BobsCNC Quantum Mini CNC Router Kit with the Router Included (16" x 16" cutting area and 3.8" Z travel)

Received this machine and unpacked. Almost but not quite overwhelmed by the shear number of parts needing assembly. Took a deep breath and started.Some Comments on Machine Itself and AssemblyThis is not a toy and has many many parts. The assembled components appears to be more rigid than the smaller couple hundred dollar machine that I have inspected or are sold on Amazon.In assembly, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS page by page step by step. I usually assemble items using part intuition but do not try that with this item. The instructions are very detailed, each assembly step detailed with pictures of parts needed and steps to put together. I assembled my CNC E3 in about 11 hours including initiation of the software.Upon opening the shipment, I strongly recommend unpacking all the individual components, laying them out on a big table and comparing to number required in the instructions. I did not do that and found part way through I was missing a small part. Bob shipped it immediately but it still held me up a bit. Don't be frustrated if you are ending up missing something, this is a machine tool with lots of components and Bob will send you anything short within hours.The quality of the parts is excellent. Everything goes together with no force fit, it you have to force, stop and see what you did on preceding step because there is probably something wrong.This is a fairly robust CNC but it is not designed for industrial production. It will serve you well making home centered projects but it is not production quick. The assembly has almopst no slop in drive movement, if youo have some after completion, you can eliminate it by address the preload on the bearings. A simple task.The software recommended by BOBsCNC is freeware and quite adequate for the job. Instructions are minimal with the programs but there is a plethora of how to's you can access through Bob's site or Google. I used the time from when the machine was ordered to its delivery to download the three programs, create a project, convert it to g-code and then run on a machine simulation program. This last program showed the tool head movement as it completely simulated carving the project. BTW I have never programmed a CNC machine before.I am an industrial machine designer so I did not have to struggle too much with the whole project. However I did encounter a couple of steps that I had to stop and think through. If you have common sense and can follow instructions, you will have little if any problem taking your shop to a new level of capability.I would like to thank Bob for his quick response to my questions. It is such a pleasure to find a fairly complex machine made and sold in the USA that actually works, has high quality and has professional staff supporting it.

I can't say enough good about this kit! I was a bit apprehensive at first, even after reading the online assembly manual. I should not have been worried...assembly was very easy. Almost all parts have tabs that fit into slots on the part it is being attached to. It's rock solid because the parts are also held together by a very adequate number of screws. All wooden parts are beautifully laser cut plywood (birch I think) and every part fit absolutely perfectly with its mate. You could tell that the designer had actually built the kit himself...there were no inaccessible screws or other parts. This is really a well thought out design. Note that EVERYTHING you need is in the kit: a DeWalt router, motors, electronics, even software for the controller. I'm not an experts but every part that I kner about personally was of good quality (for instance, the DeWalt router). Note that the assembly manual is a download from www bobscnc com. The assembly manual is really, really good, with at least one very clear picture for each assembly step and often 2, 3, or more. Any cons? Well, I ended up buying a DC motor control to adjust the speed of the router---30.000 RPM is too fast for aluminum, but be aware if you do this that power decreases as the router slows and you have to slow down feeds. Note that this is only needed it you are going to cut aluminum...30K RPM is fine for wood. One thing I would add. I've been wanting a CNC router for years but found other kits too expensive. I would have built one on my own but I didn't have the knowledge of the mechanical parts to tackle a design of my own. All the plans I bought and downloaded were too complex or too expensive. Building this kit gave me the knowledge of the mechanics of a CNC router and helped me understand just how all the mechanisms are integrated together. If I could do it over, I would buy this kit again without any hesitation at all.