About me:
I program in C, Perl, VB. I am A+ certified for computers, and have been using computers since before the DOS days. I'm pretty computer savvy. I also can use Paintshop pretty well.
However, I have no experience at all with CNC. I don't know anything about G-code or CNC software. But I learn fast! I also don't mind building kits. I can solder and do whatever is needed to build a kit. But it would have to come with all parts needed.
Wish I had:
1. The Pinnacle M-Series 100 Watt CO2 Laser engraver. $33,000 US.
2. Roland EGX-600. $25,000 US.
These looked like they would do everything I wanted right out of the box. But I don't have that much money. (I can dream can't I.)
What I want it for:
I would like to try my hand at making wood products and selling them them on ebay and at stores. I would like to make tangible products. Everything from ouija boards to pistol grips. It is important for me to be able to do 3d relief as well as burn images on wood. The artist in me is dying to get out! LOL. I would be doing this for a try at a real business, not just a hobby.
Money is the problem:
I don't have allot of money. A few K at most. CNC looks prohibitively expensive. I did find the CheapCNC.com site and it looked interesting. There are also other pretty cheap CNC router machines. Lasers look out of the question. I found one laser kit that costs around $5,000 US. But it didn't look like what I really wanted.
My dumb newbie questions:
1. What exactly is the difference between a router and a mill? They look kind of simular. What would I gain, if anything by getting a mill? The routers look like they will do everything I want them too. Routers look less expensive also.
2. I understand the 3-axis system. (length,width,depth). But what is a 4th and even 5th axis? What does that mean?
3. Are all the cheap CNC machines slow compared to the brand name machines? I would need something that could turn out hundreds of an item. It's not much good if it takes 3 hours to produce a single pair of pistol grips. I'm kind of scared that the cheap CNC machines are just not rugged enough or fast enough to use in a business.
4. I'm supposing there is no way for a router to engrave images (like gray scale or black-n-white). Is this correct? If there is, how does it work? I thought routers could only remove wood.
5. On that last note, is there any way to have a router cut the Z-axis (depth) using a bitmap where light or dark determines depth? Just wondering.
6. Can anyone recommend some very user friendly CNC software? I figure I want to spend more time being artistic than to worry about nitty gritty g-code programming and the like.
7. Can any of you recommend a good inexpensive CNC Router or CNC Laser?
Thanks for any information. I guess I'm less than a newbie because I don't even have a machine yet. Any comments, suggestions, or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!