I happen to agree with Mark's advice for a production shop...automation is great for many things, but not for everything.
I happen to agree with Mark's advice for a production shop...automation is great for many things, but not for everything.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
I had a lot of shops that started out on a real basic slider, bought a CNC later, but still held onto the slider for the same reasons Mark mentioned.
Erik.
When buying a machine for woodworking or for anything, it's always been pretty safe to say "buy the best you can afford". But the "best" is where everyone's opinion seems to diverge.
I am always surprised how many guys here are "electronics" phobic? High-end machines with all the motorized axis's, are made to improve accuracy and efficiency. Both are imperative in any competitive landscape. Of course, the drawback is the maintainace issues. The fact is, we are, well most of us, are not trained to fix these complex machines. So, when a component fails, it is expensive and probably I'll-timed. But for you guys that are commercial, couldn't you say the same things about your forklift, your air conditioning systems, etc.?
I think in any purchase for your business or hobby, you have to consider the efficiencies gained vs. maintainance. Simply put, "you have to pay to play". If you can't afford the maintainace on a machine, you shouldn't buy it. It's no different than buying a car.
I was ready to do some work in my HOME shop, and my saw was broken. I called SawStop and they talked me through the likely problems, I ordered the parts, and I replaced them, and then my saw worked.
I ordered a few extra parts just to be safe, and it worked.
I asked a computer tech how they figured out what was broken on a failed computer, and he said that they have a set of test components that they can swap in and out to see...
With all that in mind, fancy electronics scare me if it will be difficult to diagnose and I need to pay someone to come to my shop and fix it, especially when it is not always clear what must really be done.
My favorite dish washer was made by Miele. The problem is that it often failed. They would not send me the parts to repair it, even though they always changed the same part. A common story was:
- I call Miele tech support. we isolate the problem.
- A Miele repair person comes to the house and repeats what I did on the phone with tech support, while speaking with Miele on the phone.
- They order the part.
- They come back latter to replace the part. One time Miele shipped the wrong part so it was three visits.
So, why do I NOT currently own a Miele dish washer? Because it cost me less money to replace my fancy awesome dish washer with a cheaper brand. That cheaper brand did not fail. I always had to pay for two service calls and a very expensive part that I knew I was going to replace again in a 6 to 18 months.
So, if the work that you do will save you a ton of money to make the potential repairs worthwhile, and be sure to understand those costs before you make the purchase. It might make sense to you.