[Nigel Tufnel]

So I'm looking for a RF45 clone to CNC and I'm looking for suggestions/opinions. I did a search and found a thread that is a couple years old and there were a lot of recommendations for IH or Lathemaster clones. Lathemaster seems to be out of business or not offering a RF45 sized machine and I figured there might be new offerings/brands since the previous thread ended.

Ideally I would like to spend about $2000 for the mill and Enco has a version that is less than that (when on sale). What are you getting for the extra cost of a Precision Matthews or IH mill compared to the Enco? Grizzly has good documentation and it seems like you might actually be able to get spare parts, but Grizzly doesn't seem to have a direct clone to the RF45. Are you SOL if something breaks on the Enco or other of brand?

Also, does anyone make a belt drive head instead of the geared versions (and still cost ~2kish)? Seems like it would be simpler (cheaper) to make a belt drive head than a gearbox, so why aren't they prevalent? Basically everything but the castings and the spindle shaft are thrown away for a good cnc conversion. To bad you can't just by those parts and not have to pay for all the other parts you don't use.

Info/advise appreciated. Thanks.

[Zenji]

Depends what country, make sure you get the R8 spindle taper because MT3 is either loose and slipping or stuck and needing a sledgehammer.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Yes, R8 is my plan and I'm looking for options in the US.