New 5' x 10' CNC Router $2,000

[Pirate]

What think?
http://sarasota.craigslist.org/tls/5606134386.html

[Steve K]

POS

[BloomingtonMike]

It has all the electronic parts (G540s and steppers) you could use to build a machine from 8020 and steel. You could use that machine to cnc cut new carriages from aluminum. All the time that machine could be cutting projects for sale - signs and jigs and whatever you want plus any ww jig you could ever want. That machine and the next one would be free within a year or two. One mans POS is another mans second income.

[Robert Adams]

Nowhere near as stiff as the joe 06 machine and the 06 is smaller and that design wouldn't be strong enough if scaled up to this size.

The y axis is just one sheet of ply and will flex when cutting.

The motors are good the drives are good.

The ways are aluminum angle with v groove bearings. Wear over time.

The router on it is a toy. No power and too small of bearings to last very long.


For 2k compared to small machines on the market it's not bad for a ready to run machine I guess. The 06 machine would be smaller but a better choice for a home built machine. It's stiff easy to build and uses mainly common parts.

As for controls when I built my first cnc there were three choices. Commercial controllers hobby cnc controller and the gecko was just about to make an appearance on the market.
I went with the hobby cnc kit and it's very reliable but limited on amps voltage and motor type.

Now there are so many control kits to choose from and the prices have dripped dramatically. The still expensive part is linear slides and lead screws. Some decent and cheap components can be found on bang good now and there are some pretty good spindles VFDs coming out of China and some are watercooled.

[Arlin Eastman]

I think it would be a great starter cnc and like someone else said you can uses it to make something better later.

I was just wondering how stable it is with the wood besides the plywood, but even that can be changed too.

[Steve N]

Google around a bit. I believe there are now more sites for building a plywwod CNC as there are for 8020 and similar. Many have builder reviews, and most I have seen the reviews are from persons who obviously have more experience than I. So far in this thread there are answers from 3 people, 2 of whom I have never seen talk about a CNC. Mikie has owned a bunch, built a few, and if he says it will be good enough to build a metal based CNC off of, I believe him.

Josh, "closed for business" on WoodNet often has CNC's to trade, swap, or sell outright, you might PM him.

There are several on here who have built there own, it would be great if our hosts saw fit to dedicate a spot to them. They are certainly a growing aspect of woodworking.

[BloomingtonMike]

You can definitely build better and I imagine the new owner defintely will. A ready to run 5X10 for 2K so you can start making money and projects and work on your new machine with it is the real value here. A beefed up Joes 06 would be better for sure but the next owner of this 5X10 is more likely to build an evolution not an 06 if the go Joes.

Id take this over any nema17 based belt machine like some of the "ivnventable" types (shapeoko and such) any day for the simple fact the parts here would be more useable on the next machine. I do like the small machines though.

A cncrouterparts 5X10 machine would be over 8K these days (they are a super sweet easy build though and I love the Pro rail design) and you would still end up assembling it. If you have the cash and one machine and want a fast sweet kit build build on of theirs.

Also so I am clear - you will not save much money buying this ply machine but you will make opportunity money. Your second machine will still cost you if you go steel and alum - real no good way around it shy of just lucking out.

Also if you go this route (or really starting with any prebuilt lesser machine) you need to have the room for your first and second machine and all the parts.

The Kronos Robotics KRMx machine (Michael you still around??) is a great machine build too.

They sure are fun!!

[Robert Adams]

Yeah his newer a chine designs like the 4x4 are pretty nice. I built my 06 back when he was releasing the plans. Gave it to a friend as I didn't have room while moving then built another.

Keep an eye out at good scrap metal places. The one I deal with doesn't do steel or iron. The cheapest stuff they do is aluminum. I was a few days late as they got truckloads of 80/20. I pay $2 a pound for that stuff if I catch it along with blocks, plate etc. Lots of stuff from the aircraft plant here ...

Also make sure whatever system you get is running decent voltage deivers. Some of them are running voltages in the 30s which is ok like for the 06 but it's slow on bigger machines. You want something running voltages in the 90s or so.

But for a 4x8 machine for someone getting into it 2k isn't really bad. If you decide to go further you can always upgrade to a stronger machine. And those motors are double ended so you can out encoders on them to increase the accuracy.

Also there are some good prices on ball screws on amazon and the china direct sites. For the basic machines running acme the multistart acme rod has gotten pricey lately as there is one less company making it now and even the one start has more than doubled in price.
You can salvage 3 start acme rod from genie garage door openers but you will have to make your own lead nuts.

[Stytooner]

I think it is just a large starter machine. Too large for what it is. It does have decent electronics though, but to upgrade, you would need to upgrade not only the machine frame itself but also the linear rail system. You could use the same amount of material for a machine half that size and be better off for it.
The V bearings are okay, but not for riding on aluminum. Just will not last.

I did build the CRP 4824 Pro and it is a great little machine. It is stout enough that it can be expanded easily to 8' long.
The gantry is already set for cutting 4' wide. I would look elsewhere if I were interested in a cnc machine. Your money and time would be better invested that way.

[Lumber Yard®]

That machines selling point is the large working envelope unfortunately the construction/material quality doesn't really support it. If you were talking about a machine built with similar materials on a much smaller scale (12"x18" etc.) it could prove to be a functional little machine, working within its limitations. The good, is that the electronics used are "the standard" in the DIY market and would prove functional when it was time to upgrade.

Once you're in the CNC world you begin to understand the rigidity of the build is critical for accurate and clean cuts.

Personally, I started with a popular and well marketed little CNC that proved to be somewhat functional working in it's 12"x18" envelope. It lasted less than a year in my shop before it was upgrade time. This little machine was made of MDF and PVC pipe. The deflection in the y and z-axis created a situation where cuts took ~3 times what they should. The work-around slowing cut speeds down helped reduce bit/spindle chatter etc. but lead to burning material etc. I traded one issues for another and was never 100% satisfied with the machine. In hindsight, I wasted a ton of time trying to get it to work correctly. I sold it and made most of my money back and put those dollars towards my upgrade costs. I don't regret the decision of purchasing it though because it got me going and taught me what I wanted my machine to do as well as gave me the confidence to build an upgrade.

I replaced that little machine with a DIY build made from 80/20 aluminum extrusion and based on the FineLine Automation/ CNC RP design. This machine has been in my shop for a few years and I love it. Machining that would take an hour on the other machine is done in 15-20 minutes on the new machine and the finished product is now much nicer because with less deflection the cut quality is much better. Since building it I have built another half a dozen machines of similar design. The working area of my machine is 25"x38" which is still 1/4 of the working envelope when compared to what is linked but I would take a smaller QUALITY BUILT rigid machine like mine over a larger machine built of inferior materials that will deflect under normal cutting operations. In the end, you'll be much happier with a smaller more robust machine! The cost to build my 80/20 machine was/is similar to what the price of the linked plywood machine is. Heck, for a little more around $2500 you could buy a FLA-100 kit with electronics and just be tasked with assembling the parts.

$.02