Hi all. CNC noob here reading up and to decide on what to buy. Naturally I have a few questions I'm hoping you can help with.
Background: I want to be able to mill wood, plastic, aluminium, copper, brass, for a variety of hobby-type things from robot parts to ornate boxes. From the sound of it, the taig micromills are appealing, mainly in that they seem to do the job and I could actually maybe afford one The 5.5" Y dimension limit is kinda small, but I'm guessing I probably have to Deal With That if I don't want to pay lots.
I want a setup that works-out-of-the-box, rather than a DIY hybrid machine. It is ok to assume the motors and controllers and stuff that are in the MicroMill 2000 and DSLS 3000 are well suited to my uses? (It sounds like some people recommend against the taig CNC package, suggesting stronger third-party motors. Is this just with material like steel in mind, or a blanket recommendation?)
Would you recommend the MicroMill 2000, or is the DSLS 3000 worth the extra? (Or something else?)
It may be a while before I get the mill, but I'll need an enclosure, and I could start buiding that right away if I have the max dimensions of the mill, and then have the enclosure ready by the time the mill arrives. Does anyone know (or are they listed somewhere - I couldn't find any) the dimensions that the interior of the enclosure would have to exceed to enclose a taig micromill, so I could get started? Any webpages of enclosure-building tips out there?
Are there any suitable, affordable, commercially-made enclosures? (Sound-proofing is going to be important to me, as it will be operating in my place of residence. Bad idea?)
What do I need in the way of clamps? The only milling vise that taig offers is 2", so what would I use to, say, clamp a 12x5x1" block of wood to the mill table, given the table has max travel of 12x5.5"? I'm not familiar with mill clamping techniques or devices, is there is an online introduction to the subject anywhere?
And, getting ahead of myself perhaps, I think some of my friends will want to take advantage of the device, but since it's a significant financial outlay for me, I don't want the useage of others to cost me a penny in wear and tear (especially since I don't have a shop and so will have to put up with the noise). So - what do you think would be a fair running fee, that if anything, errs on the side of recouping a little of my purchase cost? (This also helps me guage how much it costs to maintain a mill). I was thinking "you purchase your own routing bits, plus $8 per hour of run-time", but I don't know if that's too little or too much. Suggestions? And this leads to my next question:
How much maintenance do these machines take? How many hours run-time could I expect before some kind of part replacement or maintenance is required? How costly is that likely to be? (And on a similar note, how long does a router bit last? How do you know when to replace it? I've done a little machining in the past, but no experience with mills)
Another dumb question: Does the software offer higher carving speeds for softer materials?
Any answers, tips, or links appreciated!
Thanks
- Justin