I’m new to cnc type work and hoping for some advice.
I play tabletop games and would like to make some marker pieces, and some paint stations I’m planning on getting a 3D printer too for terrain but having the ability to cut MDF would be great.
Any recommendations on a good desktop starter unit?
Here are some of the variables to drive that decision:
What is the maximum length/width you want to cut?
How much vertical range do you need?
Most routers will be fine for cutting MDF, but routing MDF will create a lot of dust. Do you have a place where you can cut where dust won’t bother you? You might want to consider units that you can connect a vacuum to collect dust.
Do you want a cheap unit that will get you started and learning more, with the expectation that if you do a lot of this you will replace it? Or are you looking for quality to last a long time?
There’s basically classes of cheap routers that are based on the size in centimeters. 3018 means 30cm x 18cm bed size; 6040 would mean 60cm x 40cm bed.
Might consider reading this thread on a 3018-class router: