#42

I think where I’m leaning at the moment is to wait until I have my next design that requires something laser/cnc-ed and then make the designs and try to get them done at a local hacker space and go from there.

Still eye-balling that budget/desktop cnc thing, but I want to make sure I can wrap my head around the workflow before making the dive.

On that note, do you all do your CAM stuff in Fusion, Easel, something else?
And when doing at a Hackspace, do you bother figuring that out ahead of time, or do you go there and ask/test to find out viable settings?

#43

entirely personally:

  • all 3D work I just do in Fusion now, it’s what I know. Even if it’s a lasercut enclosure: I like designing around the real thing
  • before going near fabrication, I prepare the raw materials; for my cutter, that usually means exporting DXFs of the individual things to be cut (by converting a sketch to a DXF
  • I take the lot to the laser room, but my plan is to just load up the DXFs and not have to regenerate them. Worst case, I have Fusion with me to fix.
  • the tools in a workspace sbould, if it’s any good, have suggested power/settings for materials - either on paper, or a wiki, etc. These are always a guideline - I usually spend a little while dialling in the laser settings (which may vary day to day owing to how mucky the lens is, etc.) That usually takes about as long as just setting the final jobs going.

For CNC, the materials and cutter specific stuff is even more important, and will be specific to the space. In general, my guideline is to prep “output format” files - STL, DXF - before I go, but to do laser machine / G-code generation / printer slicing according to the tool and material, which usually is a thing to do in the workshop.

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#44

IMy Hackerspace requires a class for each big tool (laser, CNC, etc) so that gets you basic requirements for file prep/setup.

For the laser cutter

  • I do all my “design” in illustrator.
  • Then import to the laser workstation and do a small test cut with specific materials to see if recommended settings are valid that day
  • if I’m not sure where to start I’ll ask around for a good settings starting place
  • measure your test cuts with a micrometer to be sure you’re not getting any funky scaling factors (some of the Chinese driver software is troublesome)

Triple check your parts for fit before cutting a whole sheet. I made this mistake yesterday. New material was a tiny bit thicker so my box joining holes are way too tight (or don’t fit). I’m now going to have to re-do/fix those slots on 26 pieces. :exploding_head:

(Turns out some of material is a tiny bit thicker - only a handful need fixing/redoing :tada:)

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#45

Interesting conversation. I use Fusion 360 here for 3D work. You can get a free licence for non-commercial work.

I use it for 3D printing, using my own Prusa printer, and for laser cutting which I do at a local Makerspace.
I also have an ongoing project which is a drawing machine, controlled using an adapted version of GRBL. https://www.instagram.com/erraticmachine/

I would be very interested to hear if anyone is using CNC machines successfully for PCB creation.

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#46

After thinking some more, I think I want to go with something slightly beefier/bigger(/better), though still fairly compact (500x500cm is way more than I need as it is).

Sadly in the EU X-Carves and Shapeokos are less common. There’s a couple places that import the Shapeokos but then you have to source your own mill (which is OK I guess).

Has anyone in the EU found something similar/comparable to these (or is it worth getting the Shapeoko at the increased/imported cost?)?

#47

These come from the UK I believe: https://ooznest.co.uk/product/workbee-cnc-full-kit/#size-colour

2 Likes
#48

Hi - looking for some advice please !
I’ve been close to buying a 3d printer for a while for lots of odds and ends. The Fates case has almost tipped me over the edge.
I’d like to print cases as well as small things for cycling, caving lamps etc. along with gadgets for my girlfriend - pottery tools, fancy dress addons - the usual stuff !
I have been doing some research but am still a little unsure what to get. Top of my list so far is the Ender 3D pro.
Any thoughts or suggestions as to what to get? Thanks!

#49

I’ve been very happy with the Creality stuff myself. I went with a CR-10s as they were on sale at the time, and even though I knew nothing about 3d printing and had my bed leveling waaay off (the first cm or so was trying to print under the bed), I managed to get working prints right off the bat.

Once I figured that out I got pretty solid prints out of it. I’ve done a bunch of upgrades on it over the year too, which have helped loads. The most recent one has been a great quality of life upgrade where I set up a Raspberry Pi with OctoPrint on it, and have run my CR-10s through an IKEA smart power switch, so I can turn on my printer and get something printing all from the comfort of my sofa!

Also, because the Creality stuff is so popular, their is loads of ‘unofficial’ community stuff, on forums and Youtube. So if you ever run into problems or want to upgrade things, the amount of quality material out there is staggering.

#50

Thanks! Yeah, I was planning on setting up octopring and have been looking at the auto levelling add-ons! I’d love the extra size with the cr10 but could make do with theender 3 size (especially as the cr10 is about twice the price currently!)
If I bought an Ender 3 pro - is there anything else I’d need to buy up-front?

#51

These look good, and in reading about it, having a threaded rod based system gives you more accuracy and holds up better against harder material. Although it does seem that the Shapeokos have more rigid frames, so neither one appears to be overall “better” in that category.

Price-wise the difference is pretty big.

A Shapeoko 3 XL, with a couple of fixings comes in at €2215 (£1975):

49%20am
Screen Shot 2019-10-06 at 11.36.49 am.jpg2026×1626 421 KB

Whereas a 750x750 WorkBee comes in a fair amount cheaper, or a hair cheaper with an included enclosure (£1899):

23%20am
Screen Shot 2019-10-06 at 11.37.23 am.jpg1648×1976 224 KB

In all of the reviews I’ve read, people really praise the Carbide3d community as a “feature” of the Shapeoko not to be discounted.

So curious if you think that’s a meaningful difference with this (or if you had strong opinions between the Shapeoko frame vs the WorkBee threaded rods).

Lastly, I haven’t seen clear mention of this on the ooznest page (it’s possible I missed it), but from what I’ve read the WorkBee runs Mach3 instead of GRBL. I don’t know if that plays nicely with Macs.

#52

Can’t speak to the shipping and import costs, but do know there a quite a few active members of the Shapeoko/Carbide3D forum in the EU. They might be able to help with opinions or options for spindle and/or the machine itself. User Luke lives in the UK and recently became an official part of the company, so not sure if that means increased access on that side of the pond?

#53

Posting at the same time, haha

Couple of notes:

  1. There are some people doing amazing things with the belt-driven Shapeoko. Check out user Vince on the forums. His work with aluminum is incredible. He has multiple machines, some modded significantly, but he still has a stock machine and was using stock machines for a long time before the upgrades.
  2. That said – the price difference is considerable. What should also be accounted for is the possibility of costs associated with making an enclosure (noise) and dust extraction. Running a cnc machine open without a vacuum/dust shoe is LOUD and generates a ton of fine dust that is awful for you. It should also be noted that the vacuum is often louder than the router – I have my machine and my vac each in their own enclosure.
  3. Much better to have dedicated collets per size than an adapter. Helps prevent/reduce runout of the tooling.
#54

Yeah, one of the appeals of WorkBee is that they sell an enclosure that isn’t terribly expensive. In that basket I didn’t put a dust shoe as I figured there would be plenty of either 3d-printed designs, or CNC-able designs to get something going, but I’m aware that that will be part of it.

As it was, I was thinking it would have to go elsewhere in my house for noise (and particulate) reasons, but the enclosure would mitigate that some.

Thanks for the heads up. So is that someone that can attach to different router types, or is it only specific end mills per router (Dewalt/Makita)?

I was having a look at some of the stuff that Vince is doing, and it’s crazy! Been binging a bunch of Winston Moy (who also works with Carbide3D I think) on Youtube too. I’m a complete noob when it comes to CNC stuff, but the complexities of aluminium CAM-ing is clearly an artform!

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#55

Enclosure is something I didn’t even think about when I bought the machine. Luckily, in our old house the sound wasn’t an issue for others when they were sleeping (most of my machining/project is either early morning or late at night) but I always had to wear ear protection. I also had a dust shoe, but also wore a mask for extra protection. With the enclosure I am free from both and it makes those long jobs so much more enjoyable!

Collets come in a few different types, and think you need to make sure that they will work with your particular router/spindle. Once you have that sorted they aren’t endmill specific and can take anything with the specified shank diameter.

Your comment about the community as an asset is really spot on. (Lines, much?) So many users on the forum sharing in-depth details on their projects, helping everyone advance the craft as a whole. Winston’s videos have been a huge help for me too! He was a “regular” user that officially joined the team, and I’m sure his videos have had a big impact on their success. I’m mostly a noob – coming at it from an architectural background so have strong CAD, but CAM is a new and mystical language indeed. It has been quite the learning process, but so rewarding when you hold those finished parts in your hand.

#56

Hmm.

So with an enclosure you don’t worry about the dustshoe anymore? (oh, I think you mean ear protection and mask) Do you have it in a living area (i.e. house room)? Ideally I want to have all my DIY stuff in one room (electronics, 3d printer, sewing, cnc), but was conscious/worried about noise and dust, particularly with metal.

Price-wise, another option would be to go with the standard Shapeoko rather than the XL, as the price jump there is substantial. I was mainly thinking the XL as @Angela and I have spoken about making guitars at some point, and the standard is just about on the edge of what would work for a guitar body-type size. If it could cut 500x500 that would be perfect, but in reading it does closer to 400x400.

(edit: is it possible to register work such that you can do pieces slightly bigger than the cut area by moving them between processes?)

In going with a Shapeoko would also mean having to DIY an enclosure too, which is a whole thing.

#57

The Ox is another option.

The Ox (and maybe the work bee too) is based on the shapeoko, which used to be more open than it is now.

I’m not sure whether lead screws are better than belt drives?

One thing you might think about is starting small, since I think many of these machines can be enlarged later on with a few extra parts…

At the moment I’m thinking of building a smaller version of the Sienci labs long mill, which is a design that uses a lot of off th shelf parts (e.g., aluminum angles).

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#58

I bought an Ender 3 (not pro) and I’m quite happy with it.

2 Likes
#59

I did see that too, but as much as I don’t mind kits/DIY, I wouldn’t even know where to start with just a “mechanical kit” and nothing else.

I think I may just bite the bullet and go S3XL and grow into it, since the cost of upgrading to one in the future is fairly big. Plus it doesn’t hurt to have the extra room and space.

For those of you that have enclosures, did you buy something prefab (if so what/where?) or did you DIY something?

#60

Also, is it worth buying the official (expensive!) Shapeoko touch probe?

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#61

Thanks for the info @frankchannel !