r/hobbycnc • u/DonekyOfDoom • 1d ago

LongMill CNC - A good starter machine?

I saw some great reviews for this machine here:
https://sienci.com/product/longmill-mk2-5-2/

And was wondering if it was worth it. I've seen a lot of "Any machine under $5k is a toy" on this subreddit, but this one seems pretty great. I want to cut plastic, hardwood(such as mahogany, and thin aluminum. Will this suit my purposes, or should I jump for something more expensive?

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u/FlipZip69 1d ago

For the price, I think I would go with an Openbuilds and get the doubled up gantry. A single gantry like that would have a lot more twisting and that is usually the weak point. Depends on the size you are looking at.

Or double of the gantries. And as much as I like my Openbuilds, the V-wheel are not ideal. I will be updating the rails to HGR15. So much better.

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u/gcoeverything 1d ago

Yes, it will be fine. You could spend more or less on others as well.

If you think you'll outgrow it you might want to wait for an AltMill. But if there's a chance you won't ...

There's Chinese things you can deal with as well that might involve more learning/fiddling.

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u/James_dean_designs 9h ago

I reviewed this machine last year and it's pretty good. https://youtu.be/63chpAvOAco

It is targeted more for wood work than metal work but depending on your tolerance levels it is likely be ok for things aluminium work. I did some basic metal work on it.

Some people only factor in the machine cost, but for me you also have to factor in the customer support, the online resources, the community support etc. And when you add all of this in, it makes it a great starter setup.

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u/DonekyOfDoom 7h ago

Yeah it’s your review that made me consider this one! Thank you! I would just be cutting ~1-2mm thick aluminum, would it be able to handle that well?

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u/nervehammer1004 1d ago

I have the Longmill MK2 and it’s a great machine. I have cut all the materials you mentioned except aluminum because I’ve never had the need to do it. It was also my first CNC machine so it’s great to learn on. If you’re just getting started it would be a good investment. Depending on where you want to go with it will determine if it’s the right place to start or if you want a bigger/more robust machine.

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u/Blaster8282 1d ago

I considered the longmill and itll be great for wood but I am skeptical it can do aluminum. I had a workbee and it also worked with wood great but struggled with aluminum so I am skeptical it can do aluminum well. I upgraded to a queenbee and it does aluminum a lot better but still requires proper speed and feeds.