Voron 2.4 300 self-sourced on a shoestring budget!

[cloud mica]

Hey everyone! After lurking here for ages and absorbing more knowledge than a sponge at a water park, I’ve decided to start my build log. Cue dramatic music.

Now, fair warning: when I start writing, I tend to go full novelist. So grab some popcorn, because this is going to be a saga. 🍿

Backstory:
A couple of years ago, I bought an Ender 3 S1 and, as expected, fell headfirst into the 3D printing rabbit hole. Fast forward a bit, and I thought, “Why not build my own printer?” So I built a Rook 2020 (shoutout to Rolohaun Design), which later evolved into a Rook 2020 MK2. It’s a beast, and I love it. But deep down, I always knew the Voron was the real endgame.

Enter the Voron 2.4. The dream. The pinnacle. The printer equivalent of a Lamborghini. But then life happened. My job decided to play “Let’s Tighten the Belt,” and suddenly I was living paycheck to paycheck. A Voron kit? Ha! Not in this economy. So, I did what any sane person would do: I started piecing it together like a 3D printing scavenger hunt.

The Great Voron Scavenger Hunt (aka My Current Progress):

• Fasteners Kit: $47 (because even a Voron needs screws, right?)
• Belts/Pulleys/Idlers/Bearings: $42 (the spaghetti to my meatball)
• LDO Voron 2.4 300 Frame Kit (Red): $79 (red wasn’t my first choice, but it was a steal! Now I’m low-key obsessed with how sleek it will look. Ferrari vibes, anyone?)
• Linear Rails: Christmas gift I asked Santa, and he heard me!
• 6 StepperOnline Steppers: $62 (this month's bold acquisition... finally!)

(continues on the next post...)

(...continuation of previous post)

Oh, and let’s not forget the printed parts. My Ender 3, now partially enclosed with cardboard and painter’s tape (very MacGyver of me), did its best with ASA filament. But anything big or horizontal came out warped like a sad pancake. Thankfully, a friend with an Ender K1C came to the rescue. Shoutout to him! 🙌

Current Status:

• Frame: Still in the box, looking pretty.
• Small parts: Assembled (drives, idlers, etc.). I’m basically a Voron Lego master at this point.
• Toolhead: Leaning towards a Dragon Burner because I already built one for the Rook, and it’s chef’s kiss. Plus, I can use a cheap Bambu Lab hotend that’s been printing like a dream.

Expecting to buy a bottom/back panels kit as soon as possible, then start the frame and gantry assembly, as I think I may have most of what I need.

Hotend Drama:
I might have won an E3D Revo in a live stream giveaway. Key word: might. It’s been two weeks, and I’ve heard nothing. My excitement is slowly turning into disbelief. 🥲

Electronics:
Still in the “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it” phase. Once the frame is up, I’ll start hunting for deals like a bargain-hunting ninja.

So, that’s where I’m at. Some of you might call me crazy (and you’re not wrong), but I’ll be updating this log very slowly, with pictures to prove I’m not just making this up. Stay tuned for the next episode of “Will He Ever Finish This Voron?”

Cheers

[pale schooner]

Welcome! Good luck on the build!

[vale gust]

If the Revo does not work out, TZ v6 2.0 hotends are very cheap and get quite good results at about 25-35mm^3.

[cloud mica]

Cool. Thanks for the tip. Will look into it 👍

[surreal jasper]

love to see a self source coming together!

[raven blade]

following. I'm very interested in how your build goes. I'm also self-sourcing and am about 2 months behind you. Have the frame and such, hoping to get that started soon.

[cloud mica]

Good luck with your build Adam

And finally, I have started the build. Next waiting for a bottom panel to proceed.

[cloud mica]

Well folks, some slightly more progress in my epic journey to build a self-sourced voron (which is mostly just me being my own worst enemy). Got stuck for a bit because, surprise surprise, I forgot to print the Z-joints! 😅 So now, the gantry is just chillin' on the Z carriage rails in the last pic—totally just hanging out there, giving me a sneak peek at how it might look someday if I don’t keep messing up.

But honestly? It’s starting to look pretty snazzy! 👏 Printing the missing pieces now (finally), and hopefully, next weekend, I’ll have the gantry done, belts routed, and basically all the mechanical parts done (minus the print head, of course, because that’s a whole other saga).

Then, time for a break while I scrape together some spare change to start buying the extruder and electronics! 😬 Wish me luck!

[surreal jasper]

you dont need z joints, just zipties

[cloud mica]

What's up fellow filament enthusiasts! Ya boy just got the belts on this bad boy and it's FINALLY starting to look like a printer instead of a pile of aluminum having an identity crisis!
Not without some 𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪 though. After finishing the bits and doing my first "push test" on the gantry, something felt... off. Like when your significant other says "we need to talk" but won't say about what.
Turns out those cheap GT2 pulleys were more off-center than my uncle's political opinions at Thanksgiving dinner. 😩
Thankfully, I'm a certified printer hoarder™ and had some 20T pulleys collecting dust from my old Rook 2020 build. You know, the one I swore would be my "forever printer" (we've all been there).
Cue the classic 3D printer builder's workout: disassemble, swap parts, reassemble, question life choices, continue.
Now the movement is smoother than my pickup lines... which isn't saying much, but hey, progress!
Next up: toolhead time! Time to waste countless days researching options, find the "perfect" one, then buy something completely different because it was on sale. As is tradition.