[bbandu]

Ok I have wanted to purchase a cnc router for a while now it sorta got put on the back burner do to family things and then covid hit which drained the finances. I was looking for something that could use to engrave on plaques and cutting/charcuterie boards. I was talking to an acquaintance the other day and they told me that they had a sainsmart genmitsu cnc router 3018-pro. After doing some research on this small desktop cnc it seems to get descent reviews.

I have a few questions and thought that maybe someone on here could answer.
1. Is this cnc router worth the time and money (somewhere in the $120 range) about half price then Amazon?
2. It has a 300 x 180 x 45 mm engraving area, which is really smaller then I wanted for cutting/charcuterie boards. If a item
I want to engrave is larger then the engraving area but still fits within the frame will it still engrave/carve?
3. Should I pass and just wait until I can afford one with a large work area?

Thanks for you time

 

[gjoakes]

Ok I have wanted to purchase a cnc router for a while now it sorta got put on the back burner do to family things and then covid hit which drained the finances. I was looking for something that could use to engrave on plaques and cutting/charcuterie boards. I was talking to an acquaintance the other day and they told me that they had a sainsmart genmitsu cnc router 3018-pro. After doing some research on this small desktop cnc it seems to get descent reviews.

I have a few questions and thought that maybe someone on here could answer.
1. Is this cnc router worth the time and money (somewhere in the $120 range) about half price then Amazon?
2. It has a 300 x 180 x 45 mm engraving area, which is really smaller then I wanted for cutting/charcuterie boards. If a item
I want to engrave is larger then the engraving area but still fits within the frame will it still engrave/carve?
3. Should I pass and just wait until I can afford one with a large work area?

Thanks for you time

For $120 I think it would be a great learning experience (assuming that it is a functional machine). You can always upgrade to a bigger/better machine at a later time.

What I found is that the actual milling operation is probably the easiest part of the process. Building models, coming up with tool path strategies, selecting the best tools, learning the best ways to secure the work pieces to the machine - that's where the real challenges lie. And all that is somewhat independent of the actual machine you are using.

Good luck

 

[difalkner]

Is your acquaintance wanting to sell his to you for $120? I see it on Amazon for about $250. Roger Webb has a series of videos on the 3018 - Roger Webb - YouTube

David

 

[bbandu]

For $120 I think it would be a great learning experience (assuming that it is a functional machine). You can always upgrade to a bigger/better machine at a later time.

What I found is that the actual milling operation is probably the easiest part of the process. Building models, coming up with tool path strategies, selecting the best tools, learning the best ways to secure the work pieces to the machine - that's where the real challenges lie. And all that is somewhat independent of the actual machine you are using.

Good luck

Thanks, I agree that figuring the whole process out will be the real challenge.

 

[bbandu]

Is your acquaintance wanting to sell his to you for $120? I see it on Amazon for about $250. Roger Webb has a series of videos on the 3018 - Roger Webb - YouTube

David

David yes he is wanting to sell his machine and told me $120.

 

[mgmine]

Roger also shows how to hold the pieces down it's really very simple.

 

[mgmine]

Take a look at this article
The CNC 3018 (Pro) Buyer's Guide | All3DP

 

[bbandu]

Take a look at this article
The CNC 3018 (Pro) Buyer's Guide | All3DP

Thanks I will check that out.