[moris9]

i'm new in this very interesting cnc "world".....

i did a lot of google and forum research, and the problem is that there are TOO many info (it could sound like the opposite of "problem") but i'm really confused, i have a big Headahe and i dont know what to chose.

i want to buy cnc mill machine, for cutting little allum parts up to 1inch +/- thick for RC cars, drones, with good accuracy and decent finish.

my budget is 2 - 2.5K, is it even possible buy something normal with this amount? any suggestion please?

thanks a lot.

[lcvette]

It's doable. It it will be a bare bones machine.. Are you wanting to build it based on a manual mill or buy it, if you are looking to buy one running and ready to go I think your budget will need to stretch a bit as they are a bit more for a decent machine then that.

What is your work cube? 1" thick is only a little bit of the puzzle. I think you should give us the following information to better help guide your decision.

X travel needed
Y travel needed
Z travel needed (you said one inch. But do you need to drill holes in the sides of your parts which will require standing on edge in a vice...)

Are you certain aluminum is the only metal you'll need to cut? It's nice to have the ability to cut steel as well especially for modding the mill once you realize it's limitations and want more.

Do you have cam software? You will need either a Linux system for free motion control linuxcnc or a license for mach3/4 and how about Design software?

Alot of times people overlook all the little odds and ends. I would say if you have nothing and are starting from scratch, you may want to revisit your budget.. The only thing worse then going over budget is meeting budget and being unhappy. Anyway you look at it, $2500 is alot of money.. I would rather spend wisely and a little more and be happy with my purchase.



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[TroyO]

It's doable but you have to trade work/research for dollars. I did a G0704 for around that. I used a kit for motor mounts that put it a little over that. Make your own and the materials cost would be less. I assembled my drivers from electronics kits, used linuxcnc and cambam for software. A cheap eBay power supply and BoB rounded it out.

[moris9]

It's doable. It it will be a bare bones machine.. Are you wanting to build it based on a manual mill or buy it, if you are looking to buy one running and ready to go I think your budget will need to stretch a bit as they are a bit more for a decent machine then that.

What is your work cube? 1" thick is only a little bit of the puzzle. I think you should give us the following information to better help guide your decision.

X travel needed
Y travel needed
Z travel needed (you said one inch. But do you need to drill holes in the sides of your parts which will require standing on edge in a vice...)

Are you certain aluminum is the only metal you'll need to cut? It's nice to have the ability to cut steel as well especially for modding the mill once you realize it's limitations and want more.

Do you have cam software? You will need either a Linux system for free motion control linuxcnc or a license for mach3/4 and how about Design software?

Alot of times people overlook all the little odds and ends. I would say if you have nothing and are starting from scratch, you may want to revisit your budget.. The only thing worse then going over budget is meeting budget and being unhappy. Anyway you look at it, $2500 is alot of money.. I would rather spend wisely and a little more and be happy with my purchase.



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Thank a lot for quick answer....

At first i prefer to buy one running, but i think building one will be more interesting, cheaper and educational for me.

my work cube will be something around XY 25x25 cm' (appx 10"), Z 1" + off course i need the option of drilling holes as you said, and yeah, i would like have the option of milling in steel. :-)

CAD software i do have at my work, and i will purchase Mach3 license.

i dont have that much experience with electronics but with this great forum i think i could make it. :-)))

again.... thanks a lot.

[moris9]

troyO,

G0704 you meant this one? Shop our G0704 - Drill/Mill with Stand at Grizzly.com

can you please send me the link to the kit and electronics that you used??

thanks.

[lcvette]

O think Arizonavideo has a kit for those, and Hoss sells plans to make your own and many others on the forum have made their own. Pretty simple. Just plan your build well in advance for spacers and such so your ballscrew ordering works out correct and you don't have to buy twice..

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[moris9]

O think Arizonavideo has a kit for those, and Hoss sells plans to make your own and many others on the forum have made their own. Pretty simple. Just plan your build well in advance for spacers and such so your ballscrew ordering works out correct and you don't have to buy twice..

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Ok... But can you please be more specific,
With Wich base machine you suggest to start? Grizzly?

On Hoss site according to theirs specifications it will cost mush more than my budget allows, you sad it's doable at this price range but I can't see how?? So once again, confused 😕

[lcvette]

To do it like Hoss suggests to do it yes you would be over budget.

I said it would be a bare bones setup.. Meaning it would be the mill, ballscrews, steppers, drivers, cheap breakout board, cheap power supply, materials for making the stepper mounts, home built cabinet and thrifty wiring.. Cheap eBay home switches, old computer from the attic or the back of a closet somewhere, linux cnc and a free cad like hsmxpress.. Or if you don't have solidworks something else free to get you started. You can control the stock spindle motor through the stock controller with a 0-10v analog card so you'd be up and running and able to cut

But a fancy enclosure, Flood coolant, high end components and motion control cards will not be in your budget but can always be upgraded too later.

Hell I ran the stock screws while making all the real stepper mount, they can be tightened up to about .004-.005" of backlash which is plenty good for making a set of motor mounts and the ballscrew mounts.

If you are going to be doing milling and machining. You need to think outside the box.... That's what it's all about.. Making something work where there isn't a solution readily available.

I was up and running for under $1800 on the stock lead screws.

You may have to use a Tupperware container for your electronics cabinet.. But its your budget so spend where you think counts... Ballscrews, good steppers and drivers a G0704, is a solid starting point.

Keep a few bucks for tooling or you will be forced to stare at the machine cutting air while finds become available.. (Don't get me wrong, air cutting is good for a day or two after you finish your first build...lol)

Shoot me a PM, I may be able to help you out.

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[hoss2006]

Ok... But can you please be more specific,
With Wich base machine you suggest to start? Grizzly?

On Hoss site according to theirs specifications it will cost mush more than my budget allows, you sad it's doable at this price range but I can't see how?? So once again, confused ��

This cost breakdown is to give you a complete running cnc G0704 that has great performance.
http://www.migration.g0704.com/Shop_Info.html#costs
There are ways noted to save costs such as the DIY route or phase 1 using the stock screws.
There are more electronics options here.
G0704 Electronics
This is one area I wouldn't try to cheap out on, all the packages listed will give great performance and the cost isn't all that much.
I would not be tempted to go with cheap packages found on ebay from china, you WILL be disappointed and be throwing your money away.
Seen it happen over and over.
While you may think you are stretching your budget, understand that you are going to need to spend much more than that as the months go by on all the other things necessary to make parts including tooling, stock, support equipment, so on and so forth.
This is not a cheap hobby.
Check ebay or craigs list before you jump in, you may find someone getting rid of their equipment and get a lot of extras included.
Happy hunting.
Hoss

[TroyO]

There are some less expensive driver options. I used the electronics kit from Massmind.org and have been quite pleased. I haven't had any real problems with it once it was setup and tested. It survived my clumsiness so it must be somewhat robust, lol. It's also not subject to blowing itself up on startup like the EBay cheapies. 50v/4A basic driver for 32$ each if you get 3, not bad. The downside is you have to assemble it from a kit. Again, trade time/effort for dollars, lol. It's no Gecko even so, but it works well enough for me.

You can control a Spindle motor for $8 if you want... It's basic but works. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf3t8Ygru1U

Ohhh and it is indeed the Grizzly G0704 we are referencing. It's great value for money. Extra capacity will never hurt and it's maybe slightly larger than you need......at the moment anyway.

1200 mill
650 kit
100 driver
15 bob (eBay)
160 steppers
60 power supply
Crappy old PC Free!
LinuxCnc Free!
100 CamBam

A bazillion scrounged bits of wire and connectors and screws and..........