[MetalSmythe]

I am planning on building a cnc router in my garage as soon as I am done finishing my basement. I was thinking the Joe's builds look like they would suit me fairly well. I made the piece in the picture below at work. Now that I know how to combine art and cnc I figure I could eventually make a small part time business out of this.

I have a couple of questions, do I need 240v to run the machines? I'm contracting out the wiring this summer in the basement, and if I need 240 I could get that done when they come to do the basement. Also how many outlets does the typical router table take up? Is it as simple as one outlet for the machine and one for the computer?

Are any of the Joe's tables sturdy enough to cut aluminium? I am a sheet metal fabricator by trade, and I am much better with metals than I am with wood, so this capability would be critical to me.

Do any of the DIY machines use vacuum systems to hold the work down? I realize I could mod a machine and incorporate a vacuum box, just wondering if any kits already incorporate that feature.

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

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[ger21]

You only need 240V if you use a 3 phase spindle. If you use a regular router for the spindle, then 120V is all you need.
You can probably run everything from one 120V outlet, but sometimes it's better to have the PC on a separate circuit.

If you want to cut a lot of aluminum, you'll probably need to beef up the designs, or be limited in the amount of material you can remove with each pass.
There are several different models and/or versions of Joes machines, and their capabilities will vary.

Yes, there are people with DIY vacuum hold down systems, but I don't know of any plans or kits that are designed for them. All the ones I've seen have been custom made add ons.