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Tim, I don't own one but I looked into them last summer.
I actually got to se one work in action at a show in Mystic CT, and I'd have to say it is worth every penny, It is not as precise as a Gerber router but far from the asking price as well, The main thing to remember is the high end work you see in the catalog was done in artcam ( I believe the name is correct ) it is a high end software program. If I'm not mistaken the program costs more than the router table. Also any design you create has to exported and then imported into the shopbot DOS based software program. It would not be like a Gerber system where you send to the router right from the design software seamlessly.
As I was stating to Cam the other day, If I had the room and the extra 5,000.00 I'd buy one. You can get it cheaper but for that price you might as well but the whole package with all the toys.
The only thing that bothered me was the samples of carved letters they had at the show, They didn't look natural and the had to be double stroked to get the width of some strokes. That may have been the software, the bit or just plain the operator.
------------------ Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA bob@creativesignworks.com
"Some people's kids"
Posts: 5149 | From: Millbury, Mass. U.S. | Registered: Nov 1998
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I went to Atlantic City last month to look at one. Bob is right, for the money they are not bad. I plan to buy soon and will get all the "bells and whistles" available for it.
------------------ Wright Signs Wyandotte, Michigan Since 1978 http://www.wrightsigns.bigstep.com
Posts: 2786 | From: Wyandotte, MI USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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Is the ShopBot the one that you buy as a kit? and supply your own router and build your own table base? Does it run from cables instead of threaded shafts? Does it accept all the 3D moves?
------------------ The SignShop Mendocino, California "Where the Redwoods meet the Surf"
Oh, for the faith of a spider! He begins his web without any thread.
Posts: 6805 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I purchased a ShopBot last year around June. I got it already assembled from a guy that had built it Minnasodah. He had built a steel frame base instead of a wooden one and the thing is a monster. I think I will ride out the next hurricane underneath it! And I also got a big surprise when it got here. See, I thought it was a 5'x10 machine. Turns out the overall dimentions are 7'x12'! I had no place to put it! It wound up out in the back of the shop, under our extended roof. We've since sealed the room so it's safe from the weather.
Mine's got cables, but they say that the screw system is better and that is what they offer now.
If you or a friend know how to weld, the steel table is the way to go.
It is a good machine. I haven't figured out all of the possible uses yet and there is somewhat of a learning curve. It will accept 3-D software and comes with a program called Vector but you still have to export that to the ShopBot software to convert. To be fair, It's only about two or three steps to bridge the software so it's not a big problem.
ShopBot's tech help is VERY friendly. I was on the phone with them last week, and they talked me through the problems while on the phone.
I mentioned that we were talking about them here and that they should look in to sponsoring the site, so if you do contact them, let them know of the positive aspects of Letterville.
It seems to be a reliable machine.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
------------------ Pat Neve, Jr. Sign Man, Inc. 4580 N. US 1 Melbourne, FL 32935 321-259-1703 signman@signmaninc.com Capt. Sign Letterville Constituent constituent: "One of the individual entities contributing to a whole"
Posts: 2284 | From: Melbourne, FL, USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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Imported a kit to the UK and a friend assemled it, well well worth the bucks, run Signlab/Engrave lab on it and save the final layout as sbp (shopbot) and run... very simple machine does not look $20,000 machine but works like one, does the client ever see the hardware! only the finished job.. Mine paid for it self in 4 months, and never had a problem and the back up Stateside is second to none
Adrian Signrite Signs & Graphics Dorset UK ady@signrite.co.uk
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Thanks for the info and for the post. I've been looking at these things for a little while now also, not for myself but for my brother in law who is a builder and does a fair amount of custom joinery also and was considering a larger scale cnc router. What is the native format or file type of preference that it will accept? What are the steps involved in getting a layout from screen to cutting bed? Do you have any control over the vertical movement (z axis or whatever) or is it either up or down? All info appreciated. Thanks, David
------------------ D.A. & P.M. Fisher Signwriting Brisbane Australia da_pmf@yahoo.com
Posts: 1450 | From: Brisbane Queensland Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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The ShopBot software will import DXF files. It's relatively simple proceedure to get the files in.
And you have complete control of the Z axis. Mine has a 6" depth of cut.
------------------ Pat Neve, Jr. Sign Man, Inc. 4580 N. US 1 Melbourne, FL 32935 321-259-1703 signman@signmaninc.com Capt. Sign Letterville Constituent constituent: "One of the individual entities contributing to a whole"
Posts: 2284 | From: Melbourne, FL, USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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