Question for camaster cnc owners out there

[Obxwoody]

Hello, We are interested in buying a camaster cnc machine...and I was wondering if any of the members out there who had them could provide feedback...

namely we are interested in what model you have, how long you've had it, how often you use it (daily, weekly #of hours approx.)? Are there things you would change? Are there add ons you like? And of course are there disappointments, short comings I should look for?

we are looking into producing small trinket boxes, and beachy signs for our gift shops. I'm thinking we would like something capable of small production runs...but don't plan on running it all day everyday. More likely it would be 1 week on, and 3-6 weeks off... Being able to load in a 4x8 sheet and let it run for however long it takes is one of the reasons we are thinking this is even possible...so having ATC or at least the multi tool (x3) would be in line with running the different tools without someone there to change out each bit...$$ is always a concern but don't want to get too small of a machine that we regret not getting more or a few extra bells/whistlesin a few short months...

other general feedback? Things we aren't thinking about? I always appreciate other people's opinions. With such a large purchase my research shows most people get what they can afford, and upgrade bits and pieces as the funds allow or needs arise...

 

[Woodman2k]

Andy,
I would try sawmillcreek.org also. They have a pretty good group of CNC owners and it might be a little more info to include in your decision.

 

[tri4sale]

If you're open to other brands, check out ShopBot, they are based in Durham and are welcome to have visitors (be sure to set up an appointment) come check out the facility, and have a great online forum for support and advice at http://www.talkshopbot.com/

I have a 4x8 ShopBot myself, and love it when I can find the time to actually use it.

 

[Obxwoody]

Thanks guys. I haven't posted over on Sawmillcreek I have read a few threads there when searching for various answers... and I am aware of shopbot (possibly not their full extent of things, as I've written them off as mostly for hobbyists which is probably unfair to them) But feeling like we need something more robust... and camaster machines seem to be heavier duty to me anyways... but that is why I figured I'd throw it out there and see what feedback I got. I wanted a nice neutral setting where I could get an honest feedback from people who might have somethings to say about their machine or experience contrary to the popular opinion (such as on camheads.org) but also I like this group of people despite NOT having met many of you in person...

I know Chris from SRhardwoods got one this year he had a nice tool gloat about it, and I believe there are a few others. I tried to pm him but it doesn't show up in my sent folder so I think I did something wrong...possibly I'll try again.

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

....but also I like this group of people despite having met many of you in person....

Haha, that is really funny. I think I know what you meant, but this made me laugh really hard.

... I tried to pm him but it doesn't show up in my sent folder so I think I did something wrong...possibly I'll try again.

You have to change your settings to keep sent messages. They are not kept by default.

 

[Obxwoody]

Lol, I fixed that typo....Jeremy you got me good haha I'm laughing pretty hard too!

Haha, that is really funny. I think I know what you meant, but this made me laugh really hard.



You have to change your settings to keep sent messages. They are not kept by default.

thanks for that tip, as it were I've probably been re sending messages like crazy!

 

[tri4sale]

and I am aware of shopbot (possibly not their full extent of things, as I've written them off as mostly for hobbyists which is probably unfair to them) But feeling like we need something more robust... and camaster machines seem to be heavier duty to me anyways

They are definitely not just for hobbyists, well, unless you consider NASA to by a hobbyist as thats just one of many places you can find a ShopBot. Many many are in use at full time production shops, the first one I bought came out of a local manufacturer who ran it all day long when he upgraded to a larger model. That one is now sitting in a manufacturer who's producing cabinets and furniture for salons all day long. Both are good machines, but I did like that SB is a NC company and when I needed an upgrade part a short drive and I had it in hand, didn't have to wait for it to be shipped from out of state.

 

[Obxwoody]

They are definitely not just for hobbyists, well, unless you consider NASA to by a hobbyist

SEE I told you i've written them off without doing enough homework. My apologies, I certainly hope I haven't offended anyone owners, or people who represent The mighty blue Bots! I will go back and look at them a little more. But like I said initially the black and yellows seemed more rugged to me...

but I did like that SB is a NC company and when I needed an upgrade part a short drive and I had it in hand, didn't have to wait for it to be shipped from out of state.

that is a part of their company that I hadn't even given them and extra tally for. Certainly much closer than the camaster factory...

But truly didn't want to start a debate on the different companies, I wanted to hear feedback on different things people have utilized to improve their experiences... such as pnuematic pins for placement, or laser cross hairs, vacuum tables vs screwing things down...how much people use their machine and what they do with it...(we won't be using it all the time so I'm looking for feedback from people with similar usage) and better if it was with the same type of machine we were looking into, but other cnc feedback is welcome... Thanks in advance. Hoping to see some ingenious ideas...

 

[tri4sale]

SEE I told you i've written them off without doing enough homework. My apologies, I certainly hope I haven't offended anyone owners, or people who represent The mighty blue Bots! I will go back and look at them a little more. But like I said initially the black and yellows seemed more rugged to me...

that is a part of their company that I hadn't even given them and extra tally for. Certainly much closer than the camaster factory...

But truly didn't want to start a debate on the different companies, I wanted to hear feedback on different things people have utilized to improve their experiences... such as pnuematic pins for placement, or laser cross hairs, vacuum tables vs screwing things down...how much people use their machine and what they do with it...(we won't be using it all the time so I'm looking for feedback from people with similar usage) and better if it was with the same type of machine we were looking into, but other cnc feedback is welcome... Thanks in advance. Hoping to see some ingenious ideas...

Not offended at all, just wanted to give you my CNC feedback. Not a lot of CNC guys here, so I figured I'd chime in. I do see why the Black and Yellow looks more rugged then the Blue's, but for what you want to do I don't think either one would be an issue.

I have a vacuum table on my 'Bot, really like it, but as I cut smaller items it looses it's effectiveness, and I rely on tabs a lot to hold small parts together while routing, and screw downs to hold material to surface. I've seen a bot with pneumatic pins to line corner of material up with the 0,0 corner, but to me the cost of implementing something like that is out weighed by the time you might save by manually lining up the corners. Especially if you are planning on limited usage, these machines are not cheap, and the more you add the longer it takes to recoup your costs.

 

[SJWiehe]

I have a CNC Routerparts 4' x 8' CNC machine. It has worked very well for me. I would be happy to show it to you or talk with you about it if you would be interested.

Steve