Thread: first CNC router

Hi Aaron,

To start they do not come up very often and it depends on what type of construction and components it is built from. Typically I budget from $2.5k to build a small machine up to $5k for a 1.2m machine. The electronics, motors, wiring, cable chains and spindle come in at $1200 and linear components about $600 for a small machine. Add ally plate, steel, angular contact bearings, hardware, casters and paint and it makes up the difference.
This does not take into account machining time and labour.

An MDF machine with skate bearing, allthread and a cheap router will still cost up to $1k to build unless someone has been lucky on the driver board and motors. Mach3 to drive it is $195Aus.

The main problem with buying second hand is freight. A machine that size is bulky and even made from MDF will be heavy. In any case I would not buy a home made machine second hand unless I could test it for accuracy. There are some well made machines out there and there are also some that I would best describe as an experiment. In all cases I would check out the wiring and expect to put some dollars in to make it safe.

I never expect to recover my costs when I sell a machine but even so the expectation of getting a cheap machine is unlikely as the basic components to build one are expensive.

There are MDF machines in kit form that may be worth looking at. Will still require work to put it together but it takes out the development time and may be your cheapest solution.

Originally Posted by rodm

Hi Aaron,

To start they do not come up very often and it depends on what type of construction and components it is built from. Typically I budget from $2.5k to build a small machine up to $5k for a 1.2m machine. The electronics, motors, wiring, cable chains and spindle come in at $1200 and linear components about $600 for a small machine. Add ally plate, steel, angular contact bearings, hardware, casters and paint and it makes up the difference.
This does not take into account machining time and labour.

An MDF machine with skate bearing, allthread and a cheap router will still cost up to $1k to build unless someone has been lucky on the driver board and motors. Mach3 to drive it is $195Aus.

The main problem with buying second hand is freight. A machine that size is bulky and even made from MDF will be heavy. In any case I would not buy a home made machine second hand unless I could test it for accuracy. There are some well made machines out there and there are also some that I would best describe as an experiment. In all cases I would check out the wiring and expect to put some dollars in to make it safe.

I never expect to recover my costs when I sell a machine but even so the expectation of getting a cheap machine is unlikely as the basic components to build one are expensive.

There are MDF machines in kit form that may be worth looking at. Will still require work to put it together but it takes out the development time and may be your cheapest solution.

Thank you very much for your reply. I started out making a mdf one! i still have bits and pieces (only got the z axis done). If i were to purchase a kit. How strong/sturdy and accurate are they? i would do mainly bits and pieces working with wood (may not need to work with metals) for stuff like guitars so i guess max 6cm thick dense wood.
Also, can you recommend a good MDF kit for me? Cheers!

Sorry I can't recommend an MDF kit but if you do a search on here you will see one of the kit ones built by JohnH. I think he got if off ebay and it is Laser cut but check his thread for the details.

For cutting 6cm I would not recommend an MDF setup as I do not consider them rigid enough. This is an opinion and not based on practical experience. Perhaps John will be able to give you an informed opinion.

Have you looked at building a machine from aluminium extrusion, sure it isn't a cheap option but because the frame can bolt together you should see some quick progress, building your own machine will ensure you get the best parts and its finished to your quality standard, custom plates can be laser or waterjet cut if you are no good at machining.