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Just joined the site and wanted to say "Hi."
I have a burning desire to learn more about CNC and what it can do for me, and from what I've seen so far, I suspect this is a good place to start.

I have many years of experience in civil engineering and heavy construction, as well as twenty-something years using AutoCAD (and teaching it in our local community college), just no experience in manufacturing. I understand the basics behind CNC and how it relates to manufacturing, but I hope to now learn the particulars. I think in 3D very well, so the design part of it should not be a problem, I just need some exposure to the process of getting it from design to production.

My main goal is to build a small CNC router/plasma table that I can use to cut small parts I make for classic car restoration and customization. Obviously, the less money spent on the table, the better. Once I figure out how to post pictures here, I'll add one showing you what it is I make for these cars. I hope to hear from as many of you as possible that have built your own tables, to learn some of the pit-falls you ran into and overcame. I want to learn from your experiences and, hopefully, avoid making costly mistakes in both time and money.

That's it for now. I hope to hear from some of you soon.

Jerry

As promised, here is an example of a piece I want to cut using CNC. I use thin gauge (3/32") aluminum sheet stock for this bracket. Currently, I have to use typical hand and power tools to cut and finish a copy of this item, but I know it has to be much quicker and neater to use either a router or plasma cutter.



The bracket is roughly 11" long and 6" wide. What would you suggest as the best weapon of choice - router or plasma? Do any of you have a small home-built table that could handle this size bracket? Please contact me with information on sources and pricing for materials and equipment.

Eagerly waiting,
Jerry