DIY CNC Router from old printer/scanner parts

[C-Bag]

Thanks PJs and FrankS. I guess I should change my avatar and name to HarryHyjack with a pirate or something

I like the IDEA of a flow chart but that's way more organized than I've ever been for any project. But your very pertinent questions Wiz got me paying more attention to the details of the Tygon first. I realized I was thinking of my old 7/64" vacuum rubber hose I quit using almost 5yrs ago that comes on a plastic reel. The Tygon just comes coiled up in a plastic bag and not in any particular fashion. It is very smooth and non porous so it makes it sticky to itself even though no glue or anything will stick to it. Do you know what I mean? So it does not come out of the roll easy so I'd probably have to take it and carefully roll it onto a reel. But even then it clings to itself somewhat like two pieces of glass.

Presently I use the top of the old plastic rubber hose reel cut specifically to make a gauge block 1.25" ( how'd you know Wiz? spooky) and little needle nose Fiskars sewing scissors to cut the hose with. Anything bigger no matter the quality just seems to mangle it. These little ones go through the hose clean and quick. I don't think a guillotine type of setup would work for whatever reason. I have no clue why thiese specific scissors work. I also use Fiskars rotary cutters for cutting leather and it goes through 1/8" chap hide like butter but I'll have to see if it goes through the Tygon. My feeling is it needs two slicing cutters and that's why those little scissors work.

I appreciate both your feedback because it's got me out of being stuck on using a printer and an Arduino. If I could do it more mechanically I would. I have some air motors that I got out of a local ReStore, but they are pretty big and way powerful. Good thing is they have adjustable stroke and return springs. They are not your usual Bimba air cylinders, when I found them in a catalog somewhere they called them air motors.

As far as hose roller guides Frank, the local hardware store sells sliding glass door rollers and they are made for running on a 1/4" half round track. So that would be perfect for this hose, and they are cheap.

I'm just not an electrician like you Wiz or Frank. So I'm not familiar with dormeyer solenoids and making control circuits. I have done smiple stuff for wiring in air solenoids, but they didn't have a micro switches or anything fancy, just intermittent switches to actuate. But if I understand your pyramid Frank, some kind of simple sequence that the final contact of the hose on the switch to trigger the cutter and the whole thing starts over would be my idea of elegant.

Thanks for the bump out of my stagnation guys. And sorry for the hyjack OP.