Well... somewhere between a pile of aluminum, linear rails, bolts, wires, and entirely too many trips back to the toolbox, this thing is finally starting to look like a CNC machine.

The Fat Man’s Cans build is moving right along. We’ve got more of the X, Y, and Z assemblies coming together, the table mounted up, and the spindle setup starting to take shape. Little by little, this beast is going from “parts explosion on a workbench” to something that might actually make chips one day.

One of today’s little victories was checking things with the digital angle gauge and seeing a beautiful 0.00°. That may be the straightest thing Fat Man has accomplished all week. If you know, you know.

There’s still plenty left to do. Wiring, alignment, limit switches, controls, calibration, and I’m sure at least a few moments where I get to take apart something I was absolutely convinced I installed correctly the first time. That’s just part of the fun.

This whole project has been a learn-as-you-go adventure. Some parts fit like a dream, some parts make you scratch your head, and sometimes the best troubleshooting method is standing there staring at it with a cold drink until inspiration hits.

But she’s coming together.

The Beast is getting more awake every day, and before long we’ll go from bolting things together to seeing if Fat Man can actually run the damn thing.

Stay tuned. More updates coming soon.

- Fat Man