Ahoi team, Been browsing round and have finally decided to pull the trigger. However i'm after some opinions from those 'in the know' as I still don't fully understand some of the pros and cons of various build designs compared to one another. I'm looking for something in the 500x500(mm) sort of size, perhaps a little smaller. It will be inside an apartment not a shed etc as this will be a trial unit to get some more hands on experience. Currently in Canada however home is Australia (where the shed resides!). The biggest issue is, I have little to no tools here as they're all boxed up back home. I have the basics but don't want to be buying new drills etc when I have trade quality gear sitting back home. Hence why i'm after a kit, as they're usually already tapped etc (obviously I will verify this). I was thinking of going the spindle route, rather than the Dewalt router style as i'd like it to be more quiet if possible, being that i'm in an apartment situation. However i'm definitely open to options and opinions. If anyone could steer me in the right direction it'd be greatly appreciated. So far i've checked out: Shapeoko: Seems nice and fairly refined at this point however seems a little expensive for what it is (I guess that's the cost of good support and a well known product?). X-Carve: Similar to above, looks refined and definitely in a super easy kit form. The X-Controller seems a bit expensive and same goes for the steppers? Open builds ACRO: Is this just meant for lighter work like engraving using laser etc? It seems a lot less substantial so i'm just guessing it's for laser based work? Thinner materials, foam, cardboard etc or am I wrong here? Open builds C-Beam: This would have to be my pick of what I like the most, however the small just seems like it may be a bit -too- small for what i'm after and the XL comes to quite a good chunk of change when considering you also need the driver, PSU and spindle. I'm also concerned they may require tools I don't have to complete? And of course a bunch of various chinese models, however I just don't feel comfortable investing in. If someone could help point me in the right direction it'd be great. I'm primarily using this to learn how everything works and get used to the design aspect so once back home I can purchase a bigger machine and be more confident with what i'm doing (build that one exactly to how I want, rather than be limited to the kit). It does need to be reasonably accurate as I will be using to make scaled down prototypes of various slot together furniture, and also the more quiet the better (however this isn't a deal breaker). Sorry for the large post, but am just being a little bamboozled by all the options and want to get the best bang for buck.
You may want to look at SMW3D's Ox kit, it's complete with spindle, controller and motors. It's drilled and tapped where necessary, and includes the tools you need to assemble it. They are an Openbuilds distributor.
Oh good catch I did look at this one, but couldn't find it again. Just noticed why, I bookmarked the R7 instead (must have been dreaming, the R7 is a bit out of my budget for the first machine). The SMW3D Ox kit does really look the goods. Without knowing much about the spindle specifics, do you have any idea what the 400w default versus 600w upgraded spindle would be capable of? I would like to be able to work with aluminium if possible, though wood will be the main use.
