Editorial

摘要

Occasionally, a newcomer to CNC will ask on our bulletin board (bbs.homeshopmachinist.net) what they need to get started with CNC. Simple enough, but no two replies ever agree, further confusing the newcomer. Such is the nature of the internet, but it also illustrates that "What do I need?" is a question not easily answered. Equipment choices range from a desk-top router to a used industrial machine weighing multiple tons, and from a complete do it yourself solution to just buying a fully functional machine. Some argue for big machines and there is some merit to that, but they take up more space, use more power, typically require more expensive tooling, and are a far bigger pain to move. I suggest the right size is what fits the majority of your work, even if you do run into a need to farm out something now and then.