Evening All

[Chimestrike]

Sadly not an option Rob, I may just have to go down the route of the OX and beef it up as I go on as to be honest I've had to wait about 6 years to get to this point (kids bleed money from you lol)

[JAZZCNC]

Thanks Jazzcnc,

Any recomendations for less than £1500?

If your wanting to buy off the shelf then I'm afraid not.

The problem comes from the fact to build anything of decent quality that's worth selling and Make Profit which business needs is impossible at this price point.

Those Kits your looking at will work for basic jobs but with limited capabilty's. Don't be fooled by Video's of them cutting Aluminium and Steel etc because it's false.!! . . . I can make my mother sawing machine do that but won't last very long or be very good and same applies here.!

They are great for learning the intimate workings of CNC machine and what's needed for good machine because in short amount of time the poor design and flimsy construction means you'll spend lots of time fixing and working around all it's short comings than you will actually cutting.

If you are at all handy and few tools(and know how to use them) then with £1500-2000 you can build a nice machine that will do everything you want and then some.
That said it will need careful planning and research to achieve. This is not something to rush into else you will waste money quickly.

However all you need to know is here on this forum and plenty of good designs and helpful people. If you do go down the DIY route feel free to contact me, I'll gladly guide you thru the Booby traps and advise on the best approach.

[Chimestrike]

Hum..

If I said it was just going to be used for wood (no need for metal) mainly pattern cutting mdf/ply for cabinets and the odd bit of vgroove work for signs (hardwood) and some plexy glass would this change anything ?

I know it would be an entry point machine and in fairness a bit of a learning tool in that respect. I also understand what you are saying that it may require work to keep it working which I can do.

Question is when you say it's flimsy are we talking about rail bend, underpowered motors, juddering? If so is it something I could modify and upgrade once it pays for itself or are we saying they are a complete waste of money.

I'm willing to try a self build, but I lack the confidence to be honest that I would make a worse job of it even though I have a reasonable skill set and tool kit.

Cheers

[JAZZCNC]

Hum..

If I said it was just going to be used for wood (no need for metal) mainly pattern cutting mdf/ply for cabinets and the odd bit of vgroove work for signs (hardwood) and some plexy glass would this change anything ?

I know it would be an entry point machine and in fairness a bit of a learning tool in that respect. I also understand what you are saying that it may require work to keep it working which I can do.

Question is when you say it's flimsy are we talking about rail bend, underpowered motors, juddering? If so is it something I could modify and upgrade once it pays for itself or are we saying they are a complete waste of money.

Well my first reaction would be to say just don't bother it's waste of money. Which is my advice really.

But to be fair then it will cut those materials. However that doesn't mean it will cut them correctly in regards to speeds n feeds etc or last very long if run for extended periods.

So suppose the correct answer is for occasional usage and as learning tool then yes it will do the Job.
Would I advise this route then NO I wouldn't because I know what you can do with £2000. Which is realsiticly what you'll end up spending keeping this running and modding etc.

Now you'll probably get people who have these machines saying I'm talking Bollocks and there machine works great.? . . . . But that's mostly because they don't know good machine and the difference.!!

[Chimestrike]

Thanks for that, can you make any sugestions/recommendations as to good builds I can look into that would do the job I'm your opinion ?

[Robin Hewitt]

I had a look at the OXCNC website but didn't see any numbers for accuracy and repeatability.
Have you found any user reviews? I have found it is always a mistake to search for user feedback after parting with my hard earned.
Can the OXCNC be beefed up? The side rails seem to be enclosed by the gantry bearings, no room for added beef.
OTOH, if you aren't in a rush and do not mind whittling it away, beef is not necessarily necessary.
Is there a worry about dust getting in to those linear bearings? They are completely exposed and wiper free.
You pays your money, you takes your choice.

[mekanik]

Hi Chimestrike
Welcome to the forum
Best bet would be to have a look through the build logs, to give you some idea of decent machines and the work involved, then if you feel you have the required skills to take on a build give Dean(Jazzcnc) a ring and have a crack.
It would be useful if you can weld as steel is going to be the cheapest option,also you don't want to be using a router on the Z axis, far to noisy and will wreck the bearings in no time.
Good Luck
Mike

[njhussey]

Id have a look at Kingcreaky's build...that'll do what you want and uses relatively inexpensive components....

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

[Chimestrike]

Thanks Guys,

I'll have a look at Kingcreaky's build as suggested and see if it's something I could do or come close to. In respect of the numbers for the OXcnc I didn't even think of this as to be honest assumed as they seemed reputable and the machine they cloned seemed to have good reviews so maybe a little too much blind faith??

Also I think I could be a little green behind the ears with known problems (mainly them not being known by me)...

I do however have a mig welder and while out of practice I can weld to a level above 'pigeon shit' so should ok.

But any advice or direction you guy can offer would be greatly appreciated as we all know there is no replacement for experience :)

[njhussey]

I do however have a mig welder and while out of practice I can weld to a level above 'pigeon shit' so should ok.

But any advice or direction you guy can offer would be greatly appreciated as we all know there is no replacement for experience :)

If you can weld just above "pigeon shit" then you're at the same level as me!!!

Advice is to go look at some of the builds here, knock up something in whatever CAD program you use (or learn to use, sketchup is what I started with) start a build thread and don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't buy anything (especially electrical items) before asking as although lots of the cheap "kits" of electronics seem like a good idea they're usually compromised in some way to get down to the price.

Whilst you'll be steered generally towards using linear profiled rails, high end controllers etc. by the good people on here you can do a decent hobbyist build for machining wood panels with supported round rails and cheaper BOB's etc.