I’m a high school science teacher and I have no experience with CNC milling. I’m going to have to sell my principal on the idea of getting an X-Carve to support our fledgeling engineering program. My very newbie question at the moment is, will the X Carve mill with enough precision for things like gears and other functional parts?
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that is up to you when you set it up. make sure you are calibrated properly and you should have no problems with gears and other functional parts. If you are needed real precise gears then you would need a machine with tighter tolerances. but the X-Carve is more than sufficient for most projects.
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I just made these fidget spinners…
I made the first, but it seemed lonely without a sibling.
Matthias Wandel - WoodGears.ca has some interesting things to say about wooden gears (and woodworking in general).
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I think the X-Carve is perfect for your school. I cut inlay projects all the time and the machine is very accurate. More importantly, the Easel Cad/Cam functionality is perfect for school. Kids can design and program from any computer and then run their project when the machine is open. It’s simple, works great, and it’s free!
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Have you reached out to inventables?
I had originally intended to request a laser cutter, specifically a Glowforge. For various reasons, a CNC mill was a more realistic choice. I’m starting to lean back towards a laser cutter just to the nature of my school. I have no reason to believe I’ll get money for anything at this point, however.