Users in dialogue - Is a DIY machine worth it or are branded products always the better alternative?

In the beginning of September IndustryArena will publish a new eMagazine due to the major trade fair EMO 2019. And for this reason we need the help of our high-experienced members.
We want to know your opinion and want to release the following poll-results in our magazine. Please join the poll and post an enlightening comment below, some of the best comments will be published as well. Here´s our request:


Where does the hobby use end for you and where does the professional one begins?

Hobbyists decide very often for a CNC selfmade kit and not for a machine from a professional manufacturer. One point is certainly the cost, because even for little money you can buy a kit. And for private users, investing in a branded machine is often impossible without a bank credit, so many users prefer kits. But does this bill always work out or have the results of a DIY machine mostly nothing to do with professional working?
And possibly it can be worthful, that professional machine manufacturers usually guarantee and offer repair and spare parts service and in case of a machine defect someone who can help is reachable. Or are you able to repair most malfunctions that occur by yourself?

We would like to hear your opinions. For what kind of work is a DIY machine the better, because cheaper alternative and for what kind of work is so much accuracy required, that it´s usually unreachable with a DIY machine? Is it possible to earn his own bread with a selfmade machine or is it only good enough to pursue a hobby?

Please answer and furthermore please tell us the essential information what kind of practical use is on your side.

I think it´s not a good idea to buy a kit and build a machine by yourself. A friend of mine tried a milling machine kit a few years ago and had a lot of trouble. He bought it somewhere abroad and said even the manual was very hard to understand. Probably made by a cheap translator software.

And when he finished his machine after several weeks, he had many problems all the time. And of course no customer service in reach. Fact is, the machine was out of order most of the time.

So, I can´t see any reason why I should buy a machine kit. They might be adequate for some (very simple) hobby tasks only. Professional work cannot be done with selfmade machines. I would never ever buy such a kit.

Someone here with the same experience?

The problem with questions like this is that your answers will fall over the place due to different needs and expectations. There is no doubt in my mind that one can build a decent machine for ones professional needs if they have a decent understanding of machine tools. The big failures seem to be with people that have unrealistic expectations based upon what can be accomplished in a limited shop. The lack of mechanical sense can also sinks ship.

One of the reasons so many wooden framed routers are successful even if wood is not a traditional machine tool material, is that the builders have expectations in line with what they are creating. Further they have the mechanical knowledge to use the building material to its best advantage. Some of that mechanical knowledge is easy to offer up to new builders in forums like these other times you have a hard time getting a concept across. In any event the point here is that a DIY machine can be very viable as long as the builder understands that machines ability to fit his needs.

When you get into the business aspect of a build, there are many other considerations that factor in to the viability of a DIY machine. For example sample good ole time to market is always a factor. These factors have nothing to do with the performance of-l the machine.

Having a back ground in special machines there is one other thing that often gets ignored. That is that the right solution does not exist in the commercial market place. That might mean a machine designed to leverage available space. Or it might mean one built for a vary narrow need such as pool cue construction??. There are many good reasons behind machine tool builds beyond trying to save money. Sometimes you need a specific solution and frankly this seems to be a good portion of the DIY router niche.

Every bodies experience will be different.

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Originally Posted by Ozymandias

I think it´s not a good idea to buy a kit and build a machine by yourself. A friend of mine tried a milling machine kit a few years ago and had a lot of trouble. He bought it somewhere abroad and said even the manual was very hard to understand. Probably made by a cheap translator software.

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Or maybe the builder didn’t have the background to successfully use the manual and assemble the kit! Let’s face it every one of us has had different life experiences and those experience mayor may not of prepared us for the challenge of a machine build.

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And when he finished his machine after several weeks, he had many problems all the time. And of course no customer service in reach. Fact is, the machine was out of order most of the time.

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Frankly this is no different than in a factory that has purchased capital from a number of producers. The companies can go out of business, change hands or simply refuse to support older tools. Customer service often sucks if it exists at all. I really don’t see reliance upon customer service as a positive. Some companies do a great job, often at a significant expense, others are just terrible.

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So, I can´t see any reason why I should buy a machine kit. They might be adequate for some (very simple) hobby tasks only. Professional work cannot be done with selfmade machines. I would never ever buy such a kit.

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Professional work is done on self made machines every day. It isn’t a route for everybody but rather an alternative for some.

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Someone here with the same experience?

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The answer depends very much on the application.
A DIY machine can be every bit as good, or better, then a commercial machine. But they are not always the best choice.
For some, DIY machines can be the best option, and for others, they are not a good option at all.

I made my own machine and, admittedly, it was difficult and there were many issues I had to overcome (with lots of help form this forum), but in the end I learned a LOT and got a great machine out of it. The machine I built for 2K would cost me 6K-8K for a commercial one of the same quality. The only caveat to building one is that if something goes wrong, you're on your own to diagnose and fix. With a commercial machine you have someone to call for help, but that's not worth 4 or 5K to me.