be heavy. It is 2HP with variable speed

We recommend our electronics combo for the scratch build kit, which you can find on our site here: https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-3axis-425-elcombo. This is our standard general purpose 3 axis electronics system, and includes (3) NEMA 24 425 oz-in stepping motors, (3) Drivers (3.0Amp 24-40 Volts, with 1-1/64 microstepping), (1) 36v 8.8a Power Supply, (1) Interface Board either USB or Parallel. (The USB version requires PlanetCNC software; the parallel interface board gives you a variety of options, Mach3 being one popular choice.)

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I am going to build a CNC 4x4 plasma table. The frame is made of 1 1/4" pipe and the gantry will be made of either 2"x 2" or 2"x 3" tubing. What size stepper motors do you suggest?

I will find this answer when I get into the office on Monday, but I have no problem sending out a replacement DVD out to you. If you would like to do this, please call us on Monday and let us know that you need a replacement DVD

Click the link to add information to this solution:
Hi Patrick back in 2013 I purchased the cnc hardware and plans kit. I misplaced the dvd which shows you how to configure the mach 3 software to the cnc machine I build. I it possible to get another dvd. Or do you have the information somewhere you the website or youtube?

Use a clamping collar (if you are using an ACME lead screw) or a couple of 1/2 nuts (if using an allthread) against the bearing to keep the bearing in place and make sure there is no axial play.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
How do I secure the non-motor end of the lead screw for my 'Book' machine build? Does it just sit inside the bearing or do i use a nut to lock it in place? I did not see any instructions for this in the book.

Yes, if you give us a call, we can definitely help you. If you are looking to mod one of our 4'x8' machines, we can provide those changes for you. We have experience with meeting customers' needs where their application requires a machine with small or even large changes.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I am looking to build a cnc router that will cut 4x8 i wanted to get a cnc kit with some mods i was wondering if there was someone in sales that can help me

The blackToe 2'x4' cnc machine is sold as a kit only. We offer plans for the scratch (book) build machine that can be found here for purchase and also comes with a DVD showing the build process: http://www.buildyourcnc.com/cnckitintro.aspx and the plans for build in the book is on the CNC book page: http://www.buildyourcnc.com/Book.aspx.

You can use the same size stepping motors referenced in the book: http://www.buildyourcnc.com/category/elcombo

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I would like to build the 2’x 4’ blackToe2x4v40 CNC router. I have your book. I want to build the latest model blackToe2x4 v40. Are those the correct plans on your web book page ? Is there a bill of materials? If I use a Porter Cable 3-3/4 router motor what size stepper motors do I need?

The book (scratch build) will be able to cut at very high rates of speed, but the speed is partly determined by the mechanical setup. Cutting wood is generally recommended between 60-200 ipm depending on the end mill and spindle being used. The larger the end mill (with increased chip load capacity) the faster the feedrate.

If you are using a standard allthread, you will not be able to have these high feedrates. You will need to purcahse high lead leadscrews: https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/mechanical-leadscrews-leadnuts-!5-5-starts-10-tpi

The stepping motors need to turn 13 times to travel one inch using standard allthread (1/2-13 TPI - threads per inch). The higher lead leadscrews shown in the link provided will move one inch with only two turns allowing the machine to move many times faster.

These speeds are especially important if you are cutting materials that have low melting points like aluminum and thermoplastics like acrylic, Plexiglas, etc. These materials require high feedrates and smaller depth per passes.

Additional Information:
20

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I just made the book build Cnc machine with the feed rate of 11.19 inch/min as suggested in book. Can I increase it to 20 inch/min? I have 2hp of router attached

For purchasing on our website, our account log in is a safe way to keep your personal data at hand for future orders. However we do not keep any bank information in our systems, it is a single use system.

Now dealing with the cnc book, you can view our web version of the book with a list of materials and hardware that will be needed here (https://www.buildyourcnc.com/cnckitintro.aspx).

Adding the items to your cart in the quantity's needed, now for certain items for example, or ACME screws, and aluminum angles will require a total length needed, but the specific lengths required will have to be email here (customerservice@buildyourcnc.com) or called here (281-815-7701) with the completion of your order.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I want to purchase some items from your co. How do i go about it. I already have the buildyourcnc book and wand to begin.

Looks like you are trying to screw me out of $30 plus tax as there will be no pdf files forthcoming unless I shell out another $255. Unless you provide the pdf files I will be forced to seek return of funds and will be notifying VISA, GOOGLE PLAY and the BBB doing so until I get satisfaction. If you are not going to honor your book title by providing complete usable information you should remove your book from the market place, or offer it for free. At this point I don't know how you justify screwing your customers like this, but this one ain't going to take it laying down.

Additional Information:
Official Buildyourcnc response:
Thanks for informing us of this issue. Have you looked at this part of the wabsite:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/Book.aspx

The link to the "book" portion of the website is in the footer of every page of the website. If there is a problem with the pdf documents on any page of this portion of the website, please let me know here. Many thanks, Patrick Hood-Daniel

Click the link to add information to this solution:
I purchased your book to build a cnc router, the plan drawings are indecipherable and text with them is illegible. There is a note to refer to MDF Parts Layout 1 PDF, MDF Parts Layout 2 PDF and MDF Plans & Cut List PDF downloadable from this site. Where are they I can't find them?