Image: V1 Engineering
V1 Engineering LowRider CNC V4
V1 Engineering
Best for: Someone who wants full-sheet capacity on a small budget and treats building the machine as part of the project
Typical starting price
$650Editorial baseline for this machine
Overall score
Best current buying path
Where to buy
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- Check manufacturer site for availability
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Quick verdict
The LowRider is the most-built large-format DIY CNC in the world, and V4 is the current version. It rides directly on the work surface instead of needing a gantry frame, which is how it gets 4 by 8 foot capacity for a few hundred dollars and why it folds away when you are done. Plans are free. Accuracy is belt-and-printed-parts territory, so this is a sheet goods machine, not a precision one. Budget roughly 650 dollars for a full kit, less if you print and source yourself.
Who this fits best
Someone who wants full-sheet capacity on a small budget and treats building the machine as part of the project
Buy this if
Someone who wants full-sheet capacity on a small budget and treats building the machine as part of the project. Full 4 by 8 foot sheet capacity for well under 1000 dollars, which nothing else approaches.
Skip this if
You print the parts and source the hardware, this is a build project not a purchase, and belt driven with printed structure, so accuracy is well below a ball screw machine.
What else you still need
A 3D printer and filament for the parts, the hardware kit, a Makita-class trim router, a controller board and a full-sheet table. Plan on several weekends of building.
Material reality check
Sheet goods: plywood, MDF and foam cut to shape. Treat aluminium as a stretch goal; a belt-driven printed frame is not a metal machine.
Better alternative if...
you want full-sheet capacity without building it yourself. See Sienci Labs AltMill MK2 4x8
Where it wins
- Full 4 by 8 foot sheet capacity for well under 1000 dollars, which nothing else approaches
- Plans are free and the design is genuinely open source
- Folds away or stands up against a wall, it does not need a permanent bench
- Very large and active community with years of build threads
- Same machine accepts a laser, plasma torch or drag knife
Where it falls short
- You print the parts and source the hardware, this is a build project not a purchase
- Belt driven with printed structure, so accuracy is well below a ball screw machine
- 50mm Z travel is shallow unless you add the drop table
- No support line, the forum is your support
- Build quality depends entirely on your own printer and assembly
Specifications
1220 × 2440 mm
29768 cm²
710W
Makita 700-series trim router recommended, user supplied; laser, plasma and drag-knife mounts also available
SKR Pro or Jackpot running FluidNC or Marlin
18 kg
$650
DIY kit
Full specification table
Relative to database
Benchmark Scores
Overall Score
Composite across 5 dimensions
Community Sentiment
We have not summarised owner feedback for the V1 Engineering LowRider CNC V4 yet, so this section is intentionally left without claims. Check the sources for current owner discussions.
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