Purchase of 1st CNC machine - NEED HELP

[mattinv]

Good morning Everybody,

I'm looking at buying a small CNC milling / router machine to cut some aluminum parts. Since I'm starting, I have absolutely no cutting tools available, except the usual saw, which is old and not very accurate. No matter how much DYI I do, I find that most router/mills that can cut aluminum have a fairly rigid frame. And Putting one together almost always require to have a small mill already available.
My budget is $2500 or less.
So I have looked at a few options and it looks like a good start would be a conversion of the Hi Torque Mini Mill (SX2) (R8 spindle), with a kit from cncfusion and probotix. The total comes under $2400, which would work well, with a starter kit including tools and holders, licensed Mach3. I upgraded from the X2 mini mill in order to have the R8 spindle.
I wonder if this is the best route of if you could suggest an equivalent that would work well. My budget is pretty tight and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[wyl6362708]

Good morning Everybody,

I'm looking at buying a small CNC milling / router machine to cut some aluminum parts. Since I'm starting, I have absolutely no cutting tools available, except the usual saw, which is old and not very accurate. No matter how much DYI I do, I find that most router/mills that can cut aluminum have a fairly rigid frame. And Putting one together almost always require to have a small mill already available.
My budget is $2500 or less.
So I have looked at a few options and it looks like a good start would be a conversion of the Hi Torque Mini Mill (SX2) (R8 spindle), with a kit from cncfusion and probotix. The total comes under $2400, which would work well, with a starter kit including tools and holders, licensed Mach3. I upgraded from the X2 mini mill in order to have the R8 spindle.
I wonder if this is the best route of if you could suggest an equivalent that would work well. My budget is pretty tight and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

hi, Mattiinv. if you trust Chinese machine, we can supply that machine to you.

[awerby]

Why not just get a CNC Taig, that's ready to run, instead of trying to do a retrofit without the equipment to do a good job? For the price you're talking about, you'd get a machine about the same size, that's made in the USA and well-supported, instead of having a bunch of vendors all pointing fingers at each other (and you) when something goes wrong. There's nothing magical about the R-8 spindle, except that it's the oldest type still in use. The ER-16 collet system used it the Taig works just as well, if not better (no banging on the drawbar is required...)

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software

[mattinv]

Hi Awerby,

Thank you for the great input. I did not consider the Taig before and it seems like a very good option.
Is there a seller you recommend more than another? Does anybody have had a good experience with a particular retailer?
There seems to be so many options, it becomes kind of confusing. I'd like to make sure I pick the right one.
Otherwise, it seems like a great starting machine and should produce good result for all the parts I need to get done (mostly aluminum with some steel).

[awerby]

Well, not to blow my own horn or anything, but I've been a Taig dealer for about 10 years now, and I offer a pretty good discount on them. They are great little machines, made in Arizona, and well-supported by the family-owned company that makes them.

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software