[dgalaxy]

could somebody tell me the bottom line of cost effectiveness is it cheaper to buy a kit or use plans to make your bench mill cnc taking in consideration the software and all thanks for all your help

[ViperTX]

What you're asking is "Which is cheaper when converting a manual mill to CNC, buying a kit or designing your own?"

It depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want to have a "totally engulfing learning experience along with alot of pondering and self doubt", you should design your own.

If on the other hand you want to learn a bit and install a kit designed for your system and don't mind spending the money...buy a kit. What you are paying for is the "learning, experimentation, scrap, and hair pulling that someone else experienced" in the development of the kit.

[wisp]

I would say you will be more satisfied in the long run if you buy a kit for your 1st cnc. This is not the cheapest of hobbies. And a kit will ensure you dont waste your money on a task that you may or may not be able to complete.

The frustration of doing it yourself with or without plans can kill interest in the hobby of cnc machining. But with a kit, you can get down to buisness of making parts and learning to program your machine quick and easy. Then when/if you out grow your desktop machine, you will be able to make your own kit to convert a larger mill/lathe. And you can sell your 1st cnc machine on ebay or something.

[dgalaxy]

thanks for your replies wisp i think your probably right about the loseing intrest if i have major issues with my first one

[ViperTX]

Well if the kit is anything like the K2 reviewed in this locale....then it's a toss up. Luckily the reviewer had enough experience to figure out and correct the problems.