I'm currently shopping for my first CNC mill. This is for hobby use and possibly some light commercial runs (I'm a hobbyist knifemaker). I'm doing my due diligence on the various options. I've seen "that one guy" who seems to hate Novakon but also have read lots of good experiences with them.

A Novakon (not sure of model yet, listed as made in 2010) has popped up near me for what I feel is a reasonable price. It's only an hour drive from me and I could move it myself so it has that going for it. It's also priced at $5000 so again, also has that going for it against ordering a new Tormach. I could really only budget for the Tormach 440 and the work envelope is just a bit small for what I think I'll want to do. The thought of finding a decent running machine with a larger work envelop is very appealing. At the asking price, there is a lot of wiggle room in my budget for upgrades and repairs on a used machine but I'd rather not take on a year long project just to get to the point where I can start running parts. If I could get a machine like this and do a little cleanup, minor repairs, and some adjustments over a few weekends, I'd be happy.

I'm an engineer and am pretty technically and mechanically savvy so I'm not worried about putting some work into a used machine but I'm really trying to determine how much cost and time I'm looking at to get this used Novakon running right vs ordering something new.


My questions are these:

  1. What should I look out for when/if I go check this machine out?
  2. Where are the common problems on these mills?
  3. How available are replacement parts for these?
  4. How much work should I expect to put into rehabbing this one to put it into reasonable working condition? (I understand this could be a a very large range depending on what may be wrong with the machine)
  5. Is the asking price reasonable?
  6. Can anyone help me identify the model number from the pictures below?


Thanks for the help.



Here is the info that I have from the seller so far. Not much yet but I've asked him for more info:

"2010 Novakon 3 axis CNC mill, 4 axis capable. In great working condition, runs on g code and m code. Ball screws and everything in great shape. Machine runs on 220 single phase. Has extra stepper drives and some tooling included. Asking 5,000$ obo."

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