My main problems with the Nomad has been rigidity resonance and the relatively slow spindle (10k). My goal with this build is to make something that is very quite and compact (live in an apartment) (the loudest thing in the setup needs to be the quietest vacuum i can find for chip removal).
So I've been toying with the idea of using cheap/used granite surface plates/rulers for parts of the frame and perhaps custom order some granite parts. Seems like a good idea since I need the weight for such a small machine.
Why I'm being a bit picky is I've found that to get good surface finish on plastics with small tools <3mm you need good runout and so on so I'm hesitant to buy some woodworking/ebay stuff...
Application... it's just hobby projects, gears and sprockets, 3d relies and other things. Mostly plastics some hardwood. It would be nice to do non ferrous but frankly I can do without that mess... work envelope of the Nomad is 8x8x3in and as I'll go for something similar. (so no furniture)
I'm currently looking at mechatron
HFS-6508-24-ER11 but I was wondering if there were any alternatives, perhaps something belt driven to make it less tall, I am thinking water-cooled though since I will be making the machine properly enclosed for noise.