CNC, Milling, & Metalworking Equipment?

I wish it got you a discount but no dice. As for the 80/20 I get it from their regional distributor here in Wisconsin. I go through a lot of the material with the Cameraman's Multitool and all the custom stuff we do.
 
Wow! I haven't checked this tread in a while. Thanks for all of the advice. I agree that CNC is not something I want to jump into. I am more interested in learning to use a manual lathe/mill, and maybe purchasing one for my shop. Don't want to buy anything too fancy since I will probably only use it here and there. Is the Harbor Freight stuff really that bad? I would like to have a tool in front of me while I learn(insert jokes here). If I need to do something complicated I'll just farm it out. I basically just want to work with aluminum.
 
HF machines aren't bad at all. There very solid machines and capable of making some really precise parts. The only problem with their machines is that you'll need to fine tune them before use.

DON'T BUY THE 3 in 1 MACHINE!!!!

Not unless you're making cylinder parts that require precision drilling holes, but this could also be done on a drill press.



"I would like to have a tool in front of me while I learn(insert jokes here)."


Yea that's a really bad idea, don't do this! Read Read Read, check your local book store and the internet. Let me see what I can find
 
Brokenjack,

Going back to what has been said before, I highly recommend you take a class before you decide on a piece of equipment. You may find that once you take the class that you don't need anything more than a good drill press and some layout tools.
 
I know I researched this topic for a year before making my decision on which CNC to go with...

http://cncmasters.com/

This page has a good collection of info on the subject as well.

http://desktopcnc.com/

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you is make sure you choose a CAD CAM package that has a post processor for your machine. I use Visual Mill...

http://www.mecsoft.com/Mec/

best of luck... it's definitely a journey you are embarking on... :-)
 
I'd recommend this DVD if you're looking to see the capabilities of a mill. This DVD will show you how these machines are properly used, but a class would be better. Like bob said, sometimes you could get away with just using a drill press. I've even seen some that have converted a drill press to mill. Now its not the best way to mill things (not as precise), but for little parts it's prefect. Here's another video of what I'm talking about



http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2056&category=-511675330



http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2267&category=-511675330
 
Let me clarify what I said before about possibly only needing a drill press and some good layout tools. I am not a fan of milling on drill presses at all. What I was saying is that with some ingenuity you can fabricate a wide array of things even if you don't have the ability to cut chips. Being able to precisely drill and tap holes can get you a long way down the road.
 
Hi,
The best unit to consider is the Super X3 Mill with CNC conversion kit. Have a look ay www.syil.com for details.
If you are new to the world of CNC, then the best CAM software is Mach4, which is easy to use and is cheap.
If you have not used a mill before then I would recommend doing a short course in its use, try the local technical uni.
There are some good books on the subject, but if you can learn the basic rules then its not rocket science.

Trust this helps
 
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