Originally Posted by
John TenEyck
Hi Mark,
1F usually does an amazingly good job with customer service. Did you ask them about accuracy and repeatability? I sent them an email asking that and got a vague response citing how many steps / second, some other things that avoided really answering the question. They weren't rude, but it was clear they didn't want to answer the question. As far as I can tell, there's no way to actually figure out those values from the data they provide. I've asked the same question on the 1F user's forum and gotten no clear answer either. I would have thought someone there would have pursued it to real answers, but apparently not. The good news is the machine is very capable.
As for my 1F it's been rock solid. No issues beyond my own stupidity. The machine has been flawless and easy to use. From my perspective, that of a woodworker, the accuracy and repeatability are far beyond what I can accomplish by hand. I can make a 0.002" adjustment and actually measure it on the cut part. Parts that are supposed to be round are truly round, square parts are truly square. I have not had to make any adjustments to the machine since I first set it up in April. I probably only have 150 hours on it, so not a lot.
I have not had any problems with the controller going rogue during the middle of a program as some have reported, nor lost steps from static or overloading the steppers from heavy cuts. I took reasonable care to keep power cords separate from the stepper motor cables during installation and installed ferrite cores on all lines. I'm using a shopvac for dust collection; no issues with interference from it, either. I'm using an old laptop to interface with the controller, rather than a touch screen. I like it that way; I prefer using a mouse than touching a screen, but either approach can be used. I load G-code through the laptop, too, instead of with a thumb drive into the controller. Just easier for the way I like to work. I do not have my machine hooked up to wifi, but that is an option that many use, too.
The Makita router is fine for what I'm asking of it. If you plan to run it hard hour after hour you would want a spindle. I can see upgrading to a spindle at some point, but it's certainly not needed to do high quality work. I tell it I want a part 12" x 6", for example, and I measure parts that are 12. 00X" x 6.00X". At that point, I'm not concerned with the value of X. The router is loud compared to a spindle when neither is cutting wood, but when making heavy cuts I doubt they are much different. The spindle has a decided noise advantage when making cuts where the bit isn't working very hard though, like detailed carvings. Still, the machine is in my shop. I run routers and all manner of other machines all the time. The router on the CNC is no different for me.
I would have liked the Avid but the price point was substantially higher than the 1F. 1F is the value leader in the hobby/light commercial use arena when you compare price to size and performance. I hope this info. helped as you consider what to buy. Good luck with whatever machine you chose. The CNC has opened new ways of working and new possibilities for me. I hope it does the same for you.
John