I’m a first timer to CNC. I wanted to get a hobbyist machine to help with a robot I’m designing and building at home for fun. The Shapeoko 4 looks like it can handle what I need, but I’d love to hear from people that are more experienced.
I’m looking at primarily working with 6061 or 6063 aluminum plate that is 1/4" to 3/4" thick. The typical piece would need to be cut out from a large plate, and would include various holes for m4 to m12 screws with countersinking. I have no timing constraints and can run the machine extremely slow if that is helpful.
Is the Shapeoko 4 rigid enough for my needs?
Would a spindle or a router be recommended?
Are the Carbide 3D bits suitable for aluminum work?
Will I break bits if I try to make deep small holes in aluminum? If so, I can make a smaller hole, then finish the hole and countersink it using a drill press.
If I buy a 10mm aluminum plate and want to shave it down to 9mm, how accurate would the Z depth be with a Shapeoko 4?
Can I use the CNC directly on a cement garage floor if I use leveling feet?
My dust collection plan is to wear a facemask, open the garage door, put a powerful fan to exhaust air using cross ventilation, and run my shop vac (non HEPA) outside the garage connected to the dust shoe. Is that a reasonable plan?
I would go for a more rigid machine if youre machining aluminum. At least the 5 pro if not the HDM
A spindle is the way to go. Much quieter and more power.
Stick with better quality bits than the Carbide 3D bits.
If you’re drilling holes be sure and do them as a pocket cut with a smaller bit is what I learned. A Cnc is not a drill.
Not sure
Better off on a table. So it’s not directly on the floor.
Get a Dewalt Stealthsonic vac for your dust collection. It’s quiet and efficient. I personally would get a Fein or Festool but they are 2-4 times as much as the Dewalt.
The SO4 is a good machine but the SO5 is a better machine. The SO4 is belt driven which works but the SO5 is a more rigid machine and is ball screw driven. A router can work but as @fostinoguitars suggested a spindle is better. Of course better equals more money. If this one project is all you are going to do then an SO4 would work but a CNC is like eating potato chips. You can never eat just one. A CNC is quite addictive and has a lot of possibilities. The SO5 4x2 might work because with the pro CC license you can tile and just keep advancing the material. Of course a 4x4 is better but as already stated better equals more money. The HDM is a heavy duty machine and might be over kill. However overkill with a robot is what is fun about them.
Thanks for the inputs. It sounds like I would need a more heavy duty machine to completely CNC thick aluminum parts. I don’t have the resources to invest into a higher grade machine now, so I came up with some alternatives.
Instead of milling through thick aluminum plate, I could just score maybe 3-5mm deep using the CNC. Then, I can use a band saw and drill press to cut and drill along the marks. Would a Shapeoko 4 be capable of this?
I could CNC jigs for each part out of wood, then clamp those pieces onto aluminum plate and use a band saw/drill press to make the final aluminum parts.
