Good day to all.

John Hansford is building inexpensive CNC machines from MDF.  The 
difference between his machines and the other inexpensive machines 
that I've looked at is that he uses high quality parts where it 
matters: the lead screws, lead-screw nuts, shafts, bushings.  None of 
this ready-rod (all-thread) or skate-board bearings riding on 
electrical conduit stuff here - its proper Acme thread screws and polished rod.

He's selling off some of his early prototypes for not much more than 
the cost of those expensive components.

You get the bare machine (you paint it yourself) but NO motors, NO 
electronics.  Everything is MDF except the Z-axis.  That's been made 
from a casting resin, then machined to final tolerances.

As the saying goes: a picture is worth a thousand words.  Here's a 
bunch of pictures:
<http://www.fireballcnc.com/clearance001/>

What you see there will cost you US $200 plus shipping.

I'd take it, except that I've already purchased one of these and have 
another on reserve.

I'm VERY impressed with the machine that I received.  It went 
together in about an hour (including mounting my motors) and seems to 
be tight and accurate.

Haven't spun it up yet (lack of time) but hopefully tonight.

dwayne


<forwarded message from John follows>


>The one here is still available....
>
>http://www.fireballcnc.com/clearance001/
>
>I'll take it apart tonight and "dress it up"
>for ebay if no ones interested.
>
>If you want to do PCB milling, this is as
>good a machine as any other. The odd pale
>orange Z axis color is from an experiment
>in dying the plastic. It was for an orange
>and silver machine.
>
>I can't make promises of how fine a trace
>could be milled, but It'd certainly make
>highly useful boards with practice and good
>cutting bits...;)
>
>Why would anyone need more than 1 machine?
>Well for me, resetting the Z height and doing
>tool changes is a PITA. It's just easier with
>a second machine....though the electronics,
>motors..etc, are another expense....;)
>
>I just wanted to double check with you all
>before I put it in ebay!
>
>Thanks!
>John


-- 
Dwayne Reid   <dwayner@planet.eon.net>
Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd    Edmonton, AB, CANADA
(780) 489-3199 voice          (780) 487-6397 fax
www.trinity-electronics.com
Custom Electronics Design and Manufacturing

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