Any shopbotters in the Boston area?

[CNCArchitect]

Hi Folks,

Recently joined this forum and am seriously considering purchasing a Shopbot Desktop. I've been lurking on here for the past few weeks and have picked up a lot of great information from reading the posts.

Are there any Desktop owners in the Boston area that wouldn't mind sharing their experiences and maybe even allow me to visit their shop to see their machine in action. I'm coming from the 3d printer world and am eager to plunge into the cnc world and really like this product.

Thanks,
CNCArchitect

[scottp55]

If there's no one closer...I'm about an hour and a half North of you with a Desktop in a Very small shop where you'd be welcome to visit:)
E-mail is under contact info.
Always nice to see one in person to see if it can do what you want.
Welcome to the Forum.
What materials do you plan on working with?
scott

[paul_z]

I'm just West of Nashua NH (a bit less than an hour from the center of Boston). I have a PRT Alpha but the concepts and software are the same. I've helped several people get started.

I'd also suggest visiting Scott. He has a desktop and has become very skilled at using it.

[CNCArchitect]

Scott,
Thank you for the invite. I will definitely take you up on your offer, I'll pm you shortly.

As to what materials I plan on working with, at this point all I can say is 'I don't know'. I'm an Architect and have my own practice and am always interested in exploring new technologies and integrate them into my work and presentations. With my 3d printer I've been able to print complex connections and details that I can give to the client/builder so they can understand what I've designed rather than just view a 3d rendering or a plan drawn on paper. I can see the Desktop enabling me to open up new venues while indulging my innate desire to build things.

Paul,
Thank you for your offer also, I would love to visit your shop and pick your brain.

I was thinking of purchasing the Grunblau cnc ( http://www.grunblau.com/PlatformCNC.htm ) but there is so little information out there regarding its use and operation. The Shopbot forum has been a treasure trove of information and that's why I decided to focus on this platform rather than other diy cnc options.

[scottp55]

Use E-mail under contacts--Mailbox almost full.
Available most of the time as I'm a "Shopbot Bum" with no day job:)
Desktop is darn near Plug and Play if you've done your homework and watched TJ's taped classes.
If you're set up and ready to go, a couple hours out of the crate and you can be cutting.
Think you'll be impressed by the construction and accuracy. Built like a little tank!:)
Glad I didn't have much to do like full sized 'Bots.
Bring some ideas and material with you, always like trying new stuff, but mainly hardwood small stuff here.
Suggest starting Vectric tutorials if you're serious also as it's easiest to do stuff on the fly, and Shopbots come with it.
Looking forward to it:)
scott
Suggest you download free SB3 and VCarvePro 8 which are free and fully working models, so you can follow along while we work and get more out of it.

http://www.shopbottools.com/mSupport/controlsoftware.htm


http://www.shopbottools.com/mSupport/tutorials.htm

http://support.vectric.com/tutorials/V8/VCarveProCategoryIndex.html