CNC machine

I'd like some knowledge on what exactly I need to make stainless and carbon steel putters. CNC and manual mill. What bits, vise, tools etc. I need. Where to source the metals. Im looking at the less expensive end of things. Also for customizations what high quality stamps to buy. I've tried hand stamping on wedges and putters. The amazon stamps suck. The Hansen stamps are nice but I really want whatever the big dogs use.

id say it all depends how much you want to spend, a skilled craftsman can make some sweet stuff on cheaper machines, and a novice can produce piles of scrap on a machine that costs £100’s of thousands.

Where are you coming at it from? Any experience?

You won’t go too far wrong buying a Bridgeport manual mill and a Colchester lathe to get you going (you always need manual machines as CNC isn’t the best way for everything!!)

CNC wise, I’d you can pick up a Hurco/Haas/Bridgeport/Hardinge mill you’ll have something that most people will know and will be able to give advice. Avoid anything super cheap if it isn’t a common control. You want something pretty rigid for cutting steel!!

You can spend as much or as little on all the things that go along with it tooling wise, but buy cheap, buy twice is certainly my take on it!!

I’ve been machining for 15 years and have just set up a small shop with a buddy, it’s expensive man!!

Good luck!!

How much experience do you have running a CNC?

No experience. I've been a tinkerer, carpenter and have been doing club repair for 20 years. For a long time I've been wanting to make my own putters and see how it goes. I know there will be a lot of studying and asking of questions.

In addition to what Mpix said, you may need a good cad/cam package.

Mpix has some sound advice. Tooling is expensive after you get the mill. It's not something you hop right into and expect results after a few months of playing around with it. I'd talk to some machinist in your area and get their take on exactly what it takes. If you've got money to burn and just want a hobby then that's cool but these guys running CNC's know their stuff. It takes years of experience to become just a good machinist. Good luck!

Without knowing where you live, a friend of mine wanted to do some machine work, so he took a class at a local college. This was pre-CAD, but he got good enough to do basic machine work.

Sussex county Delaware

As a self defined craftsman I say go manual. Set yourself apart from this last putter boom. Besides, CAD/CAM is its own separate rabbit hole. I started down that dark area and got lost for a long while. Fun, but whew.

If however you are a closet geek. Tweak out on the software and get a bid from a local shop.

Good Luck! Have Fun!