Originally Posted by
AdventureTim
Hi all,
I apologise if this topic has been covered numerous times; I searched and scrolled but only found threads that were many years old.
I'm wanting to buy a CNC router to process hardwood and some light aluminium, with a 2' x 4' working area and an ATC spindle (preferably air-cooled). My budget is ~$15k and it would ideally be turnkey (or close to). I've been looking into the Stepcraft Q.204, but am a little concerned by the round rails on the Y-axis (instead of linear guides) and the lead screw on the Z-axis (instead of a ball screw).
Other makes that offer products in this segment that I've looked at (Axiom, Shopbot, Camaster). It looks like the Laguna iQ Pro does come with a 2x4' table option that puts it just outside this budget (~$16k). For $15k I should be able to piece together a solution with AvidCNC, but I'd rather get a turnkey solution (and it looks like the Avid uses rack and pinion rather than ball screws for X/Y-axes).
I'd love any other suggestions to look into and/or experiences with the Stepcraft Q that might allay my fears.
Thanks in advance!
EDIT: I should add that I'm planning on working on smaller, detailed parts so repeatability and precision is very important to me.