Amazing everyone overlooks the obvious

I've been considering joining this community however, everytime I click a link that should be telling me how to build my first machine, NONE of the links actually do that. Click on parts list and I guess whoever wrote that section just assumes somehow magically we can wish these parts into being. If I could do that, I would not need to build a 3d printer.

Is there ANYONE out there that has actually made a very simple page that simply tells how and where someone can get the parts needed to build their first RepRap? Like someone who made a link that says 'how to build' and it REALLY leads to a page where you can for example, get the plans... uh I don't know, maybe, where to get the parts.. since someone who is just starting WONT BE ABLE TO PRINT THEM.. (odd I know.. it's the whole chicken and egg thing... you have to start somewhere... can't print the parts to build a printer without a printer to print the parts to build the printer to print the parts.. etc... see? Imagine you are just starting... You DONT have a printer for printing parts to build a printer... What is step ONE?)

ANYONE?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2012 04:14PM by betabanger.

Step ONE: Start here.
[www.emakershop.com]

or here
[www.ebay.com]

Those two sites were all I needed to build my printrbot clone.

Once your up and running, then I can recommend Faberdashery for filiament if you are in the UK. (Not the cheapest, but good)

Oh, and don't forget to say "printerus assembulous" when you wave your wand... >:-)

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2012 04:18PM by Justin Andrews.

For parts you could try the section of the forums called the marketplace where you can buy all the parts from numerous different people. Or you could try one of the hundreds of places you find when you Google RepRap parts. Or you could do as many of us did and make the parts out of whatever you can find (wood, metal, polymorph, plastic sheet, etc etc).

---

FFF Settings Calculator	Gcode post processors	Geometric Object Deposition Tool Blog
Tantillus.org	Mini Printable Lathe	How NOT to install a Pololu driver

here are the instructions [www.reprap.org]

found in less than a second searching Google. for "Prusa Mendel Assembly"

betabanger - if you can't figure it out from there then wait for a group that can help you. look for a Reprap meetings group or a local hacker space.

let us know what region, state or provenance you are in, and country and we will tell you the nearest place you can find help.

Best bet for beginners is to work with a group that has experience.

this is a list of worldwide hacker spaces. it is not a complete list but it will give you an idea. [hackerspaces.org]

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2012 05:01PM by jamesdanielv.

Go on E bay for printed parts, Ultimachine.com for everything else.

I'm sure if you post a request in the wanted forum here, some one will sell you printed parts, no one is likely to give them away, it's ~$30 of plastic and 20+ hours of printing, assuming they make no errors.

jamesdanielv Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> here are the instructions
> [www.reprap.org]
>
> found in less than a second searching Google. for
> "Prusa Mendel Assembly"
>
> betabanger - if you can't figure it out from there
> then wait for a group that can help you. look for
> a Reprap meetings group or a local hacker space.
>
> let us know what region, state or provenance you
> are in, and country and we will tell you the
> nearest place you can find help.
>
> Best bet for beginners is to work with a group
> that has experience.
>
> this is a list of worldwide hacker spaces. it is
> not a complete list but it will give you an idea.
> [hackerspaces.org]
My local hackerspace cost 100 dollars to join and 40 a month. I said no.

I find it amazing that you weren't able to locate the information you needed to get started on this site.

I find it more amazing that you believe us interested in feeding a troll

It is still a bit of a tough hobby to break into. Especially since you pr chances of meeting another person who does it might be small (depending on where you live)

I have been thinking of doing a YouTube video breakdown of a simple printer build/setup.

Not sure which printer would do tithe community the most justice; maybe a simple Rostock build?

I like tha pt design

Idolcrasher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It is still a bit of a tough hobby to break into.
> Especially since you pr chances of meeting another
> person who does it might be small (depending on
> where you live)
>
> I have been thinking of doing a YouTube video
> breakdown of a simple printer build/setup.
>
> Not sure which printer would do tithe community
> the most justice; maybe a simple Rostock build?
>
> I like tha pt design


I agree completely Idolcrasher,

I personally would have liked to had a little more "hands on" information available to me at the time of starting my build.

-but that said, you do get a huge amount of assistance from the Forums as well (I can attest to this as I have had several issues rectified for me )

and I found that checking out other builders blogs (julianh7 has a fantastic blog i followed) help to fill in the gaps.

if this post was genuine, it would have been better to politely ask for assistance, instead of crying foul.


I would be interested in seeing more from the Eventorbot

It's odd that he found Nirvana, and rejected it, and complained about the difficult journey, not having taken it himself.
John Galt would take him back to the front gate...............and shove a boot up his backside..

We won't see him again. Instant generation, pouting about instant success, probably younger than 20, isn't handy enough to do this.

Dave

Anyone have a link to Julianh7 build blog?
a search didn't turn up results.

maybe I'm not handy enough to be on here.

davew_tx Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anyone have a link to Julianh7 build blog?
> a search didn't turn up results.
>
> maybe I'm not handy enough to be on here.
[julianh72.blogspot.co.uk]


As for the main question, there are simply too many options, budgets and locations to give a definitive answer.

When I built my RepRap last year I used various suppliers to get the best deals at the time as well as DIY'd as much as possible to reduce the cost while still having room to expand and grow.
Looking back a few of the suppliers have stopped trading, newer better solutions have been released and prices have changed.

At the moment there are about half a dozen standard machines each using slightly different hardware, electronics and each with there own benefits.
betabanger, if you want you can post your budget, location and which machine you want to build and I'm sure someone will give you a list of parts/supplies which best suits your case.

---

My Reprap blog

jds-reprap.blogspot.com

What is the least expensive model available and the most expensive? Seems there are really too many choices imo because I am used to something better coming out and the older gets discontinued/shelved in every other product.

I hate to say this, but it depends on a variety of factors. Can you build a really expensive Prusa that costs more than a cheap mendelmax? Sure.

What quality of steppers do you want? Do you care where they came from?

Same can be said for bearings, belts, pulleys and hardware.

These items have radically different prices depending upon what your trade-off preferences are.

There is no answer, only variables.

---

- akhlut

Just remember - Iterate, Iterate, Iterate!

[myhomelessmind.blogspot.com]

Steppers are 17 to 24 a piece but it is the bearings, rods (I think you guys use belts for 3d printers unlike CNC equipment), printed parts, and the controllers (this includes this ramps dealio, or possibly not dunno). Once I have the machine I can always print my next better version myself since I will have 90% of the parts to swap over if I choose.

Wow, tough room. My advice: buy a kit from a dealer that doesn't have a bad reputation. I had a good experience with Makerfarm, but there are others that are surely just as good. I dabbled with self sourcing for a second Prusa that I built with students, and found it to cost about the same. If I'd had no experience whatsoever, it would have been more expensive, due to more McMaster-Carr orders to finally get all the needed parts.

A kit will have detailed instructions for the specific parts, and by the end most of what you read here will begin to make sense--except for the infrequent boorishness.

Yeah, but what is the difference in them? Around 450-500 I figured so V2 falls within that but what is the real differences? I know that each gen uses less parts but I mean overall. There has to be a reason people gravitate towards different models.

davew_tx Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anyone have a link to Julianh7 build blog?
> a search didn't turn up results.
>
> maybe I'm not handy enough to be on here.


Yeah Sorry about that Dave, Curse my spelling .


Dark Alchemist, I know for me when I came to the reprap.org site, I was pulled to the Prusa Mendel, Partly Because it told me it was a good place to start for a beginner as it was supposed to be one of the simpler builds, and partly because the style of the design appealed to me.

I took the road of DIY over a Kit myself, because I liked the idea of "cobbling" together this machine from parts I sourced all over the place, LIke a modern day Dr Frankenstein