I have a 30x30 Longmill and have made several projects with it. We have a summer home up north and don’t have the space for it there. So I’m looking at a smaller CNC and came across the FoxAlien which makes several CNC’s that are smaller. Specifically I was looking at one with a working area of 15x15. It comes with a 65mm mount so I could use my Longmill router. Anybody have experience with these units?
FYI
Sienci will cut down the rails and screws on a Longmill to a custom size for you. ($110 US for this). You could get a 12x30 and have the 30 cut down to that would fit. You could then use everything you already have and have a full backup set of motors, couplers, etc. Parts would be interchangeable between your machines.
Thanks CM. I don’t want to change the size of my 30x30 even though I could get it back to normal when I’m home. It’s currently on a tilting table and I really don’t want to change that. I think a smaller unit with an available laser will suit my needs better.
1 Like
I’m sorry I wasn’t more clear. I was suggesting buying a second Longmill and having it cut to size instead of buying the FoxAlien.
I know nothing about the FA and laser. So you may have reasons other than footprint for the purchase.
Does this apply to the Altmill?
I don’t know if they have plans to do the same with the AltMill.
I could see them not offering it for the AltMill because that one is designed to be more of an industrial/professional model versus the LongMill.
I would think a LongMill would meet the needs of someone looking for a small AltMill. I feel like benefit from a lot of the reasons you would want an AltMill (speed, larger cutting, power) aren’t there when it is shrunk down. Especially since the June production update indicates there may be a spindle (sprouter lol) available for the LongMill in the future.
That’s just my $0.02. Obviously people can feel differently and value different things in their products.
Understandable - I mainly want ballscrews and linear rails for metal machining.
1 Like
Sainsmart 4040 Pro has adapters for larger routers and has lead screws. I believe James Dean did a comparison of it and the Fox Alien.
Six months or so ago, Sienci didn’t offer the service of cutting down the rails and rods. But I moved and my 1230 was too small. I wasn’t sure what to do, but the movers solved that for me. They dropped my LongMill and had to buy replacement rails for me. So, I got 30" Y rails and rods and cut them down to 22" myself. worked perfectly. Now I have a Longmill 2230 that I am very happy to have. The suggestion of getting a second LongMill and cutting it down is a good one. As he said, common gSender, common programs, common replacement parts. A lot to be said for all that.