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Ok so i have been considering buying a CNC Mill for a wile now, Nothing huge but id like to have a working area of about 10" X 20", I have been looking at some mills in the 8K - 10K range. That price range will have to include some tooling to get me started also. Im not worried about a computer to run the mill but will need software, but most companys that sell mills will include software at little or no charge.

Does anyone have anything good or bad to say about all the brands on the market in the price range im looking at? Or any opinions on what to get. Any Info would be great.

I have been looking at this Tormach 770 for a wile, It looks like a good starter mill that would be durable and have lots of room to work.

http://www.tormach.com/product_pcnc_770_main2.html

Im in the market for a cnc as well. Probably the same ideas as you
I've been getting a lot of info from the CNCzone forum, but I have not settled on a machine. The Tormach 770 is a good looking machine, and at a even nicer looking price.
Out of all I've seen so far, I like the Roland MDX-540. it's a little pricey though.
I'll give more detail later, gotta run!

jb

You could also look for a used bridgeport with prototrac they are pretty simple to use

That Roland looks nice but its over twice the price and you really have to dig deep to get the version that will cut T6, I dont want to have that much invested unless i know i can make money back on it in a hurry lol. Id like to make some custom one off parts and very small run parts, Not just for RC, For anything really.

I will have to look into the prototrac stuff, I can actually get a old Bridgeport pretty cheap from work, We have 3 of them and only use one...

Does anybody know the risk of cutting carbon fiber on a CNC Mill? I have talked to a few people that have mills and they will not cut carbon fiber?

I have only one word.........HAAS

328isjohn wrote:I have only one word.........HAAS

I have a few words lol, The lowest price i found on there site was around 26K lol, That up there with the Roland lol

They do look nice, this will be more of a hobby machine, If i were to actually make a business of this i might look into more costly machines...

murphy3428 wrote:You could also look for a used bridgeport with prototrac they are pretty simple to use

or just ditch the protrak and get a used bridgeport and do the work manually. and it's a lot cheaper.

Haas is a great machine, very user-friendly and they do have some smaller units. But, you want to get as large a table as you can, since you can't upgrade that later. I know you're looking for info on smaller 'hobby'-type units, and I can't say I'm familiar with them- The CNC Zone really is the greatest source of info for that (And lots of other stuff, I go there all the time.) Not a lotta help, I know! But that table thing, do keep that in mind- When it's tiny & you can only do 1 setup at a time, have to keep tearing down stuff, moving your vise, etc. it takes ALL the fun out of it. Chris REC

nvxwax - i saw this hobby grade machine, going to check it out, I might be going towards the direction of a real entry level machine to start out and play around with before spending serious cash.

http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3501&category=1241045623

toyranasour - I really like the Haas VF-3 like you have, and since youre doing this for a living that's justified. Unfortunately, this is a hobby thing after my 9-5 G men gig.
-envious Architect jb

Sorry Man, I guess even the 'little' Haas's, like the office mill, are spendy for guys just looking to have some fun & make a few parts here & there. I forget not everyone is looking to make a career out of it! Those Little Machine Shop units are cool! CNC is getting common enough now that there should be some great small units available for a fair price I would think. Chris REC

jon burrows wrote:nvxwax - i saw this hobby grade machine, going to check it out, I might be going towards the direction of a real entry level machine to start out and play around with before spending serious cash.

http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3501&category=1241045623

toyranasour - I really like the Haas VF-3 like you have, and since youre doing this for a living that's justified. Unfortunately, this is a hobby thing after my 9-5 G men gig.
-envious Architect jb

I looked at that machine also lol, It looks pretty cool to start with, My only draw back is the small table. Im going to try and find the largest table i can find at a good price. Well that's my plan lol

toyranosaur wrote:Sorry Man, I guess even the 'little' Haas's, like the office mill, are spendy for guys just looking to have some fun & make a few parts here & there. I forget not everyone is looking to make a career out of it! Those Little Machine Shop units are cool! CNC is getting common enough now that there should be some great small units available for a fair price I would think. Chris REC

Thanks Chris, Id love to have a large machine, but as a starter unit i will try to stick under 10K with the largest table i can get, You never know... In the future it could turn into more but only time will tell.