Build or buy?

I have wanted a cnc mill for the past 2 years but no matter how many forum posts or articles i read i find myself pondering the same old question.
do i build one from a manual machine or buy a used one to retrofit with modern electronics?
i only need to machine relatively small components (aluminium mostly) and i think something around the size of a sieg x2 would be sufficient. yet something along the lines of the denford starmill or the emco f1 would seriously cut down valuable build time.
my main constraint is budget, i could only spend possibly £800-900 initially on a machine.

any ideas or opinions would be greatly appreciated

You'll be able to get a bigger machine within your budget if you convert it yourself, unless you get very lucky.

I got my used milling machine for £320 including delivery via eBay. It's this one:

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...C=GS-060711226

Have a look on eBay and sort by distance nearest. You'll want to replace the screws with ballscrews from linearmotionbearings2008 on eBay. Electronics will cost about £250.

forgot to mention that ive got only limited space so i think something the size of a triac or warco vmc would be the biggest possible. sadly i recently had to turn down a £150 bridgeport mill due to lack of space
how do you find the round column? do you use the quill feed as the z axis?
ive toyed with the idea of converting a centec 2 mill or something of similar size, although i don't recall seeing one done i recon it could work out to be a very capable machine.

£150 Bridgeport :eek:

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Originally Posted by audioandy

£150 Bridgeport :eek:

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I'm up for a trip to Ireland.!! . . . Still for sale.???

sorry to say that the mill has met its end :upset: i saw it at a yard clearance along with 2 ward 2d lathes. i was talking to the seller a couple of days after and he told me they were all scrapped, i almost cried

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Originally Posted by jonnydeen

sorry to say that the mill has met its end :upset: i saw it at a yard clearance along with 2 ward 2d lathes. i was talking to the seller a couple of days after and he told me they were all scrapped, i almost cried

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Bastards.!! They should be shot for scrapping a bridgeport.