Your thoughts on this CNC Engraver please

[Perry Holbrook]

I have just started research on a small CNC router/Engraver and stumbled across this on Ebay last night. The item # is 260032535030 and the seller is cardin1 . Turns out the seller builds these machines and lives just a few miles from me. He has agreed to let me visit him and get a first hand look at the system, but I don't really know yet what to look for.

Do any of you guys know this system or would you be willing to take a look and give me your impressions? Apparently he has been selling this on ebay for some time. I don't know what the bids have been since its a private auction. What would be a fair price for a similiar system?

Thanks, Perry

[Richard Rumancik]

My suggestion is go look at it, then do more investigation. Seems the frame is all made from polyethylene. It looks like a nice machine in the pics but I am not sure if poly is rigid enough. I would tend to favor an aluminum frame. I suggest you get a firm hold on the carriage holding the dremel and gently try to wiggle it. If it is not really rigid I suspect it may have some problems with repeatibility. Engraving is more forgiving in some ways than making parts, however. Depends on what you want to do and the accuracy you expect. If you decide something is not deep enough and "repeat" the job, will it follow the original path?

I would not rush into it. Look at other models. There are quite a few "home built" machines out there. Stay away from MDF frames as well.

Dremels are not the best spindles. They often have too much runout. You may have to buy a true engraving spindle ($1000 and up) so you can load real engraving tools.

The Mach 3 software takes G-code and drives the motors on the machine. You need to have software to create the artwork. Corel will create text/vector artwork, but does not create the G-codes. Make sure you understand the entire path start to finish before you buy.

If you are doing text investigate a program called V-Carve. Sign software for CNC can be expensive.

I don't want to discourage you - it might be a good entry level machine. But don't be surprised if you get well over the $5000 mark for a basic system.

Feel free to ask more . . .

[Rodne Gold]

I would give it a miss , I would buy a commercial system that was designed from ground up and an engraver and enjoys support rather than go for something like this. If you do not know engraving or engraving packages and dont understand post processors , this machine is going to be a nightmare. Buy something tried and tested and easy to use that you can make money with from day 1.
I can see a lot of elements of this machine marketed as an engraver that would put me off big time.
I have been involved with CnC tables and engravers since 1984 and have been thru the mill in terms of trying to adapt unsuitable stuff.

[Mitchell Andrus]

I'd take both previous posts to heart. I've ALWAYS regretted spending money on a tool that was cheap and less than what I really needed.

Mitch

[Kenneth Hertzog]

Perry
I own sherline equipment with flashcut controls. Have never reqreted the price and the equipment is USA made. sherline has a 3/4 X 16 headstock thread, which is normal, and you can buy anything for it from different suppliers as well as sherline.

ken
slippery rock, pa

[Kevin Z. Johnson]

we have a CNC mill, I would not buy anything but a cast iron frame. There is a lot of stress on the tools which translates to the frame, you will have to send the cutters out to be sharped, we have about 30 different cutters and keep as many a 10 sharped of one size. A lube pump would be a plus also some of the stuff you will use it for will need to be cooled. They are not as fast as our lasers but do heavier one of a kind jobs what they are are faster at is heavy cuts in to a material.
I would not be with out mine they are limited and have to learn where to use them as the laser is.

[Kim Vellore]

I have a sherline CNC mill and lathe and I have used bigger machines and I would pass on this one. The biggest negative would be the dremel. The spindle is a critical part of the tool and dremels are not made for slow speeds or side loads. While cutting metal speed and feed is very important and you cannot maintain speed of a dremel when the load changes. It is OK for small engraving not metal cutting. In my mill max speed of the spindle is 3000RPM and in a high speed mill the max speed is 10000RPM for engraving on stone. For most metals my speed has been between 800-2000Rpm. At that speed dremel would not maintain speed and at high speeds softer metals like aluminum will melt and just clog up the bit.
This would just be my opinion.

Kim

[Perry Holbrook]

Isn't it wonderful to have a place like this to get straight answers.
Thanks for the info, I'm a little smarter now.

Perry

[David Fairfield]

I agree the weak point looks like the Dremel. I use one, its reliable (20 yrs and counting), but its always had end-shake, and is just not a professional grade machine tool. The rest of this guy's router looks solid.

If you're mostly making crafty stuff with soft materials, like wood and plastic, and you don't need extreme precision as you'd get with a vertical mill, I'd take the guy up on his offer to at least come take a look-see.

He lives in your neighborhood and could turn out to be a good resource/mentor. Can't put a price on that!

Sincerely,
Dave