So as a preface to the following build diary, I just wanted to let you know a few things about the origin of this project in order to help you understand a little about the background and the reasons for undertaking such a ludicrous project.

I had always planned to create a build journey diary or blog but never really got round to doing it. Yes, I wish I had done it right from the start and I wouldn't be faced with this daunting task of back tracking on it. Luckily much of the work has been ingrained into my memory so deeply that a lifetime of therapy will never resolve... so I will be able to remember much of the though train I went through and the tips and tricks I learnt along the way. I hope that this Blog will help others with their head not screwed on right to take on such a project. So when I broke my foot while working on the build, I thought it would be a good time to start work on this in between the day job of running EMG Precision.

The format and navigation of this blog may change and evolve as I update it up to the current day so, please bear with me. I am doing the web design work myself and I am in no way a programming genius. I welcome any suggestions so please give me shout in the comments below or at #emgprecision on Instagram or EMG Precision on Facebook.

So you may wonder why the blog is being shared on emgprecision.com? For those of you that don't know I am the owner of EMG Precision. It is my full time gig and I am fully invested it its growth of product range and world class performance and quality. We deal with CNC manufacture all the live long day in what we do so that is not what this project is about. Since being a child I always had a hammer in my hand making stuff and bending nails. It came from my Grandad really who was a master cabinet maker and over the years as I grew up, we have made everything from mahogany conservatories to factory workstations. Occasionally in the past I have challenged myself to see if I could make this or that just for the hell of it really. I made a working clock out of wood once and all sorts of bespoke hardwood furniture. To quickly sum it up, this project is not an exercise in having a CNC machine at the end of it, it is more about A, can I make one myself and B how stable and accurate can I make the functionality of it using only a basic enough set of tools. What I mean by this is that most of the work will be done with hand tools and a Floor standing pillar drill with a compound table. I did not want to rely on the precision machining of all the components to make the build. Some of this ideology flexed a little in areas for very specific reasons but I will try to remember to cover this is future posts.

When I began first thinking of a CNC build it looked very different to what it does today. I will cover that later in more detail...The Project folder on my PC was named EMG CNC after my daughter as I thought it was something we could spend some time together doing, since she has always heled her daddy when he has been making things since she was old enough to pick up a 10mm spanner. Bearing in mind, the first time I thought about seeing if I could build a CNC machine was about 3 years ago. The name kind stuck and about 18months ago, after a lot of development work... EMG Precision Ltd. was born. The company is really only tied into the project by its nature and the fact that the project name inspired the company name.

This project is purely a hobbyist project as an excercise in how good a result i can achieve building one myself. I am also useless with electrics, electronics, PLCs and all that sorta stuff, so its a huge challenge I posed for myself to hopefully learn a lot about this sorta stuff and my own abilities. Plus I am never happier than when i am knocking something together in the workshop. It used to be wood, but I am moving my area of personal exploration to metal working.

I am absolutely all for constructive criticism but as many of the readers of this will know, some people get their keyboard warrior head on and can't help themselves from posting unhelpful and pointless drivel. I am happy to say for everyones sanity, that i will be disallowing any such pedantic blatherings.

DISCLAIMER

Please be respectful to each other. This is purely a personal build diary and in no way instruction on how tasks should be completed. Don't try to copy any of the work in this blog diary unless you would be fully classified as a competent person. Always wear the correct safety gear. Yes I see the irony here. No responsibility to accepted for actions taken as a result of anything in this build diary.

I hope you enjoy this build diary and please let me know your thoughts and I really encourage comments and discussion..

I must give notice to a good friend of mine Kjetil Torkelsson. Throughout the process of browsing through the facebook groups and reading about topics in various forums, as the design of my CNC machine evolved it was really inspired by the concrete build that Kjetil has completed. His was a true inspiration on the direction i wanted to move in with making a rigid build. Kjetil has been extremely helpful over the last couple years and we have become very good friends speaking almost everyday. Kjetil is Admin of the Facebook Group Rock Solid DIY CNC Machines and he loves to chat CNC and is extremely knowledgeable on the topic and happy to help people with their build journeys. Thank you my friend.

ROCK Solid DIY CNC Machines | Facebook

Jonathan Gee