Calling John TenEyck...

[Brad Chenoweth]

and anyone else who cares to comment.
John, how do you like your Onefinity now that you've had it a while?
I'm considering buying a CNC for something to do in my retirement next year. I'm looking at the X-Carve, Shapeoko and the Onefinity. My background in machining and process engineering has me leaning towards the Onefinity, mostly because of the ball screws.
I do have a background in 2D CAD, and I've been working on learning some 3D. I don't think that's going to be an issue, I can pick that up. I do have a friend who has the X-Carve, and I'm going to look at his setup next weekend, I hope.
I'd be interested in hearing your take and also hearing recommendations from others who are using different machines. Thanks for taking the time.

Brad Chenoweth

[ChrisA Edwards]

I have the Onefinity Journeyman, got it about the same time as John.

I looked at the other two brands you mention and also spec'd out a $15K Avid CNC and got very close to buying, before I decided, as a hobbyist, the Onefinity was the way to go for me.

I did go with a 220v 80mm Huanyang watercooled spindle and have no regrets with that either.

So far it has performed exactly as advertised.

The Facebook support group is excellent.

[Brad Chenoweth]

Thanks, Chris. Yes, I would definitely consider going with a spindle rather than the router. I have just started to check out the Facebook group, and I have started watching the Vectric videos to get a feel for that. I have a couple months to study and compare before I make a decision.

[Alex Zeller]

I think I've had my Onefinity a little longer than Chris or John. When I ordered it the Journeyman wasn't an option but came out before mine was shipped. They came up with a program so I could use my woodworker while I waited for the Journeyman upgrade parts to ship. I also have the 2.2kw water cooled spindle. I think air cooled would be just fine but my cnc isn't in a shop that gets hot in the summertime. While I know people will machine aluminum on it I haven't. So far it's more than done everything I would want and have no regrets.

[Jim Becker]

Just one comment about spindles...air cooled spindles are just as efficient at cooling than water cooled spindles. It's not about ambient temps. But they are a lot more expensive to produce and tend to be on more industrial-like builds. My Camaster has an HSD air cooled spindle. (made in Italy) Water cooled spindles are more affordable to make which is why you tend to see them more frequently used on hobby type machines. Both are great...no way would I want a CNC without a spindle. Router motors are "darn loud" and tend to wear out faster than might be appreciated with continuous use cases. They do the job, of course, and there's no harm to using them, either.

[John TenEyck]

Late to the game Brad, sorry. I've had my 1F for about 6 months now and it has been rock solid, no issues at all. I looked at the machines you are considering, as well as others, but nothing could match the combination of size, performance, and price. I'll point out, though, that the 1F is a little like a kit. You don't get an assembled machine. You get a two Y rails, an X rail, and a Z mount that you have to put together on a base you build, or you can opt to buy 1F's base, but you still have to mount everything, and then square and tram it. That's one reason for the amazing price of the 1F, but if that's not something you want to do don't buy one.

The 1F X50 machines is a much stiffer and robust than the others you listed. Ball screws on every axis and a motor on both Y axis. The controller is the weak link on the 1F but it's still more than adequate for anything I likely will want to do and has been trouble free so far. Perhaps the best reason to consider 1F, is the amazing customer service. They stand behind their machines and work very hard to quickly address problems and make them right. Or so I'm told; my machine has been trouble free.

I'm sure a spindle is a nice upgrade but I've been using the Makita router w/o issue. Unless you want to run large diameter bits I don't see a large benefit. A spindle is super quiet, at least the water cooled ones are, compared to a router, but that's really only a benefit before the bit hits the wood. My friend has a water cooled spindle on his CNC and it's just as loud when the bit is cutting wood and his DC is running as mine with the Makita and a ShopVac. I will likely upgrade to a spindle and Fein vacuum at some point, but a spindle is not a requirement for quality work, not even if you want to run multi hour carves. I also don't see any need to run a DC on this size CNC. The ShopVac is more than adequate and draws a lot less power. Fein vacuums can run hour after hour w/o issue, and that's what I'll upgrade to at some point.

I use V-Carve Pro on my machine. It can import and manipulate a 3D file, but you can't design in 3D with it. You would need Aspire or some other 3D design software to do that. There's so much you can do with 2D, 2.5D, and with imported 3D files, and so much to learn to get efficient with your designs and toolpaths that I would hold off on 3D unless that is your primary motivation for buying a CNC. Also, with Vectric, you can upgrade to any higher-level program by just paying the price difference. Vectric is the 800 pound gorilla in the hobby CNC software arena. They have extensive online tutorials and very good support.

Would I buy a 1F and V-Carve Pro again? Yes, without hesitation.

John

[Brad Chenoweth]

Thanks everyone, for the replies and advice. I really appreciate it.
John, I'm definitely leaning towards the 1F, as I'm pretty impressed with the design and construction. The assembly and tweaking don't intimidate me, as I've been working on machines for over 40 years. I do have some exposure to CNC's as we had them in both of the shops I've worked in. I did take some basic programming course, though I never really did much of it. I don't see myself really getting into 3D design in the near future. Too much stuff to learn! I have a bunch of stuff bouncing around my brain already...

[David Buchhauser]

I have two of the AvidCNC tables, one 4x4 with air cooled spindle and one 4x2 with water cooled spindle. Functionally as far as cutting, they both produce similar results. The reason I opted for the water cooled spindle on the second table is that it is intended for atc (automatic tool change) so the tool holders are removable as opposed to my particular air cooled spindle where the tool height must be reset every time the bit is removed and replaced. This is an added convenience for me. The downside for the water cooled spindle is the need for cooling lines, water reservoir, pump, etc. So for me, in a perfect world, I would have an air cooled atc spindle.
David

[Jim Becker]

David, ATC equipped air cool spindles are also available and are what industrial type machines tend to use. "Ching...ching..."

[David Buchhauser]

That's probably why I've got a water cooled atc spindle. Cost was around $1800 several years ago. I'm just a little hobby guy, so those high dollar spindles are out of my price range.
David