Buddy 48

[dakmon]

Can anyone tell me when the new Buddy 48 is going to start shipping? I have been learning as much as I can from this site (thanks to all), and feel that this would be the correct machine for my first cnc.

Thank-you

[mikek]

If you are short on space it is a fantastic 1st machine. Heck, even if you have a lot of space it is a fantastic machine. I have been waiting to hear also since I first heard about it in October. I suspect soon, but good things take time!

[iancole]

Call Shopbot, they will quote pricing, and they've already shipped a few.

No word on the powersticks though, thats what I'm waiting for...

[oscarg1971]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelicdiablo/sets/72157604012353423/

:-)

[Brady Watson]

Show off! I gotta wait another 2 weeks for mine.


I like your groovy bit holder. Don't forget to grease those racks!

-B

[3imoh]

Interesting change on the Z. Looks like SB is getting away from the dual V rails there. I assume this is going to carry over to the larger PRS machines? a solid rail there will certainly be easier to deal with...I am still having issues getting my PRS z axis square to the table in both the x and the y.

-Howie

[oscarg1971]

Thanks B, those bit holders are from Rockler. I glued rare earth magnets to the back, and "Bob's your Uncle". They keep the bits safe, accessable and out of the way. -OG

[bob_dodd]

8045

[ajf]

After reading about the Buddy 48 here in the forum I sent a e-mail to Shopbot asking for further info. and got this reply.
"The 48" Buddy is not yet a product for sale. It will be released soon." So I was wondering who people have been talking to at Shopbot so that I could find out something about this machine.

[Brady Watson]

Al,
I'm pretty sure that most new tools are field tested to ensure that everything is working properly in a real shop environment before the tools get the go-ahead for mainstream production. Think of these pics & 'rumors' as the spy pics you see in Popular Mechanics about new car models coming out or Michigan tagged cars you see on the road with fabric covered front & back ends. This way, manufacturers can fix any teething problems that may crop up before the final product is released to the masses.

-B

[oscarg1971]

Link changed in case anyone is still interested in viewing pics. I'll try to answer any questions you might have on the BT48. Just e-mail me. Thanks. Oscar

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelicdiablo/sets/72157604075473143/

[oscarg1971]

Got my PowerStick outfeed supports installed this morning. Should have the table on tomorrow and cutting by the end of the day. More pictures to come.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelicdiablo/sets/72157604075473143/

-Oscar

[oscarg1971]

Finally got my table installed after a few snags. It works great and I'm ready to cut! -Oscar

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelicdiablo/sets/72157604075473143/

[dana_swift]

Oscar- congrats, I just going through the same motions with a BT32 and an 8 foot powerstick.

(wish I had the BT48 I could work with a full sheet of plywood!) Oh well..

D

[erik_f]

What kind of snags did you run into? I'm thinking about maybe the 4' version of the powerstick...but I think I just got all the "snags" out of my machine...so not sure I want to jump right into another project for the shopbot...would rather do some on the shopbot! Looks great...good job!

[oscarg1971]

There nothing wrong with the PowerStick at all. It works great. My issues were with a few missing parts. Once Shopbot was informed, they shipped them out to me right away and I was able to continue with the installation.

[erik_f]

Oscar,
Your pictures are great, they should be on the shopbot site like that. How accurate do you feel the powerstick is compared to the table that comes with it? I would like to go with the 8' power stick...but not sure if I would have the room to use it.

[oscarg1971]

I'll let you know in the next day or two. I was asked to cut the VA3D Grape Mantel. It's about 5' long and 8"wide. It's cutting on a piece of cherry that's 6' X 10" X 1.5". I am roughing it now and will split the finishing pass today and tomorrow. Vibration isn't to bad considering the table practically floating. But it's there. I'm taking more pics as I go along. -oscar

[erik_f]

Thanks looks great though...makes me want to bust out the credit card!

[oscarg1971]

Mantel is done and the PowerStick performed flawlessly. Great job Shopbot!! -Oscar

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelicdiablo/sets/72157604075473143/

[bill1]

Oscar,
Excellent job, well done and the machine looks great.
Bill.

[brucehiggins]

Oscar,
Nice job! How long did the mantel take to carve?
Anyone, how well does a 48" buddy with powerstick compare to a 48" x 96" regular shopbot? I just did a 5' x 7' sign on my 48" x 48" standard shopbot. It came out good but if I get many more big sign orders I am going to upgrade to a bigger machine. If the buddy/powerstick combo performs well I would be inclined to go with it mainly for the small footprint.
Bruce

[oscarg1971]

Hi Bruce, the finishing pass took just over 12 hours @ 3 IPS with an .125 BN and 10% stepover. If you look at the setup manual for the powerstick, it does give some info on using the PStick on page 10.

http://www.shopbottools.com/files/docs/SBG00340080702InstallPowerStick.pdf

-Oscar

[fastopel]

Bruce,the one thing that I see about the 8' power stick with a buddy and the regular 48"x96" shopbot is the buddy will need more then 16'of floor space. That's 8' on each side of the buddy. The regular 48"x96" only needs a little over 8' of shop space.But what makes the buddy great is the mobilty when not being used. Please correct me if I'm wrong about the floor space issue. Darrell

[dana_swift]

Darrell- there are more issues associated with using a buddy with the powerstick. Getting a powerstick absolutely square is "absolutely" unlikely. The guide bearing roller assembly mounting bolts are the only place you can adjust its X/Y squareness. With a gantry bot, you can expect X/Y squareness if you have done your setup well.

Also Z accuracy will likely suffer as the weight of the powerstick assembly moves off on to the out-feed rollers. I suspect there is no way to keep the material flat as it is lying on the two sets of inner support rollers when the CG has shifted. As the support geometry changes so must the accuracy depending on the weight and spring properties of the materials.

Probably a few months from now I will have come up with techniques that minimize these issues.

I have not yet made precision/accuracy measurements of parts cut with my new 8' powerstick (that will be done soon), but for any project where "close will do", I expect it will be just fine. For a project such as staircase risers, the buddy is perfect, it gets out of the way when its not being used, and who needs 0.001" precision in three dimensions for that? Then if you plan to cut high precision parts, only a gantry system has a prayer.

And one last thing about my BT-32 and the powerstick. Its is a royal pain in the A** to replace the original BT-32 table after it has been removed to use the powerstick, not to mention I have not checked to see how well it maintains its setup after that operation. I usually will be doing this all single handed. Note I have designed some "guide blocks" for the buddy tables that "should" make re-inserting the thing more of a self-working trick. I will post pictures and info in a day or so after I get them made and installed.

D

[erik_f]

I'm sure as people like Dana use the powerstick they will figure out ways to make it easier to work with

[ted]

Just a couple of random thoughts on the limitations of PowerSticks that Dana and others have noted here:

1. Compared to a gantry ShopBot, managing the in-feed and out-feed rollers will be critical to success of large Buddy/PowerStick projects, because as noted, you don't want the overhangs to distort the shape of the bed in the cutting area. We've come up with one type of outfeed system that we think works pretty well, even though it looks a little skimpy in pictures. But we expect to see some inspiring user-developed solutions for out-feed needs and for expanding the uses of these tools.

A related concern about outfeeds is that they need to be supportive and low friction. This is a particular concern with 'standard' Buddies that have only about 80#s force to move the PowerStick in and out. Too much friction can result in lost steps, particularly with fast jogs. An alpha Buddy has almost 200# of force so this is less an issue, though high friction will still wear the pinions quickly. (We are pondering an optional larger motor and belt-drive for heavy 'standard' applications.)

2. Yes, an 8' sheet will take 16' of space with a PowerStick compared to 10' with a gantry ShopBot. This is something to be very aware of.

3. Also, the PowerStick will not provide the opportunity for as extensive a vacuum hold-down system as a fixed gantry table. There's just not room. And, because of #2 above, you will not want to overbuild the table/work-surface too much, making it heavy or hard to push. [We have been working with Brady to develop some vacuum options for the Buddy and PowerStick and will hopefully have something to report soon. We are also experimenting several roller-hold-down options that may be useful in some applications.]

4. Because of #2 and #3 above, we do not recommend a 48" Buddy with PowerStick for full-time 4x8 panel processing in professional cabinetmaking. It is just not the right tool. You can certainly cut 4x8 sheet goods on occasion, but remember the space and attention to hold-down that will be required.

5. The best use of the Buddy in professional cabinet production, hopefully in a facility that has a gantry tool, is as a highly configurable adjunct used to complement a number of cabinent production processes -- from drilling doors for hardware to doing meticulous special carvings such as Oscar's neat project here.

6. On the alignment question: We are not expxecting it will be especially hard to get the PowerStick aligned because the adjustment is pretty accessible and you have a long straight edge to measure against. However, it will probably be pretty easy to clobber the end of the stick and knock it out of alignment. On the positive side, because the gantry does not move on a Buddy, the tool is actually more rigid than a gantry tool and this may offer some cutting advantages.

Ted Hall, ShopBot Tools

[road_king]

I was considering the Buddy 48 with the power stick. After careful consideration and reading the forum, I decided to get a fixed table system. I will using my shopbot PRT Alpha 96-48 that I purchased from Fritz Curtis for cabinetmaking and eventually other stuff.

[jharmon]

Oscar,

I was checking out your Flickr slideshow. Very nice pics! One question:

I see you mounted what looks like a 1/2" sheet of plywood to the power stick but in some of the photos it looks to be off-center. Did you mount the power stick straight down the center of the sheet or is it offset?

Thanks
Jim

[oscarg1971]

Jim, it's dead center at 22 1/5" on each side. No need to offset it. -Oscar