I would prefer to get one that doesn't have that sensor on it that senses when you've left the room and messes up when said sensor is tripped.
I've discovered that even with expensive machines, a 1¢ screw does as much damage to a $65 bit as the $65 bit does to the 1¢ screw -- and I was sitting there when it happened.
- Randall Newcomb
10 fingers in, 10 fingers out, another good day in the shop
If you have the time you might want to look into building your own. No reason to turn it into an engineering project either. I have what amounts to a CNC Routerparts machine (Avid now) that I built up using some of their parts and sourcing others due to cost. Mine is a 3' X 4' X 10" and cost about 2900 including electronics. It easily cuts at 350 IPM, rapids at 600 IPM and is plenty accurate for my needs. But what I like best? I can modify it to anything I like. Which I did a while back by swapping out two parts to increase the Z by 4 inches.
If you do the research and shopping it is pretty easy to put one of these things together. Like I said above, no need to turn it into an engineering project to rival the space shuttle.
Oh yeah, if I need a bigger machine I can swap out a few extrusions, add some rack and I will be good to go.
"If you see a good fight, get in it." Dr. Vernon Johns
Funny you should mention sensors, fully automated machinery is covered with them monitoring & recording all sorts of things with trip conditions when something isn't right, Most CNC machines don't have those
Maybe it's my 20 odd years in the Royal Navy as an engineer showing through but I don't leave the workshop when the machines are running & periodically check things like bearing & spindle temperatures, nothing fancy just by hand, especially if the spindle has been running for hours. I know there are a lot of people who set them running & walk away, I'm just not one of them
Most of my experience is on larger, more powerful machines like ShopBot, Gerber, etc. Looking to get a small machine for home. Shapeoko is towards the top of my list. However, I can't seem to find any data as to how fast I can reasonably cut.
Two questions-
What do you want to make with it ?
Will you be satisfied working on a lighter machine than a larger more rigid machine which you state you have experience with?
Watch the Winston Moy/Carbide 3D videos on YouTube and see if you can tolerate working with it compared to other machines and visit their forum. IMO it's easier to adapt to a machine that has greater capabilities than one which has less. We are adding a 5'x5' Avid CNC with ATC and started out with one of the original SO3's and now have 3 Shapeoko SO3's (two regular and one XXL). The SO3 is capable, but you need to adjust to the capabilities of the machine and figure out how to adjust some operations which are too much stress on the machine.
I've discovered that even with expensive machines, a 1¢ screw does as much damage to a $65 bit as the $65 bit does to the 1¢ screw -- and I was sitting there when it happened.
Been there more than once. Seems to happen when I try to save money by using a piece of scrap instead of a fresh piece of wood. Save $10 in wood, waste a $65 bit.
It's Ken from The Forge. One other issue to consider with the Shapeko is it uses a trim router. I have tried trim, 1.75 hp and 3.25 hp routers on my garage-built CNC. The trim router lasted about 6 jobs about two hours each before it completely self-destructed. DeWalt fixed it under warranty and they replace **everything** in the router except the emblem on the case. You have to make more passes to cut which means more wear and tear.
I like my PC 7518 the best. It's a tank and has only used one set of brushes in about 3 years of casual use. I would like to upgrade to a 1.5kw spindle someday.
If there is a true spindle option for the Shapeko it would be worth upgrading to ASAP.
I put an 800W water cooled spindle on my Shapeoko and added their HDZ (z axis upgrade). It does what I want it to do and with proper tuning I get amazing precision.
I like my PC 7518 the best. It's a tank and has only used one set of brushes in about 3 years of casual use. I would like to upgrade to a 1.5kw spindle someday.
I wonder how a Bosch Colt would hold up. I have one, that was going to be what I would use. I've never been a big fan of those funky Porter Cable collets.
Imo, the best small/trim router is the Makita RT0701C.
In our shop, we switched to Colts for a while, and they all died within about 2 years. We then started using Dewalt DWP611's. We constantly are replacing bearings, as they fail often, and take the plastic sleeve they are mounted in with them. Once you do it once, you can change the bearings very quickly, but they are just not a durable tool.
The Makita looks nice. Like Mike I got a deal on the DeWalt. It was only about $20 lower than the Bosch so for me it wasn't the only driver on the decision, just a sweetener.
Anyone ever put a Porter Cable 690 on a Shapeko? Kind of splitting the difference between a trim router and a production router. Also in the middle on weight. Trim routers are about 4 pounds, the 690 is about 8 pounds and the 7518 is about 15 pounds. I was already running the 7518 when I grew concerned my backlash could be magnified by the weight of the router. That's why I tried the trim router. I don't think it made a difference in my backlash. Once the DeWalt failed I switched back to the 7518 router.
What kind of production work is being done with the Makita trim router?
I wouldn't consider putting one on without the HDZ upgrade, which should be able to handle the weight of the 690. The HDZ will handle a 2.2 kW spindle without any issues. The 690 does not have speed control, so you would need to add a Super PID. The only bad experience I have had with a 690 was when it got overheated in a router table and the body became 'Out of Round' so the base would not rotate smoothly. Still works today, 17 years later.
We started with the DW611's and are invested in the Precise Bits Collets and Super PID's and just have accepted that the brushes need to be changed out every 150 hours and replace the routers once a year. The Super PID's have a hour meter built to track run time. At some point we will probably change to water cooled spindles when it makes sense or reach our frustration limit with the Dewalt's.
The Makita looks nice. Like Mike I got a deal on the DeWalt. It was only about $20 lower than the Bosch so for me it wasn't the only driver on the decision, just a sweetener.
Anyone ever put a Porter Cable 690 on a Shapeko? Kind of splitting the difference between a trim router and a production router. Also in the middle on weight. Trim routers are about 4 pounds, the 690 is about 8 pounds and the 7518 is about 15 pounds. I was already running the 7518 when I grew concerned my backlash could be magnified by the weight of the router. That's why I tried the trim router. I don't think it made a difference in my backlash. Once the DeWalt failed I switched back to the 7518 router.
What kind of production work is being done with the Makita trim router?
Ken, I've done some research into spindles. Looks like it would cost about $450 or so. For me, I'd be limited by 110v.
I just sold yesterday a large steel framed CNC router that was heavy duty and taking up a lot of room. Building now a Workbee 1000 x 750 mm running Mach4 and heavy duty NEMA 23's. The router is what I had on the big 48 x 48 before the upgrade to a 2.2 Kw spindle and VFD, 120 volt Hitachi M12VC 2-1/4 Peak HP Variable Speed Fixed Base Router rated 9000 to 24000 rpm, 1/4 and 1/2 collets. It ran on the big machine for a year or so. Its cost was $130 as I recall
The Workbee is from a kit Bulkman 3D sells, yes its Chinese but I was very impressed with the quality. Using a PMDX USB control board made in USA.
