Rockler's NEW CNC Machine - CNC Shark

[Peter Elliott]

Thanks Paul....

That was a response from the Rockler Guy, not me as I noted in my post. I don't own either, so I couldn't say a word on them.

I'm just "kicking the tires" right now in the small CNC machine world.

Peter

[Paul Kunkel]

I realize that Peter. I just wanted to set the record straight. People who want to sell a competetive item tend to stretch the truth.

[Nathan Camp]

Thanks Paul for clearing that up.

nathan

[Joe Trotter]

I stumbled upon this tonight while researching the carvewright. Alot of great informtaion from different perspectives.

Has anyone purchased the CNC Shark and had it for a while? Was wondering how well it is liked. It appears to use G-code from what I have read. Is any of the software conversational as well?

I have ran alot of different CNC machines in the past making aluminum, plastic, stainless, and so forth.

I am interseted in something that will not only be fun to use but help pay for itself.

Thanks, Joe

[Steven DeMars]

Peter,

Think Signs! Everywhere you look there are signs...somebody has to make all these signs
The Federal Government and the American Disabilities Act (ADA) have created one of the best markets for sign makers by requiring all public buildings to have ADA compliant signs with Braille and raised text. It takes a little work and planning to start making ADA signs but it assures that you will never run out of work if there is commercial construction in your area. ADA door signs sell for at least $45.00 to $65.00 each and one man can make ten to twenty per day. Your cost of materials is less than seven dollars each...do the math. I have already made thousands of them and I have worked on my technique until I have cut my time in half since I started making door signs.

You would also be surprised how much machining work is available these days. Cutting plywood templates for construction companies, custom ceiling access panels, Corian light switches..I could go on for hours there is so much work. All you have to do is open your eyes and look outside of the traditional types of jobs. One of the best traditional jobs is making Corian signs for golf courses, they will last for fifty years and require almost no maintenance.

I just finished machining two custom Corian light cover trim plates at CNU, these were originally supposed to be cast bronze but we made them from Corian and saved a bundle. Brady Watson machined our new 72" diameter brass medallion for the marble floor in our new Library, I will post some pictures of the finished job to share in a couple days.

You can cut cabinet parts for local shops and machine custom logo's on counter tops for your local cabinet shops...there is work everywhere you look. Don't look to close at the places you would expect to find work, you can starve to death doing carving work unless you are really talented. Look at your friendly neighborhood laser engravers, they will purchase custom plaques from a CNC operator and you can team up with some on large ADA jobs, you cut the plaques and let them engrave them.

Kenneth and Scott, there are two Buddy models, the PRSalpha and the PRSstandard. Look at the chart at the bottom of this page for the $3,995.00 PRSstandard Buddy. It ships with all of the software you need but you will have to purchase your own router or spindle.

Greg, imagine your CNC router running continuously for four to eight hours. A dremel tool isn't a router and a trim router isn't made for the kind of work you expect a CNC machine to accomplish. I use a Porter Cable 3.25 HP router in my ShopBot and it performs well. It won't last as long as a spindle but a spindle can cost you $2,800.00 new. My PC router cost me $280.00 and when it is worn out it goes right in the trash and a new one takes its place. Every time a PC router hits the trash can it means I made a lot of money

I have been asked to speak at a couple of the annual ShopBot Jamborees and my message was to all the people who either had just purchased a new ShopBot or to those who were thinking about buying a ShopBot. They all are wondering how can I pay for this machine and how long will it take me to learn to operate a ShopBot. I tell them that it is possible to make more money per day machining simple projects than some of the experienced ShopBotters make producing beautiful 3D carving work and very high end carved signs. I started making Corian cutting boards and sold them for $39.95 as fast as I could make them...and I made them from free Corian sink cut-outs I was getting from a local counter top shop You can wholesale them to local bed and baths or kitchen specialty shops for 40 bucks as fast as you can make them.

Note that I use a lot of Dupont Corian. Don't listen to people who say that Corian is expensive. Hogwash! A sheet of Glacier White Corian wholesales for $260.00 from my local distributor and I machine 60 door signs from each sheet, that's $4.33 per sign blank. Not one of my competitors in my area are making Corian signs

1. Take a piece of Corian and fasten it on your ShopBot table.
2. Vcarve your text and any graphics...and you can route your sign perimeter in any shape imaginable.
3. Paint the Vcarved areas with a can of your favorite spray paint.
4. Run your random orbital sander over the sign, this removes the paint on the surface and leaves the paint in the carved areas.
5. Bill Em!

.

You are getting me really excited . . . . I think I see a ShopBot in my future . . .

Probaly make more with it than a OneWay Lathe . . . .

Steve

[Brian Peters]

Rockler's shark is pretty limited and a joke at the price they are selling it for. You can build a 4'x4' for less than the shark: http://www.joescnc.com

[Joe Trotter]

Rockler's shark is pretty limited and a joke at the price they are selling it for. You can build a 4'x4' for less than the shark: http://www.joescnc.com

Thanks for the link Brian, I will check it out...

Joe

[Dave Lehnert]

Rockler's shark is pretty limited and a joke at the price they are selling it for. You can build a 4'x4' for less than the shark: http://www.joescnc.com

Build one? How hard is it? I am a woodworker not a robotics engineer LOL!!

[Brian Peters]

Build one? How hard is it? I am a woodworker not a robotics engineer LOL!!

You don't need to be an engineer, check out the site its a great community everyone is helpful on the forum there too.

[james mcgrew]

i have a carve wright and two industrial mid weight camaster cnc machines with the full vectric library of software, bobcadcam, cabnetware etc, the carvewright was just a impulse purchase, and if you have a desire to be in or grow in the cnc world you will hit a brick wall with the carvewright, vectrics forum has several successful owners of the rockler machine, romaxx makes a mean little cost effective unit, camaster and shop bot both have small foot print machines with excellent capabilities.

jim

[Keith Outten]

Steven,

Get a CNC router and prepare to have some serious fun. The money ain't bad either

I just purchased Aspire 3D machining software from Vectric so I'm on my way to the next level. Not so much for business use but it seems like it will be enjoyable to learn and use. The easy stuff still pays the bills.

Angus Hines just fired up his new ShopBot last night.......I'll bet he didn't get a wink of sleep, probably spent the night in his shop

.

[Angus Hines]

Keiths right Just jump out there and get you a big CNC router. Cause as soon as you buy this thing somebody is going to want something thats 36 x 36 and then what?

Sleep whats that I haven't slept in 3 days now. If I see another line of code go by I think I might go blind.

[jimmy riddle]

Hi Guys I'm new here but have been using CC mills Lathes and Routers in the UK for many years in the film industry . I came to the U.S. about 12 years ago and recently decided to get back into doing a few CNC hobby projects albeit on a much smaller scale than in the UK.

About the time I decided to do this I started noticing advertisements on TV for the Carvewright machine. I found that Sears had their own branded version and ordered one. The software was a breeze to use and within a few minutes I was able to mill a small test piece, which turned out great. I then went on to make an 8 foot long sign, which also turned out amazingly well.

Then the trouble started the Z axis motor developed a fault and the unit was sent back to LHR for repair. It came back 3 weeks later and during it next project developed yet more faults this time with the Chuck (it exploded throwing the bit into the workpiece) and sending shrapnel ( bits of the chuck) all over the workshop. Again the machine was sent back to LHR for repair and this is where it gets interesting. After about 3 weeks I receive an e-mail requesting payment of a bill for some $360.00, the chuck repair was under warranty but they had found a number of other small issues including the previously repaired Z. Axis motor . Now bear in mind I had just paid for return mail and a new cardboard box ($76 just for the box ) UPS had destroyed the original one. After some haggling and help from Better Business Bureau they finally decided to cut the repair cost in half, consider that the machine had less than 40 hours of use logged onto it, it was the very least they could do ? Anyway it came back and within a week I had it set up with a new project. I started up the machine and it began to cut well for the first 15 minutes after which the chuck threw out the adaptor , luckily no damage was done to the chuck or the machine and only the workpiece was damaged.
I placed a new adaptor and cutter into the new chuck and started over, within 10 minutes the sandpaper drive belt had ripped in two and I gave up. This expensive collection of plastic and metal now sits idle in my workshop collecting dust and will never be used again. But im not giving up completely I just ordered a new Shopmate Buddy @ $7000.00 ( base price ) After weeks or research I have deduced that this machine will provide me with the best quality build for the $.

It's not built in China it's a proven design, built to withstand the use to which its intended. So to cut an awfully long story short i strongly suggest anyone considering the purchase of a Carvewright machine check out the reviews on Amazon.com, Sears own web site and the Better Business Bureau it will save you hours of frustration and heartache...
Oh and the Forum on Carvewright is very biased (obviously) I have seen many complaints posted there only to be removed by the moderator.

[Doug Griffith]

I'm normally in the Laser area of SMC but thought I'd peek over here. I've got a Larken 2424 Camtool (http://www.larkencnc.com) in my arsenal and just wanted to say it is a very good machine and built like a rock out of aluminum. I couldn't imagine using a CNC with plastic structural components. It wasn't neccesarily cheap but can do everything "real" gantry routers can do at a smaller size. The "real" gantry routers I work with and compare it to are MultiCam and Thermwoods. Now I am looking into adding Aspire to my toolbox.

[Todd Schwartz]

Ken - did you end up getting a Shark, if so, what are your thoughts on it? Starting to look and was set on the Buddy, but now am starting to explore other options.

Thanks,

Todd