Postponed another year...

[Inor]

It seems every year over my Christmas break, I start thinking it might be cool to build a CNC Router for my wood shop. I honestly do not really know what I would do with it once I build it other than using it for making templates for furniture parts. But I think it would be really fun to build one. Past years, I have postponed the idea because the mechanical parts and a few of the electronics to build it would be too expensive.

This year I was checking the prices for linear bearings and guide rails (previously very expensive components for the build) and the prices have dropped significantly! The other expensive part that prevented me from building it last year was the price of the controllers for the stepper motors. For the design I have in mind, I would need at least four controllers and they have always been in the $40-$60 range for each controller. In the last few months I have been working on a prototype for a home-brew controller and have gotten it working consistently with a small stepper motor from a CD drive. I can have the printed circuit boards printed and get the necessary electronics for less than $10 each!

In working out the details of the stepper motor controller, I was just using a cheap Raspberry Pi computer to drive the controller. It would require a bit of modification to the CNC software to get it to run correctly on a Raspberry Pi instead of an old laptop computer, but that is really not a big deal at all to get working. In short, I was figuring this might be the year when I can finally start building a project that I have wanted to build for at least 3 years.

Then I went out and priced stepper motors... Last year, NEMA 34s (the size motors I want) were in the $25-$40 range (each). This year, they start at $60 and for a decent brand they are running closer to $85 each! What is even worse... The $35 Raspberry Pi computer that I was planning on for the brains of the whole thing are now running $200 and that is if you can even find one in stock!!!

Oh well... I waited this long, waiting for another year won't kill me. But damn...

[Sasquatch]

Everybody and their brother would want you making signs for them.

[BucketBack]

I could and should have bought a bunch of machine tools, and upgraded my electric. I helped my Dad put electric in 1972 ish

I have a small wood shop though

[T-Man 1066]

Everything is expensive now. In September I had to buy a 2kw servo and servo driver for a customer's project. $855 and $573 respectively. The PLC with IO cards was $2389, and $500 for an electrical cabinet. That's just for 1 axis and controls...

I feel your pain, I really do!

[Dwight55]

At 77 I'm getting a bit tired of my hand cranked leather sewing machine.

Every stitch is made by a pull by my right arm of about 16 inches . . . and then a push back to get it ready for the next pull.

A 42 inch belt at 6 stitches per inch (add 9 inches for accouterments) is 300 pulls and 300 pushes . . . and my right shoulder is wanting to go on strike.

The walking foot sewing machine I could have bought for $1595 just a few years back . . . is now $2500.

So yeah, guys . . . the pain has spread over here as well.

May God bless,
Dwight

[Sparkyprep]

I just don't see prices going down over the next year. This inflation is forever. Prices always go up due to inflation, but they never go back down. Or, if they do, it is a miniscule amount, just to make us "feel" better. Deflation is as rare as a unicorn.

[shootbrownelk]

I just don't see prices going down over the next year. This inflation is forever. Prices always go up due to inflation, but they never go back down. Or, if they do, it is a miniscule amount, just to make us "feel" better. Deflation is as rare as a unicorn.

Right you are Sparky, look at ammo and reloading component prices. Think they'll ever go down to where they were before Sleepy Joe & Ho cheated their way into the White House? Doubtful. It's been an ammo drought for how long now? The manufacturers should have caught up with demand already. I think it's a contrived ammo crisis to jack up prices.....making way more money selling way less product. Like the food producers. Smaller boxes & cans holding less product and charging more for it. I fear this "temporary" inflation as Biden calls it, is here to stay. Something's got to give.

[Prepared One]

Prices will continue to rise over the next few years I am afraid. The socialists have set this in motion to squeeze the sheeple. They have created a problem only they, the socialist, will be able to fix Or at least, that's what they will convince the sheeple of.

[Inor]

I just don't see prices going down over the next year. This inflation is forever. Prices always go up due to inflation, but they never go back down. Or, if they do, it is a miniscule amount, just to make us "feel" better. Deflation is as rare as a unicorn.

Prices will come down again. But only for a short time and then it will be off to the races.

[bigwheel]

Used to know a guy with a table saw who made the best saw dust in town. lol.