Yesterday I began work on the cutter-head carriage for the CNC machine. It is to be made out of 1/2-inch think UHMW (ultra-high molecular wieght) plastic. This is the first time that I have done any significant work with plastic. The UHMW plastic machines easily (with my table saw and a standard woodworking blade) without melting or burning as I had feared. It also drills and taps easily. Because it does not have a grain like wood does, it is easy to be very accurate. I expect that I will find many uses for this stuff in the future now that I have been exposed to it.
The base of the carriage is now complete. Next I need to make all of the alignment blocks, motor mounts, etc. All will be made of UHMW plastic.
