cool tools for the shop....

[BDKW1]

Plus it will only make soft parts.  Not usable prototypes, unless your prototyping plastic parts.

This one will make usable parts........ http://www.eos.info/en/products/metal-laser-sintering.html

[Whiplash]

Not as cool as those but I just found this and think it would be a KILLER addition to any home shop!

http://www.cncmasters.com/index.html

[Boostinjdm]

That's a cool link Whiplash.  I have been looking at the 9"x49" size mills and CNC would be a bonus.  What do you guys think of the CNC Supra.  Master, Doug?  Am I correct in thinking that if I want to write out the code by hand it's ready to go?  What about the size of the stepper motors?  Anything wrong with that set up that you can see?

[Admin]

the machines are imports, if you want to get techy you could cnc it yourself for a lot less money... same machine hf/grizzly/jet etc sells, different paint, and generally different motors... Oh i left out enco...

cnczone.com has all the know how and links to gagetry to get it done...

[Admin]

3700 at grizzly, another 3 k will cnc it...

[Boostinjdm]

actually Grizzly is where I been looking.  I have bought and used stuff from them before with acceptable results.  What I really need is to find a local seller of used and rebuilt equipment so I can visit them daily to drool and harrass them into a good deal on a name brand machine.

[Admin]

I like grizzlys stuff myself, the biggest and only difference between them and harbor freight is the motor, grizzly uses usa motors, and they paint them green, were hf uses the crappy import motors....

[fabr]

Personal opinion only! I feel that if you do not need fancy profile work you don't really need a CNC. A good Bridgeport type machine with XYZ digital readout will do 90% of all you need and with more accuracy than a bridgeport machine CNC converted.Why? Unless a machine has ballscrews instead of regular leadscrews you will have problems keeping on tolerance/positioning. 

[fabr]

I like the Centroid operating system.Very user friendly apparently from all indications. Actually I'm torn at the moment between learning the Fadal system or just biting the bullet and updating to the centroid on my VMC now.

[fabr]

actually Grizzly is where I been looking.  I have bought and used stuff from them before with acceptable results.  What I really need is to find a local seller of used and rebuilt equipment so I can visit them daily to drool and harrass them into a good deal on a name brand machine.

Just go online ,search useed machine tools and drool.There's gonna be plenty of equipment available as the econo gets worse.Likely some great buys.

[Admin]

I like the Centroid operating system.Very user friendly apparently from all indications. Actually I'm torn at the moment between learning the Fadal system or just biting the bullet and updating to the centroid on my VMC now.

Bite the bullet... you can even buy ballscrews new to convert some of these import machines, a guy really could cnc an import for as much as the machine costs... I almost did this myself, live wires brother has a old cnc mill, was priced right, but the tooling threw me off, needs the controller updated as well... but 5k would have had me a good running cnc machine, name branded as well.... cant remember the number but the cat tooling was extinct i think, and expensive as hell to buy...

[Boostinjdm]

Personal opinion only! I feel that if you do not need fancy profile work you don't really need a CNC. A good Bridgeport type machine with XYZ digital readout will do 90% of all you need and with more accuracy than a bridgeport machine CNC converted.Why? Unless a machine has ballscrews instead of regular leadscrews you will have problems keeping on tolerance/positioning.

The CNC Supra from CNCMASTERS has ball screws.  On the surface it at least looks comparable, if not better than the machines I have considered.  It is at the upper end of what I am willing to spend and it is new. But this all depends on me selling the house so I better get back to work.  Two weeks left to finish the major stuff.