Cnc advice needed

[mderzio]

Hello all.
I am doing a little research on wood cnc routers. I am in the stone business and I am looking for something that I can make templates with out of wood. These templates will mainly be sink cutouts or intricate designs. For example I have .dxf files available to me for a particular sink. I then need to make a template for them out of wood or prefferably plastic so a bearing can ride along it to mill the stone perfectly. I usually make these by hand but I would like to get more precise. The average size of my template is 24"x48" The actual cutout is about (give or take a few inches) 30"x20''. This is all I would use this for so I am not looking to drop a serious amount of money. It will just sit in a corner of a fab shop most of the time. Any advice on what I should be looking for is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
mderzio

[Dr.Zook]

I can't help with the templates, but welcome to the forums anyway mderzio . One of our members will surely answer your question.

[Check twice!]

Originally Posted by mderzio

Hello all.
I am doing a little research on wood cnc routers. I am in the stone business and I am looking for something that I can make templates with out of wood. These templates will mainly be sink cutouts or intricate designs. For example I have .dxf files available to me for a particular sink. I then need to make a template for them out of wood or prefferably plastic so a bearing can ride along it to mill the stone perfectly. I usually make these by hand but I would like to get more precise. The average size of my template is 24"x48" The actual cutout is about (give or take a few inches) 30"x20''. This is all I would use this for so I am not looking to drop a serious amount of money. It will just sit in a corner of a fab shop most of the time. Any advice on what I should be looking for is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
mderzio

May I suggest http://www.cnczone.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=385
Good hunting!
Have a great wood working day!
John

[DougO]

If you have the time to build it yourself, I would suggest going to "CNCzone dot com" and looking up Joes2006 model. It would do the job you are talking about and total should be less than $2000 (not counting labor).

[Check twice!]

Originally Posted by DougO

If you have the time to build it yourself, I would suggest going to "CNCzone dot com" and looking up Joes2006 model. It would do the job you are talking about and total should be less than $2000 (not counting labor).

Check-out Joes Hybrid 4x4 as well, it is the next generation of Joes machine. It also can be found at... cnczone.com

Good luck on your hunt, I am building the 2006 model of Joes. There are several support forums to assist in the building of either model.

Have a great woodworking day.
John

[kp91]

mderzio,

Try searching for someone in your area who can produce the patterns for you. How many patterns would you have to make for yourself to break even on the investment cost? How much shop space would you lose to a CNC machine you're not using?

Unless you're going to use it to start engraving stone, it might be more cost effective to hire out your CNC work.