Take a look at Onefinity. A friend has one and it's a pretty nice machine for the money, way more rigid than Shark and others in that class.
Which CNC router for wood carving is good
Hi guys, been reading posts for a while on here, cant seem to lock in on what i really need. Im basically looking for an entry level 3-axis that i would be able to do some 3d wood carving / plexi glass !
Im relatively new to this, I dont have much experience CNC routers. Ive seen the CarveWright and have heard lot of mixed reviews 70% of which are negative. My budget is around $6000. The lesser the better. I liked the carveWright especially because of the short learning curve with their design softwares. Im very computer literate so learning something new wouldnt be that bad. I liked the ShopBot Buddy CNC router and almost bought it but because of its dimensions it wouldnt fit through my 35" door. My main interest for a CNC router is to make signs and 3d wood carvings. Its time to upgrade from my scroll saw. A working space of 15" - 24" would be within my specs of what i would use this machine for.
Any advice / input would be appreciated.
Thanks
Im relatively new to this, I dont have much experience CNC routers. Ive seen the CarveWright and have heard lot of mixed reviews 70% of which are negative. My budget is around $6000. The lesser the better. I liked the carveWright especially because of the short learning curve with their design softwares. Im very computer literate so learning something new wouldnt be that bad. I liked the ShopBot Buddy CNC router and almost bought it but because of its dimensions it wouldnt fit through my 35" door. My main interest for a CNC router is to make signs and 3d wood carvings. Its time to upgrade from my scroll saw. A working space of 15" - 24" would be within my specs of what i would use this machine for.
Any advice / input would be appreciated.
Thanks
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I second the Onefinity. I have one and it is great, very sturdy machine. The Shapeoko is also a very good machine, I've had one of those as well. Both are just under $3000
Welcome to the forum.
Thanks for the suggestion @difalkner I have checked Onefinity and it really has good reviews from many custom wood crafters. Will surely make a purchase after some more suggestions maybe a better opton ahead
Try Millright CNC, made in Georgia. Forget the CarveWright. I tried to convince myself to get one, but just looking at it I can't believe it could take getting smacked with heavy wood pieces, with the dust and chips flying that the innards wouldn't seize up soon.
Oh, and BTW, for six grand you can get a real nice hobbyist router. I'd suggest something more on the order of 3 to 4, make sure you like it, then step up. At around 10K and up, you can get machines that have smooth, quiet spindles and auto tool changers.
Welcome to the forum @Pyrotechnic67
I've been using an X-Carve (inventables.com) for about 6 years now. This is the only CNC machine I've ever used. Bought it so I could carve wedding favors for my son's wedding, and since then I've cut at least 500 small signs and ornaments with it. Absolutely love it. Built from a kit, and 6 years later all original parts (aside from bits of course). It has been very reliable for what I want it to do. I can't say much regarding the current product, and for sure there are bigger/better/tougher machines out there, but if you're just getting started, its only around $2K. Excellent way to get your feet wet.
I have a Shapeoko 3 XXL. I upgraded to their HDZ and use a Dewalt 611 router. I have loved the machine and their community forum is great. I had a Shark and they are so so but their community forum is as dead as a fish. The Carbide 3 D company has very good support and has a no fault warranty policy. I am on several forums like the inventables. They all make good machines but what I think makes C3D better is the community support and the technical support.
The real cost is the software. Easel from inventables (XCarve) is cloud. Fusion 360 has a free version but is limited. Many people buy Vetric and with Vetric you buy the Desktop version and want to upgrade you only pay the difference in price. There is also Carveco and a bunch of open source ones.
The CNC machine is only the start. You still need other equipment to feed the CNC which ever brand you buy. A table saw as a minimum, a planner and maybe a jointer. A bandsaw is good but not required. Then there are the accessories and bits. The big cost now is the wood or aluminum to feed the machine.
So strap in and expect to spend twice what you paid for the CNC to be able to cut projects. Then there is the usual things used in wood working which is finishing. So be prepared sticker shock for total cost of owner ship of any CNC machine. There are many CNC machines sitting in garages covered with dust that people bought and never spent the time to learn how to use the hardware/software.
Take a look at craigslist to buy a used machine. The machines do not pop up often but are very sellable if you decide you want a bigger/better machine later. Just be prepared to go through a steep learning curve to learn how to use any CNC machine. Not trying to scare you but it is a commitment in money and time. If you are not prepared for that then dont buy one.
They sell the $200 dollar machines made in China on Amazon. Stay away from them because they are an exercise in frustration.
The real cost is the software. Easel from inventables (XCarve) is cloud. Fusion 360 has a free version but is limited. Many people buy Vetric and with Vetric you buy the Desktop version and want to upgrade you only pay the difference in price. There is also Carveco and a bunch of open source ones.
The CNC machine is only the start. You still need other equipment to feed the CNC which ever brand you buy. A table saw as a minimum, a planner and maybe a jointer. A bandsaw is good but not required. Then there are the accessories and bits. The big cost now is the wood or aluminum to feed the machine.
So strap in and expect to spend twice what you paid for the CNC to be able to cut projects. Then there is the usual things used in wood working which is finishing. So be prepared sticker shock for total cost of owner ship of any CNC machine. There are many CNC machines sitting in garages covered with dust that people bought and never spent the time to learn how to use the hardware/software.
Take a look at craigslist to buy a used machine. The machines do not pop up often but are very sellable if you decide you want a bigger/better machine later. Just be prepared to go through a steep learning curve to learn how to use any CNC machine. Not trying to scare you but it is a commitment in money and time. If you are not prepared for that then dont buy one.
They sell the $200 dollar machines made in China on Amazon. Stay away from them because they are an exercise in frustration.
I have a Carvewright and I have been happy with it (not a recommendation for or against). I have also bought an Axiom Iconic 3x2 with all the bells and whistles.
The Carvewright is built for little old grannys with little to no knowledge of cnc. It uses a proprietary format and does not use normal gcode files. Everything is preprogrammed into the machine so speeds and feed rates are limited to whatever the machine has prebuilt (you cannot input or modify them). You pretty much input the pattern file and hit go. It can be a finicky machine but like everything else it levels out with a learning curve which is somewhat different than other machines.
They are also working on the next generation machine named the Carvewright CNC Raven.
Again, not a recommendation for or against, just some info.
Regardless, I always recommend learning a software package to make your patterns unless you will by buying all your patterns from a third party. It really opens up a machine's capability when you can make whatever you want/need when you need it.
The cnc machine is only part of the equation.
The Carvewright is built for little old grannys with little to no knowledge of cnc. It uses a proprietary format and does not use normal gcode files. Everything is preprogrammed into the machine so speeds and feed rates are limited to whatever the machine has prebuilt (you cannot input or modify them). You pretty much input the pattern file and hit go. It can be a finicky machine but like everything else it levels out with a learning curve which is somewhat different than other machines.
They are also working on the next generation machine named the Carvewright CNC Raven.
Again, not a recommendation for or against, just some info.
Regardless, I always recommend learning a software package to make your patterns unless you will by buying all your patterns from a third party. It really opens up a machine's capability when you can make whatever you want/need when you need it.
The cnc machine is only part of the equation.
The axiom series are great all around
Hey Jared - what projects interest you the most? do you have any photos to share?
We would really like to see your CNC setup too.
We would really like to see your CNC setup too.
Take a look at Onefinity.
I'll third the Onefinity. Now, it's the only machine I've had, but man this thing is great. Very well built.I second the Onefinity.
OP lives in Australia where power is 240V 50Hz.I'll third the Onefinity. Now, it's the only machine I've had, but man this thing is great. Very well built.
People are recommending machines that are available in USA but may/may not be available in Australia.
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