[CommodoreWaffle]

(TLDR at bottom)

Hi all,

I'm looking to purchase a desktop mill for doing primarily plastics engraving (specifically, engraving words into Lego bricks). I was borrowing a friend's Sherline (the 5400, iirc) which let me do proof of concept and worked well - but it's really overkill for what I was doing and I need something more portable. I controlled it with an old Toughbook running Mach3, and using fEngrave to generate the gcode for my cuts. I have access to a Tormach mill, laser cutter, plasma cutter, 3D printers, etc etc etc through my local hackerspace so I am ok with getting a machine that will be fairly limited in its scope.

Now that I'm looking to purchase my own mill, I'm finding myself overwhelmed with the options. I've stumbled across a local seller with a new in box Click-N-Carve BE2015, and at first glance it seems to fit my criteria almost perfectly! But there isn't a lot of information online that I've been able to find, so I'm hoping somebody here may have some experience with this machine, or know of other comparable units. (As near as I can tell, it's a Rockler rebrand of BravoProdigy's BE2015 mill, correct me if I'm wrong?)

PROS

- Small form factor would be easier to transport/take up less space on table at shows. No separate power supply to take up table space.

- Enclosed cut area would reduce dust/mess at shows (was a real problem with the Sherline), and keep little fingers safely out of harms way (I ran the Sherline without an enclosure so had to watch everyone like a hawk while cutting)

- Included software would potentially make generating text and pictures for engraving onto bricks far easier - currently feeling very limited with the options in fEngrave. The included CNC program would likely be all I need at shows, and the simplicity makes it easier to demo for the public

- Price - being located locally saves both shipping and currency exchange fees (and since the Canadian dollar is in the toilet, ordering anything internationally significantly impacts the price)

- 'Professional' looking - by far the least important factor, but it does look quite unassuming, and I have had parents not want to let their children near the big scary Sherline so looks can come into play.


CONS

- Does not appear to be sold through Rockler anymore - unknown if BravoProdigy would provide any tech support/is a reputable company?

- Belt driven - I probably don't need the level of precision the Sherline offered me, but now I'm spoiled from having it and I am not sure how comparable the accuracy of this machine would be.

- Software - I feel like this is an obvious question, but would I be able to use Mach3 to control it instead of the included Bravo Prodigy CNC V program? As I said before, I like the simplicity but would also appreciate being able to use a more powerful CNC program if I'm working on personal projects.

So the pros seem to outweight the cons, but I would love if some more knowledgeble folk could review it for me and make any suggestions. I am open to other machines if there's something better out there, but am somewhat limited in budget. Don't have an exact number but anything over $1500 will have to really convince me that it's worthwhile.


TLDR;
I want a small, light, enclosed mill for engraving ABS plastic - is the Click-N-Carve up to the task, if not, what would you recommend?

[CommodoreWaffle]

And I just realised that this might be more appropriate in a different subforum... I just saw Benchtop machines and was 'Oh, that's what I want!'. Now to try to figure out how to move/have it moved....

[svenakela]

And I just realised that this might be more appropriate in a different subforum... I just saw Benchtop machines and was 'Oh, that's what I want!'. Now to try to figure out how to move/have it moved....

Nah, totally fine here if you ask me (and you did).