A couple of months ago I came across a youtube video by Nikodem Bartnik on building a basic little CNC machine. He also shared his STL files allowing you to 3D print your own components and build a machine.
Nickodems STL files and instructions can be found here on Thingiverse:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3004773?
The whole thing came together surprisingly easily.
I did have to tweak the prints to allow all the components to connect properly, so if your printing your own I’d recommend you add some extra outside walls to your prints so you have enough material to do so.
Controlling the machine is done with an Arduino and CNC shield which can be sourced on
Controller software is
Nema 17 motors and cabling can also be
Once everything was operational, I installed a sharpie instead of the
Once I had the confidence to try cutting I installed the Dremel and a V bit and this was the result of my first routing job. To say I was impressed was an understatement! All that was left was to add a bed and tidy up the cabling and the machine was ready to go.
If you’re interested in dipping your toes in the world of CNC, I highly recommend you give this project a shot.
There is also a 6 part series of construction videos on YouTube
NOTE: This design is still evolving and maybe have changed since this post was made.