[sanddrag]

No $800 CNC can make parts very accurately or quickly. But if you have the patience, you can turn out some REALLY cool stuff, that you could not by hand, or manual machining. That router would not be sufficient for aluminum, but would certainly be useful for plate work from plastic and wood type materials. I started to build one, but bought a small knee mill instead.

Anyhow, if a team has the time and the money, building a CNC is certainly a fun project. Even if you can't use it to make parts for the robot, you can still make signs, gifts, and things. And you can always continually improve and redesign the machine once you get it going.

If anyone wants to learn how to build a lathe from melted down soda cans and engine pistons, take a look at David Ginger's line of books.