If i spent the money for a cnc..

[cabinetmaker09]

I am having trouble with the idea if i should buy a CNC or not. i don't have the money for it yet but mostly there. I have no room in my shop what so ever for it seeming as i have a tiny shop for the time being. I do not own a business so this would be for personal use to play around with and do some projects that was to big for me to cut or was to lazy to try and do it my self.

But.. What might i beable to use a CNC for to build things. I know the basic stuff like it can cut cabinets, signs, drilling. Ive used a cnc for a few items and have liked it and still playing around with it when i can get spare time at the school. Im afraid if i buy it, i might not get a good $12,000 to $15,000 use out of it.

Im hoping you can help change my mind one way or another.

[Brady Watson]

Andy,
Only YOU know the answer to these questions. If buying a CNC feels wrong, then don't do it. Another option for you would be to find a ShopBot owner in your area and have a conversation about having him do some machining for you. Then you could get all of the benefit of having a CNC without actually owning one.

-B

[joewino]

And attend a ShopBot Camp when one is close (or even if it isn't close) and you will be able to rub elbows with those who use the equipment and also those who are "just looking".

[mgcain]

Hi Andy,
you did say that this is for personal use, not for a business? You are at the same place a lot of my students are when they ask if they should buy a cabinet saw, planer, jointer, etc for the small woodworking projects that they do. Putting down $10K in equipment to make a few jewelry boxes seems like a pretty big expenditure. But if you are going to continue in woodworking, and do a lot of different projects, and maybe someday have an extra income from it, then you can justify the expense as "something you have to learn".

I believe that CNC is going to be the defacto way that even hobby woodworkers get things done in the coming years. The capability of these machines, combined with the ease with which you can get one cost-wise, will drive this into most serious hobbyist shops sooner than later. When the software learning curve comes down enough, and people don't necessarily have to have a computer science or math background to generate files, then it will really take off.

My two cents.

[richards]

Andy,
Find someone in your area who already owns a Shopbot. Pay a visit and see how the machine works. Then pay your new found friend to cut some parts for you. Before long, you'll know whether you NEED a Shopbot or WANT a Shopbot.

[cabinetmaker09]

Well, I already know someone who has a shopbot and i done things on it myself. while sure you could put down 10k in equipment like some of your students mitch cain its always there waiting for you when you happen to need the tool you have it, i spent some good money on a machine i don't use much but when i need it im glad i have it. Same thing with a shopbot I love using it I don't NEED it but i would sure love to add it into my collection of tools, and when i am retired im sure i will use this as a way to make extra income. But should i buy a semi small one if i did? or should i buy the big one? to start off with then upgrade later. I know this is more of what i will be doing on the cnc to determine the size but if you in my place what might you pick to start off with and learn things like doing commands and doing signs, and maybe pictures of things to begin with then work my way up to cabinet work on cnc.

Also I was taking a look and found they got some more CNC since the last time i been on. I do not have 220 V. in my shop so it would have to run on 110/120 v would the PRS buddy be a good start for me? Or something like the PRS standard bench top be good for me? What might the differents be between thouse 2?

[gerard]

through out the years, I have come across alot of people with various hobbies, from car restoration, to stamp and coin collecting, to model trains, to reading science fiction, and the list goes on and on, as I got each of these people talking, they all manages to justify the expense of their hobby, based on the pleasure it brought them, as well as the amount of spare change the budgeted towards the hobby.

The benefit to a craft type hobby is that you can always offset your costs by giving gifts that your hoby produces, if you give out $1000 a year in gifts, and are willing to spend $1000 a year towards your hobby, at that rate, you can justify $2000 a year towards the hobby, a paying project here and there would also enhance what you can invest in your hobby to further justify it.

if you make your hobby pay for itself, it becomes very easy to justify the costs, I personally have several different hobbies, from photography, to greenhouse growing, to woodworking, and more, each hobby has expenses associated with it, and I make it a point to encourage that hobby to pay for itself, my greenhouse hobby started out on the patio, each year, I would give plants away, sell a few off my driveway, and grow more the following year, I keep the money I earn from that hobby in an envelope, and when I want something new for it, be it a fertilizer injector, or greenhouse, or heater, or what have you, the money comes from the envelope, the same goes for the photography hobby, which provided me with several camera, studio lights, a bunch of books etc, all from the hobby envelope, and I do the same with woodworking, Im sure that when I do make the plunge, and buy my shopbot, it will quickly replenish the hobby envelope, and a new toy wil be added to the workshop, fortunately, its a large shop, so there is still room for more toys.

my advice is, if you like it, and you can afford it, go for it, then devote an hour a night to your hobby, and what ever extra time you can over the weekend, word of mouth is great advertising, and your friends will be more than happy to help fill that hobby envelope.

[cabinetmaker09]

thats not a bad idea putting money aside to buy more toys. althou i got a closet full of goodies i made from cutting boards to band saw boxes to who know what elses is in there. Question is what cnc should i start off with? theres a few out there. anyone have suggests on what one is good?

[gene]

Andy,
Dont pay attention to what all the earlier post say. You got to remember the one with the most toys when they die WINS...I looked at the bot for around 6 years before i took the plunge , I have never regreted the purchase, and i too dont use mine every day , but when i need it it always makes what i am working on go alot easier.
It definately has taken my woodworking to the next level.

[drodda]

My Simple answer would be:

He who dies with the most toys WINS!!!!!!

Enough Said

EDIT: I did not read your last post Gene but I guess Great Minds think alike. Even if you never make a dime off anything from a CNC it is well worth the investment.

[jamesgilliam]

Gene and Dave, You have it just a bit wrong, He who dies with the most toys is still dead. Although if your kids are interested in them it makes their toy box alot fuller.

Alan, As far as the size machine to get I had the same decision seven years ago, and my wife made the choice simple for me. She asked if I was ever going to make anything larger than 48 x 48, and when I said yes she said get the big one, so I did and have not had a second thought about it since.

[myxpykalix]

Andy,
Normally with hobbies most people start small and think they will upgrade later on. The problem with that in this case is that you can't just add on another 4 ft to your bot.

I guarantee that a year after you get your bot you will be doing things with it that you never thought of.
Although most of the things i've done take up less than half the table when i have wanted to make columns or do full panel wainscoting I had the ability to do that because i had a full size table.
But you will be happy with whatever you get.

[robredick]

Ok... Yet another opinion...

Perhaps you start out used.

I bought a used PRT that I found here in the forum. I called Shopbot to check the background of it & they were awesome. They told me who originally bought it, who owned it, what had been done to it, & suggested what I may want to do to it if I bought it. I bought it, got it back to the shop (4 trailer jacks & a U-Haul), set it up, & my whole world changed. Sure enough, after I sold half of the things in my shop that I was never going to use again, I did everything that they suggested (and then some). I work with companies that have 70-120k machines & I would rather own 8 ShopBots. They are just that easy to work on. In fact the people that I bought my Bot from spent 70k to go 1.5 inches per second faster (OUCHHHHH).

ShopBot is the kind of company that you dream of doing business with. I feel that they treat me the same as they would have if I bought the biggest most expensive machine that they ever made, while I only bought some motors and a machine that they made and sold 6+ years ago.

After a few calls to the incredible staff at ShopBot, 80% of what I learned was right here. These guys and gals have done everything that you will think of, run into 99% of the problems that you will have, and written about it right here in the woodworker's bible of the ShopBot forum. Don't believe me??? just try the search...

In short...
Make sure that you can feed your family, have a roof over your head, can continue to make a living (however you do now will work), THEN buy a ShopBot. It is way cooler than a Harley (yes, I'm a BMW guy)...

[robredick]

Just a little more...

If space is an issue, you can sell that huge table saw and get a fold up (10" will be your widest cut post Bot), switch to a smaller router table, give your planer to the neighbor, and get a 48x96. It's just too damn easy to lay everything flat on the table & let the Bot do it.

Just about 35 cents worth...

[billp]

Jack/Andy,
Actually you CAN add another four feet to your Shopbot. Some people start with a 4'by 4'machine, and then when they need to expand they buy longer X rails....The electronics and control box stay the same...

[cabinetmaker09]

Oh thanks, i didn't think i could buy longer rails, i could always order a custom table too and then fix it up the way it fits in my shop too.
i think ill start with the shop bot cnc buddy when i get the money then upgrader down the road. :D oh and its not a table saw in the way, its my work benches, and now a planer bench im fixing up and ill find it a home with my broken planer.

[billp]

Andy,
The "Buddy"can NOT be upgraded because unlike the other models the table, not the gantry moves back/forth. You'd have to start with at least a 4'by 4'( which is a VERY practical size) if you planned to upgrade in the future, OR you could just sell the bench top unit and buy a larger one...

[bill1]

Andy,
There is a lot of useful and true posts above and if your thinking to upgrade later on do as Bill P. has suggested and go with the 4x4. I myself have a 2 year old benchtop and now after I have found out what all can all be accomplished with a bot I am thinking of selling it in the near future and getting a larger machine.
Bill W.

[cabinetmaker09]

All right i will just get the shop bot as a test one to see what all i can do, might give me some ideas of things to do that will make me upgrade later. Thanks to all for their help.. Now to save up for the machine!

[harve]

It is my understanding that they are working on "powersticks" to extend the table length for the "Buddy". You can't do anything about the width though.