It’s here! It’s here!

I’m so excited - my Shapeoko XXL arrived today!

Can anyone give me an estimate as to how long it should take to assemble?

Any and all pointers are welcome!

Thanks!

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About 3-4 hours.

But I have seen the 4 day timeframe too.

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Thanks! Here’s hoping I fall into the first category!! :grinning:

Mine took about 14 months give or take, haha!!!
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but the initial build was a couple evenings after work before I ran “Hello World”. Some folks build and run, and run like crazy, while others build, run, tweak, modify, run, tweak, modify, run…I’m the latter.

Dan

Oh yea, and enjoy the journey, it’s not a race, it’s an experience!

Dan

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There’s a lot of collective wisdom here, and it was all earned the hard way, by making the mistakes ourselves. So if you run into issues don’t hesitate to ask!

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Thank you! Don’t be surprised if I take you up on that offer!! LOL

Is there a place where I could find “ready to cut” projects for beginners? I’ve found some - but I’m wondering what other resources are out there.

I’d also be interested in any tutorials that may be out there that teach the steps on how to take an image and turn it into a file for cutting?

My build will also be done after work…and since I leave for a business trip tomorrow…I won’t be able to start until I get back.

What kind of tweaks/mods did you find yourself making along the way?

I have found the projects in the Inventables site to be very useful. They have quite a few projects that can be run mjust as they are, while some you may choose to modify to suit your needs. Right now, I am about to make an Inlay Cutting Board for my son’s wedding. I used their concept and am modifying the text and design to customize it for them. I have 2 days, no problem…image https://www.inventables.com/projects

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Look into the Suckit Dust Boot, it is awesome. Te only thing you will have to work around is clamping. I did not use it for a while because it would get caught on my clamps. Then I saw someone suggested using a nail gun to nail it to the waste board and the issue was solved. https://www.suckitdustboot.com/

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I keep my clamps as low-profile as possible and just let the dust skirt boot move over them, works fairly well.

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TAKE YOUR TIME ASSEMBLING!!
The assembly is your very first chance to make a mistake. Read the directions and go step by step by step. I printed out the instructions for the So3 and marked off items as I went and I still missed a couple because I did not understand the system fully. Your system will still be there! Try an assembly with not errors at startup. SO, it may take you several days over a week. Do a few parts and pieces and I’ll guarantee you that you will think about what has been done and what comes next. NEXT step is to re-read the instructions for assembly over again at each new part of the build you are doing. ENJOY THE TIME!

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Awesome! Thank you!!

I purchased this dust boot and it works well.

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