Insights on 4x8 CNC options

[Bao Loi]

Looking for some thoughts on a few options I'm considering for a new CNC

1. Did you get the pop-up pin, and do you love/regret it? Wished you had it? What use cases, other than sheet goods, make the upgrade valuable?

2. I'm considering sticking with 5HP since it seems like plenty, but has there been a situation where you wished you got the 10hp upgrade?

3. Any regrets about not upgrading to a phenolic tabletop? I will probably stick with MDF and add in t-tracks on my own but am concerned if there is any issue with the MDF long term.



Thanks for the insights!

[Jim Becker]

Pop up pins are certainly nice for sheet goods, but they are also great for fixtures.

The spindle decision purely revolves around what you intend to do with the machine and whether you do a tool changer can also affect the choice as they often are higher kw spindles.

Go phenolic if you intend to use a vacuum table setup for both longevity and less risk of leakage.

[Bao Loi]

Pop-up pins are certainly nice for sheet goods, but they are also great for fixtures.

The spindle decision purely revolves around what you intend to do with the machine and whether you do a tool changer can also affect the choice as they often are higher kw spindles.

Go phenolic if you intend to use a vacuum table setup for both longevity and less risk of leakage.

thanks, Jim! I'm looking at the ShopSabre pro408 and it has a vacuum setup with the MDF. I’m mainly milling hardwoods and I can see how the pins would help with fixtures now that you mention it. I’m coming from an Axiom that doesn’t have nearly all these upgrades so I'm trying to understand what the benefits are upgrading to these spec and whether or not I'm just throwing money at something I don't need.

[Wes Grass]

Pop up pins sound great if you're running a lot of sheet goods, and you're pushing all the way to the edge on them. Otherwise, a Sharpie will do just fine. Just takes an extra 20 seconds.

Fixtures ... I put pins in the fixtures and had holes in the table. Gotta be careful with larger fixtures if the table is MDF, the holes tend to get larger in the process.

I had ports thru the table and a manifold underneath to plug a shop-vac in. Separate manifold for the bleeder board.

[Bao Loi]

Pop up pins sound great if you're running a lot of sheet goods, and you're pushing all the way to the edge on them. Otherwise, a Sharpie will do just fine. Just takes an extra 20 seconds.

Fixtures ... I put pins in the fixtures and had holes in the table. Gotta be careful with larger fixtures if the table is MDF, the holes tend to get larger in the process.

I had ports thru the table and a manifold underneath to plug a shop-vac in. Separate manifold for the bleeder board.

Seems like the pins are a nice feature. I planned on adding pins like you mention but the long-term use of slamming the board along the pins and causing them to enlarge was my fear.

[Michael Burnside]

Pins are situational depending on what you do. I use t-track and fixturing most often. IMHO Phenolic with t-track is too nice to pass up, especially for vacuum use and just general robustness. I do not regret it one bit.

[eugene thomas]

the pins in my cnc are parole shaped and bolted to frame. vould take some work to mess them up.

[Matthew Joseph Rogers]

I am buying a CNC from StyleCNC in China. Machine is currently being constructed and should ship mid-December (fingers crossed). I am happy to talk about what the purchase entailed, but the price seems to be 1/2 or less for comparable quality machines that what is one the market. There are super budget options, but also the ability to spec any part of the machine up in quality and price. You basically get to decide every part if you want and they are custom made to order.

[Bill George]

I am buying a CNC from StyleCNC in China. Machine is currently being constructed and should ship mid-December (fingers crossed). I am happy to talk about what the purchase entailed, but the price seems to be 1/2 or less for comparable quality machines that what is one the market. There are super budget options, but also the ability to spec any part of the machine up in quality and price. You basically get to decide every part if you want and they are custom made to order.

What are you going to do for support and parts? Sure China is cheaper and you know the reasons. I think your in the process of promoting them on the Forum.

[Matthew Joseph Rogers]

Bill,
I am not affiliated with the company any more than any of the other members that say they love their AvidCNC or ShopBot CNC. I am buying a machine, and telling people about it so that the next person who wants to buy one can find one info, send me a message, and talk about it. Everyone with an Avid swears to high heaven that their CNC is the best one out there, that it has perfect accuracy, that it is great that they can take it apart and make it larger. Are they shills trying to promote the company? In the case of Avid, it is actually a possibility, as they actively use influencers to surreptitiously market their products all the time. Regardless, why are you jumping to conclusions without asking me. Want me phone number? Send me a message and I'll give it to you to call me so you can see that I am a New Yorker, not a Chinese businessman.

And as for parts and support, I am relying on them to provide parts and service. I recently saw a video on Youtube about a person having to wait for months to get ShopSabre to give the the correct parts and service! They wouldn't send over a tech, and kept sending him the wrong info and parts. So it is not like.a US company solves all those issues. US companies at this scale (Shopsabre, Avid) tend to be smaller than the Chinese manufacturers, so they may get overloaded at times and not be able to offer good service. At least with a Chinese CNC, they are all so similar that I can order parts from any one of 100 companies if mine happens to go bust. There aren't too many proprietary parts, and al the large ones are off the shelf items, Yaskawa servos and drivers, Hiwin rails and bushings, spindles, inverter drives, I can even order a new controller and prices are not terrible. Everything is available if you are willing to talk to them (in the middle of the night in the US).

[Michael Burnside]

I have nothing but good things to say about my ShopSabre machine or the responses whenever I’ve had a question or needed something. About my only complaint is that they don’t have a huge online presence but that says nothing of the caliber of CNC you get. My 2 cents.

[Jim Becker]

Everyone has certain things about a purchase that are important to them. I chose to pay more for my US-manufactured CNC machine from a company that makes efforts to use as much content as reasonably possible from North American sources. My experience with Camaster has been similar to Michael's with ShopSabre relative to support, too. While I'm all about the global economy, this was not a purchase I would have been anywhere near comfortable obtaining something this complex from "over there".

[Ronald Blue]

Everyone has certain things about a purchase that are important to them. I chose to pay more for my US-manufactured CNC machine from a company that makes efforts to use as much content as reasonably possible from North American sources. My experience with Camaster has been similar to Michael's with ShopSabre relative to support, too. While I'm all about the global economy, this was not a purchase I would have been anywhere near comfortable obtaining something this complex from "over there".

Exactly this! There is another post in this forum of an imported CNC and they aren't "getting much help" from the other side of the world. When you don't even have an importer here selling them support will be very thin. I'd definitely make my decision based on one YT video and half the story.

[Bill George]

That poster acts like he has discovered buying from China Direct and wants to tell the world or sell it to the world. My guess he was offered a discount on his IF he would give it a good review and post all the info online. True there are good suppliers overseas but you need to do your research based on other people buying from the same seller. My Rayfine 20 Watt laser was a good purchase and I ordered it based on more than one review posted here.

I wonder if the 25% tariff still is applied and has he considered that in his price?

[Matthew Joseph Rogers]

That poster acts like he has discovered buying from China Direct and wants to tell the world or sell it to the world. My guess he was offered a discount on his IF he would give it a good review and post all the info online. True there are good suppliers overseas but you need to do your research based on other people buying from the same seller. My Rayfine 20 Watt laser was a good purchase and I ordered it based on more than one review posted here.

I wonder if the 25% tariff still is applied and has he considered that in his price?

Bill, still haven't bothered to contact me directly. You would rather just keep posting crap about me without talking to me directly. How adult of you. How would you feel if I said that same about you without having any knowledge of your situation? For all we know, you are being paid by your CNC company to denigrate all other brands.

I was not offered any discount, I am not an influencer, have no social media presence, and don't give two flying cats about what you think. But I do want to help others that might want to purchase a machine in the future and want to know what the process is like. So how about you stop this and contact me like I said. 'll send you my machine inspection report so you can check it out, and answer any questions that you have, as well as giving you my phone number so you can call and talk to me.

The tariff is included in the price listed. Any none of them are happy about the "Trump Tax", as they call it.