Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi
I'm looking into this machine. http://www.cnc-step.com/englisch/index.html
I plan to use it to cut templates or some smaller parts(inlays, headplates, bridges etc.) and maybe a prototype of a neck or electric guitar body or rough an archtop plate. Maybe even make parts for other machines or tools. Do you think it will make it? The price seems atractive even for the bigger machine. Also the 3dscanner probe seems attractive.
I live in Greece so I'm searching for a european machine (shipping costs, customs etc.)

I think it will suffice for what you plan to do with it, but no more than that.

You can see in the video with the indicator on Z that it is not sturdy enough for serious routing. When X stops and Z moves there is a lot of shaking on that indicator. If it's own stop/start inertia can do that, the load of material removal certainly can.

I would also ask them why it's so slow, and be aware that the Z clearance includes your cutter height, so at 100mm of clearance, a 2 inch cutter is going to max you out at less than 2 inches of part height.

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John Watkins
CNC Guitar Parts

Thank you for the comments John. I was too very worried about the rigidity of this type of machines but I thought that by using slower speeds things could be passable.... I'm still searching for something else at this price range... Unfortunatelly I don't have much time right now to build my own machine!!! Also I' m going to get financial help from the goverment so I thought that this was not a bad machine to have!!