Why I choose a CNC Machine for my hobby.
I've been looking for quite some time for a hobby that I find enjoyable, that doesn't cost too much, and can handle changes in the amount of free time that is available to me. Plus I would like it to have the potential to at least pay for itself and maybe a little more to buy some additional hobby stuff.
I've been all over the map on this search, from woodworking, to renovating houses, to car washes, to storage units, to internet businesses. But giving the amount of time and money I have to invest, I settled on a CNC machine.
If you're not sure what a CNC machine is, just hop over to You Tube and watch a few CNC machining videos. They can cut wood, metal, etch glass/mirrors and make some really amazing things. Check out this gallery of things made with a CNC machine.
I was looking in Craigslist when I came across a guy selling his CNC machine. He was making all kinds of cool things and signs with his CNC Mogul machine right from his garage and he was having fun and making some money too. So after talking to him, researching and watching dozens and dozens of You Tube videos, I to decided to buy a CNC Mogul machine even though I had absolutely no prior CNC machining experience.
There are all kinds of plans available on the internet to make your own CNC machine, but after adding up the costs of a DIY CNC machine, it wasn't much more expensive to buy an easy-to-put-together kit from CNC mogul. I talked to Mike from CNC Mogul and he was extremely helpful in explaining what all was involved, what was needed, how things work, and put to ease my doubts of a total noob being able to figure CNC machining out.
So I put my order in for a 4x2 machine with an additional set of 8' rails, so once I get past the beginner stage, I can change my CNC set up to a 4'x8' machine. I cleaned out a spot in the basement for now while I anxiously waited for deliver, which came in about a week.
I'll post pics of the CNC Mogul unboxing & assemble in the next blog post.
