Got my CAMaster in and running too!!

[Nicholas Bukky]

Hey all,

I'm glad to say I got my big yellow baby in her home and did the very first test cut using all 5 tools and it worked as it should!!:D

How did I live with out ATC all this time????

This is going to be a lot of fun!!

Next I will be testing the recoil lathe but I am waiting for a tweeked PP from the CAMaster boys. Can't wait to start doing things on the rotary!!

Best,
Nick

[james mcgrew]

guys like you are why i love this stuff, fun sittin in the barn all night watchin some piece of machinery run around like a sewing machine and thinking to myself

man i did that!!!

[Russ Revels]

Congratulations Nick. Looks like the CAMaster has a great home. You have a great cutting future ahead of you.

Russ

[Nicholas Bukky]

Hey Russ it was nice to meet you again!!

Thanks it is going to get a lot of use did a test cut yesterday and am waiting for a new PP for the atc rotary so I can cut some stuff on that!!

How is Jim doing with his stinger???

Nick

[Keith Outten]

Nick,

Congratulations getting your machine installed and running. I'm envious, I haven't heard a word about mine yet.
.

[Russ Revels]

Hi Nick,

It was good seeing you again. Maybe see you again in the spring and actually have a sample to display this time. The 510ATC looks great in its new home.

Jim and I ran his machine last Monday to get Mach3 configured and verify the settings. He had some additional work to do on his cabinet and so we plan to do a first cut tomorrow morning. I will take some pictures and hopefully a movie of the light off.

Russ

[Gene Crain]

Geez Nick at the very least I would think you would have cut the grass and pulled the weeds.....;)

Are the Kids and wife happy :D

....and where is the red one? :eek:

[Dennis OBrien]

Wow, I'm envious. Great looking machine with just about no limits. Good luck with that!

Dennis

[Mike Heidrick]

guys like you are why i love this stuff, fun sittin in the barn all night watchin some piece of machinery run around like a sewing machine and thinking to myself

man i did that!!!

Totally agree!
I think that about my machine AND the work it is cutting.

Great job on acquiring the new Cam! ATC is a sweet dream right there!

What I really like is the machine that unloaded it!!!

[Joey Jarrard]

Nick,

Congratulations getting your machine installed and running. I'm envious, I haven't heard a word about mine yet.
.


Keith yours is out the door next. We have the steel for the lathe. I just need to get off the phone long enough to help.

[Nicholas Bukky]

Gene
I was gone for 2 weeks and that dang grass grows faster than I can keep up with it!!! Red one is right next to it I had to move the shop all around to get the new yellow beast in....

I have more important things to do anyway like play with my new baby:D

Mike
that forklift, I really didn't think was going to do the job. The fork extentions were flexing and I was nervous fo a few but it all went smoothly:cool:

Jim,
Special thanks to you! You were the catalist for me to get my camaster.
And after meeting the CAMaster guys at your place I knew where I was going to spend my money!!

Dennis thanks!!

Keith I look forward to seeing your posts of projects. Maybe you can get away from those signs for a bit;)

Joey you guys rock!!!!!

Russ please post pics!!

Thanks ALL!!
More to come!

Nick

[Jim Underwood]

Congratulations Nick! Glad it made it into it's home with no problems. Looking forward to see what you do with it.

Let's see some sawdust!:D

[Mick A Martin]

Hi Nick,
Glad to see you got your baby home in one piece your machine looked really big at the IWF.

Mick

[Joey Jarrard]

Ok so we have been working on the Stinger Line. It was a must after the orders at the show. Here are a few pics of the Line. 5 Stingers can be built in one work week when we are in full swing. YEE HA

[Dan Hintz]

Is mine finished? :)

[Scott Shepherd]

Dan, you don't have the machine you won on July 4th yet? :confused:

Sounds like 2nd shift needs to pick up the pace! :D Geez, that was 2 months ago!

[Dan Hintz]

Ever seen one of those kids who has a real bad streak to him, but he just got in trouble? You know, the one in the timeout corner sitting on his hands who is just dieing to go play, but he knows deep down he has to take it like a man and suffer through the wait?

Yeah, that's kind of like me with patience. I have so very little, I'm like a kid on Christmas. I see some new toy, then I pick up multiple books and Google the snot out of it to learn whatever I can, which pushes me over the edge to actually go out and purchase something. I'm doing my best to sit on my hands and wait until mom says I can get out of the corner... but I'm getting jittery.

Since winning the Stinger, I've researched bandsaws... and I have money tucked away for an 18" Jet when they go on sale later this month. I researched more powerful dust collection... and I have money tucked away for a Penn State DC and Wynn filter when the Stinger arrives. I researched lathes, and I've picked out a nice metal lathe that will do double duty for smaller wood projects... money is tucked away, but I need to get the Stinger in first so I can figure out where a lathe would fit. Somewhere in there I need to add in a drill press, so I've squirreled away $1k for something with variable speed and a 6" quill. Plenty of smaller items are also on my "to get immediately" list, like a grinding wheel. I spent $1k within a week of learning about winning the Stinger, and within the next month I will be spending another $4k or more. Thank God I haven't gotten into full woodworking mode yet or else I'd be adding in a jointer, planer, sander, and a better table saw to that list :(

I'm glad companies deliver! About the only thing that would fit in the Z would be the grinder.

[Keith Outten]

Dan,

I sent a check to cover both your machine and mine 3 months ago. Obviously the waiting list is very long for a new Stinger. Mine is scheduled to arrive on Thursday the 16th if all goes well, got my fingers crossed :)

Your Stinger has to be right behind mine or Richard Link's so Joey should have a delivery date for you shortly. In the meantime it is pretty cool to look at Nick's new machine being unloaded. I don't have access to a fork lift but I have a John Deere that can handle the task of placing my new Stinger in my shop next week :)
.

[Mike Package]

Dan, you don't have the machine you won on July 4th yet? :confused:

Sounds like 2nd shift needs to pick up the pace! :D Geez, that was 2 months ago!

I placed my order and deposit on 6/2. So obviously things slowed down. But, didn't we see this coming? Killer product at just the right target market and price. It was bound to take off and create high demand. Factor that in with Joey planning to gear up a production line (which adds time "overhead" during that ramp up time versus just building as fast as possible, I'm sure). So while I'm antsy as all get-out, I'm also not surprised, and not really disappointed. More owners will make for a larger, more helpful community.

[Joey Jarrard]

Thanks mike. Yours and dans is in the picture. I let it be known that the 4th of July winner would not be put in front of a paying customer. I did know we had a good thing at a good price but never thought we would get the response we got. It is good though trial by fire. Keiths and 2 cobras are out next week then the next week we have Richard and 5 stinger table tops and one cobra. Then the next week 5 more stingers. We will be back at full staff on Monday and then its butt kicking time. Our shop looks like a sea of yellow. Thanks to all who has in one way or another helped now it's time to buzz. The active stinger family will grow 150% in the next 3 weeks and it will keep growing. At this rate it would be a safe bet that dans will not be the last great cnc give away.

[Mick A Martin]

Thanks mike. Yours and dans is in the picture. I let it be known that the 4th of July winner would not be put in front of a paying customer. I did know we had a good thing at a good price but never thought we would get the response we got. It is good though trial by fire. Keiths and 2 cobras are out next week then the next week we have Richard and 5 stinger table tops and one cobra. Then the next week 5 more stingers. We will be back at full staff on Monday and then its butt kicking time. Our shop looks like a sea of yellow. Thanks to all who has in one way or another helped now it's time to buzz. The active stinger family will grow 150% in the next 3 weeks and it will keep growing. At this rate it would be a safe bet that dans will not be the last great cnc give away.

Glad to hear the Stinger's are leaving your shop, that way I am not the only one out there with a Stinger.



Since winning the Stinger, I've researched bandsaws... and I have money tucked away for an 18" Jet when they go on sale later this month. I researched more powerful dust collection... and I have money tucked away for a Penn State DC and Wynn filter when the Stinger arrives. I researched lathes, and I've picked out a nice metal lathe that will do double duty for smaller wood projects... money is tucked away, but I need to get the Stinger in first so I can figure out where a lathe would fit. Somewhere in there I need to add in a drill press, so I've squirreled away $1k for something with variable speed and a 6" quill. Plenty of smaller items are also on my "to get immediately" list, like a grinding wheel. I spent $1k within a week of learning about winning the Stinger, and within the next month I will be spending another $4k or more. Thank God I haven't gotten into full woodworking mode yet or else I'd be adding in a jointer, planer, sander, and a better table saw to that list :(

I'm glad companies deliver! About the only thing that would fit in the Z would be the grinder.

Looks like you have a good shopping list of tools, the good thing is you only buy them once, I stated out buying my woodworking tools first, then I upgraded into the CNC world.

Mick

[Dan Hintz]

Mick,

That shop is entirely too clean for one that is supposedly actively being used ;)

[Scott Shepherd]

I let it be known that the 4th of July winner would not be put in front of a paying customer.

I never saw that posted anywhere. I thought Keith plopped down 1/2 the cost of the machine? If so, then he's a paying customer for that July 4th machine. Just seems like a LOOOOOONG time to get a machine, won in contest or not. The 4th of July drawing was announced 2 months early, so we're 4-5 months after it was known about. Seems like it should have been built and crated, waiting for July 5th. It's not like it was a free machine, someone paid some cash for it.

If I was a paying customer (and I could be, since I'm in the market for a 4' x 8' machine), I'd be a quite concerned it takes 2,3,4, or 5 months to get a machine.

How long does it take to get a 4' x 8' machine?

[Richard Link]

Thanks mike. Yours and dans is in the picture. I let it be known that the 4th of July winner would not be put in front of a paying customer. I did know we had a good thing at a good price but never thought we would get the response we got. It is good though trial by fire. Keiths and 2 cobras are out next week then the next week we have Richard and 5 stinger table tops and one cobra. Then the next week 5 more stingers. We will be back at full staff on Monday and then its butt kicking time. Our shop looks like a sea of yellow. Thanks to all who has in one way or another helped now it's time to buzz. The active stinger family will grow 150% in the next 3 weeks and it will keep growing. At this rate it would be a safe bet that dans will not be the last great cnc give away.

Thanks for the update Joey. Glad to hear that business is booming. I imagine it is a bit stressful but gotta be satisfying as well to know you hit the sweet spot of demand.

I, for one, am a bit concerned about getting this thing off the truck and into the garage as I don't have easy access to a forklift, or tractor, etc. I've got a decent pallet jack which I use to move around some of the big equipment without difficulty. Does the 48x48 Stinger II come on a standard pallet that could be manhandled around with a pallet jack? It doesn't have to move very far as it's new home is right inside the door. I move my Felder combo around with the jack without trouble and that's got to be twice as heavy and larger to boot. If that's just crazy talk for the Stinger crate, please let me know.

I've got a good rigging company that I've used in the past and I can probably work out something without difficulty (maybe that's the better part of valor anyway). If I need to use the company, they generally like to have the machinery delivered directly to their facility so I might have to change the shipping address for you guys.

Richard

[Nicholas Bukky]

Richard,
I don't know what your property is like but as you can see in the pics I rented a 5000lbs construction forklift to unload mine. It was about 400 bucks for a day from the local equipment rental place and I used it for about 20min....

I like to do things by myself though!

Good luck!
Nick

[Nicholas Bukky]

Scott,
Think maybe CAMaster paid for the other half?

Just sayin.....

Nick

[Scott Shepherd]

Scott,
Think maybe CAMaster paid for the other half?

Just sayin.....

Nick

Very true, but your external customer HAS paid. So saying it's not a paying customer is not completely accurate. Keith paid.

Also, a Paying customer ordered first part of June and they still don't have their machine. That's 4 months for a paying customer. What chance does Dan have if "paying" customers take 4 months?

[Richard Link]

Very true, but your external customer HAS paid. So saying it's not a paying customer is not completely accurate. Keith paid.

Also, a Paying customer ordered first part of June and they still don't have their machine. That's 4 months for a paying customer. What chance does Dan have if "paying" customers take 4 months?

Scott, just to chime in a bit. We're all getting ansy about getting our machines and it's ok. The forum tends to be a good place to let off steam. On the other hand, the guys at Camaster have been very straight with me from the beginning on the lag time in getting the machine. I, and most of the other Stinger and Stinger II customers, recognize that the company is just getting off the ground with their production. In fact, I think Keith's machine is the first Stinger II off the line and mine is the second.

To be honest, one of the principle reasons that I bought my Stinger II is that I recognized the quality coming from a relatively small operation with a lot of individual ownership and committment to customer service. I recognized from the beginning that I was not buying a machine that was coming over in container loads every month from Asia into an impersonal US distribution system. This is a custom machine (at least with my modifications) and I understand it will take a while. When it comes, I expect I will be very satisfied as someone is really putting their heart, soul and company reputation into the mix.

I had a similar experience last year when I purchased a Felder combo machine. Although Felder is a bigger and more impersonal company that has been around a while, the rep was pretty clear on estimating a 3 to 3.5 month wait. The wait was painful but the machine came in around 4 months and I have been completely satisfied. Nothing was misrepresented. If the Felder rep had told me it would be 2 weeks and it turned out to be 4 months, I'd have been livid but that wasn't how it went down.

Bottom line is that I don't think there is a universal "ship within" time window for a machine purchase. As long as the manufacturer is honest about the anticipated wait and gets the job done within an acceptable error rate, that seems ok with me.

Now ultimately, if Camaster wants to really take advantage of their market position and harvest all the potential customers clamoring for their products, they are likely to need to speed up turnaround. I imagine there are production shops that simply can't wait months for a CNC router. I for one, however, would rather wait a bit than have to accept poorer quality control, etc. Hopefully that is not the natural outcome of getting a lot busier for every business....

Best wishes,

Richard

[Guy Mathews]

"good, fast, or cheap, pick two". That is, a project can be completed quickly, it can be done cheap, and it can be done well, but you need to choose which two of those you want. If you want a good project done quickly, it's gonna be expensive. Fast and cheap? It's gonna suck.

Camaster is good (quality) and cheap (inexpensive) when compared to similar products on the market.

Be patient! It's worth the wait.

[Mike Package]

Very true, but your external customer HAS paid. So saying it's not a paying customer is not completely accurate. Keith paid.

Also, a Paying customer ordered first part of June and they still don't have their machine. That's 4 months for a paying customer. What chance does Dan have if "paying" customers take 4 months?


Since I'm a paying customer from June, my $.02:

Camaster has been pretty good about communicating delays. At least one was a supplier delay. All things considered, I don't have any complaints with how it has been handled to date. Since it's my money, isn't that the important thing?

Also, raise your hand if you've never missed a deadline, never had a delivery date slip? Anybody?

[Dan Hintz]

All I know is the wife blames Keith for starting me down the path of major purchases... if he had not partnered with Camaster and offered up the drawing, ending with me placing a new toy in my shop, I most likely would not have gone on my current shopping spree.

But hey, that's between Keith and my wife, and I've learned to steer clear of any battle involving her :D Maybe while she's scolding him I can slip in a few extra pieces of equipment...

[james mcgrew]

i paid to help prototype the first X3 camaster built we started the project in mar 08 and i got the machine in dec 08, mind you i had a machine during that time and several x3's were sold before i got mine.

i have run that machine like a dog 3-5 days a week hard, tore it up a couple of times, with joey on the other end of the phone (and yes i still talk to them 5-7 times a week) i never lost two days with downtime, yet all downtime was earned and not a result of machine failure. i made a good decision with this machine and many of you have seen it in my shop. probably in the list of moneymakers it would rank in the top three (35 woodworking machines in my shop)

i have known from the start that camaster was not the biggest nor the best, but the beauty for me is they are not second best to any in this class and i have been dealt with ethically on all issues, i was informed and agreed to every delay, i build custom products as the core of my trade have i missed a deadline yes do i have any unsatisfied customers

no

[james mcgrew]

Is mine finished? :)


dan, i just got off the phone w/ the god of sceduling, your machine is in line and will ship after being tested this week

[Nicholas Bukky]

dan, i just got off the phone w/ the god of sceduling, your machine is in line and will ship after being tested this week
Would that be Joey?:p

[Gene Crain]

All I know is the wife blames Keith for starting me down the path of major purchases... if he had not partnered with Camaster and offered up the drawing, ending with me placing a new toy in my shop, I most likely would not have gone on my current shopping spree.

But hey, that's between Keith and my wife, and I've learned to steer clear of any battle involving her :D Maybe while she's scolding him I can slip in a few extra pieces of equipment...

did your wife pick out your sig photo as well?

[Mike Heidrick]

For those waiting here are some good things to do now (things I would do if I was waiting):

Get your cnc location spot cleared out and area around it
Make sure you have electrical service where you want to place your machine
Improve the cnc areas lighting
Run your overhead duct work to the middle of the are where your machine will be
In the case of the stinger get your base/table built for it
Be thinking about where your computer will sit
Pay attention to the finishing spot area in your shop get lighting improved there
Get your sanding gear up to snuff
Get some endmills, v bits and good spirals on order
Look around your shop for things dust can settle on - its about to explode in there
Get a dust shoe ordered if you are going to buy one otherwise research files to cut one yourself and get teh parts for it
Download demo versions of Mach and Vcarve or aspire and start playing
Learn about Mach and what all the settings are and how to tune it
Learn about home switches and zero plates how to use outputs to control your dust collector and spindle
Decide what pendant control you will add - having remote capability of moving the machine away from the keyboard is super nice - I did teh Xbox controller mod for Mach myself
Get familiar with corel or adobe illustrator if you pan to use those to work with images
Pick a CAD package and start playing
Start milling some test stock
Make sure you have wood storage and places to store sheet goods


For Dan:
My advice if you really do not have wood working equipment yet - here is how I would spend your money -
jointer and planer will be such an assett if you are going to cut wood projects for sale - you will want those savings from buying from a mill very quick - buy those before a lathe - get to know your machine and software before adding a lathe and 4th axis - if you did not plan a lathe as part of your cnc wait a bit as you might just want to do that!

So far all my cnc work has been across my jointer, planer, sliding compound miter saw and or table saw, and through my sanders and quite a few under teh RAS with a dado stack. All of those benefit from a NICE dust collector. Get that DC done now and get some ductwork in before that machine arrives.

I did the crazy workshop and then added a CNC router. Really find the cnc compliments the workshop but I would not want to be without the workshop - its just how my mind thinks about my projects I guess.

[Dan Hintz]

Mike,

Several items are upgrades. I'm running a Harbor Fright DC at the moment (she's a loud beast) for the laser, so the Penn State will be more powerful and quieter. I've always wanted a lathe, but now that I'm getting into some metalworking projects, I figure it can do some light double-duty work on smaller wood projects... less space to take up, and I don't have any (current) plans to turn bowls and such. The drillpress would be an upgrade, and the bandsaw, well, I've just needed one of those for quite some time.

[Keith Outten]

For those waiting here are some good things to do now (things I would do if I was waiting):
.
Look around your shop for things dust can settle on - its about to explode in there
.


Mike,

Are you really having that much of a dust problem?

Neither of the CNC Routers that I run are a dust problem, the majority of the dust is removed at the dust shoe. At CNU I have to keep the shop spotless because I work in a shop that is attached to the Architects Office and my boss won't tolerate any dust that might find its way into his conference room :)

I often run the ShopBot all day long and the bosses golf cart is parked right next to the router without any sign of dust on his cart. I often will get a few chips on top of the material I am cutting but I don't have any air-born dust from the ShopBot. Cutting Corian produces a very fine dust along with chips but the dust shoe catches the fine particles really well. I have the cheapo HF 2 hp dust pump at CNU, it doesn't have near the CFM of my old 1.5 hp Grizzly DC that I use in my shop at home.

Maybe the performance of my chip box system is better than I thought. I remember that whenever I use to start up my Dust Collector with the bags installed there would be a cloud of dust when the bags inflated. I also hated to have to stop working to empty the stupid bags, and I can't imagine having to interrupt a long CNC run just to dump the bags.
.

[Scott Shepherd]

"good, fast, or cheap, pick two".

I wouldn't call 4 months "fast" :) Again, as someone with a router, shopping for a new one, if you tell me it's a 4 month wait, I'm probably going to look at your competitor and probably look up, not down. If it's 4 months, it's 4 months. I'm not really looking for a January install on a machine I order today.

[Mike Heidrick]

My dust issues are my creation at this point. I need a skirt on my shoe and I am using a quick change Xtreme Xtension and love the quick change for bits so much I have not taken it off so my dist hose is a 1 1/4" more away than it was.

[james mcgrew]

I wouldn't call 4 months "fast" :) Again, as someone with a router, shopping for a new one, if you tell me it's a 4 month wait, I'm probably going to look at your competitor and probably look up, not down. If it's 4 months, it's 4 months. I'm not really looking for a January install on a machine I order today.

like i said scott this machine is not for everybody!! good luck on your purchase!! you seem to be stuck on a point

what is it?

i guess i should go a bit further, there are many satisfied customers here on the creek and many who never post here, yet very few unsatisfied customers.

camasters lead time is normally 90 days and less (much less in some cases) yet they introduced a new product which just happened to be a GREAT deal far above many competitors in both Quality and price!! add in the IWF show (to which Kieths machine was shown) which only comes every two years and produced a great demand for the machines and delays will happen, to thier credit they hustled to ramp up production to meet demand and will be caught up very soon. most all of the machines they build have various custom features, i do know thier goal was to eventually have the stinger available off the shelf yet the excellent quality of the product has created a demand,

i can show you where the table top routers are in the market, i sawm most all of them at iwf, the camaster is still worth the waith when the comparisons are made!

[Scott Shepherd]

like i said scott this machine is not for everybody!! good luck on your purchase!! you seem to be stuck on a point

what is it?



My point is 4 months is a long time to wait for a machine. I say that from a perspective of someone shopping for a router. There's no hidden agenda, no hidden meaning, just a simple comment that is "Wow, 4 months is a long time for a machine". If you're reading anything into that other than 4 months is a long time, then you're reading deeper than you need to.

No need to pull out all the "I know people that are happy and I'm happy" comments and I can name any brand of CNC router and have people lined up to say great things about any model.

I never said a single word about whether the machine was quality or not. I just said 4 months is a long time to wait for a capital expenditure.

Funny how so much was read into that. So now you've told me to go somewhere else already. Wow....that's a defensive posture for sure. I also asked "How long is the wait for a 4' x 8' machine?".

[Dan Hintz]

I'm hoping the $2500 Powermatic planer I just ordered from Rockler for $199.99 comes in :p A man can dream, can't he?

Though I'm not sure how I'm going to move nearly 900 pounds of solid steel from my driveway down the hill to get it in the basement. A few pieces like that and I'll need to repour the slab with extra rebar!

[Nicholas Bukky]

I wouldn't call 4 months "fast" :) Again, as someone with a router, shopping for a new one, if you tell me it's a 4 month wait, I'm probably going to look at your competitor and probably look up, not down. If it's 4 months, it's 4 months. I'm not really looking for a January install on a machine I order today.

You said your self you were going to look at their competitor........

???????

And Jim said good luck on your purchase this machine is not for everyone.....

[Scott Shepherd]

Wow, you guys are sensitive about this topic. I said "If you tell me 4 months, I'm probably going to look at your competitor".

Is that such a wrong statement to make on anything we buy? I mean the machines are made to produce product I can sell. If I can't get the machine on my floor for 4 months and I have demand for product, what else can I do but to look at other machines? If I find out other machines won't work for what we need, but this one will, then I guess I'd have to get in line and wait 4 months.

Guy came on and said I could pick good, fast, or cheap, I just said "I don't think 4 months is fast", then that got James fired up, saying their machines are not for everyone. Now, you're suggesting I have other motives.

Wow.....some of you need to cut back on the coffee. You have WAYYYYYY over read my comments.

Let me see if I can be clear for about the 5th time now.

I think 4 months in a long time. It might be the lowest amount of time you can get a CNC machine in. If it is, it is. However, 4 months is a long time to me. 4 months may not be that long to you.

How that gets read into anything other than that is on you, not me.

[james mcgrew]

with all of the best i have to offer, good luck on your purchase!!

jim

[Mick A Martin]

Mike,

Are you really having that much of a dust problem?

Neither of the CNC Routers that I run are a dust problem, the majority of the dust is removed at the dust shoe.
.

Like Keith stated, I have and use the dust shoe on my Stinger together with my dust collection system and have very little dust in my shop.

Mick

[Nicholas Bukky]

You are right Scott!!

I have had way to much coffee;)

[Guy Mathews]

Wow, you guys are sensitive about this topic. I said "If you tell me 4 months, I'm probably going to look at your competitor".

Is that such a wrong statement to make on anything we buy? I mean the machines are made to produce product I can sell. If I can't get the machine on my floor for 4 months and I have demand for product, what else can I do but to look at other machines? If I find out other machines won't work for what we need, but this one will, then I guess I'd have to get in line and wait 4 months.

Guy came on and said I could pick good, fast, or cheap, I just said "I don't think 4 months is fast", then that got James fired up, saying their machines are not for everyone. Now, you're suggesting I have other motives.

Wow.....some of you need to cut back on the coffee. You have WAYYYYYY over read my comments.

Let me see if I can be clear for about the 5th time now.

I think 4 months in a long time. It might be the lowest amount of time you can get a CNC machine in. If it is, it is. However, 4 months is a long time to me. 4 months may not be that long to you.

How that gets read into anything other than that is on you, not me.

Scott, No where in my post was that directed to you. It was a general statement meant for anybody and everybody on this forum that was concerned about time frames for a CAMaster.

Here it is again for clarification purposes...


"good, fast, or cheap, pick two". That is, a project can be completed quickly, it can be done cheap, and it can be done well, but you need to choose which two of those you want. If you want a good project done quickly, it's gonna be expensive. Fast and cheap? It's gonna suck.

Camaster is good (quality) and cheap (inexpensive) when compared to similar products on the market.

Be patient! It's worth the wait.

Second of all, as much as I like CAMaster, there is at least one fellow in the CNC forum that I actually recommended a different company too and he purchased from that company. Sorry Joey, but the man came to our shop and showed me a deal that even you guys couldn't beat. Based on his workload, time frame and needs, I had to send him to another competitor. The machine was off the shelf cookie cutter but that worked for him. Many of the CAMaster's tend to have custom mods, hence the lead time is longer.

That being said, let me bring on another observation.


dan, i just got off the phone w/ the god of sceduling, your machine is in line and will ship after being tested this week

Wouldn't this be Joey's job to notify Dan? I mean afterall, you don't work for CAMaster or recieve any compensation from them do you?


like i said scott this machine is not for everybody!! good luck on your purchase!! you seem to be stuck on a point

what is it?

i guess i should go a bit further, there are many satisfied customers here on the creek and many who never post here, yet very few unsatisfied customers.

camasters lead time is normally 90 days and less (much less in some cases) yet they introduced a new product which just happened to be a GREAT deal far above many competitors in both Quality and price!! add in the IWF show (to which Kieths machine was shown) which only comes every two years and produced a great demand for the machines and delays will happen, to thier credit they hustled to ramp up production to meet demand and will be caught up very soon. most all of the machines they build have various custom features, i do know thier goal was to eventually have the stinger available off the shelf yet the excellent quality of the product has created a demand,

i can show you where the table top routers are in the market, i sawm most all of them at iwf, the camaster is still worth the waith when the comparisons are made!

Again, I refer to previous statement. Don't get me wrong Jim. A happy customer is one thing, but in light of the all the things that I read about on the various forums that you do in the name of CAMaster and Vectric, I have to wonder if you are on the CAMaster payroll somehow, especially since CAMaster is also a reseller of Vectric Products.

If I am wrong, so be it I am wrong. Nothing worse then speculation and I apologize if I am wrong.

However, if I am right, FTC laws mandates that people who frequently blog about or endorse company products on the internet are now required to disclose wether or not they are compensated. Now I guess a good lawyer could argue the term blog verses forum... yada, yada, yada.

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm

Good reading that link is. Especially the 4th paragraph. Remember all my statements about the Polhemus Fastscan? It still stands. I still get paid for referals!

I don't get a dime from CAMaster so I am not beholding to them, however, I have yet to find a better CNC at the same, price, lower price or even slightly higher price.

Finally,


You are right Scott!!

I have had way to much coffee;)

Me too!:D

I am going to h@ll for sure I am!

I reiterate, CAMaster, a damn fine company making awesome machines. That is just MY HUMBLE OPINION based on 4.5 years of running 3 different machines from 3 different manufacturers, none of whom gave me a dime.

Bill and Kathy did however feed me when I picked up our CAMaster, but since I brought lunch the one day, I think that negates payment!

[Scott Shepherd]

No problem Guy, I thought your comment was innocent and well said, and I didn't mean to imply you said it any way other than you meant it, rather than me connecting you and your comments in defense of someone or something.

It was the comment between you and my response to you that apparently sparked some comments.

If it came across as I was blaming you for something, I apologize, as that wasn't how it was meant. I probably could have worded it differently to be more clear. My apologies :)

I wouldn't know about Camaster's quality, I haven't commented on it, nor have I seen one in action, so for me to comment on their quality wouldn't be acceptable.

[james mcgrew]

"Again, I refer to previous statement. Don't get me wrong Jim. A happy customer is one thing, but in light of the all the things that I read about on the various forums that you do in the name of CAMaster and Vectric, I have to wonder if you are on the CAMaster payroll somehow, especially since CAMaster is also a reseller of Vectric Products.

If I am wrong, so be it I am wrong. Nothing worse then speculation and I apologize if I am wrong."

yep you are wrong, but it is ok i have been a customer of yours and highlighted that as well!! to which you have benefited, on another note been looking at that polhemus real hard lately

i have not told any one who the god of delivery is,

about that speculation stuff!!

"I don't get a dime from CAMaster so I am not beholding to them, however, I have yet to find a better CNC at the same, price, lower price or even slightly higher price."

PS, me too!!

[Guy Mathews]

"Again, I refer to previous statement. Don't get me wrong Jim. A happy customer is one thing, but in light of the all the things that I read about on the various forums that you do in the name of CAMaster and Vectric, I have to wonder if you are on the CAMaster payroll somehow, especially since CAMaster is also a reseller of Vectric Products.

If I am wrong, so be it I am wrong. Nothing worse then speculation and I apologize if I am wrong."

yep you are wrong, but it is ok i have been a customer of yours and highlighted that as well!! to which you have benefited, on another note been looking at that polhemus real hard lately

i have not told any one who the god of delivery is,

about that speculation stuff!!

"I don't get a dime from CAMaster so I am not beholding to them, however, I have yet to find a better CNC at the same, price, lower price or even slightly higher price."

PS, me too!!

See that.

Now it is out in the open and there is no more speculating.

Now we can get back to telling people about a machine and a company that we are both proud of because of their product and the customer support. It ain't perfect, but they try like hell!

Way to go CAMaster!

[james mcgrew]

:)i am with you brother!! school bus yellow ON!!

[Joey Jarrard]

Ok I need to chime in here on a few things.
1. Guy as I have stated before and this is a CAMaster official message. Jim McGrew is not and has never been an employee of CAMaster CNC. The offer that I extend to current customers if they show there machine at there shop and it results in a sale Jim has every time turned down. He Is only a CAMaster customer just like you were Guy and hopefully will be again.
2. Guy it is CAMaster's place to let folks know when there machines go out. We do try to keep customers in the loop but I do not let the customer know what day until the machine clears franks check list. This way i can let the customer know so the proper arrangments can be made on there end. Then we notify the customer and do a final burn in on the machine. On our forum we have 2-3 mods that are notified of upcoming deliveries this way they can be on top of any questions from the new users. It is no secret that Jim is a mod so is Eric also a member of SMC. Dan and all others will be notified as needed of exact ship dates.
3. If anyone needs to know Camaster's curent lead times they need to call CAMaster. Each machine line now has its own times and they do differ. BTW. Our stinger line is not at 90 days.

CAMaster as always tries to build the best router for the money in our market. And as any other OEM that has a full board may have to extend lead times. But we are working hard to get our times back down to our normal production marks. We are stock piling parts to minimize the chance of this acurance again. I feel this is all that can be asked of any manufacture.

After all is it not good that a US company is busy?

[james mcgrew]

hey nick, dontcha hate it when it gets dark and tooo late to go out and play with the machine!! get some sleep it will be there tommorrow!!

[Nicholas Bukky]

I have lights:D........most of the time.....

[Keith Outten]

I heard a rumor that Nicholas Bukky is sleeping on his new Cobra. He bought a new sleeping bag and keeps it stowed under the machine :)

This is just a rumor at this point, I can't confirm or deny the accuracy of this information :)
.

[Nicholas Bukky]

Well not a "NEW" sleeping bag.:)

[Keith Outten]

Nic,

As long as you get some rest at the end of the day.......its all good :)
.

[Joey Jarrard]

Ok I'm looking forward to my road trip this weekend 3 stops in 2 days. Will be the 2nd time through DC and no sightseeing, maybe next time. :D.

[Keith Outten]

Joey,

After you deliver my Stinger II you need to stop and smell the roses :)

Georgia to Maryland to Virginia and back to Georgia, I hope you have a sidekick to share the driving.
.

[james mcgrew]

4 stops joey 4 stops!!

[Keith Outten]

Are we adding South Carolina to the list as well?
.

[james mcgrew]

oh yea!! we always do some horse trading when we are near, got some config changes for my machine and joey has the parts

[Joey Jarrard]

Jim it may be late Sunday on the way back I will call.
Any more stops, anyone? :D

[james mcgrew]

with what you are doing i am almost willing to bet you are coming thru here monday am!!

[Joey Jarrard]

with what you are doing i am almost willing to bet you are coming thru here monday am!!

Jim don't you know I'm super man? :D I will have someone with me to share the driving with. It will not rival the Utah trip but it will be a good haul.

[Robert Alexander]

Jim don't you know I'm super man? :D I will have someone with me to share the driving with. It will not rival the Utah trip but it will be a good haul.

Yeah! Almost 2000 miles one way. Then a 3 1/2 hour visit to unload and show how the machine works. A little lunch and back on the road to be home in 24 hours.

And what do you have to show for it?

A customer for life, who is very glad that company's like Camaster still exist in the business world.

[Joey Jarrard]

Robert Paul and I were glad to do it. But I had some other stuff to show for that trip. Like a chapped behind :eek: I know that Penske truck still knows me.


Yeah! Almost 2000 miles one way. Then a 3 1/2 hour visit to unload and show how the machine works. A little lunch and back on the road to be home in 24 hours.

And what do you have to show for it?

A customer for life, who is very glad that company's like Camaster still exist in the business world.

[Mick A Martin]

Ok I'm looking forward to my road trip this weekend 3 stops in 2 days. :D.

Thanks joey :D

[Joey Jarrard]

Mick, i will have pics for you next week.

[Belinda Barfield]

But, Joey, you're going to miss the Dawgs bitin' some Razorback butt! I'll just have to watch the game for you. :D

[Joey Jarrard]

But, Joey, you're going to miss the Dawgs bitin' some Razorback butt! I'll just have to watch the game for you. :D

Jingles my iPhone even bleeds red and black. I got the game covered on the road as well as the DVR at the house set just in case.

[Belinda Barfield]

Jingles my iPhone even bleeds red and black. I got the game covered on the road as well as the DVR at the house set just in case.

Knew you had it covered! How's the room coming along? I'm guessing that's sort of on the back burner right now.

Jingles

[Keith Outten]

Joey,

Looks like there is going to be a crowd at my work shop on Saturday. Ed Lang, his son and a friend plus my neighbor that has requested a price quote already on a Stinger II.
.

[Joey Jarrard]

Keith sounds like our backs may be spared. :D we will put them to work.


Joey,

Looks like there is going to be a crowd at my work shop on Saturday. Ed Lang, his son and a friend plus my neighbor that has requested a price quote already on a Stinger II.
.

[Mick A Martin]

Joey,

Looks like there is going to be a crowd at my work shop on Saturday. Ed Lang, his son and a friend plus my neighbor that has requested a price quote already on a Stinger II.
.

I hope your machine arrives on time otherwise it will be coffee and an empty space.

Mick

[james mcgrew]

man i wanna be there!!

[Keith Outten]

Jim,

Come On!!!

You have airplanes in your neck of the woods, get yourself a plane ticket and we will pick you up at the Newport News airport :)
.

[Keith Outten]

Mick,

I just talked to Joey on the phone, it looks like he will be just a tad early on Saturday if all goes well.

I will have everything ready on my end so it shouldn't take long before we are making chips. Should make for a good photo-op so I will have Jackie taking care of both video and still cameras to make sure we get the necessary documentation to cover the install.
.

[james mcgrew]

joey just got in the truck, i have turned on the satelite, so we can keep up with him!!

[Joey Jarrard]

On the road again

[Guy Mathews]

On the road again

Safe trip Joey. Take care of yourself and those precious little yellow babies you are delivering!

Boy I feel like proud uncle!!!!:D

[Jerome Stanek]

I agree with Scott $ months is a long time to wait. Back in 1972 I ordered a Datson 240 Z and they said 6 months But I only had to put $100 down on it and that was refundable.

[james mcgrew]

guy, just think of it "joey the stork":)

once on night watch in the military i caught a fellow sitting up late looking at a magazine that he probably did not expect to get caught with,

he just looked up at me and said "jealous ain't cha"

[Guy Mathews]

guy, just think of it "joey the stork":)

once on night watch in the military i caught a fellow sitting up late looking at a magazine that he probably did not expect to get caught with,

he just looked up at me and said "jealous ain't cha"

In the words of Larry the Cable Guy;

"That's funny right there, I don't care who you are.":D

[Keith Outten]

I agree with Scott $ months is a long time to wait. Back in 1972 I ordered a Datson 240 Z and they said 6 months But I only had to put $100 down on it and that was refundable.

Jerome,

You owned a 1972 240Z......man I am envious. I remember when they were taking orders and the list was very long. You still have the car right?

I could have had my machine delivered before IWF but Joey and Paul had another customer who needed the machine. I was was going to be in Atlanta for IWF so I let them ship my Stinger to someone else knowing that it would be sometime after IWF before they could get mine shipped.

It appears that CAMaster may have had two sales surges, the first during and after the 4th of July drawing we did here at The Creek and the second one after IWF. The Stinger is still a new product so it seems to me that there is little sales information available for CAMaster to forecast how many to build or at the least what level of parts to order in advance to support manufacturing. Custom machines can't be built in advance so an additional waiting period is reasonable, the hard part is accurately estimating the length of the waiting period.
.