CNC Router Suggestion
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297 Posts
you will get many opinions of course.
my 2 recommendations: 1. lurk on cnc forums for awhile and learn all that you can, and 2. consider a used machine. many cnc's are purchased and for many reasons don't get used much and are then sold. there is your best bang-for-the-buck, in my opinion. you may be able to pick up a $10k machine for your $5k
my 2 recommendations: 1. lurk on cnc forums for awhile and learn all that you can, and 2. consider a used machine. many cnc's are purchased and for many reasons don't get used much and are then sold. there is your best bang-for-the-buck, in my opinion. you may be able to pick up a $10k machine for your $5k
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3 Posts
I am looking for suggestions on CNC machines. I have never used one and don't know not much about them, I am a hobbyist at wood working. I am looking to not spend more then $8,000 and something that is good for beginners and easy to use. I have searched the web and have found many different brands.
Welcome to the forum! What are you intending to cut or make on a regular basis? What support tools do you have for preparing stock - table saw, band saw, planer, etc.? How much space do you have and what size are you wanting? How about power available - got 240v for a spindle?
David
David
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68 Posts
As this appears to suggest a hobby machine rather than a commercial one I would suggest looking at one of the Shapeoko machines from Carbide 3d. They have a range of machines and their support is IMHO unmatched. They have heaps of videos on youtube and if anyone tells you they are limited just search for work by Vincefab-,he makes custom race engine parts on his machine and has installed a number of the upgrades the company has. They have a new machine added to their existing lineup of 3 sizes. There is also dedicated forum with very friendly and helpful members and a string facebook group. One member has produced a huge manual for the machines that is free to download. Oh and the CAD & CAM SOFTWARE IS FREE for download. There is also a site called CutRocket they have set up for free project files with toolpaths, supplied by members.
There is also a JTech laser that can be attached
Full disclosure. I have the basic machine.
You WILL spend a significant amount for end mills and vbits once you get the bug.
Welcome to another fun money pit
There is also a JTech laser that can be attached
Full disclosure. I have the basic machine.
You WILL spend a significant amount for end mills and vbits once you get the bug.
Welcome to another fun money pit
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3,765 Posts
Welcome to the forum
I have a DigitalWoodcarver.com 24 x 40 machine. It's been great for me so far, and the customer service is awesome.
Give Laney or Burl a call and talk about what they have available. https://www.digitalwoodcarver.com/contact
Give Laney or Burl a call and talk about what they have available. https://www.digitalwoodcarver.com/contact
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603 Posts
How big of a machine do you want?
Most "simple furniture projects" are often better done with a table saw and other tools, rather than a CNC. Do you want to do carvings on them?
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29 Posts
At the price range you listed, you have a lot of options. In the hobby arena, you would do better with the X-Carve pro, it comes in 4 x 4 and 4 x 2 sizes, but you can feed 4x8 sheets into it, the software allows you to run your program, then move the sheet, then continue the program, so you can machine sheets with some manual placement between runs.
I have no relationship with them, I personally use an openbuilds lead 1010 (they now have a 1515, 1.5m x 1.5m), for under $2k, but you need to build the machine from the parts they send you.
Accuracy is fine for woodworking, but for any type of metal work, or high precision work, things can get a little iffy.
The issue I have with all the hobbyist CNC machines, is that they tend to use all in one driver boards with small servos/steppers. Any CAD/CAM software that speaks GRBL will work fine, but if you want to step it up a level and use LinuxCNC, you will need a controller board that differs from what most of the hobby machines use. Look into the MESA boards.
Another option, is excess or liquidation auctions. Unfortunately during the current economic climate and the pandemic, there are many shops and factories closing down, and the equipment is auctioned off. You can pick industrial grade equipment for dirt cheap.
I have no relationship with them, I personally use an openbuilds lead 1010 (they now have a 1515, 1.5m x 1.5m), for under $2k, but you need to build the machine from the parts they send you.
Accuracy is fine for woodworking, but for any type of metal work, or high precision work, things can get a little iffy.
The issue I have with all the hobbyist CNC machines, is that they tend to use all in one driver boards with small servos/steppers. Any CAD/CAM software that speaks GRBL will work fine, but if you want to step it up a level and use LinuxCNC, you will need a controller board that differs from what most of the hobby machines use. Look into the MESA boards.
Another option, is excess or liquidation auctions. Unfortunately during the current economic climate and the pandemic, there are many shops and factories closing down, and the equipment is auctioned off. You can pick industrial grade equipment for dirt cheap.
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130 Posts
I purchased a Shark 510 HD from Grizzly about 3 months ago. Learning curve was pretty fast. I have made over 70 projects with it. Cost was right around 5000.00 when I added table, bits and extra router collets. I found in my small hobby garage shop that the 25" by 25" cut size was going to handle most anything I wanted. It does allow tiling so you can work on many times longer material but are limited to the 25" width.
The build quality and the ease of use and the Vcarve software and the shark controller will have you up and running with in hours of getting it home. Lot's of help videos on line and youtube. I highly recommend the Shark.
As you already know woodworking is a learning process and here is some things I learned these past 3 months.
(4) CNC Shark HD Blue Foam Noise and Dust Box - YouTube
Mark Jones
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