How plausible is it to make a machine better than a chinese 6040 for a beginner? At around the same budget. Not including my time..


My CNC 6040 is taking an age to arrive and the seller has been messing me about with incorrect tracking numbers and generally being useless..


So now I can't get the thought out of my head of wanting to cancel the order and build a better machine myself. Rather than ordering it again from someone else on ebay.


However, at this stage, is it out of my reach do you think? With a budget of £1k (not including electronics)


My main usage would be 3mm aluminium & PCBs.. Work dimensions around the 600mm x 400mm mark. Machine size no bigger than 900mm x 670mm.
Speed isn't a huge concern for me as it's mostly prototyping and one off projects rather than long production runs.


If my budget is too tight, then I'd rather spend it all on the mechanical stuff and use a cheap spindle to just engrave the marks, which I'll then cut by hand.. and then I can upgrade to a better spindle in the future..


And I think I know the answer, but I'll ask anyway.. is there any way at all, I could build a machine that could cut stainless steel 1.5mm say.. ? Or any type of steel?


Any guidance greatly appreciated!