The ToolDance X1, a desktop CNC mill that ToolDance markets for hard metals as well as aluminum, wood and plastics, had raised $13,131,839 from 2,603 backers on Kickstarter as of October 19, per the campaign’s live stats. It opened on October 15.
Super Early Bird backers can get the base machine for $2,999, which ToolDance pitches as half its $5,999 MSRP. For context, TIME lists the NestWorks C500, another desktop CNC aimed at metal, at $6,000 retail. The X1 is still a crowdfunding pledge with no confirmed ship date.
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ToolDance X1 Specs: Spindle, Work Area and Tool Changer
Unless noted otherwise, the specs in this section come from the ToolDance site and haven’t been independently tested. On paper, the X1 is a 3-axis mill with a 1,500W spindle that tops out at 24,000 RPM. Its work area is 400 × 265 × 180 mm, big enough to clamp a fixture plate or several small parts in one setup.
Its 9-tool automatic changer is designed to move from roughing to finishing without manual tool swaps. It takes tool shanks up to 10 mm.
The site calls ±0.01 mm the X1’s “machining precision.” engineering.com’s IFA report describes the same figure as positioning repeatability, which measures how consistently the machine returns to a point, not how accurate a finished part comes out under cutting load.
The machine is also built to grow. Optional modules add 4-axis or simultaneous 5-axis machining. Others add flood coolant or dust collection.
On the software side, the ToolDance Studio app is designed to check a part for problems before cutting, suggest how to clamp it for each operation, and turn a photo into editable geometry. The X1 also works with third-party CAM such as Fusion 360, Siemens NX and Mastercam.
ToolDance X1 Pricing and Kickstarter Rewards
The Super Early Bird price covers the base X1 only. ToolDance lists eight bundles that add the 4-axis or 5-axis module, dust collection or flood cooling. VIP members who reserved with a refundable $30 deposit before launch get $200 back after the campaign ends successfully, bringing the base machine to $2,799.
Unlocked stretch goals add six tool adapters, a T-shirt and a tumbler to every eligible machine pledge. If the campaign reaches $15 million, eligible machine backers also get a wireless 3D touch probe.
What to Check Before You Back the ToolDance X1
Not every hobbyist is skeptical. One r/hobbycnc commenter who watched ToolDance’s live cutting demos at shows said the X1 “seemed the best out of this batch” of new hobby CNC mills because the company “focused on 3 axis capability,” adding that the demos were “what I would expect for a small mill.” Still, a few questions are worth answering before you pledge.
- Spindle torque. If the spindle delivers its full 1,500W at 24,000 RPM, torque there is about 0.6 N·m (our calculation, from power = torque × rotational speed). ToolDance says the spindle “maintains strong torque at lower spindle speeds” but doesn’t publish the curve. If torque stays roughly flat down the range, as the author of an r/hobbycnc post titled “Is the Tooldance X1 Misleading?” believes, our math puts power at about 190W at 3,000 RPM. That poster also questions whether the axis motors, ballscrews and rails are sized for stainless steel and titanium.
- Power at 120V. According to ToolDance’s official Reddit account, North American machines ship with a high-voltage NEMA 6-15 cord as standard. A 120V NEMA 5-20 cord is optional and sold separately, and it needs a 20A outlet, not the common 15A household kind. At 120V, spindle output drops to roughly 900 to 1,000W.
- Delivery date. We couldn’t confirm an estimated delivery date in any English source we checked. Read the reward page before you pledge, and remember that hardware campaigns often ship late.
- Accuracy under load. ToolDance hasn’t said whether ±0.01 mm holds while cutting steel. Wait for owners to post measured parts.
Should You Back the ToolDance X1 or Wait for Another Desktop CNC?
- You want to cut metal at home and can wait. The X1’s $2,999 Super Early Bird pledge is about half the $6,000 retail price TIME lists for the C500, though NestWorks hasn’t announced pre-order pricing. It also includes a 9-tool changer. You’re trading a lower price for delivery risk.
- You’d rather pre-order than back a campaign. NestWorks says C500 pre-orders, also for a 3-axis machine, open this October. We couldn’t find a ship date for it either, so compare delivery and refund terms on both.
- You need true 5-axis. The X1’s 5-axis module is an add-on. ToolDance says it enlarged the module in October to take parts up to 110 × 110 × 105 mm in simultaneous 5-axis mode. Compare that with the 5-axis desktop CNCs from the summer Kickstarter wave.
- You mainly print plastic and want metal parts occasionally. A desktop CNC brings coolant and metal chips into your workspace. ToolDance’s own noise test, cutting aluminum at 9,000 RPM with a 5.5 to 6 mm depth of cut, measured typical operation below 70 dBA at 50 cm. A desktop metal 3D printer like the SnowPod is the other route.
What We Still Don’t Know About the ToolDance X1
- Real cutting performance. We haven’t found independent steel or titanium tests yet.
- Spindle torque curve. Not published.
- Delivery date and retail availability. Neither is confirmed yet.
The campaign is still live. The first real test comes when backer machines start cutting metal.
