Welcome

What is this crazy thing?

So, you wanna make cool stuff out of metal, wood, or plastic? But maybe you’d prefer not to sell a kidney to afford the machine? You came to the right place (probably).

This is RIGCNC, a fully Open Source, Do-It-Yourself CNC milling machine. In simple terms: it’s a design for a super solid machine that you source the parts for and build yourself, capable of accurately cutting all sorts of materials.

Who’s This For?

It’s designed for us normal Folk:

Makers and hobbyists who want to build stuff without needing a machine shop.
Small businesses looking to bootstrap a milling solution without breaking the bank.
DIY enthusiasts who want to learn about CNC milling and machining without needing a machine shop.
Anyone who wants to make cool stuff out of metal, wood, or plastic without spending a fortune.

Why This machine?

The main goal was to design a passably rigid and inexpensive CNC mill that could handle reasonably heavy cuts (by maker standards, anyway) but didn’t require fancy machine tools to assemble. Seriously, you should be able to build this with a good quality hand drill and a 3D printer.

The whole idea sparked when I realized you can buy things like Grade A granite surface plates and precision steel right angles for less than $250 sometimes. That gives you a super precise, rigid base and vertical structure (kinda like a VMC) without needing to machine huge castings yourself.

I borrowed a design principle from the awesome folks at Machine Agency (check out their Jubilee 3D printer!) called “Fabricatability.” They explained it perfectly:

Reproducible in single quantities without high volume purchases.
Components should be broadly accessible internationally.
Docs should provide necessary trade-specific knowledge upfront.
Reproducible with commonly available, unspecialized tools.
Maximize compatibility with generic stock parts.
Think of it as design-for-manufacturing where the manufacturer is a single person, maybe without access to mills/lathes or the knowledge to use them, and without needing the fine motor skills of a craftsperson.

That beautifully sums up the design decisions here. The goal was to purchase rigidity and precision where possible (like that granite base!) and build the rest accessibly.

Why Self-Sourced?

Good questions!

No Chicken, No Egg: A lot of DIY CNC designs kinda cheat – they assume you already have a CNC mill (or access to one) to make critical parts. We specifically designed RIGCNC to avoid that. You should be able to build this thing without needing a pre-existing mill.
It’s a Project: Let’s be real, this machine involves some hefty components and a decent bit of assembly. Shipping it as a kit would be a logistical nightmare (and cost a fortune). Plus, building it yourself means you understand it inside and out. That’s invaluable.
Flexibility: You source the parts, you control the quality and cost (to an extent!). Want to use a specific brand of linear rail? Go for it. Found a deal on motors? Awesome.

How much Does it Cost?

The original target was around ≈ [$1500 USD]. With recent… waves hands vaguely at global trade nonsense… that’s likely shifted. It heavily depends on your country and how good you are at finding deals. Price out the BOM for your region before committing!

How can You Help?

So glad you asked! Like most open-source projects, there are a bunch of ways.

This is a non-commercial project (I’m not making money off this – please feel free to build one and make money using it!). It’s open source, and honestly, it’s hard to carve out time for things like documentation that my ADHD brain doesn’t dispense dopamine for accomplishing. (My main site is literally called Nerd-Sniped because… yeah.)

Write words good? I’d very much appreciate help fleshing out these docs. Program better than I do? Pointers and insights are welcome! Think a section is missing? Hit me up! Can you translate? Please do! This whole website and project is hosted on GitHub (link in the doobly-doo up top, probably?) to make community fixes easier.