Input on CNC machines

[Gary Campbell]

(insert chuckle here) We should surely all realize that the wisdom behind "Buying your second machine first" was learned in hindsight. Many of the ones that I have heard say it the most have owned more than a handful of machines.

I have probably spoken to over a hundred guys looking to buy a CNC machine. Most profess to be doing their due diligence researching "all the options". I really enjoy the look on their face when I inform them that there are around 800 models produced by a couple hundred MFGRs being sold in the US today. No one can do that much homework!

One other thing to remember is that very few, if any of the things that seem important to most woodworkers as they research CNC machines prior to purchase, will be important to them after they acquire some acumen in the craft. As hard as it is to figure out what the best machine is for them now, it would be impossible to predict what their needs as a more advanced operator would be.

[Alex Zeller]

I've been very happy with my 1F. It's done everything I've wanted and while it's not as easy to upgrade compared to the Avid they do sell the parts so you can. I bought mine when 32"x32" was the largest size they had. I upgraded to 32"x48" and the Z axis. I went with a 3hp spindle right off after reading about routers not lasting that long and don't regret it one bit. If you find that a CNC router isn't for you the market for people wanting to buy a used one seems pretty strong. I've only done one project where 32"x48" wasn't large enough but easily found a way around it.

[Michael Burnside]

A lot of what Gary says is true, especially the last paragraph. This is why I think so many overrate the size of the bed and overlook so much more.

In a perfect world I’d have Gary’s little monster CNC in my shop with phenomenal Z axis, but I’d say I’m exceedingly happy with my ShopSaber in every way. It’s a beast on any thickness or type of wood I’ve milled.

I’d use these forums, not YT, to help you decide what “might” work best for you as you can lean on experience and tell people what you want to do. IMHO YT is useless for anything that really matters. Many can’t even explain feeds and speeds much less get them correct so you really need to rely on experts here that frequent this and other CNC specific forums.

[John TenEyck]

I've not done this (yet) but I have read and watched YT vids using a feature called "tiling" which breaks a large carve into smaller chunks. You index the material such that when chunk a is done, you move the material on the bed to allow chunk b to be varved. Certainly, if you are doing commercial work, the larger bed is the way to go. Tiling will let the small operator do occasional large pieces on a smaller footprint. Tiling is a feature of the CAD/CAM package. Not sure if it's commonly supported by most CAD packages.

I've done a couple of jobs that required tiling, one on a large single part, the other on nested parts on a full size 4 x 8 sheet. It's easy to do the design work in V-Carve Pro, etc, and it worked out OK on both jobs, but is not nearly as straightforward or guaranteed for perfect alignment as using a machine large enough to handle a full 4 x 8 sheet. For a hobby machine it's fine. Just be sure your software can do it if that's something you will need to do.

John

[Rob Gabel]

If you join the Onefinity Facebook group there are often posts for selling systems. Either they are upgrading to the newer or larger Onefinity, or they have had life changes and do not get the use out of it. I have the X50 with the third "stiffy" rail and upgraded to a 65mm PwmCNC spindle this year. The elite series has some great enhancements, but I believe there is still a fairly long lead time yet.

[tim walker]

I would not purchase any CNC that did not have at least an upgrade path to a spindle. And, to be honest once you’ve had one you won’t go back. So much more power, control and flexibility IMHO.

I have just started even considering a CNC or laser. What is the purpose advantages of a spindle?

[Michael Burnside]

I have just started even considering a CNC or laser. What is the purpose advantages of a spindle?

To be honest, there really is no comparison. One is budget friendly (router) and one is better (spindle). Specifically a spindle (assuming you have a half-decent one) will have greater torque, will probably have better runout, is likely to support a larger range of tool diameters, will run quieter, will last longer and most importantly will have very accurate speed control. Speed control is paramount to having accurate feeds and speeds and will give you much greater flexibility across a wider range of material types/hardnesses. Generally speaking, spindles usually can also be controlled (speed/on/off) directly from G-code. This gives even greater control as you can preprogram different speeds for different bits for the same job.

All this is not to say a router isn't capable in a decent benchtop machine, but my point was that any machine I would consider buying must have an upgrade path, at the very least, to a spindle.

[Jim Becker]

I have just started even considering a CNC or laser. What is the purpose advantages of a spindle?

Spindle is a "yuge" step above a router motor for smoothness, control, duty cycle and much lower sound level...truly a pleasure to use, especially if the CNC control software is setup to directly control it. Most spindles also use ER collet systems which provide both flexibility in tooling as well as easy replacement of what is considered a disposable/wear item.