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« on: September 07, 2009, 05:01:15 AM »
I am not familiar with Hot Wire Cutters, and cannot offer any information regarding the wiring for such a tool. However, as I comprehend it, CNC can be used to drive your "tool of choice". Mine happens to be a Porter Cable LN690 wood router. Please see the MYCNC.PDF file (attached at the beginning of this post thread) for a drawing of the table design I built to drive the router (tool of choice). Perhaps others on this forum could help you with the wiring of the tool itself. But as far as what I have actually built, the PDF lists most of the components. I am using an old Dell Optiplex computer with 2 GB of memory & Mach3 software. For the driver I have a Gecko G540 driver board. And I upgraded the stepper motors to 900 oz/in from Keling Technologies. I am using 1/2" diameter 10 threads per inch ACME lead screws to drive the X and Y axis, and a 3/8" diameter 5 threads per inch ball screw to drive the Z axis on my table. Having said all of this, I am sure that it probably conflicts with some of the items I listed in the MYCNC.PDF file. The items listed in the file were acurate at the time I wrote the file. However, I have since "upgraded" to the items listed here, because the used motors, and driver board, and power supply I originally started with were a source of major frustrations trying to learn how to use the Mach3 software with unreliable components which would not function consistently. After upgrading to the components listed above, I have created many beautiful pieces on my router table. I am still evaluating various design software packages, and have so far been most impressed with Vectric's V Carve Pro. Lack of funding prevents me from any new purchases for now, but plan to later. Hope this helps to point you in the right direction to get started. I will say this, (repeating the advice of others on this forum) Buy RIGHT, Buy ONCE! If you cannot afford to buy new QUALITY components, then Don't Buy until you CAN afford to! This will save you a lot of un-necessary frustration, and money! Do as much research as you possible can, in designing your machine, and the best components needed for your use before buying anything. Unfortunately, it is the "school of hard knocks" that will be your best teacher in all of this. But you will learn along the way.