Originally Posted by sansbury  The smaller Fadal VMCs are manageable, and some run on ordinary single-phase 220. You can spot them on eBay because they often sell for more than larger machines that aren't as homeowner-friendly. |
Agreed the mini-mills (Haas, Chevalier, Fadals) are the ticket. They're hardly benchtop mills, though. Good luck getting a decent one for under $15k. That's a lot of $$$ for a hobby mill.
A drive or spindle bearings for one of those will set you back a lot of change, too. And they do break, you better believe real VMCs break.
Joe