[bigdawg72]

Before I get to the build thread I thought I would share a quick word of advice... Don't buy a cheap eBay Chinese router thinking you are saving money. I paid $570 shipped for an eBay 3040 with the blue box and just wasn't satisfied with the results. I started out upgrading the electronics and motors. Then mechanical/hardware problems prompted me to buy the Benchtop machine from CNC Router Parts. Should have started there and I would be $570 ahead!!!

Since I already had a Gecko G540 and 380oz/in motors I ordered the standard Benchtop machine with no electronics. The machine arrived two weeks to the day after ordering with one week of that being UPS from Washington state to Alabama. The packing materials were very good and well thought out. Unpacking everything and laying out the parts was pure joy. Everything was grouped and bagged and the instructions referenced which bag contained the parts for a particular step. I had everything assembled and ready to hook up in about 6 hours. I stopped for the night as I want to double check everything with a fresh set of eyes in the AM. If I didn't make any mis-steps today I expect to be making air cuts in less than 8 hours of assembly time. I am so excited to do some cuts on a REAL machine!

A big thanks to CNC Router parts for marketing a well designed and thought out machine. You can tell that someone actually went through the build steps multiple times to get the instructions and parts groups down pat. This complicated machine went together easier than some knock down furniture I have put together.

Photos and hopefully some video of chips flying will follow!

[LeeWay]

I am looking forward to seeing how it works out for you. Congrats on the new machine too.

[plcamp]

Before I get to the build thread I thought I would share a quick word of advice... Don't buy a cheap eBay Chinese router thinking you are saving money. I paid $570 shipped for an eBay 3040 with the blue box and just wasn't satisfied with the results. I started out upgrading the electronics and motors. Then mechanical/hardware problems prompted me to buy the Benchtop machine from CNC Router Parts. Should have started there and I would be $570 ahead!!!

Since I already had a Gecko G540 and 380oz/in motors I ordered the standard Benchtop machine with no electronics. The machine arrived two weeks to the day after ordering with one week of that being UPS from Washington state to Alabama. The packing materials were very good and well thought out. Unpacking everything and laying out the parts was pure joy. Everything was grouped and bagged and the instructions referenced which bag contained the parts for a particular step. I had everything assembled and ready to hook up in about 6 hours. I stopped for the night as I want to double check everything with a fresh set of eyes in the AM. If I didn't make any mis-steps today I expect to be making air cuts in less than 8 hours of assembly time. I am so excited to do some cuts on a REAL machine!

A big thanks to CNC Router parts for marketing a well designed and thought out machine. You can tell that someone actually went through the build steps multiple times to get the instructions and parts groups down pat. This complicated machine went together easier than some knock down furniture I have put together.

Photos and hopefully some video of chips flying will follow!

There is some truth in the statement "Sometimes you get what you pay for".

[bigdawg72]

There is some truth in the statement "Sometimes you get what you pay for".

Lot's of truth in that statement!

I plugged everything in this afternoon and made my first cuts. I only drilled and counter sunk holes in the spoil board for mounting but everything worked like a charm.
I set the rapids to 300 in/min and cut at 100 in/min with a 1/8th end mill. Other than the temporary table having a little "shake" about it all was good. Great in fact.

NO comparison between the two machines. It's one of those things you can just feel/hear/see when you look at and operate the machine. If all goes as planned this weekend
I will hopefully cut a couple of projects and work on a permanent steel framed table while the jobs are running.