Hey,

I'm looking to buy a medium sized CNC machine / have one built for me. 1200mm x 600mm XY travel, 150mm z travel. Materials wise - plywood, mdf etc... then some max 1mm aluminium / copper, and possibly some plastic.

I've mainly looked at STONEY CNC and the machines they offer. They seemed legit until the well informed (JAZZCNC) have their say - like on the STRIKE CNC and the JBEC router threads.

So I have two questions:

1 - I want to start from the beginning - where can I find reliable information either in youtube links, online threads or books that cover the basics to the more advanced. If I don't get a reply then I'll just start trawling and make notes.

2 - The more informed refer to Gecko and Excell machines. For my requirements (which need to be more detailed ) are they any good or could I get someone on here to build me a machine... which is more economical. My budget is 6 - 7k and it's all inclusive i.e Extraction system, ducting, machine, spindle, software, electronics, bits etc... imagine you had nothing and wanted to start straight away - that list.

Regards,

Joe