About the CNC Mill:

The original Sherline mill was converted to be CNC-ready using OEM parts then the hunt for non-OEM stepper motors, motion controller, 24VDC power supply and the Raspberry Pi with software began. A much longer task then anticipated. With a quick sketch and go build it approach to my shop flow, CAD and CAM packages where left in retirement and insteaded, this Python GUI was created.

Main Components (I’m sure this list will grow but the main components are here):

  • Motion Controller: FluidNC 4x CNC Controller (Integrated ESP32 and TMC2209) from Bart Dring’s Tindie account via FluidNC (http://wiki.fluidnc.com/en/hardware/existing_hardware) – My cost was $49 plus tax and shipping (6/23/25).

  • G-Code Sender: CNCjs is a web-based interface that allows the user to communicate with the motion controller. Also known as the g-code sender (https://github.com/cncjs/cncjs-pi-raspbian), CNCjs is free with donations always welcomed (no connection).

  • Raspberry Pi5 w/ 8GB ram: Faster than needed, cheap and low component failure due to the dusty and vibrating environment made this my goto. As of 08/07/25 it looks like a Pi5 with 8GB RAM, 32 microSD card, Micro-HDMI to HDMI cable converter, Pi power supply and case are roughly $120 before tax and shipping.

  • Stepper Motors:

  • 24VDC Power Supply:

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