Anyone familiar with this machine?

garym1957 wrote:

I'm not sure what to expect. I like the numbers but I'm not sure what that equates to in real life. .002" is pretty tight if the advertising is for real.

5mm pitch, 200 steps per rev = 0.001", so they aren't claiming stepper resolution.
I imagine it can position to the stated accuracy, after which the size of the cut and the stiffness of the machine control the ultimate accuracy.

Worst case, in year or so you will know what you really want and/or need. You might find your budget increases.
(Yes, this is the voice of experience)

garym1957 wrote:

I'm not sure what to expect. I like the numbers but I'm not sure what that equates to in real life. .002" is pretty tight if the advertising is for real.

If you had another 0 in there it would be pretty tight like 0.0002"... advertising is just that and I read all of it with a grain of salt.

John

garym1957 wrote:

He did say the linear bearings were fully supported.

That sounds like a plus.

The 16mm ball screws are 5TPI which I'm not sure that better than a 1/2 10TPI which people seem to like.

16mm nuts will be a lot stiffer than 12.7mm nuts.

We had a bit of a language issue. I speak English and he speaks something else.

Unfortunately it is the same here, we all speak CNC/Linux Geek

I'm still unsure if that machine can take a router attachment or if it can only work with an expensive spindle. (I do plan on buying a real spindle down the road).

I can tell you are new to all this Anything can be anything in this game. Hardware not up to scratch? Make new parts. Software not up to scratch? Edit and re-compile.
It looks fairly easy to unbolt the top mounting on that router, then you can attach a normal handheld to the lower plate. It won't be as stiff, but it will work. The Bosch Colt is apparently popular for this sort of application (SO I have read, I am pretty sure they don't even sell it in the UK, where I am)

I genuinely can't tell if the gentleman was truly worried about me making the wrong purchase or if he is a diabolical genius at the upsell. He has a nice 4800 dollar machine that is "production quality".

How many guitars do you want to make? If you are making to sell, then factor in the prospect of a better machine paying for itself faster. If it is really a hobby undertaking, where taking an hour to make a part rather than 10 minutes is irrelevant then get the hobby one.
One thing about hobby CNC, you can leave it running and watch TV, read a book, walk the dog….

I'm a bit confused here. The machine appears to be as solid as one can expect for the size and money. What lurking demons am I likely to discover if I did buy this thing, add some electronics and a spindle??

The problems that you could find is that the machine is not strong enough to cut fast enough to avoid burning the wood. Or it might flex, find a resonance and break bits.
Or it could be absolutely fine.

I know very little of CNC and I have to start with something.
Again, I have a budget of about 1600 bucks. Can I even get a decent machine for that price?

It's the bottom end of the market for an assembled, new, machine.
Have you considered buying a used machine? This one is in the wrong country (I assume) but show the sort of thing you might find. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/routout-cnc-z90sp-rou...erspex-/220822738256

garym1957 wrote:

Ahh.. rolled vs ground. I get it. I've seen them make twist drills by literally twisting some red hot flat stock.

I dont see myself hogging out a guitar. Maybe whittling away for hours though... Doesn't that work with smaller machines?

Crap, I was thinking I would order that machine. Now I'm not so sure.
Picking my wife was easier.

I would find out what the travels are, and when dimensions are "about..." they might come from several sources. Ask for a few customer contacts if possible. Post on a commercial forum like the zone to see if you can connect with someone that already owns one. Make sure the XYZ travels are enough to make the parts you want and don't forget some room for tools.

www.cnczone.com/forums/keling_products/

What you might expect is flexing at the bit and that depends on your side loads you impose. Cutting wood does take a fairly fast feed to keep from burning the wood from friction heat build up. It may or may not have the power. I do like the t-slot bed, might make it easy to jig up. And like I said before it does have ball screws... maybe not the best but tons better than acme screws for milling.

If it was me I'd make one using good ball screws, linear rails and if steppers use Automation Direct steppers and Gecko drives with Antek power supply. I assume you don't have access to a machine shop to make the few parts needed and there seems to be a state between us so dropping by my shop and making parts might not be a good option. You would be welcome to use my shop if you lived closer...

John