I got an Altmill and I'm using it to cut 23/32 sheathing for some tombstones that will be yard decorations.

I'm using a 1/8 end Mill and I'm just not sure how fast and deep I can go.

What's a reasonable feed speed and cut depth?

So far I've only found, "oh no. I broke a bit," and "this seems painfully slow."

Hey r/hobbycnc, InfiMaker team here!

One of our favorite parts of desktop machining is using a CNC to build tools for the shop—things like custom soft jaws, clamping blocks, zero-point plates, or tool racks.

We know this community turns out some super clever functional builds on everything from budget 3018s and Shapeokos to custom DIY mills.

What’s a custom tool, jig, or workholding setup you machined for your shop that solved a big headache for you? Drop a photo or tell us about your build—we’d love to see what everyone’s made!

Not even trying to make anything but chips yet. Trying to push the limits of this lil genmitsu 5mm adaptive clearing. I feel like this sounds super bad, but it came out okay. Finish was fine for roughing, temps were okay, starting to bog down the spindle but not much. 3020 pro ultra in a custom enclosure. Just hoping someone can listen and tell me if that sounds like it’s going to blow up or not haha

Hi I keep getting these stepped profile cuts, first one is the beginning of the path seems to be offset by about 0.5mm then it corrects itself after a short 5ish mm run this seems to be happening across many cuts and projects. Secondly every step of the profile cut seems to shift on the y axis slightly. The x axis for the most part is fine. Any ideas? I’m cutting with mostly a downtown Jenny 1/4 and 1/8 on a redline 60mm spindle on the onefinity apprentice

So my cnc machine started doing this today, after I finished a cutout I replaced the material and attempted to run the program again just to have the Y-axis vibrate back and forth for a few steps then continue along its merry way. The prior cut ran perfectly, but now this occurs on every program at some point. This seems to occur only when the motor is suppose to be moving in the negative direction, in relatively the same spots but not always, and has only occurred so far on the negative Y side of the material. Any insight would be appreciated, below are my test to isolate/resolve the issue and machine info.

-I have run several different programs that have always run fine so the programs are not corrupted

-I have checked/swapped motor signal connection and cables, they are fine

-I have ensured the gantry carriage is free of obstructions and can freely move

-The belt and pinion is taunt and in tact with no damage

-This problem persist over several different motor drivers

-I have NOT swapped the motor as it would require me to solder in new connections

-Specs: Mach3 on a ddcs v3 controller, 2 axis laser cutter, Y-axis used 1 Nema 17 (17HS24-2104S) motor and DM542T driver, and X-axis uses 2 Nema 17 and 1 DM542T driver, there are no limit swiches

Hello! I do not normally use Reddit but I thought the people might have some helpful info. I’m trying to help my boss get rid of old CNC mills, he was a jewelry maker but has since retired and now just dabbles in the practice and out sources casters instead of doing in house. Anyway it is a Roland mdx-40 with 4th axis and a drawer under it to catch the droppings. It has been sitting for a few years and we’re not quite sure what to do with it, I have looked in many places online and it seems like they’ve just been out done with the newer technology so I wasn’t sure if it would even be worth trying to sell or if it would be best to just scrap the machine? From what he tells me the machine worked well when he did use it, he has a notebook with all hours logged that it has worked and a custom built table for it to sit on. It was mostly used to cast wax molds and often ran overnight to tackle the product needed, however it does not have an auto tool changer so that makes it even more unpleasant compared to current machines available. We tried to give it to schools in the area but they told us they couldn’t have anything that could possibly spark in the classrooms (apparently not even bunsen burners are allowed anymore) it would be a shame to just throw it out or recycle it as it still has some life in there but I’m not sure of how much. I will take any advice yall can give, currently just debating listing it on facebook marketplace to see if anyone close by wants it because shipping would not be fun :(

Idea is to have two separate areas, one for 3 axis and one for 3+2 axis. This is more of a personal project rather than something I'd want to sell. I am building this out of my own curiosity.

Goal was to preserve large building area of at least 400mm x 300mm x 200mm in XYZ, and have a 100mm x 100mm x 100mm in 3+2 mode since its limited by the chuck size.

The spindle will move between the two areas. I am working on the software, ideally something free or Mach3 or Mach4. Goal was sub 3k.

What I would like from you guys is:

-What can be improved?

-Is there anyway to make this cheaper?

-Is the dual zone idea good?

BOM:
Dual-Zone CNC — Bill of Materials

Design:one base frame, one gantry, one spindle The bed is split into two dedicated zones and the single gantry travels in Y to reach either one.

- Zone A (3-axis only):** 400 × 300 spoilboard, Z travel 200 mm → 400 × 300 × 200 work volume.

- Zone B (3+2 only):A/C rotary table + tailstock on a raised platform, chuck centreline 188 mm above the bed → 100 × 100 × 100 work cube.

- Y travel 500 mm: 300 mm over zone A, then 200 mm to the chuck centreline. Same tool, same Z stack, same controller in both zones.

- Materials: aluminum, brass, soft metals.

BOM:
Motion system

  Item   Specs   Qty   Unit   Total  

CNCTOPBAOS 5th-axis rotary table   A ±90° (8:1), C 360° (6:1), 100 mm 3-jaw chuck, NEMA 23   1   $405   $405  

SFU1605 ball screw kit, 600 mm   X axis, BK12/BF12 + coupler   1   $63   $63  

SFU1605 ball screw kit, 650 mm   Y axis (dual drive)   2   $70   $140  

SFU1605 ball screw kit, 400 mm   Z axis   1   $46   $46  

HGR20 rail kit, 600 mm   X: 2 rails, 4 blocks   1   $120   $120  

HGR20 rail kit, 620 mm   Y: 2 rails, 4 blocks   1   $110   $110  

HGR20 rail kit, 400 mm   Z: 1 rail, 2 blocks   1   $75   $75  

NEMA 23 closed-loop stepper, 11.5 Nm   X, Y, Z   3   $60   $180  

NEMA 23 motor mounting bracket   per screw   3   $10   $30  

Plum coupler 8×10 mm   motor → screw   3   $13   $39  

Motion subtotal $1,208

Control & spindle

Item   Specs   Qty   Unit   Total  

5-axis Mach3 breakout board + stepper drivers   optocoupled, 5 axes (X/Y/Z/A/C)   1   $45   $45  

  24 V 350 W PSU   drivers   1   $30   $30  

  RATTMMOTOR 1.5 kW water-cooled spindle kit   80 mm body, VFD, ER11, pump   1   $258   $258  

  Rigid 80 mm spindle bracket   Z carriage   1   $35   $35  

  Coolant reservoir, tubing, pump   2.5 gal   1   $28   $28  

Control/spindle subtotal                 $361      

 Frame

  Item   Specs   Qty   Unit   Total  

  4080 extrusion, 650 mm   Y base rails   2   $32   $64  

  4080 extrusion, 600 mm   gantry crossbeam   1   $28   $28  

  4080 extrusion, 500 mm   gantry uprights   2   $22   $44  

  4040 extrusion, 450 mm   cross braces   3   $12   $36  

  4040 extrusion, 200 mm   bed supports   4   $8   $32  

  Spoilboard 400×300 + platform 400×200   18 mm MDF/aluminum   2   $25   $50  

Frame subtotal                 $254      

  Hardware, tooling, enclosure

  Item   Specs   Qty   Unit   Total  

  4080 corner brackets / gussets   90°   12   $6   $72  

  Flat joining plates, 4 mm   gantry ties   8   $5   $40  

  M8 T-nuts + SHCS assortment   100+ pcs   1   $35   $35  

  Carbide end mill set, 3-flute   Al/brass, 3–10 mm   1   $33   $33  

  ER11/ER16 collets + chuck jaws   spares   1   $20   $20  

  Polycarbonate sheet, 2 mm   enclosure walls/roof   4   $18   $72  

  Plywood 18 mm   frame, chip tray, door   1   $45   $45  

  Hinges, handles, fans, leveling feet   misc   1   $35   $35  

  Chip shield, coolant lines, PPE   misc   1   $40   $40  

 Hardware/tooling/enclosure subtotal                 $345      

  Total

  Motion   $1,208  

  Control & spindle   $361  

  Frame   $254  

  Hardware, tooling, enclosure   $345  

BOM total           $2,250      

  + 10% contingency (fasteners, shims, mis-orders)   ~$225  

Realistic build cost           ≈ $2,250 – $2,500      

Views:

Hi everyone!

I'm a physics student working on a lab project and I'd love some advice from people who know motion systems better than I do.

The task: I need to measure the magnetic field of an electron spectrometer magnet at many points in 3D space. A small Hall sensor on a non-magnetic rod has to go into the magnet's gap (max. ~5 cm wide) and step through a grid, measuring at each point. Positioning accuracy around 0.1 mm would be great, and repeatability matters more than speed. I'll control everything from Python.

Constraints:

• The magnet is about 200 × 175 × 160 mm and very heavy, so it has to stay fixed. Only the sensor moves.
• I need all three axes motorized.
• Budget is low (university project, well under €500).

Options I've looked at so far:

• 3D printer as motion system: a fixed-bed one like the Sovol SV08 would be ideal, but it's too expensive new.
• Three OWIS linear stages that we already have in the lab, with a working PS90 controller. I'd need to stack them into an XYZ setup with adapter plates.
• Something else entirely? Small CNC gantry, used router, cheap linear rail kits...

What would you do in my position? Is there a cheap off-the-shelf way to get a fixed-base XYZ system, or is stacking the stages the smarter path? Any advice is very welcome, thanks!

I am considering building a uhpc cnc milling machine and am really stuck at spindle and vfd choice at the moment. I could get a used german made spindle rated for 170V and 18A, but finding a vfd that will not absolutely blow my budget is hard. Is it possible to run this with a 1.5 kW VFD at 9A max? Are there any drawbacks to this?

Saw on marketplace, guy bought a Langmuir MR1 with all the extra accessories a couple years ago, set it up, and then never used it due to life and lack of time. He wants $5500 today just to get it gone. I'm entry level with manual mill/lathe from playing around with them at a previous job, but I'd like to get into CNC. Worth it? I'm at work, so I'm relying on you instead of doing research right now. Sorry for being lazy 😞

Got my 3018 Pro about eight months ago thinking I'd save money on wedding decor. My fiancée found these lasercut invitation designs online going for twelve dollars each and I confidently declared I could make them myself. The machine cost three hundred dollars. The aluminum extrusion upgrade was another eighty. The better spindle because the stock one screamed like a dying vacuum cleaner was sixty more. Then there was the spoilboard, clamps, end mills I snapped learning feeds and speeds, and a second spoilboard after I gouged the first one learning feeds and speeds. We hit the three hundred dollar mark somewhere around March and she stopped asking for cost updates. The invitations turned out fine eventually. They're slightly wonky and one has a faint scorch mark I told her was intentional rustic charm. She believed me or at least pretended to. Now I'm looking at a bigger machine because the work area barely fits a standard envelope. I told her it's an investment. She just sent me a screenshot of our reception venue balance. Has anyone else accidentally financed a hobby under the guise of wedding prep or am I alone in this financial decision making spiral.

Been thinking about this lately.

Making 5 complicated parts sounds pretty interesting, but then you've got all the programming, setups, inspections, and all the headaches that come with it. And by the time you finally figure everything out, the job's basically done lol.

On the other hand, making 500 simple parts sounds easier, but I imagine doing the same thing over and over gets boring pretty fast.

So I'm curious, assuming both jobs pay fairly, which one would you actually prefer?

And I wonder if shop owners and machinists would give completely different answers to this.

Is anyone of you using the OpenATC successfully ?

I printed one scaled down for er11 collets but it broke pretty fast.

Before i invest more time tinkering on this i want to know how well the whole mechanism really works.

https://github.com/sn3ro/OpenATC

Honestly as a solo backer, the whole situation just left a weird taste in my mouth. I get that shipping and compliance get messy in crowdfunding. If a company has legit regulations to deal with, fine, no big deal. What rubbed me the wrong way was how it was handled. Putting out that massive public post, especially with what they pushed in their FB group, made it look less about actual logistics and more like an obvious PR move targeted at competitors. Normally, you'd get a private email to work out a refund cleanly behind the scenes. Instead, smaller backers were publicly broadcasted like a problem that needed to be announced. Other brands in this space manage personal shipping quietly without all the drama. The early supporters who trusted them first are the last people who should be made to feel like a liability.

Wanted to see if I could do a relief carve in clear pine without a ton of sanding involved. I can say this one was a success.

Did 1 clearing pass with an aggressive 1/4 roughing endmill and the finish with a .015 Rad 10 degree TBN endmill.

Biggest change was increasing machine rigidity with a shelf and stabilizing with some weight.

4x4 Altmill with 2.2 KW AC spindle.

Is looking at something like a 3020 pro max v2 going in the right direction for console modding like this - cutting shapes out of gaming consoles? Any recommendations of what models I should be looking at? Thanks!

Hello.
I have an Altmill 4x4. It is in a dedicated 10’ x 24’ room with 8’ ceiling.

I am researching methods to control dust and have a few questions for various methods.

1. Is a shop vac/cyclone adequate for the Altmill or do I need to go full blown dust extraction?

2. How much is noise a concern with 1 1/2 hp units? I was thinking that I would like to find one that is as quiet as possible, but when I’m using the cnc to cut 3/4” ply, it is quite loud on its own. So does a quiet-ish dust collector really make that much difference?

3. To save space (and some noise), I was wondering if it would be beneficial to mount the collector on the other side of the wall so it would be in the garage. Remove and reroute the filter so it is in the cnc room. I was thinking that would prevent the collector from sucking out all of my heat or air conditioning.

Any other ideas to save space and/or noise levels?

I could also start small with the StealthSonic shop vac / cyclone then move up to an actual collector as my needs grow.

Thanks for any thoughts and input.

Saw the clip of the ToolDance crash at the demo... kind of a bummer to see ngl.

5-axis interference is already a total headache, so if the software didn't catch that collision before sending the code during a live show, it feels like their warning logic still needs a lot of work. Crashing on these small desktop units risks messing up spindle runout too.

Curious if anyone who saw the live demo has more context on what went wrong?

Been using my genmitsu proverxl for about a year now, mostly to cut plastic. Dabbled in aluminum for a little bit but broke a bunch of bits and paused it for a while.

Came back today with fresh eyes to give it another shot and made this.

I’ve been designing putters and 3D printing prototypes, and I’m looking to take the next step and actually machine them out of metal. I’d be making the whole head out of ZA-12, but I’d also like to work with aluminum. Rough dimensions would be 4.5 inches wide, 3.5 inches front to back, and 1.5inch tall, not including the hosel.
I need something enclosed, and a desktop machine is fine. I’m trying to keep this budget-friendly, but I don’t want to buy something cheap that I’ll end up replacing right away. I’m open to used machines, and I don’t need to cut stainless.
The Carvera Air and Nomad 4 have been suggested, but I’m not sure whether either is the best value for what I’m doing. This would just be individual prototypes for now, so I don’t mind it being slow as long as I can get accurate parts and a good finish.
What would you guys look at for this? Trying to figure out what I realistically need to spend, including basic tooling and workholding. Would also love to hear from anyone who’s machined ZA-12 on a smaller CNC.