Chinese 6040 CNC Router Advise Needed

[HankMcSpank]

fwiw I have a Chinese derived 3020 machine ...it's superb for my needs (acrylic, pcb work) - it's made by Redsail who seem to be churning out far better stuff than the typical chinese fayre (for example the electronics are proper m542 derived drivers vs. yoocnc all in one board), comes fitted with ballscrews/nuts, limit switches, the motors are very good ...the frame is very solid (moving table design)...it has unsupported rails, the mere hint of this round these parts, sees folks projectile vomiting while spinning their head 360 degrees :-) , but for my needs (& the size of my machine) I don't need supported rails.

I got the machine for just over 500 quid secondhand on Ebay....at this price level, frankly nothing can touch it that I've seen (unless you want to waste a few months of your life learning how to spec/build one....even then I doubt you'd get it under that budget ...and what price your time? When I first figured I'd need a CNC machine I made my own - it was terrible, wasted so much of my time & frankly I still carry the mental scars at the end result - great if you've got the knowledge, a workshop & the time, but for me ....never again!).

My theory is this...Ebay isn't a place to buy stuff...it's simply a long/short term rental shop - i.e. buy something, use it ...if it suits you great, if not flog it on ...cost of rental = price paid - price sold minus Ebay/Paypal fees, divided by length of time owned!

There's a roaring market on Ebay for used CNC machines so losses (even for lemons) is typically minimal.