Quote Originally Posted by HankMcSpank View Post
That's a lot of money for a basic (poorly spec'ed) machine...either the cost of CNC machines has shot up since I last was i the market, or the seller is chancing his luck. To give you an example, I paid £500 for a secondhand model identical to this...
...proper ballscrews (vs. threaded rod) ...larger milling area (30 x 20), chunky 16mm aluminium side profiles etc.
Well you must have been nuts to pay £500 for second hand machine that is poorly designed and uses cheap nasty round rail. Also 16mm aluminium is far from chunky and whats the point if those relatively flimsy 16mm sides are attached with 5mm aluminium angle.!!!

Come on people open your eyes and start looking at how these pieces of Crap are thrown together. They may be cheap but so is dog shit and thats about all they are fit to cut.!!

Quote Originally Posted by HankMcSpank View Post
You can likely build one for less, but the irony is you need a CNC machine to build one effectively (it's a conundrum like "how does the snow plough driver get to work"?)
By using is head and buying something properly suited to the job of getting him to is job.!. . . .A snowmobile.!!! . . . . .

So working on your conclusions how was the first CNC machine built then.!!!. . . . You don't need CNC machine to build a CNC. Just a good design and some patience, along with a few appropriate tools and skills to use them.
It's not rocket science, neither is it for dummys. It just needs a good dose of common sense along with the patience and desire to make it happen.!. . . . Oh and not being a unrealistic tight arse.!!