Hello everyone! Flipper here. I just joined and seeking finformatin on which model would be best for me. I am a disabled Veteran with limited use of my Right Arm. Wanting to get into making projects to sell eventually. Another reason is to keep me busy and out of my head. I have been watching Youtube videos and getting familar with CNC.
I am interested in the 3D Carving to make Family Name signs and more.
Thank you
Flipper
My recommendation on size is:
If you’re doing signs, then a further consideration is how will they be delivered/picked up?
However, please keep in mind that if you get a 4x2, larger stock may be cut via tiling:
(if you get Carbide Create Pro, or if your designs are amenable to breaking them up and doing that manually)
If you’ve watched all the videos at:
and
and
or if you want a more traditional text-like instruction see:
and
and if you get Pro:
I bought a 4x2 and it works for me. I do not cut full halfsheet projects.
I am in a 2 car garage, I have a one bay to work in.
In retrospect I am glad I don’t have to reach 4 ft deep. You will want to be able to walk around it.
2 ft deep allows me space behind the table for vacuum devices and still room too operate inside the bay.
Hello @Flipper I would first do a small amount of research on what one needs, software wise, to do 3D carving which actually is 2.5D carving. It is not simple by any means so get some info first. Another thing I’d like to add is there is a TON to learn. I mean a lot. 
I’m not sure where you live but there have been a couple people posting machines for sale in this forum. If you need any assistance with vector art please hit me up and I’ll do what I can. Before buying software please check the minimum system requirements of said software. The software Carbide Create Pro and Carbide Motion are updating for Apple Silicon so if you have a Mac with Intel you will be limited to older versions, which are still good. @WillAdams has a ton of info one can read or watch which he posted for you to check out. If you have any questions just ask (not me because I’m learning myself🤣). Joking of course. Semper Fi’!
The 4x4 machine is enormous, like aircraft carrier enormous-- but yet not big enough to make cutting panels out of 4x8 sheets easy. I found a great deal on a used machine so ended up with a 4x4, but a 4x2 would have handled everything I ever want to do without eating up such a huge chunk of my shop. I’m actually considering replacing it to regain space in the shop.
If I were building cabinets and architectural parts I’d want the 5x10 machine with the vacuum table I passed on a while ago, but between the machine, the huge vacuum pump and the dedicated dust collector it would have needed its own building. Sure would have liked the automatic tool changing though!
The only advantage I’ve found for the big table is that I can leave positioning jigs permanently set up on different parts of the table, at that the back half of the table is hard to reach.
Learning to use the CNC has been a fun trip, and I can recommend it as a way to keep your brain engaged. Do keep in mind that it’s 90% time at the computer designing, drawing, and troubleshooting the parts you want to make and 10% making sawdust.
A further consideration to tiling is that it needs the balance of the length of a sheet at front and back, so if one has a 4x2 and one is considering tiling 4x4 sheets, then one needs an additional 2 feet at front and back — but for a 4x4 machine tiling 4x8 sheets, that increases to 4 feet, which doubled and adding in the machine and space to move the sheet/access the machine is a serious commitment (my basement stair is set up so that it is essentially impossible to get a 4x8 sheet in/out, so I envy folks having this problem).
As a balance for computer/machine time, I’ve been working at my computer on designs while the machine works as an automated slab flattening jig in the background — in the past, I’ve loaded up rough cut stock when ready to make a design which has slowed such work, but having a stack of ready-to cut lumber speeds it up (but adds the requirement that I be more careful in my lumber storage).
I have my 4x4 set up about 2 feet in front of a rolling door - you WILL need to be able to get behind the machine…there is no way to reach over it to get to the clamps or anything else that you’re going to want to do back there. The two feet allows me to walk around the back. Having the rolling door allows me to put supports out there when I’m tiling something long.
If you have the space to set it up so that you can get behind it, then having the extra length is pretty nice. I’ve been very happy with my 4x4.
Another consideration is where the control boxes are (the Shapeoko’s box and the VFD, if you have one). Unfortunately, they are mounted on the back leg (and have to be mounted on the back leg)…so you need to have access to the back corners of your machine. Even with the space to walk around it, I ended up installing remote switches for the Shapeoko controller, water cooler and the VFD (80mm, which is 220v) to put all the controls at the front of the unit.
On consideration is that the actual cutting area is not 2’ x 4’ or 4’ x 4’. I think the cutting area on my 2x4 machine is actually 33" x 17.5". I don’t think I realized that when I bought my machine but this has been just fine for everything I do and the machine fits perfect in my shop.
That would be an XL sized SO3/4/Pro.
The 4x2 SO5 Pro does have a slightly larger than 4x2 work area.
This question can’t be answered without knowing: What do you want to make/sell. Because that can change the recommendation dramatically.
If you’re not cutting plywood, and you’re not going to make something huge like a 3-foot diameter sign, there’s really no reason to get the 4x4. Plus, when you say things to sell, I’m also assuming you would want to make things that can be shipped or transported easily. So, biggest item would probably be like a large serving tray, or like a 2-foot wide sign. That’s something the 4x2 can do really well.
And if mobility and reach are an issue, that just further cements the recommendation for the 4x2. It’s way easier to work around.
But ultimately, it hinges on what you want to make. If it’s something big, there’s no replacement for size. Yeah you can do tiling, as Will said. But time is money - Get the bigger machine. But if all the projects you can think of will fit on the 4x2, get the 4x2.
Thank you so much, everyone, for the responses. With what I plan on using the CNC for I think the 4X2 will be the better option. My thoughts for getting the 4X4 size was so that I wouldn’t have to buy another CNC later on. Living close to Nashville, I have thought about also doing guitar bodies.
Again, I want to thank you all for the responses.
Flipper
Hi John
As a novice i purchase a Shapeoko 4xxl. My opinion was I did didn’t want to limit in what I could make. Mostly I make a lot of plaques. Owned the machine for over 10 years and still love it. I looked two years ago for a machine the has a forth axis, did not purchase anything because I believe none of the hobbits or small shop machines stand close to a carbide 3d products.
Michael