format for cabinets and other things.

[Keith Hankins]

Well I'm finally getting ready to pull the plug on a CNC router. I'm struggling between CAMASTER unit, Laguna Unit, or building the CNC routerparts unit.

I've got several needs. 1) to make parts for my wine cabinets to speed production. 2) to add the rotary capabilities., and 3) I'm getting ready to build a house in two years as I get closer to retirement. The builder and I are working on me doing the cabinets, so i want that capability.

My questions:

1) any of you done cabinets with a 4x4 platform or is 4x8 ? If so, what did you do it with?

2) any builders of the CNC router parts, is it firm enough to do metal as well?

My final concern is my shop is in my walk up basemet 4 standard concrete steps to get up to grade. 6'0" doors and landing. I looked at the footprint of the laguna and she will just barely fit.

My gut says build but I'm concerned that it won't do what I need.

Any replies with your setup would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[jack duren]

We run a Morbidelli at work but out source the metal cutting. Why do you feel the need for a CNC for your cabinets?

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

If you're going to use a 4x4 machine, you might as well cut your parts on a table saw, as your going to have to cut the sheets into thirds anyway before loading them on a CNC. If you cut them in half, you'll get 4 cabinet sides per sheet, but in thirds you'll get 6.

With a 4x4, I would cut all the parts on the table saw, and use the CNC to drill all the holes.
With a 4x8, you can nest everything on the CNC. But you'll need a decent vaccum table to take advantage of what nesting gives you.

2) any builders of the CNC router parts, is it firm enough to do metal as well?

You can cut metal on just about any machine. But on almost all routers, you're going to be limited to 1/32" or less cuts (often much less) at rather slow speeds. Even a $150,000 router won't cut metal nearly as well as a mill. There's a guy at CNC Zone right now making a part from a huge block of aluminum on a CNC Router Parts machine. I think he'll have over 20 hours into it.

My gut says build but I'm concerned that it won't do what I need.

What you need is the real question. Almost any CNC router can do almost any task that you'd want them to. The questions, are how fast, and at what quality. I see these questions all the time, and unfortunately, it's almost impossible to answer. Because the answer depends on your expectations. And your the only one that really knows what your expectations are.

There are a lot of companies selling machines that are complete garbage, for thousands of dollars, to customers with low expectations. And these customers are very happy.

And there are people that spend $25,000 and don't get what they were expecting, and are not very happy.

[Keith Hankins]

Well made the decision. I'm ordering CCNrouterparts.com PRO cnc 48x96. It will take some time to build and assemble but I'm excited. I plan on doing a build diary with pics etc.

Man can't wait.

[Ross Moshinsky]

There is no reason to do a build diary. It's a waste of time. Build the sucker. Take a few snap shots and milestone moments and move on. You'll waste hours on a diary when you could be building and getting the machine done. Just my opinion obviously. As for the machine, you made a solid choice based on your circumstance. I don't think you're getting most 4x8 machines into your shop without it being assembled on site.

I own one of the early CNCRouterParts 4x8 machines so obviously things have changed since then but this is my general feelings towards the machine:

Quality: If you're looking to do signs, cabinetry, and production parts with loose tolerances, it's a good machine for the job. You want to do more? This isn't the best choice. No matter what anyone says, this machine isn't built to be a high tolerance machine. Nor is it designed to be a heavy duty machine. It's great for the serious hobbyist and small shop.

Design Choices: Get the NEMA34 motors for sure. Also get at least the 2.2kw Chinese spindle. If you want to actually make the machine work, it needs power to push through the material. I have a PC 3.25HP router with NEMA 34s and I bump rpm higher than recommended often so I can get the extra power. Yesterday I did some plywood cutting with a 3/8" compression bit. Depth of pass was about .3 if I recall correctly. Feedrate calc says based on my feed speed ~140ipm I should be at 13,000rpm. Did a bit of cutting and could hear minor binding/stalling. Needed to bump to 16,000rpm. Big picture, it's not a big deal but you'll constantly find if you build an under powered machine you're running your bit too fast and machine too slow, which just costs more in tooling and takes more time to get the part machined. In a business setting, go for the extra power.

Base/Foundation: I would recommend against their leg kit. I recently added more structure to mine as it's simply wasn't heavy or tight enough. Given your skill set as a carpenter, I would absolutely recommend you build a mammoth wood table or have a local fab shop make up a heavy duty steel base. Mass and stability are huge when machining. Having a lightweight, hobbly, insufficient base will cause flexing and binding which will translate into poor cut quality, bits breaking, and poor production output. Whatever you have made, think to the future, specifically leave room for a vacuum table.

[Keith Hankins]

Thanks for the great feedback. I had planned on the nema 34's and had considered the spindle option but thought I'd keep it simple to start (router) and add the spindle later. The leg kit I'll think about it as I could make a kick ass table, but just not sure I want to fool with it. May have to reconsider.

As to the diary, it will be pics thats about all I got the patience for

For me its not a full time job, so I can afford to go slower. If it were a full time gig, I'd be going the camaster or laguna route.

I may shoot you some pm's with questions. Take care.