Xcarve

[magicniner]

So we're comparing Shonky with Very Shonky and saying that merely Shonky is therefore worth buying for thousands and then repairing to correct basic engineering shortcomings, which the contraptor (I can't call it manufacture) was too inexperienced/ignorant/inadequate or more likely simply not arsed to address?
Come on, Reality Check Time! I wouldn't give tuppence and a balloon for any of them :D

[Desertboy]

So we're comparing Shonky with Very Shonky and saying that merely Shonky is therefore worth buying for thousands and then repairing to correct basic engineering shortcomings, which the contraptor (I can't call it manufacture) was too inexperienced/ignorant/inadequate or more likely simply not arsed to address?
Come on, Reality Check Time! I wouldn't give tuppence and a balloon for any of them :D

Ha ha ha, there was a nail and Magicniner hit it on the head ;)

[thinfourth]

So how much should i be spending and what should i build

And how long will it take to build?

[Desertboy]

So how much should i be spending and what should i build

And how long will it take to build?

What size Travel do you want?

What woods do you want to process?

[thinfourth]

What size Travel do you want?

What woods do you want to process?

This machine some birch ply, some pine and MDF

And size

Well it has to fit in the 1mtr square area in the corner of the shed

And i want to have a play with hanging the plasma cutter off it.


It will be a toy not a business

If this machine is good then machine 2 will be something that can take full sized sheets of plywood and then some.

[Diysurgeon]

As I have said before I have the Xcarve which I bought a few years ago off eBay. As a starter machine for a hobbiest I have been pleased with it. If you look on the inventables forum you can see some of the impressive things people have made. Using has given me an insight to gcodes and using CNC machines. Given it is not a professional machine it has been good value for me. I also have bought recently a boxford A3HSRi. Got this second hand from a school, hardly used but a very robust semi professional machine. New cost around £12k! I got it for £600 and it was only 6 years old and had little use.

If you are starting out and on a limited budget the Xcarve IMHO is a good starter machine. I should add that I don't use these machines professionally, only as a hobby making signs and personalised gifts.

[Desertboy]

See the little bit of 2020 extrusion on the side of my machine (I'm in the process of building her up at moment) that's what the frame of the Xcarve is made of, that and MDF.

When people say build your own it's not because we're cocky it's because you really can get more bang for buck.

My whole build cost less than an Xcarve but I worked hard to recover parts and buy 2nd hand it was a lot of effort. You could though build something very similar for around £2.5K using new bits and doing no manufacturing yourself (I outsourced everything) just assembly.

I had absolutely no clue at all what I was doing when I got here 4 months ago this site has been my support and between the great members who know have forgot more than I will ever know lol and great thread content I've muddled through.

It did help that I could CAD before I came here.

I can point you in the right direction for getting stuff made if you fancy it.

Also you wouldn't make the gantry the longest axis (Long story why I did it but I am going to change it)

And in comparison to most peoples machines on here I built a toy.