Cnc Robotics: Build Your Own Workshop Bot (ELECTRONICS) Paperback – Illustrated, 29 May 2003

On the whole this book was excellent, however, it lacked certain details about the build of the authors CNC machine. It was more of a design brief instead of what I was expecting, i.e. a prescriptive build manual. It is though, an excellent starting point especially if you're into taking your time and experimenting with the ideas outlined. The chapters involving the software to drive the CNC machine was excellent, and prescriptive, along with the electronics to drive the stepper motors. A little more detail on stepper motors and the guide rail construction would have been helpful. Some dimensioned drawings would have been useful, but I felt the author was trying to make the design flexible to the individual needs of the reader. Some further research will be needed for me to embark on this project, especially with regards to component suppliers, as the author is American and list suppliers from the USA. Definitely a good read, but only half a build manual.

this is the best of the books i have found for cnc mills and while its very "heres what i did" it still contains enought to fill in the gaps of knowledge after looking on the internet

'Home-built' CNC is a fascinating topic with enormous potential. It sparked my interested and this was the only guide that I could find aimed at complete beginners. The background descriptions are simple to understand and the details of the build instructions and are very clear, however based on my own experience I would say the design and choice of materials is poor or out of date. For example the book proposes using welded steel box section, bolted aluminum sections from the likes of 'Rexroth' would be easier and perform better. Furthermore the book proposes using driving the lead screw from one side. that's crazy you should have two screw each side or one in the middle. I could go on. In summary, great introduction and workshop guide but bad design.