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is a harbor freight mini mill CNC conversion worth it?

Afixer

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Jan 20, 2026
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I’m thinking about converting my Harbor Freight mini mill to CNC using a belt driven setup. Aside from the higher motor RPMs, are there any big drawbacks I should worry about?
Just wondering if it's worth the time and money or if I'm better off with a different setup. What do you guys think?
 
nope, bad idea, man. blieve me, I've tried
you'll neither cut accurate nor good looking parts. you could save yourself a lot of headache and money by just buying a southwest prototrak.
 
It can be worth it if your goal is learning and small parts, because a Harbor Freight mini mill CNC conversion teaches you a ton. The drawback is you can end up spending time chasing rigidity, backlash, and alignment more than actually cutting.
 
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