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Thread: New and Interested in CNC

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Spingfield, MO.
    Posts
    59
    Bruce these are the two I am looking at.

    http://www.probotix.com/CNC-ROUTERS/NEBULA-CNC-ROUTER

    http://www.camaster.com/cnc-routers/stinger-ii/

    I know there is a huge price difference I am trying to decide between cheaper to learn on vs get the best I can save up for to learn on and grow with so not to buy multiple devices.

    part of me is considering the larger Stinger III for the ability to use a whole sheet of plywood but I doubt I could handle it alone.
    Last edited by Edward Henry; 05-01-2017 at 6:43 PM.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    In the foothills of the Sandia Mountains
    Posts
    16,622
    Edward, those are stepper motor resolution specifications, not positional accuracy specs.

    There's an expression in the CNC circles, "Buy your second machine first" My advice is to buy the best that you can afford. There is a lot of good information in this forum and in other forums like camheads.org & talkshopbot.com.

    Ps., Comparing the Probotix and Stinger is like comparing apples & oranges.
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  3. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Medina Ohio
    Posts
    4,516
    There are a lot of people making a living off a Probotix router also Shopbot routers. They all will do the job. It all depends on what you are comfortable with. It is like the Sawstop or Festool debate. One size does not fit all.
    Last edited by Jerome Stanek; 05-02-2017 at 1:04 PM.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Spingfield, MO.
    Posts
    59
    Again thank you all for your patience and replies, I have a bad habit of worrying something to death before suddenly buying.

    I might have mentioned before that I had no clue what I wanted to do and this is not totally true.

    Craft desires I wish to learn.

    1. I do wood burning (Pyrography) I have it in my head that instead of drawing my design on the wood before burning that maybe I could etch a very light outline of my image on the wood then burn it by hand like tracing... I also thought of getting a Laser engraver to try to burn a light outline to do the same but the machine I liked is $28,000 and never going to afford that.

    2. Small custom plaques/ awards for my local pickleball club tournaments.

    3. Lithophanes, and edge lit acrylic or glass images themed based on specific interests such as astronomy images my friends do like these.

    IMG_3434.jpgIMG_3432.jpg

    This was done on a Epilog Helix 50 watt before I found out It was way beyond my budget at this time (Hoping I can learn skills on a CNC Router that can earn me funds to buy one)

    Can a CNC router do this with a equal level of detail?


    Every wood working forum I went to told me laser engravers were nice but if I wanted to make some income a CNC was the better choice but the prices and quality and shear number of brands is overwhelming.

    Affordable Option: $500-$2,000 (any cheap DIY kits) Do I buy a kit and try to learn the ins and outs and hope I can build it to work but maybe never get a usable build due to lack of knowledge?

    Or $1,000-4,000 (X-Carve, Shapeoko 3, Stepcraft)Do I buy a cheaper prebuilt that I can focus learning to use the machine but might not learn maintenance and hope it is accurate and strong enough to grow with.

    Or $7,000-$20,000 (Camaster, Shopsaber) buy a big name brand heavy sturdy and large sizes I can grow into as my skills and desires grow.

    Do I buy a small one to learn the basics or as big as I can fit in my garage to grow with. (Also trying to build a garage wood shop one tool at a time looking at about $12,000 for that if I have the room in my Garage
    L 21' 7 3/32", W 19' 3 9/16", H 9' 2 1/2" from door to left wall 10' 7 13/32" from door to right wall is 5' 7 5/32" (need to retire garage for its own breaker)

    So many thoughts running through my head and more confused every day lol all I know for certain is I want to try.

  5. CNC...head spinning is correct

    Hi Edward,

    You've gotten a lot of excellent replies, lots to think about. I agree it is all head spinning, I was there for awhile myself.

    I'm in a similar position as you, I'm not looking to break the bank buying a machine not knowing if I'll even enjoy it or I will learn it well enough to make it worth my time. After much looking, reading and youtube I picked the Shapeoko3 XXL. The cost is low enough that I'm not taking a big risk and I've seen the work it can put out, very high quality. But...it's just a machine, you need to design a quality part with efficient tool paths, the correct bit(s), etc. Basically, you get back what you put into it.

    I use Fusion 360 for design. Vcrave is great, but it's $600, Fusion is FREE and very powerful. You can go from design to CAM to tool path to g-code in one program, for FREE.

    I am planning on using the XXL to learn and if I outgrow the machine it will be easy to re-sell it on the Shapeoko site. The routakit is a great machine, but it was more than I wanted to spend on a new tool, that might just collect dust if I don't use it a lot.

    Check out: Winston Moy

    Cheers!



    Quote Originally Posted by Edward Henry View Post
    Again thank you all for your patience and replies, I have a bad habit of worrying something to death before suddenly buying.

    I might have mentioned before that I had no clue what I wanted to do and this is not totally true.

    Craft desires I wish to learn.

    1. I do wood burning (Pyrography) I have it in my head that instead of drawing my design on the wood before burning that maybe I could etch a very light outline of my image on the wood then burn it by hand like tracing... I also thought of getting a Laser engraver to try to burn a light outline to do the same but the machine I liked is $28,000 and never going to afford that.

    2. Small custom plaques/ awards for my local pickleball club tournaments.

    3. Lithophanes, and edge lit acrylic or glass images themed based on specific interests such as astronomy images my friends do like these.

    IMG_3434.jpgIMG_3432.jpg

    This was done on a Epilog Helix 50 watt before I found out It was way beyond my budget at this time (Hoping I can learn skills on a CNC Router that can earn me funds to buy one)

    Can a CNC router do this with a equal level of detail?


    Every wood working forum I went to told me laser engravers were nice but if I wanted to make some income a CNC was the better choice but the prices and quality and shear number of brands is overwhelming.

    Affordable Option: $500-$2,000 (any cheap DIY kits) Do I buy a kit and try to learn the ins and outs and hope I can build it to work but maybe never get a usable build due to lack of knowledge?

    Or $1,000-4,000 (X-Carve, Shapeoko 3, Stepcraft)Do I buy a cheaper prebuilt that I can focus learning to use the machine but might not learn maintenance and hope it is accurate and strong enough to grow with.

    Or $7,000-$20,000 (Camaster, Shopsaber) buy a big name brand heavy sturdy and large sizes I can grow into as my skills and desires grow.

    Do I buy a small one to learn the basics or as big as I can fit in my garage to grow with. (Also trying to build a garage wood shop one tool at a time looking at about $12,000 for that if I have the room in my Garage
    L 21' 7 3/32", W 19' 3 9/16", H 9' 2 1/2" from door to left wall 10' 7 13/32" from door to right wall is 5' 7 5/32" (need to retire garage for its own breaker)

    So many thoughts running through my head and more confused every day lol all I know for certain is I want to try.

  6. I'm in the same boat as Edward. I saw a few cnc videos and think I want to play... I've looked a bobscnc and it appears inexpensive enough to start. But in any of the other forums I've read (admittedly, not many) I haven't seen any info on bobscnc. Any input about bobs?

    also - I saw a post mentioning about if you outgrow the router, you can sell it. Does it make sense to look at the second hand market?

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Leland, NC
    Posts
    476
    Resolution, repeatability and accuracy are three different terms that do not describe the same thing.

    A simple way to think of resolution is that it is the smallest increment the system can move. CAN move. It may not move at all due to tolerances, backlash, etc. It may not move for several small resolution commands. Then it may move all of them at once or only part of them.

    Obviously if you have .010 backlash in a system you are not going to get .0005 accuracy. But you will be able to command a move of .0005, the stepper will turn slightly and the tool will just sit there as if nothing happened.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    In the foothills of the Sandia Mountains
    Posts
    16,622
    Quote Originally Posted by Charles Palmer View Post
    I'm in the same boat as Edward. I saw a few cnc videos and think I want to play... I've looked a bobscnc and it appears inexpensive enough to start. But in any of the other forums I've read (admittedly, not many) I haven't seen any info on bobscnc. Any input about bobs?

    also - I saw a post mentioning about if you outgrow the router, you can sell it. Does it make sense to look at the second hand market?
    Charles, there's some relevant info on the e3 in this thread: Bob's CNC E3???
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  9. Thank you!

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