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But if you're actually machining stuff you're going to pay way more than 60/month in associated costs anyway?

by foldr 6y ago

auxym 6y ago
I have to agree with that. A decent CNC is a few 10k$, plus ongoing cost like tooling. At that point 60/month is pretty minimal.
justinclift 6y ago
Hell no. My local Makerspace has various low end CNC machines ranging from an old 800x800mm XCarve (3 axis only), that's useful for teaching people and using cut-offs from the wood workers. We have a donated 4-axis machine as well, we've been getting up and running. Replaced the proprietary controller board with an Open Source one, and mostly just need to calibrate it and figure out an effective post processor.
- foldr 6y ago
  If someone is letting you use their CNC machine for free, then sure. But whoever is paying the costs associated with maintaining that machine and buying materials is going to be paying more than 60/month.
  - justinclift 6y ago
    Again no. I'm the person maintaining those machines. The maintenance cost is practically zero. Occasionally (every few months) we may need to buy a set of 1/8" bits (for $10). Entry level CNC machines can be assembled pretty cheaply. eg PrintNC: https://github.com/threedesigns/printNC https://github.com/threedesigns/printNC For materials, we have several wood workers in the Makerspace and can either use their off cuts, or buy a sheet of MDF ($10) that lasts a few weeks.
    - foldr 6y ago
      Doesn't it cost about $1000 to build a printNC? And if you are just cutting sheets of wood or plastic, you don't really need a proper CAD package.
      - justinclift 6y ago
        The cost depends on the components you choose. Picking cheap components, and being careful, you can probably do one for ~US$500 (rough guess). That machine would last several years. Though hobbyists do tend to upgrade their machines over time (eg add a 4th axis). > And if you are just cutting sheets of wood or plastic, you don't really need a proper CAD package. You might be surprised what you can create from MDF sheet, and/or 2-by-4" offcuts. :)

But if you're actually machining stuff you're going to pay way more than 60/month in associated costs anyway?

by foldr 6y ago

But if you're actually machining stuff you're going to pay way more than 60/month in associated costs anyway?

I have to agree with that. A decent CNC is a few 10k$, plus ongoing cost like tooling. At that point 60/month is pretty minimal.

justinclift 6y ago

Hell no. My local Makerspace has various low end CNC machines ranging from an old 800x800mm XCarve (3 axis only), that's useful for teaching people and using cut-offs from the wood workers. We have a donated 4-axis machine as well, we've been getting up and running. Replaced the proprietary controller board with an Open Source one, and mostly just need to calibrate it and figure out an effective post processor.

foldr 6y ago
If someone is letting you use their CNC machine for free, then sure. But whoever is paying the costs associated with maintaining that machine and buying materials is going to be paying more than 60/month.
- justinclift 6y ago
  Again no. I'm the person maintaining those machines. The maintenance cost is practically zero. Occasionally (every few months) we may need to buy a set of 1/8" bits (for $10). Entry level CNC machines can be assembled pretty cheaply. eg PrintNC: https://github.com/threedesigns/printNC https://github.com/threedesigns/printNC For materials, we have several wood workers in the Makerspace and can either use their off cuts, or buy a sheet of MDF ($10) that lasts a few weeks.
  - foldr 6y ago
    Doesn't it cost about $1000 to build a printNC? And if you are just cutting sheets of wood or plastic, you don't really need a proper CAD package.
    - justinclift 6y ago
      The cost depends on the components you choose. Picking cheap components, and being careful, you can probably do one for ~US$500 (rough guess). That machine would last several years. Though hobbyists do tend to upgrade their machines over time (eg add a 4th axis). > And if you are just cutting sheets of wood or plastic, you don't really need a proper CAD package. You might be surprised what you can create from MDF sheet, and/or 2-by-4" offcuts. :)