Interested in a shopbot

[cncb]

Been involved in CNC routing for the past several months running and cutting with my 2x4 diy cnc router. Needless to say as much as I like the one I have I'm ready to move on to a more industrial rugged machine. I don't think I would need anything larger than a 4x4 and I'm certainly up to buying one used as one restriction is the budget. Looking to acquire one for under $5k. Is that doable? I've been looking at many routers in the same price range as the shop bot and none have seemed to top the "community like" feel that shop bot holds. It seems all business with the rest and I tend to lean more towards a company that is practically religious about their machines and their user/owner group. Any suggestions offers are welcome!

Thanks.

[rcnewcomb]

You are more likely to find a used 4x8 than a used 4x4. As the owner of a 4x4 I'd say go for a 4x8. There are some jobs we have had to pass up because our table wasn't large enough. Mind you 90% of what we cut is under 2ft by 4ft, but still...

[depalmer]

Hi Brian, I am a hobbyist CNC’er and truth be told it was the Talk ShopBot message board that sold me on my PRT96 machine. There’s a wealth of information and creative ideas on the forum and guys like Bill Young cannot be beat for creativity, willingness to share, and enthusiasm. You can also see from the postings that ShopBot takes care of their customers with class, whether you spend 10k or $100k, everyone get’s first class service. You will not get the same from any other CNC company on the planet.

As far as spending $5k on a CNC machine, I suggest watching carefully for a PR class machine in the forum that is close to you, or saving up the extra bucks for a PRS class machine new (example http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/11097/21701.html?1181572822 ). If you are motivated enough to DIY in CNC you will LOVE a ShopBot. Go for a 4x8, a little extra table goes a long way.

D!

[cncb]

Thanks for the advice. I don't need a 4x8 now but I will down the road for nested cabinet parts. At this point I'm only needing it for smaller projects. I won't mention other competitors names but I got the general impression from other similar priced machines as shopbot that they didn't want my business unless I spent a fortune with them. For me I believe used is the best way to go since I have a spindle, all the tooling, computer and software I need, I just need a solid machine with a decenter controller and motors; but I may just wait for a little more cash for something brand new. I'm fairly new to the shopbot culture but not new to diy and self taught programming and building. Much of that stems from some helpful and really dedicated diyers at cnczone.

I'm on the east coast, would it be wise to put a wtb in the forsale section or would that be rare to find someone over here selling? As I said, 4x4 is all I need now but if I can get a 4x8 for a deal I will go for that as well. Thanks again.

[steve4460]

Hi Brian since you know how to build your own CNC already , check oout this http://www.shopbottools.com/developers.htm
There are some prices on just parts of SB's like controlboxes etc.
Have fun

[depalmer]

Brian, you’re quite correct about the CNC market. Ted Hall is the Don Quixote of the CNC world, a true hobbyist at heart.

The main difference between a 4x8 and 4x4 is the table anyway. You may be able to score a “no table” version of the PR (say from a guy with a wooden table) and build your own 4x4 rig. Go for a post in the For Sale / Wanted section.