Hello,
I am a newbie, just joined a short while ago. This is a really good site!
I used to work as a cabinetmaker 20 years ago, but couldn't make a living with it. This time around, I am trying it again , but just as a serious hobby and maybe some part-time occupation to recoup some of the cost of the equipment.
I was looking into a CNC upgrade for my knee mill and lathe ( I dabble a bit in metalworking/machining) and run across the Shopbot web site (shopbottools.com). And to my surprise they are located right here in Durham. So I called them and visited their place last Wednesday. The offer a fairly simple CNC router for a reasonable price. Also, there is the option to build the table (they supply shop drawings for free) and just buy the tracks, hardware and software.
Another advantage of their system is the ability to switch back and forth from routing to plasma cutting (with some modification of the work surface).
As I am still putting the finishing touches on my shop and have just enough space where a CNC router could fit ( ...even though my wife threatened me with bodily harm if I buy yet another tool).
Sooooo, does anyone have first hand experience with their equipment? I am very interested to hear your opinions !
Also, does anyone out there use or contemplate acquiring a CNC router in a small shop environment? Or better yet, is anyone building one from scratch?
Thanks,
Bernhard
I am a newbie, just joined a short while ago. This is a really good site!
I used to work as a cabinetmaker 20 years ago, but couldn't make a living with it. This time around, I am trying it again , but just as a serious hobby and maybe some part-time occupation to recoup some of the cost of the equipment.
I was looking into a CNC upgrade for my knee mill and lathe ( I dabble a bit in metalworking/machining) and run across the Shopbot web site (shopbottools.com). And to my surprise they are located right here in Durham. So I called them and visited their place last Wednesday. The offer a fairly simple CNC router for a reasonable price. Also, there is the option to build the table (they supply shop drawings for free) and just buy the tracks, hardware and software.
Another advantage of their system is the ability to switch back and forth from routing to plasma cutting (with some modification of the work surface).
As I am still putting the finishing touches on my shop and have just enough space where a CNC router could fit ( ...even though my wife threatened me with bodily harm if I buy yet another tool).
Sooooo, does anyone have first hand experience with their equipment? I am very interested to hear your opinions !
Also, does anyone out there use or contemplate acquiring a CNC router in a small shop environment? Or better yet, is anyone building one from scratch?
Thanks,
Bernhard