Any shopbotters near Hoboken NJ?

[Robert Rickard]

I'm a new shopbot owner (used PRSstandard 96-48 w/1.2 spindle). So new I'm still waiting for my Mini-Gorilla cyclone vacuum to be delivered, so I haven't even made any cuts. I've designed a vacuum table in my head but will wait awhile before building it. I have added e-chain for all the cables and have the components to install an air nozzle on the spindle.

I'm an artist working with aluminum, and I'm switching to the shopbot from a plasma cutter because we're moving our studio from rural New Mexico to the NYC area and it's easier to find studio space if I'm not using open flame. Plus, I'm getting too old to be hammering aluminum straight after its been distorted by the heat of the plasma cutter. I'm also looking forward to creating new designs that I've imagined but been unable to fabricate with my current tools.

Our new studio will be in either Hoboken or Jersey City. Although we create art work we're really more of a light manufacturing operation since we work with metal. I don't expect to be cutting any wood other than surfacing the table, cutting a vacuum plenum, and creating pallets to hold work being cut.

So if there are any shopbotters in the area I would love to connect. We'll be traveling to Hoboken at the end of the month to lease studio space and an apartment and expect to be moving the 1st of November.

I'm sure that once I've got the shopbot up and running I'll have questions. I've already gained a lot of information from reading past posts.

[David White]

I am not far central NJ near six flags. Not to sure if the SB standard would be my first choice for primarily cutting aluminum.


Dave

[Robert Rickard]

I'm not so much cutting aluminum as carving it. I'll begin using the shopbot to come close to the work I'm doing now with a plasma cutter and an air chisel (rickardstudio.com (http://rickardstudio.com)).

Although I buy aluminum in 4' x 12' sheets I have it cut to the sizes I use before it is delivered, so I'm just carving lines into it for the most part. I will be cutting some openings in 3/16" and 1/4" plate, but that won't be the primary use.

The PRSstandard was an inexpensive way to get started. I'm not concerned about cutting speed or accuracy (everything I do now is cut freehand), so I'm not sure what I would gain from starting with a PRSAlpha. I can always upgrade later.

I think my biggest challenge is going to be using a CNC to produce work that appears hand cut rather than perfectly cut. I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time with Aspire learning to cut crooked :)

[bob_dodd]

Check your PM