# Newbee looking for CNC recomendations



## explorer22 (Nov 8, 2015)

I have no experience with CNC machines. I have been looking at a number of machines and am more confused then ever. I am looking for a machine for a small home work shop. I would like to keep it under $2750. if at all possible. Would obviously like to get the best value for the buck. Any advise would be appreciated.


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

. Hello and welcome to the forum, Ron
plenty of people on here that know a lot about CNC's, sorry I'm not one of them hope you enjoy the forum.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Welcome to the forum, Ron.


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## bgriggs (Nov 26, 2008)

Ron, there are many choices in that price range. Determine the size of the machine you want and I willsuggest a few choices.

Bill


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## rkaligian (Jan 22, 2011)

As far as I am concerned, Probotix has the very best CNC on the market today. I own and use on a regular basis the Probotix Comet. They are made in the USA (Illinois) and the company is family owned. Great service and help.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Welcome to the forum Ron.


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

What helped me when I first started out using a CNC was that the one I bought came with VCarve Pro bundled into the price. That was an early CNC Shark sold by Rockler. It had an MDF bed with a couple of t-slots cut into it, which I eventually upgraded to a fully t-track aluminum bed. 

When I needed a larger CNC I went with the Probotix Meteor, a fully configured CNC including limit/home switches, dual Y axis steppers which allowed opening up the bed for vertical and angled/compound cuts inside the frame. The Linux PC running LinuxCNC and separate controller were already configured so all I had to do was plug in cables. Already owning and knowing VCarve meant I could get right to work exploiting the new capabilities and haven't regretted anything about it. Probotix keeps upgrading features, accessories, and options you can choose when buying from them. I've since ordered two more CNCs from them for the college shop I teach in. 

For less money you can get kits, but you'll still need to invest in software to draw up and generate g-code for any CNC you buy. The bed of the Probotix CNCs is an MDF sheet, so determining how you'll clamp parts down to it may cost little or another $200-$300. I added t-track on 4" centers to all three I oversee, with MDF slats between and atop the track as a spoil board. Then lowered the original MDF flush to the frame rails so I wouldn't lose any Z travel. 

Add a spindle, build a bench to put it on, invest in bits, etc., and you'll discover this isn't a cheap tool no matter how little you pay for it up front. 

4D


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

What 4D said ......... and he's very knowledgeable in this field.

He swung me and several others over to the Probotix side - very convenient when you can just unpack the crate, plug everything in, look confused, and then get started.

The owner can be gotten hold of direct and will walk you thru any problems you may have. Course you always have us to confuse you even further.

HJ


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Welcome to the forum Ron 

4D what do you think of this for securing to mdf? 

Omer B17P Composite Nailer | CNCRouterParts


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Rick,

You can't beat the track and clamp system. Doesn't take long for that MDF board to get eaten up and start crumbling. Will work the fasteners loose too, if they don't have threads.

One of the 2 knocks I have with my Probotix is the bed that came with it. Like your insulation plans for the future, I want to make an all track bed like the Shark has. But I got to figure out whether to go with the 80/20 stuff or piece together the Rockler T-tracks. It's that old time and money thing. Plus, I keep cutting things.

HJ


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

honesttjohn said:


> Rick,
> 
> You can't beat the track and clamp system. Doesn't take long for that MDF board to get eaten up and start crumbling. Will work the fasteners loose too, if they don't have threads.
> 
> ...


That aluminum bed sounds a heck of a lot easier than insulating and drywalling lol


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## explorer22 (Nov 8, 2015)

Thanks for all the welcomes good to be here. I have a lot to learn. Bill as far as size goes I am kind of open to that at this point. I am looking for a quality machine that is going to be dependable in my price range. The Probotix looks like a real nice machine. But after you ad the options onto it, it jumps way out of my price range. I guess overall I would like to get the largest on I can, and dependability and ease of use are important to help me with the learning curve. Thanks again guys for all the input.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Ron I'm no expert , but I have a feeling with that kind of budget your going to end up with a bench top model, 
or maybe you can find a bigger model that's used .

CNC Parts .com has kits . Maybe if you look at there options and sizes it could give you an idea what kind of prices you could expect . In my case the one I want to build is going to be a 10K hit , but well worth it IMO .

CNCRouterParts


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

I can't comment on the composite nailer strategy for holding parts down because I've never tried it. 

If you aren't intimidated by putting together and wiring up your own CNC kit then you can get an X-Carve 1m x 1m CNC kit. You can't hang a full sized router on it though as the center of the extrusions they use would twist or sag in the center. https://www.inventables.com/technologies/x-carve Fully loaded for $1400 but you'll still wish you had VCarve Pro or Aspire to create toolpaths for it. Many reviews on Youtube, but be wary as most reviewers got their X-carve for free. 

4D


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

You get what you pay for!!!

HJ


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## explorer22 (Nov 8, 2015)

Hey guys there are two Probotix units on e-bay what do u think of buying one used? What do you think about the Probotix Fireball V90 CNC Router ? Let me know.


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## IRestore (Mar 28, 2015)

I purchased the Oliver 1013 - 13" intelliCarve
Table Saw, Jointers, Planers-Woodworking Machines-Oliver Machinery.
I bought it from Woodcraft & have been very happy with it. 
Cost is $2,100 & I added on the anti-dust kit for $185.
Great customer service, easy to use.

Good luck.


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## explorer22 (Nov 8, 2015)

OK guys looking for your opinion on the CHC shark? Found one locally with a decent price. Let me here all your opinions.

Thanks Again

Ron


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

What model of Shark? Earlier versions were prone to router sag as the back plate of the gantry was plastic and would warp/twist under weight. If the one you want has an aluminum gantry back plate then it should be a worthy investment.


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## explorer22 (Nov 8, 2015)

This is the one Bill


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## Scottart (Jan 8, 2015)

explorer22 said:


> OK guys looking for your opinion on the CHC shark? Found one locally with a decent price. Let me here all your opinions.
> 
> Thanks Again
> 
> Ron


I bought my CNC Shark Pro in 2012, love it, great support, easy to use. it still runs to day beside by bigger CNC Router Parts . 48 96.

It you buy it used make sure they give you all the owner codes that come with the software.. so you can just pay for upgrades instead of buying all new. 

great machine.


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