Re: Budget CNC Mill under $2000?
If I were in your position I guess I would be looking for a used knee mill. Sometimes you can find them pretty cheap, although the prices seem to have gone up in the last few years. I paid $1000 for my used BP clone in 2013, the old Anilam controller needed some love, but mechanically the machine was near perfect. Still in daily use in my shop. Came out of the protype shop from a local manufacturer.
You just need to keep your eye on you local Craigslist ads or use Search Tempest for a wider search area. EBay is another good source, but you have to wade through the CNC router/engraver ads to find the lower priced milling machines. The Ebay sellers seem to confuse CNC routers and milling machines. Maybe one of your local shops has a machine sitting in the back corner gathering dust that they would let go for scrap price. Installing modern controls on old machines is done every day, not too daunting of a task.
Jim Dawson
Sandy, Oregon, USA