I had a crazy idea, Looking for some input...

[Olle]

Originally Posted by P08Leder

If it is ever done, it will be a labor of love
Because you will never make enough to be compensated for that labor

Definitely. Machining is really not a big deal, I thing the major hurdle is to get to the point where you're actually machining. There is a lot of work to do before you can put a chunk of steel in the CNC mill, it would probably take a week or so just to draw the frame correctly in 3D CAD. Add the rest of the parts, and you're probably looking at a couple of months of drawing only. With that done, you then have to start looking at the machine code, figure out the tools you need to use, optimize tool paths, setups etc. I don't have a clue how many man hours you'd have in it once everything is said and done, but I can safely say that it would take some very stubborn and dedicated people to tackle all this. I'm not saying that it can't be done, but you're more than likely looking at time you won't get paid for.

Don't get me wrong, CNC is great in many ways, but it loses a lot of its advantages if you use it for short runs. Sometimes it's actually quicker and easier to do things on a hand cranked mill.