Newbie Novice

[WoodKnot]

Good morning to all -

I am sure you have been asked this question so many times - its a 'oh not again!!

I have not got a Scoobie Doo about CNC, have fancied having a go for some years, but been investing in 'other kit' for my workshop, making jigs, storage etc for my home workshop.

I am looking to make signs and craft style projects out of MR MDF and Birch ply.

I have looked at the workbee and several other 'off the shelf' hobby cnc machines.

The first issue is the machine itself, then the software and costs escalate rapidly.

Any advice would be really appreciated - looking at about 2K for the machine and software - already have the router.

Thanks

[WoodKnot]

Good afternoon all -

based on the threads that I can see about the kit models - there is another 'much more substantial kit that i have been looking at - an goes well over my budget, considering its just for the frame. Here's the link: https://www.cnc4you.co.uk/Machines/CNC-Router/ERS8080BB
What sort of cost do you think i will be looking at to get this operational? Thanks in advance

[phill05]

Looking at that for that price £1800 I would say you would be much better off buying the components and building it yourself or with help from others on here.

Best bet sit down and design out what you want for your machine, plenty of builds on here to look at try it you could save yourself a lot of trouble and money.

Phill

[Clive S]

Good afternoon all -

based on the threads that I can see about the kit models - there is another 'much more substantial kit that i have been looking at - an goes well over my budget, considering its just for the frame. Here's the link: https://www.cnc4you.co.uk/Machines/CNC-Router/ERS8080BB
What sort of cost do you think i will be looking at to get this operational? Thanks in advance

According to their website the same model with all the motors drive etc comes out at £5800 + vat+ del.

For that price Dean Jazzcnc could possibly build you one twice as good with propper motors and drives.

[WoodKnot]

Hi Clive

I thought that was because of the bed etc to be fair. This is a large site with a huge amount of posts, can someone point me in the right direction of where I should be looking at the builds to start figuring out what I need?

[Clive S]

Hi Clive

I thought that was because of the bed etc to be fair. This is a large site with a huge amount of posts, can someone point me in the right direction of where I should be looking at the builds to start figuring out what I need?

OK. Joe is on here and has built a fine machine this is his Youtube channel for his build it is also document on this forum.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...S3i705fuSogBXT

I would not purchase anything until you have a good understanding of what you want. Just ask questions, yes lots of them.

[WoodKnot]

Thanks Clive for the pointer, I thought this was thing I could do quite quickly?

Obviously not!

[WoodKnot]

Just watched the video Clive, that's a huge machine and some serious engineering involved. I was looking for something way more simplistic. To be fair I don't want to spend the next few years building one! That's a lot of work!

[reelman]

According to their website the same model with all the motors drive etc comes out at £5800 + vat+ del.

For that price Dean Jazzcnc could possibly build you one twice as good with propper motors and drives.

As Clive S as said talk to Jazzcnc he is the man to speak to on here, there are a lot of posts and recommendations about the quality of the machines he builds. I personally don't know dean but I've followed a lot of his post and he says it as it is, follow this thread (my new machine Guess the make)

[JAZZCNC]

Good afternoon all -

based on the threads that I can see about the kit models - there is another 'much more substantial kit that i have been looking at - an goes well over my budget, considering its just for the frame. Here's the link: https://www.cnc4you.co.uk/Machines/CNC-Router/ERS8080BB
What sort of cost do you think i will be looking at to get this operational? Thanks in advance

Hi and welcome,

First to say is don't be fooled by the price of these kits, and I don't mean just from this company as most others are the same, they are not cheap, the truth is they actually work out more expensive by the time you have added all the missing pieces or invest in the upgrades offered, which more often than not are what should be on the machine anyway at the price they ask for the kits alone.

For instance, this kit in particular, look at each axis and how many linear bearings are fit.? One bearing per axis is completely unsuitable for a decent machine so even after spending £5800 for a fully working machine you will have a machine that is weak and lacking.

The amount of engineering that goes into these profile kits is so basic anyone with a half-decent workshop could build the frame for much less, however, the frame alone doesn't make a good machine. The design and the engineering along with the components used are what makes a good machine and these cost a certain amount of money so trust me when I say this, NO company can build a machine for less than £2k or even £3k and make a profit unless they have cut corners which compromise the machine and its usability.

As people have pointed out to you I build machines but I'm not saying these things to steer you in my direction, I don't need to do that, I just don't like seeing people unwittingly buy the wrong machine or be mislead into buying a machine that isn't all it appears to be.

So my last word of caution is to watch out for machines and one steel-framed machine in particular that you may see on eBay which looks cheap, it's not and it would be the worse purchase you ever made.

Now I'm more than happy to help and advise you on building a machine if you want to take this route, in fact, I often encourage people to take this route if they have a limited budget that can't be increased. Because It's very possible to DIY build a machine that will knock the spots off many commercially available machines and nearly all the numerous kits like Workbee's Oznest etc.

However, if you can increase the budget and don't have the time or skills/tools required to DIY build then I'm also happy to help with either building a machine or offer honest impartial advice on any that you may have seen so just get in touch by emailing me here [email protected].

Cheers
Dean