Buying guide · 4 min read
Desktop CNC for small shops, spare rooms and garages
Footprint, weight and enclosure for every machine whose maker publishes them, and what the spec sheets leave out.
If the machine has to share a spare room, a corner of a garage or a bench that's also used for other things, the numbers that matter most are the ones spec pages are least likely to give: how much floor or bench the whole machine takes, how heavy it is, and whether it's enclosed. This guide pulls together what the 35 pages in the record publish on each, as read on 1 November 2026.
Footprint: the number to check first
A machine's footprint is always bigger than its work area, because the frame, motors and gantry sit outside the cutting space. Only 24 of the 35 pages publish one, so eleven machines can't be checked against a bench from their spec sheet at all. These are the twelve smallest that do:
| Machine | Footprint | In inches | Work area | Footprint ÷ work area | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makera Z1 | 350 × 470 mm | 14 × 19 in | 200 × 200 mm | 4.1× | $1,249 |
| Carbide 3D Nomad 3 | 444 × 483 mm | 17 × 19 in | 203 × 203 mm | 5.2× | $2,800 |
| Makera Carvera Air | 500 × 450 mm | 20 × 18 in | 300 × 200 mm | 3.8× | $1,999 |
| Makera Carvera | 580 × 520 mm | 23 × 20 in | 360 × 240 mm | 3.5× | $4,799 |
| SainSmart PROVerXL 4030 V2 | 742 × 489 mm | 29 × 19 in | 400 × 300 mm | 3.0× | $1,399 |
| SainSmart 4040-PRO MAX | 660 × 666 mm | 26 × 26 in | 400 × 400 mm | 2.7× | $949 |
| SainSmart 4040-PRO | 673 × 663 mm | 26 × 26 in | 400 × 400 mm | 2.8× | $599 |
| SainSmart PROVerXL 4030S | 693 × 658 mm | 27 × 26 in | 400 × 300 mm | 3.8× | $999 |
| Two Trees TTC450 Ultra | 745 × 660 mm | 29 × 26 in | 460 × 460 mm | 2.3× | $699 |
| Two Trees TTC450 Pro (500W) | 742 × 689 mm | 29 × 27 in | 460 × 460 mm | 2.4× | $628 |
| MillRight CNC Carve King 2 | 711 × 762 mm | 28 × 30 in | 438 × 438 mm | 2.8× | $999 |
| MillRight CNC Mega V 2 (19x19) | 711 × 838 mm | 28 × 33 in | 483 × 483 mm | 2.6× | $2,599 |
Footprints as published; inch figures converted by me, and the ratio is my calculation. Where a maker gives three figures, the first two are used.
Two tools on this site use the same figures: the Fits my bench filter on the machine list, and the bench visualizer, which draws machines on your bench at true scale.
What a footprint leaves out
Makers don't all measure the same thing. Some say what their figure includes or leaves out:
- MillRight CNC Carve King 2: “25" x 30" on the table; 28" x 30" x 17" with motor overhangs”
- Two Trees TTC6050: “811 x 769 x 530 mm (excluding control box)”
- MillRight CNC Mega V 2 XL (35x35): “42" x 49.5" plus an 8" control box beside it”
- Next Wave CNC Shark HD520: “36-1/4" W x 63" L x 24-1/2" H (overall)”
None of the footprints in the record include room for cables, a dust hose, or space to load a board, so leave a margin around whatever the page says.
Enclosed machines
An enclosure keeps chips in and, depending on the design, can reduce noise. Four machines in the record are described as enclosed by their makers:
| Machine | Work area | Footprint | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makera Z1 | 200 × 200 mm | 350 x 470 x 450 mm (13.8 x 18.5 x 17.7 in) | 17 kg (37.48 lb) | $1,249 |
| Makera Carvera Air | 300 × 200 mm | 500 x 450 x 450 mm | 30 kg | $1,999 |
| Carbide 3D Nomad 3 | 203 × 203 mm | 17.5" x 19" x 17" | Not published | $2,800 |
| Makera Carvera | 360 × 240 mm | 580 x 520 x 540 mm | 50 kg | $4,799 |
No page in the record gives a noise figure in decibels, so the record can't compare how loud any machine is. Makera describes the Z1's as a "Quiet, Enclosed Frame", which is a description rather than a measurement.
Weight
Weight decides whether a bench will hold the machine and whether one person can move it. Fifteen pages give a figure:
| Machine | Weight | As published |
|---|---|---|
| Two Trees TTC450 Pro (500W) | 15.4 kg | 15.45 kg net |
| Makera Z1 | 17 kg | 17 kg (37.48 lb) |
| Two Trees TTC450 Ultra | 19 kg | 19 kg net |
| SainSmart 4040-PRO | 20.6 kg | 20.65 kg (45.5 lb) |
| SainSmart 4040-PRO MAX | 24.6 kg | 24.6 kg (54.2 lb) |
| Makera Carvera Air | 30 kg | 30 kg |
| Sienci Labs LongMill MK3 30x30 | 32.7 kg | About 72 lb assembled (see disagreement) |
| Sienci Labs AltMill MK2 4x4 | 34.5 kg | 76 lb |
| Sienci Labs AltMill MK2 2x4 | 34.5 kg | 76 lb |
| Two Trees TTC6050 | 35.9 kg | 35.9 kg net |
| Makera Carvera | 50 kg | 50 kg |
| Carbide 3D Shapeoko HDM V3 | 120 kg | 120 kg |
| Inventables X-Carve Pro 4x2 | 124.7 kg | 275 lb |
| Inventables X-Carve Pro 4x4 | 136.1 kg | 300 lb |
| Sienci Labs AltMill 4x8 | 181.4 kg | 400 lb assembled (see spec notes) |
Pound figures converted to kilograms by me. One page, the AltMill 4x8's, gives two different weights; see its spec notes.
Power
Few pages say what the machine draws from the wall, and those that do don't measure it the same way. Where a page gives a figure, it's on that machine's page in the record. A machine that takes a separate router or spindle adds that tool's draw on top, and the larger spindles in the record are sold in 110V and 220V versions, so check which one suits your circuit before ordering.
How this page is made
Generated from the machine record each time it's rebuilt, so the tables follow the makers' pages. Nothing here has been measured for this site.
Sources
Read on 1 November 2026. Quotes are copied from these pages.
- Makera Z1: maker's page
- Carbide 3D Nomad 3: maker's page
- Makera Carvera Air: maker's page
- Makera Carvera: maker's page
- SainSmart PROVerXL 4030 V2: maker's page
- SainSmart 4040-PRO MAX: maker's page
- SainSmart 4040-PRO: maker's page
- SainSmart PROVerXL 4030S: maker's page
- Two Trees TTC450 Ultra: maker's page
- Two Trees TTC450 Pro (500W): maker's page
- MillRight CNC Carve King 2: maker's page
- MillRight CNC Mega V 2 (19x19): maker's page