shopbot and carvewright

[natman]

Don't know if this post belongs here..Does the shopbot I hear so much about carve in 3D like the carvewright or is it a 2D machine only? How much does a medium sized shopbot cost? Thanks for any info

[Jeff_Birt]

Why not check out their website? They have lots of information on their products, much more than your likely to find here. But, to answer your questions, yes it can carve about the same stuff as the CW, it bigger and several times more expensive.

[natman]

Thanks Jeff..That's what I like about this site..answers are quick and to the point.

[HandTurnedMaple]

The ShopBot is more of a production machine, while the CW is closer to a hobby-level machine. I can't see it being possible to make a living off of what the CW can do, but it can enhance what your other tools do. But you can't expect a $2000 machine to do what a $15000 machine does. Each has a niche to fill, the CW does beautiful work with a limited output for a low price, ShopBot does nice work with a bigger output for a much bigger pricetag.

[bobreda]

I have a shopbot and a CW the shopblt like everyone says has far more capable in its abilities than the cw. But everyone is comparing a new shopbot to a new cw. I picked mine up used and saved a considerable amount over a new one. And with a new model shopbot comming out a lot of folks will be looking to upgrade which means a lot of used machines for sale.

Bob

[RC Woodworks]

natman, I recently purchased a 48" by 96" the 4896 model. The total cost was under $10,000 and this is new. Yes Shopbot will carve 3D. www.shopbottools.com.

Rick

[benluz]

I recently looked at all the affordable cnc's and found shopsabre to offer the most bang for the buck ,solid frame,all ball screw construction,and industry standard components and their price base machine is only a few hundred higher than shopbots hi end model.but it all boils down to your budget .I ordered mine with the ac servos air assisted z-axis ,and a 4th axis,the problem is if you really want to be able to do all the cool stuff ,you have to get lots of software
$$$$$$$$$....ouch I'm still in pain.I sell exoctic wood to a lot of guitar guys, MTD, Brubaker,Fbass,Fodera and many other so maybe I can get some odd jobs doing bodies.
Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking shopbots or their owners.I know many who are very happy with their machines.While talking to some of these cnc sales guys a couple of them laughed when I mentioned I had a carvewright, I had to straighten them out real quick,they did not have anything that would come close for less than 6,000.00
Ben

[natman]

Thanks everyone..My wife and I were looking to possibly start up our own small business out of the house..Nothing big just a little side hobby to bring in a little more income..She is a stay at home mom of three kids while I am in the underground mining machinery business..We just got the carvewright about a month ago and so far the interest in this area has been high on doing small jobs for people..They really like me taking a photo of them and carving it in wood..I've noticed scanned photos or those taken off the web don't do nearly as good as the ones I take with my digital camera..Go figure..Plaques for taxidermists and outdoor enthusiasts are hot too..I'm just a little scared to take the risk of opening up a shop..Right now I run the carvewright about 4 hours a day and the only problem after 100+ hours is the check cut motor comes on once during the project but no more after that..Should I jump and go for it or keep it like it is?

[HandTurnedMaple]

That's a big decision. You basically have to make about $300 a month for the next 3-4 years (above the wood and finishing supplies) just to pay for a lower end CNC, and that's before you get a cut. If you and your area can sustain that on small sales for that time period, then I say go for it. By the time you have been in business that long, your rep will help sustain, plus your machine is paid for.

If the area can't keep you at that level of business for 3-4 years, then the CW combined with your other tools is probably your best bet. And I say "with your other tools" specifically because there is a gap between what the CW can do and what the higher priced CNCs can do. And that's not a knock on the CW. If an $1800 machine could do everything that a $8000 machine could do, then there would be alot of angry people wondering what they spent the other $6K on. But with other proper woodworking machines, you can cut that gap down significantly.

Case in point, while the CW can do jewelry boxes with the bevel setting, etc I find it much easier and less time consuming (remember the CW warranty is in hours of use) to let the CW carve the pieces, then I use the router to make the lips and the tablesaw to make the bevels/miters. I even bought an Incra Miter Express tablesaw sled to help with that (I have it tuned to within a 1/4 of a degree, and I think the fact that I'm using a Craftsman Portable Tablesaw is the cause of that difference).

So $8000 for a CNC and go big. Or $1800 for a CW, $500 for a tablesaw, $200 worth of jigs, plus $400 at Rockler.com for a Porter-Cable router with lift table and you will have a good sideline business for less than $3000.

But that's just my opinion.

[pkunk]

But with other proper woodworking machines, you can cut that gap down significantly.


Or $1800 for a CW, $500 for a tablesaw, $200 worth of jigs, plus $400 at Rockler.com for a Porter-Cable router with lift table and you will have a good sideline business for less than $3000.

But that's just my opinion.

And- if the CW quits, you will still have other WW machines that will make lots of stuff.