I stumbled onto another cool technology that's gotten cheap while I wasn't looking.
I'm thinking about getting one of these, or something in the category.
https://www.sainsmart.com/products/g...rving-and-more
I want to cut hardwood, plywood, balsa, G10, carbon fiber plate, PC board. Will probably look at one that can handle light duty aluminum and other soft metals, as the one I linked. I figure the stiffness of the heavier frame will likely pay off in consistent performance for a longer time even when cutting lighter materials.
It occurs to me that this could do a heck of a job knocking out custom revolver and other grips and inserts, or even just prepping blanks to fit the frame, which could then be carved with more traditional methods. I think it must be the fact that it can make stuff out of "real" materials - I'm just way more interested in this than I've gotten in any type of 3D printing. Waaaaay cooler to load up some walnut and turn out a nice pair of stocks, maybe even checkered, than to have soulless plastic pooped out in layers from a melt tube.
We have a few tool guys and woodworkers here, and more than a few tech geeks. Has anyone here used these machines? Any advice for a quality, hobby-level or "pro-sumer" tool?