CNC Router options under $3500

[dkhntr04]

Hi,

I am a technology teacher and I am looking at procuring a CNC router for my classroom. I have about $3500 maximum available for purchase. 4x8 sheet capacity would be nice but I doubt it would fit in my price range. I would like a machine with a decent Z travel as I plan on using it more to teach milling operations than furniture/cabinet production.

I have done a little bit of research but am having a difficult time even finding machines or vendors. Can you folks provide any info about products that are out there? Thanks

[macona]

Either find used or chinese. This one is $3900 and pretty tiny.

http://www.scottware.net/Routers/router_FX3030DT.html

You can probably get it cheaper sourcing from a vendor in china though.

[mdred68]

how about getting a set of plans and making one.

[tumutbound]

I think that given your budget and the desired cutting size, the only option will be to build one.
If you haven't already done so, check out cnczone.com (http://www.cnczone.com) and ask a few questions.

[JoeBean]

http://salecnc.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21&osCsid=cfa87da38c9b7177d76d2e23aa6b16ba

http://www.cnczone.com/classifieds/showcat.php/cat/4

[wmgeorge]

Hi,

I am a technology teacher and I am looking at procuring a CNC router for my classroom. I have about $3500 maximum available for purchase. 4x8 sheet capacity would be nice but I doubt it would fit in my price range. I would like a machine with a decent Z travel as I plan on using it more to teach milling operations than furniture/cabinet production.

I have done a little bit of research but am having a difficult time even finding machines or vendors. Can you folks provide any info about products that are out there? Thanks

I purchased a 24 inch by 12 inch one from Fred Smith at IM Service in Hudson Michigan a year ago. I wish I could say it was trouble free, but for the first 2 months I corrected a lot of build errors and suffered until the DeskCNC control program was fixed. This runs off a serial or USB port with a convertor so your not locking into a parallal port.
But now it works like it should. Very well designed, uses good parts and does a great job, now. He uses servo motors and encoders for the machine and builds the router and control boxes in his plant, not from China. Don't waste your money on the Trend router he is selling for a spindle, It lasted me about 5 weeks. I ended up with a Bosch Colt variable speed trim router, and mounted in a nice machined aluminum base purchased from a vender on eBay.
Fred can be hard to deal with at times, but I think he was trying to do to much at one time and this was a new machine for him.

I use a software program called VCarve Pro, to design my stuff. Well worth the $500. Fred is selling the CNC router, control box/power supply for $2600, already pre-built ready to set up and use. The Bosch router will cost another $120 from Lowes and the mount is $60 or so... good luck.

[dkhntr04]

Thanks for the info everyone. The more I looked into a router, an X3 conversion made more sense. The x3 is now in my classroom with conversion parts on the way. Thanks again.

[Mark Hockett]

Here's another one listed on CL,
http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/tls/1537992172.html