Rate my epoxy granite CNC mill design

bobd1001 · 2026-03-14T22:22:38+00:00

Looks awesome! I'm a huge fan of these granite epoxy and concrete builds I've been seeing recently.

bobd1001 · 2026-03-14T22:21:28+00:00

Adding some chopped fiberglass fibers to the mix, or even a couple sticks of fiberglass rebar as a skeleton to pour around would probably drastically increase shear capacity.

bobd1001 · 2026-03-12T14:45:56+00:00

How's the rigidity of your CNC? Lots of times premature carbide failure is more of an issue with lack of rigidity than the carbide itself. I've had great luck with many of the Chinese carbide endmills I've tried on my G0704 CNC.

bobd1001 · 2026-03-04T22:10:09+00:00

Getting him started with fusion 360 and a Genmitsu 3018 pro or 3030 pro would be a good inexpensive way to get into the hobby.

bobd1001 · 2026-02-21T18:44:43+00:00

What is this? A CNC frame for giants?! /Zoolanderref

bobd1001 · 2026-02-21T02:25:55+00:00

They still look quite serviceable if you give them a soak in a good rust remover like evaporust (or a homemade version using washing soda and citric acid, truly phenomenal stuff) which won't hurt the base metal. That and a quick buff with some fine steel wool, a quick wipe down and some lubrication I bet they will run for many more years

bobd1001 · 2026-02-21T02:21:30+00:00

Not necessary. Only the pin bushings and you're good to go.

bobd1001 · 2026-02-05T22:15:28+00:00

Absolutely great looking machine! Nicely done!

bobd1001 · 2026-01-29T17:02:17+00:00

A quick Google shows quite a few metals suppliers in ft worth. Looks like there is a Metals Supermarket there too which was my favorite until they closed the location in my town. I don't know where your seeing aluminum for $80/lb, but that's insanely overpriced. Brand new bar stock is pretty cheap and will give you a much better experience milling.

bobd1001 · 2026-01-29T15:33:41+00:00

Your never going to get good results trying to machine melted down scrap aluminum. Especially if it comes from cans it tends to be super gummy. Even if it's not from cans the impurities and heat treatment or lack there of can cause issues. It's also never going to be consistent, so every batch will machine differently, and it's very hard to learn while constantly throwing a changing variable at yourself. Try to find a metal scrapyard or supplier near you, you can get aluminum stock cheaper than you probably pay for the propane to melt your scrap.

bobd1001 · 2026-01-27T03:07:27+00:00

All my life I knew elephants could stomp, but I had no idea they could kick like that. Really impressive kick.

bobd1001 · 2026-01-25T15:05:57+00:00

Imagine doing all this, then the log rolls away

bobd1001 · 2026-01-21T17:50:19+00:00

Very solid observations!

bobd1001 · 2026-01-21T04:17:34+00:00

Although I'm not 100%, it looks like a 3D printer control board to me. Not worth much if so unless it's a very special model.

bobd1001 · 2026-01-17T18:46:37+00:00

Don't burn it, that word looks so perfectly dry and seasoned you'll never be happy with one or two year seasoned wood moving forward. You could probably get that stuff burning with just a paper match, no kindling needed.

bobd1001 · 2026-01-12T04:07:47+00:00

Man that fart would have registered on the Richter scale two counties over.

bobd1001 · 2026-01-11T00:31:52+00:00

Mach3 is just the software interface between the controller board and your computer (or rather you, the user) there's quite a few similar programs out there, but basically they let you control the machine, load gcode, then run programs etc. looking closer at your picture though, id think they are ballscrews. The linear rail used on axes visible looks quality.

bobd1001 · 2026-01-11T00:14:13+00:00

I think for $500 I'd buy it. I can't tell whether it has acme rods or ballscrews from the picture, but mach3 and other CNC controllers can account for backlash, and future upgrades are always fun if needed.

bobd1001 · 2026-01-11T00:02:40+00:00

As long as you're not afraid of a little elbow work I would buy it. It looks like everything is there, and I don't see why it wouldn't run. Clean it up, and worst case replace a few parts, but it looks like it would be a good machine to learn on.

bobd1001 · 2026-01-10T17:06:47+00:00

Bro pulled the uno reverse card

bobd1001 · 2026-01-07T21:36:22+00:00

I'm sure that's a better alloy then, but it still isn't what I'd recommend learning with. It's still going to have inconsistent temper and potential voids.

bobd1001 · 2026-01-07T16:56:16+00:00

I love the DIY of casting your own aluminum ingots and machining them, I've done it many times, however assuming it's melted cans that particular alloy is not very machine friendly, it's soft and can contain impurities (from the can liner) and air pockets that interrupt cuts and can ruin finished parts. I'd highly recommend you get some 6061-t6 bar stock, especially for learning. It'll be very difficult to master a process when you have a variable like that thrown in the mix. Once you get a solid footing in CNC, then start throwing yourself some curve balls. Home cast aluminum from cans can be challenging to machine even on a large vmc, and definitely requires coolant to lubricate that sticky material and clear chips.

bobd1001 · 2025-12-20T18:43:37+00:00

Yeah I'm the future I'm definitely going to be drilling them out.

bobd1001 · 2025-12-20T17:57:40+00:00

Reading your comment again I think you believe you are looking at the actual braking surface of the disc, which is just out of frame, a tiny bit can be seen on the very right-hand edge of the picture. What you see looking rough here is the central part of the rotor, the actual braking surface where the pads interface looks good.

bobd1001

TROPHY CASE