Is this the do all sign router that does it all? Do you have one? do you like it? price? looks like you can do anything with it as far as routed signs.
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
There are several home built machines around. Some are good. A few are real good.
If you look around you can get a top grade very expensive machine for pennies on the dollar. Lots of places are dumping their machines. There is just no work.
I built my own homebuilt using hardware store items that runs great for sign work.
However, this cnc stuff us not for just any one.
First the quoted cost is not the real cost. They will tell you anything to get you sold. However, the electrical expenses will come to play. You will need a Dust collection system and a vacuum system. Those items will add on several thousands more.
Then add in the software which will set you back even more.
However, the real barrier is the brain. Most difficult of all is the learning curve. If you cannot think in spacial terms then forget about it. This is not just like cutting vinyl. I just spent a few hours with a person who spent over $30 grand getting set up and he just realized he has no chance of running his machine for more than just a fancy jigsaw. He broke over $200 bux in cutters already. And I was there to help him reset his gantry. It was racked so bad.
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
I was in the process of building a 4x8 table using heavy 80/20 Aluminum extrusions for the frame. The gantry is a 5'x 4"x6" extrusion with 2 square linear rails and 4 bearing blocks. My z axis also has square linear rails and would probably use a ball screw or rack to drive it. I was in the process of looking for some rails for the x axis, some rack/pinion parts and servo motors when I found a good deal on a used Shopbot on Ebay. It's not as fast as the machine I was building would have been ...but buying one was quicker than building one. I would still like to finish my contraption later though.
A Shopbot will do everything you need it to do and you can't go wrong with Aspire software.
[ August 06, 2010, 01:42 PM: Message edited by: Wayne Webb ]
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
In my opinion, ShopBot is one of the best buys around. There may be some that are cheaper and there a lot that are more expensive, but my ShopBot will do everything I need and then some.
We've been running ours for three years and have no complaints. The learning curve is the most difficult process....and you will break some bits along the way.
In the beginning we used ArtCam Pro but then switched to Aspire just a few weeks ago. Both are great programs and will do just about anything you can think up. Aspire has more tutorial helps than ArtCam but both will do basically the same thing - ArtCam is a little more advanced, but also more complicated...at least, for me.
As with any other piece of equipment or software - they do not think...that's where you come in. Design is still the basic foundation. Machines just let you execute the design more efficiently.
And they do not automatically make you rich. No one is going to beat your door down with a fist full of money just because you have a router.
Posted by Jon Jantz (Member # 6137) on :
Call Blake Koehn at Prodigital Supply. He had a Shopbot, but sold it and built his own based on the MechMate rig..... his new rig is much faster and more accurate than his Shopbot was...
We just built a 5' x 10' CNC machine and put a Hypertherm Powermax 1250 plasma cutter on it... it is loosely based on the MechMate plans and it looks like it is going to work very nicely...
Posted by Jean Shimp (Member # 198) on :
We've had our ShopBot for 10 years. Been very pleased with it. It's made us lots of money and the people at the ShopBot factory still return our phone calls if we have questions.
Posted by Joe Crumley (Member # 2307) on :
Be Careful.
Once upon a time, I had one!
Posted by Blake Koehn (Member # 5984) on :
Check your email.
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Also, be careful with Crumley's answer. His ShopBot came over on the Mayflower.
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
I have found Shopbot to be very expensive for what you get. There are several machines out there much better built. Mine was less money than a shopbot and came in at 1000 pounds heavier. Rigid construction with a lot of weight is better, less vibration and tighter tolerances. The biggest knock against Shopbot is their proprietary software. I've heard many a Shopbot owner just drools when they see Mach running a router. That is the first thing I'd look for is the ability to use Mach to run the machine. Shopbot has great support, their forum is top notch, and probably necessary, at least for newbies, to get their machine running. I have wanted a Shopbot since they came out with their cable and pulley system. When it came time to buy, after doing the research, Shopbot was the last router I would buy. They work for many, but doing it all? No way. And yes, like Curtis said, the learning curve for anything beyond a glorified jig saw, is steep.
Posted by Joe Crumley (Member # 2307) on :
Raymond thought I had lost it when I first started talking about buying CNC. My, My how things change.
Mike Norcross posted here, last week, about needing help with his new Chinese CNC. He bought it on Ebay without knowing much about routers. After several phone discussions he close to having it up and running. I admire Mike for his openness and for laying down his brushes for a while and trying a new venture. Wish I lived closer so I could help.
I'm with Dave Sherby. Couldn't have said it better.
[ August 07, 2010, 06:27 PM: Message edited by: Joe Crumley ]
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Very diplomatic, that was, Dave & Joe!
Do NOT underestimate the learning curve, Buddy!
After we got our 2nd hand router finally delivered, it sat here for a month before I could assemble it, then I spent another full month, i.e. 30 days, digesting the software, tool path creation, choice for cutters & diameters & RPM speeds & travel speeds, and how to more efficiently do certain tasks than the way you first think of,
plus breaking several cutters!
I'm still learning & loving it! It has a bed capable of holding & routing 2.0 x 4.3 metres of material, and initially I thought the size would be way more than we'd ever need. I'm now very glad we have that capacity. It has opened a few doors, and we can cut 5 x 10 ft alupanel/dibond sheets easily, as well as the 4 metre & the 12 ft sheets.
It has also spent 1/4 as long as we've had it, broken down, as I burned out servos & drives doing stuff it wasn't used to (mostly lithophanes). The learning curve associated with diagnosing, calibrating & fixing that was a pain, but worthwhile. I replaced acme & delrin Z axis screw & nut with an ebay ballnut & screw, and installed a more powerful servo, and it's a real beauty now. Much more accurate and faster than before, with much less load.
Did I say there was a huge learning curve?
You also need a mentor or someone to turn to for advice.
Cncforums.com have been great in that capacity!
Like Wayne, I considered building a smaller one, but I'm glad I didn't. Now that I understand the parameters, I'm keen to one day build one.
(On a sort-of related note, I saw some remarkably cheap chinese laser cutters on ebay down here, (about $700) so decided to probe Mr Google for opinions on them & their proprietory software. There was a fascinating website I found with all the problems & workarounds the buyer figured out as he got one of these el-cheapo machines going. It was a great story & education- not for the feint-hearted though! Beware what you buy from the orient!)
