THAT WON’T BREAK THE BUDGET.
Recently, a wood working friend on Twitter asked for my advice. He wanted to know if their were any inexpensive CNC router tables that won’t break the budget? CNC router tables can be an expensive investment in your woodworking hobby, but I feel it brings a variety of new options to your woodworking. My first response was to ask an what his budget was for the project. When he responded that he would like to spend between $500 and $1000 including software, I knew he was in for a shock. I told him that he could expect to spend about as much on a CNC router table as he would spend on a SawStop table saw (or two). He was understandably disappointed by my response, but it got me thinking. Was it possible? Here is what I found out.
The marketplace for CNC router tables has been changing rapidly. As more and more people choose to bring CNC machines into their workshop, the number of choices has gone up while the price has gone down. While it is still tough to find a CNC router table for under $1000, it is not impossible. Finding one that includes software at that price would be unusual.
One thing to consider before buying any CNC equipment is what your intended use is. If it is light duty CNC work than any of the machines listed below will work. However if you intend to machine aluminum or brass you may need to consider a larger more rigid machine. You should also be aware that I have no personal experience with any of the machines listed below.
Dimension Table for T-Slots, Bolts, and Nuts per. American National Standard T-Slots ANSI/ASME B5.1M-1985. Width of tongue used with the T-Slots will be found in the complete standard, B5.1M. Throat dimensions are basic. When slots are intended to be used for holding only, tolerances can be 0.0 + 0.010 inch or H12 Metric (ISO/R286); when.
There currently several small companies which offer CNC kits that won’t break the budget. Some of the kits listed below are more expensive than the original $1000 budget. However, all of the kits listed are available at or below the cost as a Sawstop Cabinet saw.
Digirout 200
cost $1900
http://www.digirout.com/dr200.html
The Digirout 200 is a small CNC router table with a two foot square cutting area. This router comes as a kit and must be assembled by the owner. The construction is mostly aluminum extrusion and powder coated steel parts. It includes an aluminum T-Slot table to make holding down your work-piece easier. It is designed to work with a Porter Cable 892 router and mount And will cut at 100 inches per minute. At roughly $2100 for the kit you will have close to $3000 invested including software.
CNC Kit Features:
- 3″ x 6″ bridge with a 3″ Z travel ,
- CNC fabricated structural steel gussets.
- Aluminum extruded frame
- High speed gothic arch linear bearings
- Precision hardened & ground linear guidance rails
The Nomad 883
Cost:$2,499.00
http://carbide3d.com/
The Nomad 883 is the result of a kickstarter project. I believe it is aimed at those who are fascinated by the 3D printer craze. The stated goal of the company (Carbide3D ) was to take the guesswork out of operating a CNC machine. Everything you’ll need to get started is included – software (for Mac and PC), cutters, cables, even a starter pack of material.
The Nomad 883 is fully enclosed in a cabinet to help control the dust and limit the noise. To further reduce noise, the Nomad 883 does not use a router motor. Instead it uses a Brushless DC motor and a belt driven spindle. Since the speed control features a closed loop system, you should be able to control spindle speed from withing the software.
The overall cutting area is small at 8″x8″x3″ but the size is comparable to that of a 3D printer. Unlike many 3D printers the Nomad 883 is not flimsy. It features an all aluminum frame, precision ground rods and linear bearings.
Lastly, the Nomad 883 comes equipped with Carbidemotion and Meshcam so there is no need to buy additional software. However, if you would like to use another CNC software the Carbidemotion software will accept g-code from most packages.
Bluechick 13×36 Desktop CNC Router
Price: $1620.50
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/DesktopCNCMachineKitblueChick.aspx
The BlueChick is a Build it yourself CNC Router table. It uses CNC cut MDO (Medium Density Overlay) plywood parts and aluminum angle stock to build a 13″x36″x4″ machine. The drive system uses a timing belt and pulley system instead of leadscrews. This system allows the BlueChic to move at 500 Inches Per minute.
The gantry of the machine moves on V-bearing riding on angle iron. While this is not my favorite system it is functional. The steel V-bearing will wear out the aluminum angle in a few years but they are easily replaced at a local big box store.
The BlueChic uses Mach3 for the CNC control software. Mach3 is widely used and is my personal favorite for control software. It also support LinuxCNC a free opensource control software. LinuxCNC is good software and many people swear by it. Either piece of software will control your machine just fine.
Steel T Slot Table
CNC Kit Features:
- 13″x36″x4″ Travel.
- Can cut virtually any material
- X and Y movement speed 500 IPM (inches per minute)
- Uses either Mach3 or LinuxCNC
Cnc Table Top Milling Machine
CNC Carving Machine 12″x12″
Cost: $679.00*
Zentoolworks.com
Two machines in this report are the low cost leaders. The first has to be the Zentoolworks CNC Carving Machine F8 version. This is the 12″x12″ DIY CNC kit with F8 Leadscrew on all three axis. The frame is constructed with high density PVC boards, steel guide rods, linear bearings and stainless steel lead screws. The leadscrew features an anti-backlash brass nut design to help reduce backlash.
Assembling the CNC Carving Machine only takes around 3-4 hours to complete. There is an active WIKI Website for up to date instructions. Obviously, a PVC machine is not as ridgid as an aluminum machine but it is still a nice workable system for light duty CNC work.
The CNC Carving Machine is not a complete kit. You will need a 3 Axis Stepper Motor Driver to manage the motors, a spindle/cutter with mounting brackets, a DC power supply for both and you will also need a computer with a standard printer port and CNC control software.
T Slot Table Top
CNC Kit Features:
- 12(X) x 12(Y) x 2(Z) inches travel capacity
- PVC Frame, Steel guide rods and precision linear bearings provide maximum accuracy and rigidity
- 3 x New Nema 23 Stepper Motors included (2 Phase, 4 Wires, 1.5A, Bipolar)
- F8 lead screws on all X, Y and Z Axis. Now you can get about 5 times faster feed rate than our original M8x1.25 lead screws.
- Effective backlash elimination with brass Anti-Backlash Lead Screw nuts
SHAPEOKO
Cost:$685
http://shapeoko.com
I have covered the Shapeoko from it’s initial launch on Kickstarter in 2011. You can see my other articles here. The Shapeoko is a light duty CNC router which uses Makerslide extruded aluminum rail and delrin V bearing wheels. The basic kit with just the mechanical parts starts at $299. By the time you add all the parts together though you are looking at $1000. Now the Shapeoko 2 is being sold by Inventables.com.
Shapeoko 2 is designed to use a Dremel tool as the spindle but an upgraded high speed spindle is also available.
There are a number of software options you can use with Shapeoko. Inventables is currently developing Easel, a free web app that lets you design and carve projects right from your web browser. If you choose not to use Easle their are a variety of other free choices including Inkscape,MakerCam, and Universal G-Code-Sender.
CNC Kit Features:
- Cutting area 11.75″x11.75″x2 1/8″
- Acme Leadscrew Z axis
- Belt Drive X & Y axis
- (4) Nema 17 62 oz/in stepper motors
CONCLUSION:
Based on these findings it looks like it is possible to get into CNC Router table for under $1000. However, will the machine you buy meet your needs in the future? Would you be better served investing a little more and getting a larger machine? The answer to these question and others depends completely on the user.
If you found this post useful please leave a comment below or on Twitter. I can be reached on Twitter at @BillGriggs.