Give it a few tries but if you hit a wall, we can help, or at least let you know when the machine is the likely issue.
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Klick and hold the mouse wheel.
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I don’t see any of it as drama per se.
You will find some of us respond with some determination if we see things that might take a typical user far afield from what Ryan describes as the YBR (Yellow Brick Road- the nominal path to building and using one of these machines.)
Every time someone shows up wanting to run full on remote control, or chase zeros, or make ‘necessary enhancements’ to a machine there are always many more who come along and think they need to do the same.
We’ll call those out, but we’ll also help you if and as we can. We also have limits we’ll share. I won’t help someone create a possible death trap, for example.
If you want to chase zeros, people like Ryan can help. You’ll get some really sage advice about where the problem lies, in particular if it’s in materials or methods and not machine.
You’ll always be welcome to participate and share here.
Us being blunt isn’t disrespect or indifference. Rather, it’s respect and acting as a peer.
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Thanks Jim, I appreciate it.
Right now, I just need a little time to process and decompress.
My life is stressful, to say the least. Tinkering with this machine is one way that I try to relax in the few spare minutes I have here and there. When messing with it becomes more of a stress-adder than a stress-reliever, it’s time to take a pause and do something else for a bit.
I’ve never had much patience for equipment (of any type) that doesn’t operate the way I expect it to.
I understand that this is not an industrial-grade CNC mill, but when something is controlled by a computer, is running on bearings, and is driven by stepper motors, I expect a basic level of precision and accuracy. When it fails to deliver the expected performance, for whatever reason, my patience disappears like chips in a vacuum. 
I totally get that this is my issue, not the machine’s, but it doesn’t change the way I feel. I’m working on it (the machine and my feelings), but for the moment I think it’s best for me to take a little break.
I’ll try some of the suggestions made here (especially the finishing pass) when I get some time to see if that helps tighten up the tolerances.
Hopefully I can get it cutting to spec.
Thanks again for the kind words and encouragement, as well as the good advice on getting it moving and cutting.
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I love it when people share their important wisdom in these threads! This is an incredibly healthy way to go about working in a hobby.
In high school we had a little club we called the Sea Otters, and our motto was “If it ain’t fun, we’re not doin’ it!” I work to channel that energy when working in my shop at home. If I can’t call that up, I know it’s time to take a break before I mess up a project or take a dangerous safety shortcut.
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