new to CNC

[Jim Colombo]

Been thinking of getting into CNC and looking for advice. I will be mainly doing small marquetry type projects but can't rule out other applications like plaques. I'm familiar with CAD but not necessarily with the software that comes with the machines. How steep is the learning curve for any specific software?

Budget is around $1k-2K and would like to work from my Mac. Would also like "made in USA"

I've been looking at the Shapeoko but am open to any and all suggestions from you that have experience with CNC.

BTW What's the difference between a "engraver" and a "router"?

Thanks in advance
Jim

[Jim Becker]

In your price range, Shapeoko is probably a good choice, if not one of the best choices. They are also one of the few setups that natively supports MacOS with their OEM software. You may outgrow that design software and move to something like Fusion360 at some point (which is also usable under MacOS because it's browser based) but will still be able to send files to the machine from your Mac. Yes, there is a learning curve, but the software that comes with Shapeoko is pretty user friendly. BTW, you can download the Carbide Create software "now" for free so you can begin learning before you make a final decision.

(I have a much larger machine and while I do design/draw/toolpath on MacOS via Windows running in Parallels, my machine requires Windoz for machine control)

[Dave Sheldrake]

"Engraver" in many cases where CNC is concerned is usually just a low power router Routers can engrave, not all engravers can be used as routers. Most of my CNC's are metal cutters and more "Mills" than routers or engravers (they lack the higher end 20,000 RPM spindle speeds)

[Keith Outten]

Do a search on the term "Rotary Engraver" they are the more traditional machines that have been used for decades for mechanical engraving. Vision Engravers is one of the most popular companies if that helps.

[Biff Phillips]

If you want to get into CNC just for fun, consider building your own DIY CNC. You learn a lot, and end up with a lot more "bang for the buck". There are proven plans out there, so you will end up with something that works. I am not a fan of some of the less expensive hobby setups that are ready to go, they are quite limiting (But I do not want to start a debate on that).
You are going to have trouble with CAM software on the Mac. Eventually Deskproto might support it (they hinted at that on their webpage),but that is probably 1-2 years away. So I think you are probably going to be stuck getting a windows box for CAM. You can also use it to control the CNC if you use Mach.. I know there is a linux software similar to Mach, I can not remember what it is called. Not aware of any Mach-like programs for Apple computers. Good news is that you do not need a powerful Windows box. I have an old machine running Vista which works fine.

[Jim Colombo]

Thanks for the input. I pulled the plug last night and ordered the Shapeoko standard unit.

Jim

[Bill George]

You can run Parallels on the Mac, I have not tried your machine software but VCarve Pro 9.5 runs great.

[bobby milam]

Just saw they are ablut to release vcarve pro v 10 any day

[David Buchhauser]

Thanks for the input. I pulled the plug last night and ordered the Shapeoko standard unit.

Jim

Good for you Jim!! I think you're going to have a lot of fun with your new "toy".
Plus I understand that they really hold their resale value. So you will be ahead of the curve if and when you ever feel the need to upgrade to a larger machine.
David

[Jim Becker]

You can run Parallels on the Mac, I have not tried your machine software but VCarve Pro 9.5 runs great.

That works well for CAD and CAM, but not for machine control. I use VCP/Aspire that way for my primary development setup. For the OP, CarbideCreate runs natively on both MacOS and Windows and it's not cloud based, either. Should he need or want higher level software capability for drawing and CAM, that will be still possible using virtualization as you note. Thanks for adding it to the thread!

[Ted Reischl]

About two months ago I bought one of those really CHEAP mini computers. Like $149 cheap. The thing is small, about 5X5X1. 4 USB ports, 4Gb Ram, hdmi, vga, yadda, yadda,yadda.

Runs Mach3 fine. Runs Aspire fine. Surprise, surprise it also runs Rhino 6!

Which just goes to show ya, do not put too much stock in "reviews" that common folk write about computers on Amazon. I don't know how many comments I read that were like "You can run small programs, simple things, maybe small spreadsheets but it does not have the horsepower to run graphics intensive programs." ROFL. Rhino 6 is about as graphics intensive as it gets doing this stuff.

[Jim Becker]

Ted, you're correct that a lot of the less expensive computers these days have surprising performance. Many are using the same processors now that were previous "top of line" for higher end gear even. If my CNC system didn't require the PCI bus for the control system, I'd have one of those little fanless goobers in a heartbeat for servicing the CNC machine.

[Bill George]

About two months ago I bought one of those really CHEAP mini computers. Like $149 cheap. The thing is small, about 5X5X1. 4 USB ports, 4Gb Ram, hdmi, vga, yadda, yadda,yadda.

Runs Mach3 fine. Runs Aspire fine. Surprise, surprise it also runs Rhino 6!

Which just goes to show ya, do not put too much stock in "reviews" that common folk write about computers on Amazon. I don't know how many comments I read that were like "You can run small programs, simple things, maybe small spreadsheets but it does not have the horsepower to run graphics intensive programs." ROFL. Rhino 6 is about as graphics intensive as it gets doing this stuff.

Ted Which one did you get brand / model?

[Ted Reischl]

Ted Which one did you get brand / model?

Hey Bill, the one I wrote about is an ACEPC T11. It is still working fine but there have been some changes. I decided to go with a much bigger 27 inch monitor and opted for the 2560 x 1440 resolution. It started having issues, boot, not boot, weird things. So I switched out the monitor again and the problems went away. Back to the 27 inch and they returned. So it seems that the T11 might be a bit shy on graphics memory.

So, I decided to splurge and purchased a NUC mini. No issues at all running the large monitor. Quite a bit pricier though at $400. It is ok though because I am going to set up the T11 to do nothing but run the machine, well, it already does that, just a matter of deciding how I want to transfer files between the two. Or I may use it in the house to do design work on with the smaller 23 inch monitor.

[Bill George]

I found a new shrink wrapped NUC bare bones in a box, cheap very cheap. Got Win7 64 bit USB same way, and I am looking for my spare SSD but so far nothing. So I will need a new (250 gB) one $45, and 8 mB memory $38 and I'm ready. I looked at the no name Chinese ones and just could not do it.