Constant sale of shopbots

[serge]

I am interested in knowing why so many people sell their shopbots with so little use
I hate to be kicked out when I asked this same question a few days ago. Is there something to hide

[dan]

I also wonder

[michael]

many of these guys just bought the machines with no special knowledge of what to do with them and they finally just want to dump them. If you notice it is the same guys who write in the forum all the time

[artisan]

I posted what I thought was an honest answer to your question... and was surprised and disappointed to see it wiped from the forum. The Shopbot is a fantastic tool....but again, only as good as the operator. I think the number of shopbots re-sold here on these pages is obviously miniscule compared to the actual number sold and and in use. It is an invaluable tool for consistent repetitive tasks as well as a solid translator of art to part work in my shop. There is nothing to hide.... and whoever wiped your question from the forum did more damage than good. The very best thing about this forum is the open communication.....D

[gerald_d]

Nancy, I'd be very interested to know if the first 3 posts here came from the same IP address . . . . . . one that you know well already?

Darrel, I agreed with your original post, and I agree with what you said here tonight.

[Support (Admin)]

My spologies to serge and Darrell for removing the thread that had both their messages. The same question was posted 3 times in 3 different places and I deleted the wrong thread - the one that had Darrell's reply.

As a reminder, we do request that you use your name or profile when posting.

[artisan]

I got an email from Nancy explaining it was just housekeeping...(Serge had posted the same thing multiple times)... and an honest mistake. Now, let me tell you about my experience with the company firsthand. I was recently burglarized and all my workstations and machine controls were stolen. I basically lost everything. I was in the middle of a large project and suddenly found myself dead in the water. After walking around for days in a daze...while falling further behind in my project... I finally called Shopbot. They were incredibly helpful and supportive. They put together a solution for me in one day...which involved more than just selling me new equpment. I needed time to think and figure out how to overcome all my losses....so I drove the six hours to Durham to pick up my new equipment personally. I could not have been treated nicer. I was shown around the shop, met the various people there including Ted and previewed the new windows software. I had bought my machine second hand from someone who had bought 2 Bots and only needed one. I had never bothered to inform the company of my purchase(a mistake). Despite the fact that I couldn't even remember the name of the person I bought it from ... they figured it out in 5 minutes with only a couple of clues while I was at the Headquarters. I bought a few extras while I was there (probe, extra kill switch, etc.)and talked shop a while. I really want their plasma cutter! All in all, it was a very positive experience. I had my Shopbot rewired, upgraded and running in one day after I returned. I basically have a PR machine with dual Z axis, but rewired it to work with a PRT controller...which allows me to run the new Windows Software. I'm playing with the probe and it looks very promising. I will say again...the Bots we see for sale in this forum are a very small percentage of the actual number in use...and more often than not... look like pretty good deals. I've read this forum for two years and never felt compelled to post until now. Coffee's gettin' cold...gotta get back to work.....D

[robinsoncr@naxs.net]

Serge,

Some people use a Shopbot as a stepping stone. This isn't a negative towards a Shopbot.

We recently purchased our machine from a company that wanted to learn the in's and out's cnc routers before moving up to the big boys. Their production dramatically increased due to the Shopbot and so, they purchased a Komo.

This created an opportunity for us! Maybe some day, our needs will dictate a bigger, faster machine...

For the money, the Shopbot is a remarkable machine with remarkable capabilities with remarkable support!!!

Chris Robinson

[papadaveinwy]

Serge,

I am one of those "ones that are on the forum all the time" that sold my Shopbot, I really regret it but I did so with the knowledge that I will be buying another one at a near future date. there was nothing wrong with my Bot and I fully know how to use it and I made a ton of money with it. The reason I sold it was because we (my wife and myself have decided to start a Ministry working with kids, and we will be traveling all over the U.S. so I shut down my business packed up every thing and am in the middle of building a very large shop on my property to do the kind of stuff I like to do, I don't have enough room to store a shopbot and as soon as the shop is finished I will be ordering a new unit. David in Wyoming

[ray@srsigns.com]

I just recently purchased a (seldom used) PR96 locally in my hometown. The man that sold it has a huge woodshop. His reason to sell it was simple. He's computer illiterate. He had good intentions to use it when he bought it from ShopBot. He just never learned the computer skills needed to run the machine. So his lose was my gain. I attended the Jamboree in Durham last month and was quite impressed with the people at ShopBot. They were helpful with any questions and information I ask. I look forward to getting the ShopBot set up into my sign shop and start making three dimensional signs.

Ray Skaines
SR Signs
League City, Tx
www.srsigns.com

[sd204136@prodigy.net.mx]

I was writting my message and something happened, so sorry if it appears repeated
Thanks very much to all of you who answered my question. That is the spirit that I had always seen on the forum. It made me think more about buying the machine
I would be interested in buying a new one though I see many good offers on the forum, I just dont want to end up buying an old useless piece of equipment and from what I have read in the forum the machine has changed dramatically in the last years.
We do high end custom made cabinetry work and specially custom designed and we are looking for a change in what we make and would like to find a product that can be more Mass produced, that we can make even in small quantities,since we want to keep these exlusive, but more than just one.
That is why I think that the shopbot is the machine for us, we would not consider one of those super machines.

[superiorsignshop@cableone.net]

For those of you wondering about Shopbot....Let me put your mind at rest. The people are truly fantastic. I have never been treated better by any one, including my family, than I have been treated by the people at Durham. From the top to the bottom, one thing remains the same. Class. Pure class. I recently attended Wayne's outing in Austin, and watched Ted give a great program on the Part Wizard and the new Windows based software. I wish I could upgrade from a PR 96 just to run the windows version. There may be a way, if so, Ted will find it. I attended the Jamboree last year in Durham, and finally got to meet everyone face to face. Great experience. I have been to Bill P.'s camp the last two years, and going again this year.
My theory on the number of machines being for sale so soon after purchase is linked to the operating software. I am not a cad genius, nor am I a computer genius. If not for having some sign writing programs (Inspire, etc.) I would have been hard pressed to find a use for my machine. Like a lot of others, I purchased my equipment form an individual. Yes, I was very supsicious of the quality of it, especially for the price. I had seen several systems at trade shows and other shops, as well as doing quite a lot of research. The owner of the equipment I purchased was a computer nerd, with a background in DOS programming. The system was a natural for him, but surely not for me. He had a roto-zip for a router, and no software beyond the furnished set. He was stuck, could go no further, and, worse than all, was moving to Arizona. Enter me, leave equipment. End of a boring conversation, but leads me to my final comments. I believe the Part Wizard software can/will be the answer to a lot of problems experienced by new owners. The other answers are really pretty simple: the forum, and the camps hosted around the country. I think we will see a great increase in these, because they help everyone. A well structured camp gives the attendees the opportunity to learn about the broad overview of capabilities as well as specific areas of interest.
Fear no more, wannabees. Just ask any owner with more than one year of operating pleasure with the Shopbot. I'm betting he is happy.

[artisan]

Hi Doug. You might want to look over in the "suggestions" thread, where the issue of upgrading is being addressed. As for the sale of Shopbots.... I see maybe 10-15 a year on here. The company has posted sales of 4.5 mil a year already....if you do the math, that's hundreds of Bots a year. We're seeing less than 5% of them resold here. I also agree the biggest hurdle is learning the software (not Shopbots software, but, Design and CAD software).... which trips up many people. The best "accessory" ? The forum of course. Gotta get back to work....D

[cannonww@cstel.net]

When someone sells a shopbot, It also means that someone else is interested and sees a use for it. I bought mine in November of 2002. I also purchased Artcam Insignia. It was worth the money. I was off and running and haven't needed to call shopbot but a few times. I now make signs, furniture and enjoy designing new projects all the time. It took some time but I now am making money and enjoying life. Everybody just can't make it. If they could, we all would own a shopbot.

[nathan]

I have been woodworking for the past 11 years, and drafting for the past two. Within the last few years I have been exposed to what (high end)cnc machines can do, but don't have any cnc expierence. I am interested in starting my own shop doing custom woodworking and I am very interested in a shopbot. I have been doing a bunch of research and will go and see one running. My qeustion is how do I get the training I need to develop the proper tool paths ect.. and if the current drafting software (autocad) will work with the shopbot.

[papadaveinwy]

Nathan Auto cad works as does any program that will export a dxf. as to generating the toolpaths you can get some highend programs like artcam or the simple one that comes with a new Bot but unless you want to spend more money on training just like the big guns do then just take your time and learn as most of us have, from trial and error and from great guys and gals on the forum. David in Wyoming

[gerald_d]

Nathan, I cope with AutoCad and the "freeware" that came with the Bot.