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Originally Posted by
integr8d
Hey all. First post here. Glad to see such an informative site.
I've been dabbling with getting into machining, with no real or otherwise experience at all. That said, while the nature of dimensions (0.003", 1/64th, etc.) is intimidating, I think I can handle it. The technique of it all is another question. And it's one that will probably lead to its share of broken bits.
So starting where most guys like me probably start, the question is with hardware. I'd like to keep my budget around $2500.
That might not be enough to get started! I'm basing this in the assumption you currently have little in the way of a shop.
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And this is something that needs to be benchtop (double-checked, yep, right thread!). 4th axis is preferable and HSS facing and pocketing are going to be necessary (think; small-sized parts like muzzle brakes). Accuracy and precision are also necessary factors.
Muzzle breakers sound like something that could be done on a lathe. Accuracy and precision are somewhat up to the operator but realize you can't expect a lot out of these machines off the shelf. A $2500 DIY CNC build can never equal a $50,000 mill.
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Sherline and Taig make me question rigidity. The power doesn't bother me, as time is on my side (and unless the power is just completely inadequate). But if anyone knows from experience; at slow enough feeds, will they be rigid enough? Will they have enough power?
The Taig Mini mill is a very nice machine if it fits your needs. It is however on the small side as such you need to consider carefully what your needs are.
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The other option is an X2. It seems to have a little more oomph. But questions about accuracy come into play, especially with the initial setup. Tramming is a subject that I'm currently in the grey about.
Of the three you have mentioned so far I'd have to say the X2 is possibly the worst choice. The biggest problem is that the column is basically mounted on a hinge.
It could be seen as a requirement.
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I've spent days reading and searching. And one factor that raises its head repeatedly is that a lot of the sites and/or blogs are really dated. There's also the humorous part that most of the businesses selling stuff online seem to have designed their sites for a mid-90's browser like Netscape Navigator :eek:
Most of these businesses run on a shoe string,they can't afford an Amazon like GUI.
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So am I current with my questions? Or is all of this completely out of date and there's some new whiz bang mill that I've completely missed?
Read the forums, it appears that you have missed a lot.
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Lastly, while Mach 3 is a given, what CAM package at around $1000 would be on everyone's menu?
Mach 3 isn't a given, there is LinuxCNC and a range of other possibilities.
The key to setting up a shop is to buy machines that you believe fit your needs but at the same time making sure you aren't buying too small. Also make sure the machine fits your projects, as mentioned above the first thing I thought of when you mentioned muzzle breaks was a lathe. Even so you need to understand how you will fabricate each part on the machine you buy. One persons lathe project is another persons mill project while yet another person would see an EDM project. In many cases the part will require access to more than one machine or process.
Before investing a good chunk of change I would suggest looking for a few model engineering,old machining text books and other resources oriented towards the beginner. The idea being to get a better grasp of what is required machinery wise to accomplish various tasks. Anybody can take a wild guess as to what you need to buy but those sorts of responses aren't always helpful. You need to define what your goals are and from there work out what machine would be best to buy. If you define better what your intentions are the group here can offer more intelligent suggestions.
