Looking to buy a cnc kit

[mat_au]

Ok so i want to buy a cnc kit. Dont want to buy different parts and stuff just want to buy one kit and out it together. Been looking on google and havent really found anything in australia. Atm the x-carve us at the top of the list, so any options and advice would be nice

[cray-]

3DTek XYZ-Carve, there's at least 3 threads about them right on the first page at the moment.
http://3dtek.xyz/collections/featured/xyz-carve

[mat_au]

Yeah was just looking at them

[snowyskiesau]

What sort of material do you want to cut?
What's the maximum size work piece you'd like to cut?

[mat_au]

Mostly wood and maybe some aluminum. And size wise im looking at 1m x1m ish id rather get something bigger than i want, so when i really get in to it im not restricted with a small cnc. Have been also looking at openbuilds OX on www.makerstore.com.au

[snowyskiesau]

The Ox looks very similar to the XYZ-Carve/X-Carve, in size at least. The fact that it uses bigger extrusions than the X-Carve may be an advantage.
I'm almost finished a build of an XYZ-Carve so can't offer any experiences as yet but there are a couple of other users here who have already finished their builds, perhaps one of them can chime in.

[mat_au]

The xyz carve is the other i was looking at would be interested in hearing about you - pros,cons and how the assembly was

[snowyskiesau]

So far the assembly has been easy, tha instruction guide on inventables.com is excellent. There have been a few little differences, mostly because I bought a stack of parts rather than a full kit (I already had the extrusions, CNC controller, spindle etc)
There's one mod I might make now and that's to stiffen up the X axis. For use with a router or a water cooled spindle, this is recommended due to the extra weight.

A few photos of the build in this thread https://www.woodworkforums.com/f170/3dtek-xyz-carve-build-198222

[djneli]

The xyz carve is the other i was looking at would be interested in hearing about you - pros,cons and how the assembly was

I've had my XYZ-Carve running for a couple of weeks now. Haven't been too adventurous yet, mostly just pine, MDF and red oak - all of which have been a breeze. Assembly was pretty straight forward and the instructional videos on Inventables are great. There are differences in the kit but the 3Dtek website outlines them pretty well. I had a couple of minor hiccups and confusions, and a component that played up - but it was all rectified really quickly. Can't fault the whole process really.

If you go down the XYZ path I'd recommend a good set of ball end allen keys as some of the adjustments can be at fiddly angles, particularly when squaring up the Z carriage.

My suggestion would be to order your router bits early too - if you get them from China they can take a couple of weeks unless you pay express (which I did cause I was keen to play - but that was $80 all up on two express courier packages which I could have spent elsewhere). You'll get a pack of 10 1/8" bits for $8 from eBay (China) but something similar from Aus will set you back around $20 (or more) for one. I broke my first two bits while getting used to feed rates so was glad they were just the cheap ones. Then put some thought in to what you want to carve and order up a selection - V-Bits, ball nose, flat tip etc... get a good mix and you'll be laughing.