Hi there,

I've been a CNC Machinist (75% Milling - 25% Turning for oil&gas, aerospace, job shops) for the past 8 years and have always dreamed of opening my own shop.

Rather than directly competing with local shops from the start, I want to first build a financial cushion by buying a used CNC mill and machining simple work-holding kits (123 blocks, serrated clamps, step blocks, flange nuts, T-slot nuts etc...) and selling them under a brand name to fund more machines, and more advanced work-holding solutions (fixture plates, toe clamps, drop-in T-slot nuts, vise stops, soft jaws etc..). The idea is to start small, building a Canadian manufacturing brand that makes and sells commodity items every machine shop needs, then move towards premium work-holding products, and finally grow to the point where I have enough machines to run the work-holding business + bid and take on more specialized custom machining work (preferably aerospace)...

Assuming I already have my first machine, and the space + tools + power for it, my questions to you are:
- What do you think of this specific progressive business model idea ?
- What would be your advice for success for me?
- What do you foresee going right/wrong?
- Would you recommend a different starting point than commodity milling work-holding? - Can you think of any other high demand and simple to machine products to start with?
- How would you go about starting a CNC shop in 2026? - Alberta or Ontario for the best execution ?

PS: Not to be rude, but please refrain from commenting if you don't actually know what you're talking about. I'm looking for constructive input specifically on the business model from Veterans of the trade, with a good understanding of the Canadian Machining landscape as a whole.

Thanks ALL!!!

Ive got an old Emco PC Mill 125 sitting in my workshop, trying to figure this thing out but failing already 😄 The old Windows XP pc was fubarred but i got that working, so i have the original WinNC software. The machine is running on a Siemens Numerik 840D controller. Ive got movement on the axis and worked through some of the errors (air pressure, door switch etc)

https://preview.redd.it/wkv97oum9u9h1.png?width=2410&format=png&auto=webp&s=00fdf92232657d3659beb30b86bb858b8019a4a6

https://preview.redd.it/uz3hoi2q9u9h1.png?width=2410&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea3bfb02899e8e7cce67661fe2ac7c6d053b2229

Ive got power and air hooked up, but i cant for the life of me figure out how the toolchanger umbrella should work. Its giving me the 7021 error, saying its 'not free' in the software, found the english manual which states:

https://preview.redd.it/uhhbggx7au9h1.png?width=1954&format=png&auto=webp&s=82f3b45e60e18d58bd559d5ad57e0063dd3e0aae

According to ai:
'Understanding the "Mechanical Clutch"

On the EMCO PC Mill 125, the changer is often mounted on a roller in a curved path or on a carrier attached to the Z-axis (the spindle head).

• The Rule: The switch can only slide horizontally backward if the Z-axis is at the exact switch height .
• The Problem: If the Z-axis is a fraction too high or too low, the changer "pin" gets stuck in the spindle holder. You won't be able to get it moving even with ten hammers.

1. Find the "Free Point": * Set the machine to JOG .
   • Move the Z-axis up and down very slowly (with the override at 2% or 5%).
   • While doing this, try to constantly apply light backward pressure on the carousel with your other hand.
   • At a certain point, you feel it becoming "free" from the spindle. That is the point at which it can move backward.
2. The Air Trick: * Once you have found that free point, the air pressure (if there is any on it) should actually already be shooting it backwards.
   • Do you hear a hissing sound? Then the air is trying, but the resistance is too great."

Ive been playing around with this but i cant get the umbrella in the right position. Although im not sure this is actually the issue, if there is air pressure on that umbrella, can it even be pushed back by hand?

Does anyone have any experience with these machine and can help me get a proper startup procedure so i can at least test the basic functions?

Some picture of the umbrella changer and controller:

https://preview.redd.it/oeaj1jidau9h1.png?width=1164&format=png&auto=webp&s=ac63b7c459ca3a2edc4aa91157ce2613d8388321

https://preview.redd.it/qh2yi1lgau9h1.png?width=1356&format=png&auto=webp&s=d5687c99bf748601a077e4125a811569cdc03270

https://preview.redd.it/kelzzf4fbu9h1.png?width=1390&format=png&auto=webp&s=a78410c66e07e189e7a97ae508acb95bb234d42e

Hi everyone, I am a hobbyist building a custom 1-meter vertical Z/X axis CNC machine for carpet tufting here in West LA.

I am hitting a wall trying to get the SBR16 round supported linear rails aligned perfectly to a 0.1 mm parallelism tolerance.

I am looking for a local CNC hobbyist, maker, or machinist who has a high-resolution dial indicator and a precision square who would be willing to help me dial this in. I am happy to compensate you for your time, Please shoot me a DM if you have the tools and are down to help with a cool project.
Thanks!
Cy

My friend as an CNC machining setup and running it for last 4 years, Daily 20 hours with 3-4 employees on rotation basis. I feel he is missing good sales team. Will anyone be interested in joining as sales partner with Revenue share model. Happy to share more details if interested.

Howdy y’all

I’ve recently begun working at a CNC machinist at a glass shop. We do custom glass for architectural and art installations. I run a Flow Waterjet CNC and a Bavelloni Alpa 450. Both quirky machines but the Flow was pretty easy to figure out. The Bavelloni is another story.
Long story short, I didn’t really receive typical training here. When I arrived there was no machinist and I was briefly trained by the Maintenance engineer who understood the gist of the machine but isn’t a machinist.

That being said…

Does anyone have any useful ways to find ideal max spindle RPM and Feedrate when working with glass? I don’t even know what KIND of glass we use here, I can ask for sure, but no one has passed any useful info on me on how to set things and I’m using speeds and feeds that were already on the CAM program for these tools, but based on what I’ve seen from the last machinist, I’m skeptical they’re correct. It feels like I’m going incredibly slow feedrate on some tools but I’m not going to change them until I know way to calculate for glass.

Thank you,
R

Would you guys say that universally any industrial laser source designed to cut highly reflective materials with 1 pass will be at least 3000w and above? I only ask because the company I work for bought a 1200w fiber laser with the intention of cutting silver and copper for large scale jewelry production (the Gweike mseries 6in1 to be exact). It seems we did not do proper research before making purchasing of the Gweike mseries, as the machine is not designed to cut reflective materials. My superiors have tasked me with finding a laser source designed to cut highly reflective materials that is also compatible with our Gweike mseries which unfortunately only supports up to 1200w. I have been trying to find a solution for weeks and I’m starting to feel as though finding something that meets these requirements may not be plausible. Can anyone confirm this?

I am a knife maker who produces small blades no more that 2”, looking to automate the grinding process. I use recycled sawmill blades with double blanks (2 blade blanks butted together) cut out with a cnc plasma cutter. i understand that i will likely have to redesign the blank to make them easier to clamp, but am unsure if a gantry style machine is going to be solid enough to mill such a hard steel, or if i can mill such thin stock. I have been looking at the altmill mk-2 with the biggest possible spindle. is this a pipe dream?