Thinking out loud

[JAZZCNC]

Well I'd say stay away from Kits like Shapako they are far too weak IMO and not very well designed. I've not seen any Kit that's worth a damn.!!

Equaly you don't need to go OTT like Boyan with 100mm tubes for simple router.

So really the thing you need to ask your self is what do you mainly intend to do with the machine.?

Budget is also key because the honest truth is that you get what you pay for and to have decent machine that will be hassle free and cut correctly with good finish cannot be done on the cheap.

[eurikain]

I intend to work with plastic / acrylic / plywood (60%), hard woods (25%), and aluminium machining (15%). I would say I need a work area of 800mmx800mmx150mm.

As far as budget goes, I've got all the electronics ready, and spindle as well. I can finance part of the build by selling some of the part I've got already (rails, ballscrews), since I'd replace them by HWIN rails and shorter ballscrews.

[Boyan Silyavski]

Why dont you make 900x600 machine where the gantry is on the long side? such way machine stays reasonably small and could take bigger jobs. Or even better-same but 1200x900, so it could take directly big sheets width.