I've tried to make the CNC part of this (relatively) easy to reproduce from some 3d printed parts and a minimum of other stuff. It should go together by assembly with as near to zero fabrication as possible.

Writing up how to actually get that done is a project in itself. What I have so far is pretty rough, but I think it conveys enough information to give you a fighting chance to build a working machine.  As of writing, I intend for this log entry to serve as a stable "start here" point with links to the latest work in progress as it evolves.

Please let me know If you're thinking about actually building one of these. I've turned on "public chat" for this project (big orange button on the project page, or right here) and set up a Discord server. We'll see if either of those gets any traction.

Here's what I've got so far...

CNC core

To make the functional CNC core:

• Parts to get started
• STLs 4 XY & slicing
• XY stage assembly
• Z axis parts and assembly notes

(If you prefer laser cutting over printing parts, check out the "2d cut parts" flavor of this idea: #Minamil 2dc: a minimal CNC mill.)

Frame

Then you'll need a frame of some sort, for which I don't have detailed plans but leave that open for artistic interpretation. That could be

very simple

like this:

or

less simple

like this (also work in progress) which is the subject of #"Desk Accessory" CNC Milling Machine