Yes, good points, Les.
Frankly, while I appreciate very much the suggestions here to various sites for kits, I have no intention whatsoever of actually purchasing one.
I am going to build my own from scratch, for three reasons:
1. money...the kits are never really bargains when you're all done; some things you have to buy, like lathe's, because how the devil are you going to do a big casting of iron and grind it true?...but a 3D or 4D mini-mill/router absolutely can be built from scratch.
Actually, now that I think about it, a lathe really could be built from scratch using flat ground plates...but, heck, when you can get a mini-lathe for $300+ from Harbor Freight, why bother?
2. performance...I don't care what the websites say, I know from hard-won personal experience that unless you're going to buy a Bridgeport, or make your own, any compromise in-between is going to flex and vibrate all over the place (OK, I'm being a bit metaphorical here :) Unsupported rails a case in point, although I do believe they offer supported rails also, at a bump up in price....
3. scale....while I fully understand that a bigger machine allows me to play around with various modeling, etc., and have...a...goood...time, anything larger than what I precisely need is a waste of money and a compromise in performance. I know precisely the largest PCB's I have any intention of ever making, at my level of design and production, so I will scale the machine to precisely that purpose, and I will get outstanding results for small money.
More to come...in a few months...
Best! Charlie
--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Leslie Newell <les.newell@...> wrote:
>
> By the time you add all of the options to get a running machine it is
> nearer $1000. Also it is uses those horrible cheap unsupported rails
> with Oilite bearings. In the middle of it's travel that thing is going
> to flex and bend all over the place.
>
> Les
>
> On 11/09/10 02:37, Herbert E. Plett wrote:
> > look at
> > http://www.probotix.com/FireBall_v90_cnc_router_kit/
> >
> >
> > --- On Thu, 9/9/10, gandolfreefer<synchronousmosfet@...> wrote:
> >
> >> WOWZER, their 7 x 7 kit is so cheap it's gotta be the most
> >> screamin' deal on the planet!!!!
> >>
> >> I have only one cavil: it is very frustrating for them not
> >> to list any $∗#@!!! specs!! Like, what the heck is the step
> >> size for each axis? How fine a resolution is it capable of?
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and Photos:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>