Finished builds picture menu

[wiremonkey]

This is great gents, but what about for the budget conscious? I'd like to see some currency numbers $$$ or whatever you deal in. If I had an unlimited budget, I'd build a very different machine, or perhaps just go buy a Tormach or Haas machine and be done with it. Is there a sticky for those trying to build metal milling machines on an uber budget?
Certainly this is helpful in terms of design concepts and proven engineering.
Cheers!

[hanermo2]

Wirem..
There are many, and many, and many reasons for everything.

E.
Boris S has great results and great stuff at the midrange costs.
Excellent work.

Also.
Endless cheap stuff on china import machines at various levels of cost from 1k-20k abound online.
My own stuff on the big VMC is 99% done and will be functional soon (-again. Version 5).

You mentioned costs:
Technically I would have been far better off buying a carcass and refitting cnc kit of choice.
But that was not obvious at the time 13 years ago, and the one-time major outlays of cash have been spread out.

90% of what people "think" is wrong - on milling steel - somewhat efficiently.
Vastly more rigid, vastly more heavy, is the right choice.
And yes, milling steel is .1% of the people building cnc stuff. Or less.

Costs:
Even then, my servo motors are tiny small nema 23 servos, 400W, 3Nm peak, 3000 rpm, 5000 counts, 60V.
Not expensive, a full kit 290€ including 22% IVA or approx 240€ without tax, landed here in EU.
I import them by box of 10 and sell off some excess sometimes to DIY.

My 2400 kg VMC is very light in terms of double column machines.
Everything depends.
It is also very cheap, circa 45k vs 200k for a similar commercial one.

[routercnc]

Hi guys
This is supposed to be a finished build thread to help newcomers with some ideas for their machine. See intro in post 1. I’ve asked Lee to moderate the last 2 posts into into a new thread. Thanks for your understanding and happy machining.

[wiremonkey]

My fault! Apologies. Thanks for the response hanermo2!