starting up in cnc machining?

Hey all. this is kind of an idle question. i dont really have any plans, just a whole shwack load of interest. I see the water block gallery and think, oh wow, i want to do that. and i do have interest in it. its a profitable field to be in too for somone who doesnt really have any idea what he wants to do with his life haha.

what are the costs associated with starting up with this stuff? cost of a desktop cnc mill? training? and all that jazz. is this somthing that a local college would offer?

I so want to machine my own computer parts, but I wont touch it unless i know what im doing, ie, proper training and reading material.

Yes local community colleges offer courses on Mill/lathe/CNC.. I just took some training courses on Lathe machine and man thing is fun but can be major PITA sometimes....

I so want to try it. I love to make things and i love computers.. so perfect combination for a career move and hobby. strange, im an anime artist... yet, this stuff still gets me XD

You can get started for less than $3000 if you just want a tiny mill like a sherline or a Taig. CNC Lathes are nice, too... There's lots of good information over at www.cnczone.com. A good way to start would be to look around over there and see what's available and start learning about machining in general. It's definately a fun hobby, and could be a good paying career.

I will suggest to you, to go to your local Home Depot, and pick up a cheap Drill-Press, some bits, Hacksaw, sealant and some other things..... a Dremel too.... total cost, no more the $500....

You can produce some seriously wicked things with that.

and it will give you the hands on initial experience you just can not get from reading about it, but do read about it too. Once you are there, and once you feel comfortable, then you can slowly work you way up.... get XY Table, for more accuracy, start getting into the software involved with CNC. by that time your hobby is probably going to be able to buy you that nice CNC machine....

I have a howto .... one of my very first ones from a long time ago, that should give you an idea of what is involved. have fun...

quote:
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Originally posted by #Rotor eons ago (when I asked him a question about vga / nb blocks) :

those blocks are nice......... or you might want to go for it and make your own, believe me the satisfaction derived from that is unsurpassed.
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So I did.........and now I intend to sue #Rotor for my expensive waterblock making addiction

I started with this home made shoddy affair.



and around 2 years later got this.



........and now I'm looking at Some production CNC machines

My advice is don't try to run before you can walk...... I would have been lost without the early ground work I did with my basic home made machine & tools.

(warning this addiction has no known cure or treatment)

Damn I remember that quote...

that was long ago...... where did the time go???....

I'm glad to see the damage is done, and the scars are irreversible... betcha you would not trade it for the world...

Maybe that CNC though....

Here's where I first started when I looked into buying a good starter mill.......

http://forum.oc-forums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=193062&highlight=mini+mills+and+such

well. i did say that this is an idle interest because im like... a cook... at boston pizza.. I still have to finish grave 12 when i have a chance but it seems that real life just doesnt allow for that right now I fuked up my life something fierce. might be too late..

of course. if i didnt spend so much money on my computer hobbies, i could probably afford to finish that stuff.

i should see if i can jack my dads mill back in victoria. its a pretty decent one with a fully ajustable table.
college sounds really good. and i can make like $25/h to start with it XD. THEN ill go to art school XD

BladeRunner - have you tried adding control from computer to your machine?

I have considered converting my mill, and may do so later as a project, but it is quite involved and complex. At the end of the day the basic mill I have is ok as a mill but would be a compromised CNC machine for repeated copper milling I think. I also don't want to spend time repairing ,modifying, improving and generally dicking around with it, which is likely if I did a "learn as you go" conversion like shown in the below article.

This article shows a great conversion of a mill like mine, (same mill just different brand name), superb....although it involved a lot of work . The main site is HERE, but you really must see the MOVIE

I really want something more "production" complete and designed as a CNC with auto toolchanger ability etc.