MendelMax 1.5 3D printer

My printer, sans print bed and extruder/hotend.

With print bed and extruder/hotend, calibrating.

MendelMax 1.5

This post is mostly comprised of links to 3D printing resources and information. I intend to share some aspects of my experience building an open source, desktop 3D printer - the MendelMax 1.5. The purpose of this post is to track the project's progress and contribute some of my successes/failures back to the maker community.
'Build Log' is too generous a title for what I intend to post.
'DIY/How-to' implies a comprehensive list of steps.
'Leisurely ramble' fits well.

Being neither a technologist or an engineer, I've encountered a steep learning curve during this project. Most frustrating was the impenetrable jargon which I'll attempt to avoid or explain to the best of my own understanding. Alongside pulling apart dozens of (conventional) printers and scanners, there are some things to be learnt from hours of trawling the internet. Starting with some very general links and ending with the excellent instructions which have guided the mechanical side of my build:

http://www.efunda.com/home.cfm
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/circ.html#rotcon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing#Additive_processes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepper_motor
http://www.statetechmagazine.com/article/2013/08/history-3d-printing-infographic
http://www.3ders.org/pricecompare/3dprinters/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_hardware
http://creativecommons.org/
http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardMega2560
http://richrap.blogspot.com.au/
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!forum/mendelmax
https://groups.google.com/forum/?#!forum/connected-community-hackerspace
http://techpaladin.com/
http://www.reprapdiscount.com/
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:20355
http://www.mendelmax.com
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7ixiryswbHETnZnRkJ3SUdsclk

The revolution will not be televised:

Much like any other tool, my printer is going to have capabilities and limitations. To compare a hobbyist level printer to a commercial one would be like equating my attempt at an origami crane to this.
A few more devils advocates:

http://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/205-The-Singer-problem.html
http://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/215-desktop-3d-printing-the-milk-analogy.html
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/05/why-3d-printing-is-overhyped-i-should-know-i-do-it-for-a-living/
http://www.moldmakingtechnology.com/blog/post/obstacles-to-the-adoption-of-additive-manufacturing#/cdn/cms/ObstaclestotheAdoptionofAdditiveManufacturing1.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_readiness_level

Helpful links to do with printing, [Hardware]:

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s211/sh/701c36c4-ddd5-4669-a482-953d8924c71d/1ef992988295487c98c268dcdd2d687e

Helpful links to do with printing, [Software]:

http://www.damonkohler.com/2010/11/inkscape-dxf-openscad-makerbot.html
http://repraprip.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/inkscape-to-openscad-dxf-tutorial.html

Additive Manufacturing Industry Articles:

http://amcrc.com.au/aamtsummary

http://wohlersassociates.com/technical-articles.html

Some Pictures: