Build a 3 axis milling machine for under $100

Robotics
Build a 3 axis milling machine for under 0
diy_mini_mill.jpg
diy_mini_mill_pcb.jpg

For his final project in the course How To Make (almost) Anything, David Carr designed and built this
3-axis CNC milling machine
. It’s probably not the most precise or powerful device, but it costs less than $90 to build, and can mill PCBs, wood, and even light steel. Drawings and schematics are available on his website.

10 thoughts on “Build a 3 axis milling machine for under $100

  1. Joe Zimmerman says:

    I’m thinking a real stepper driver might be safer on your parallel port. Any more details how you plan to keep your PC isolated from damage would be nice.

  2. tigerzero says:

    Impressive results! This kind of makes me wonder how well mine would machine PCBs/steel. Well… now I’m going to have to try it :-) Kudos to David for his economical design!

  3. https://me.yahoo.com/a/P5K7XH9kg5VnMXn4Aqv_BcR5YFxxDhidh9kmpQ--#342e9 says:

    I’ve been wanting to try my hand at building a *cheap* CNC machine for quite a while. This looks perfect (apart from the lack of build explanation and/or detailed docs).

    However, I’ve looked at the parts list but I can’t figure out the supplier codes. Anyone have an idea what these refer to?

    VXB
    SDP-SI
    McM

    Including the part numbers was a nice touch!

    Good job, David!

    1. tigerzero says:

      Hmm, I know SDP-SI is stock drive products (https://sdp-si.com/eStore/), I bought my toothed belts and pulleys from them.

      VXB appears to be a skateboard bearing company (http://www.vxb.com/), I know I was originally looking at rollerblade ABEC bearings for some of my parts, they’re very reasonably priced.

      And I’m guessing McM is McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/), which is pretty much the best site ever ( I <3 ).

      Hope that helps!

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK