Affordable CNC...

[Matt Clara]

Ok. I've done more research based on James' comments. He's too nice to put anybody down, but I'm not afraid to call a spade a spade. To whit, PCnC is nothing more than a website with no business behind it, though they may still take your money if you give it to them. A lot of people have lost money to this company. You can read these threads here (link goes to CNC Zone) and make your own mind up on the subject. I've written Saw Mill Creek and asked that my lists have PCnC removed from them. I'd do it myself, except the forum won't allow one to edit one's posts after a certain amount of time. I'd like to go on record to say, that rule makes no damn sense whatsoever. I'm a member of several forums like this one, using the same software as this one, and this is the only one with this obtuse editing rule. (And yes, I'm cranky today--just found out my hand will require a second surgery!)

The other company being referred to is Sidewinder. My research indicates the owner of Sidewinder is a nice guy who has gotten in over his head selling machines lacking in rigidity. Caveat Emptor.

My list is not intended as a recommendation for any of the units on it, nor is it advertising for those units. It is provided for informational purposes only.

[james mcgrew]

it is all good matt, the internet can be as bad as it can be good, too many time people think we are blowing smoke about this stuff but when you can get ripped accidently or otherwise for these kinds of bucks a little help is appreciated!! i came within 15 minutes of sending a cashiers check to a fellow in new hampshire who it ended up was arrested for fraud and had cleaned quite a few peoples clocks, i did not have 20.000 to give away not then and not now!!

jim

[james mcgrew]

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[Gerry Grzadzinski]

I'm a member of several forums like this one, using the same software as this one, and this is the only one with this obtuse editing rule.

That other CNC forum you mentioned has the same rule. I moderate there, and we instituted it when some members would go back and remove all there posts, or all the photos from threads. Some really good information was gone.

[Jerome Stanek]

I think I corresponded to the same guy as Jim. When I asked him if I could come up there and see it in operation he dodged around that and said just send him a check to get the machine.

[Matt Clara]

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You tryin' to sell me on a diy kit?

[Matt Clara]

That other CNC forum you mentioned has the same rule. I moderate there, and we instituted it when some members would go back and remove all there posts, or all the photos from threads. Some really good information was gone.

Thanks, Gerry--like I said, I was cranky.

[james mcgrew]

you will see more soon!!

jim

[Matt Clara]

you will see more soon!!

jim

I'm certainly interested. You recently mentioned some new bench top models coming from some of the top companies, and I'm interested in that, too, though I expect the prices will still be more than what I'm willing to fork over. I tell you what, though, all the talk about cnc this and cnc that with my wife is starting to take hold. She likes to sew, and loves cool buttons. The other day she says to me, could you make cool carved buttons with a cnc machine? You bet your sweet patootee I could, I replied.

[james mcgrew]

you catch on quick matt !!

[Glenn Corser]

Just add my .005 cents. I bought a Zenbot several months ago and have been very happy with it. I'm doing simple things like coaster holders and lamp bases but it is fast, accurate, and easy to clean. It runs on Mach so you have a pretty big user community to ping off. I built a simple plexiglass enclosure and just vacuum the mess up when something is done. It has a few negatives like no limit switches and the Rotozip is not a 3 hp router but if you are looking for a light duty machine for small jobs I think you could do much worse for more money.

[Matt Clara]

Just add my .005 cents. I bought a Zenbot several months ago and have been very happy with it. I'm doing simple things like coaster holders and lamp bases but it is fast, accurate, and easy to clean. It runs on Mach so you have a pretty big user community to ping off. I built a simple plexiglass enclosure and just vacuum the mess up when something is done. It has a few negatives like no limit switches and the Rotozip is not a 3 hp router but if you are looking for a light duty machine for small jobs I think you could do much worse for more money.

I am aiming for a zenbot 2424, though I'm keeping my eyes open for anything competitive to it. The closest thing appears to be the cnc shark pro, but it costs $1500 more. One nice thing about the larger zenbots, like the 1624 and the 2424 is they allow for a larger router (actually, three out of their four models offer this option). They offer a mount for a 2.25 hp hitachi. There's not a lot out there on the zenbots, so your review is appreciated.

UPDATE: for some reason I thought I was in Dan's 3K cnc thread, and so I repeated some info already found elsewhere in this thread.

[Glenn Corser]

I hadn't been to the Zenbot website for a while and missed the new 24 x 24 and the new router. I've got the 16 x 24 which is fine for what I'm doing and the amount of space I've got to do it in. One other thing that I really like is that it is belt driven, no lead screws and no grease. I learned what little I know about CNC on a MaxNC mill that we bought several years ago and it basically was a piece of crap that was totally miserable to clean. I know what you are going through, when I finally decided to get a router I was on a tight budget and had already made one mistake so I was going back and forth between all the choices listed in this thread. I finally figured that if I was going to make another mistake I'd make the cheapest one I could. Luckily it wasn't a mistake.