Newbie needs help! How to start???

I am a newbie and total non-techno person but have read about the RepRap and think it would be a great gift for DH's 40th birthday coming up later this year. he is a technophile and loves making "stuff". However, I can't even work out how to get started on this: what can I order/pay for so that he can have a "gift" and get working on constructing a RepRap? Is there some sort of kit I can buy and, if so, where? I'd be grateful for all and any help and advice, thank you! aia

Unless you are very sure DH has the time and the relevant skills for this project, think hard about this... it might be best to discuss it with him first, rather than making it a surprise.

There are full Mendel kits using lasercut parts from techzonecom.com and botmill.com and maybe others too; there are partial kits of electronics, hardware, etc. from a variety of other places including makerbot.com and ultimachine.com.

There are also more commercialized variations using RepRap technology, but not actually Mendel bot design, such as Cupcake and Rapman (from makerbot.com and BfB respectively), there is Shapercube and who knows what all else if you have slightly more budget...

The wiki page at Mendel_Buyers_Guide may also be helpful to you.

Nothing in this post is a recommendation to use any specific vendor mentioned -- please do your own research on these forums and elsewhere before deciding what to purchase from where.

Hoping this helps,

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Jonathan

Thanks Jonathan. I'm still debating - I don't think the skills would be an issue but roughly how much time does it take to construct one, assuming all the parts and relevant skills/tools are present?

If you are good at this stuff, the figure usually quoted is around 50 hours for a Mendel or a variation of a Mendel. Maybe that drops to 40 hours for a Makerbot, I don't really know.

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Jonathan