Hi Cullen,
I’m in Utah.
That’s a hike for me. I am in GA, well on vacation in VT now but…
I have seen posts from others in your area though.
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Jim Close from Ellington CT. New user as of Jun 2023.
My background started in Drafting in HS (which is the only thing I paid attention to).
I always loved WW1 aircraft, old maps and drawings
I was a soundman for local rock bands, did stage shows ( mostly behind the scene) for a few years and found making $1.21/hr might not cut it.
Landed a drafting job in 1978 at the former Combustion Engineering ( coal fired steam generators ).
Moved up to Designer then Job leader. I got an opportunity to learn a CALMA CAD system running on a shared Data General ( Green vector screens ) in 1984. That started a 33 year career in the CAD world writing applications, evaluating CAD systems, making product animations for the current company as it evolved to ABB/Alstom/GE .
It was a great career, went to work everyday wondering how the I was going the solve the next big adventure. I didn’t have the math background to write systems from scratch but I could use most API’s to get something done. I did a lot of data format conversions or direct interfaces.
I never got into the CAM side.
I coached girls fast pitch softball with for my two daughters teams for 10+ years.
I raced go-karts on a local dirt oval track. My older daughter was a better driver than I was a mechanic.
My younger daughter liked horses ( not comfortable on the track ). She would handle the beasts while my older daughter and I would be looking for the Kill switch.
Tried a dirt Midget and learned I drive like and owner and got out.
Started playing Volleyball @50 years old to have a ball to chase (because running bases just hurt too much). Still flop around a court twice a week
Retired at the end of 2017 burnt out and disillusioned. Swore I would never go back …
I had been in an office for almost 40 years and needed to be outside.
Some of my friends own machine shops so I would help out, listen and learn.
I learned that standing in front of a CNC machine making production parts was not my idea of fun.
Another friend runs a small excavating business, so I helped out and learned this ex-office guy is not built for every day manual labor.
After the first 3 years of retirement I found a balance and started to relax. I work for free and leave when I want ! Seems to work well.
My wife is a retired IT pro with a fabric problem. She now runs a LongArm quilting business out of the basement and is doing well. There are two CNC LongArm machines in the basement humming along.
This spring my older daughter told me I should buy a CNC router .
My wife looked at me and said “And so, what are you waiting for ?”
Ok .
I have had my eye on the Carbide machines for awhile and saw the new Pro 5.
Done.
This group has reminded me of my work life when the CAD industry was young and trading ideas/requirements was the way of accomplishing things.
I use Onshape for all of my personal layout/design work. I have Fusion360 for CAM, but that experience is limited. Inkscape for SVG files. Paint.NET for image work.
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Greetings from San Diego!
A few weeks ago my wife bought a piece of wood that someone had painted a simple gradient on then carved out the silhouette of a tree and some birds. Its 8" x 10" and she paid $75!
I spent a few hours on this site, and others, and I think I’ve found my new hobby! I started re-arranging my garage and building new work benches two weekends ago. My plan is to have all my work benches built and a shapeoko5 pro on order by the end of the month.
I have a small one car garage with my neighbor’s garages on either side (same building) so dust and noise containment are a large concern of mine. I plan on building a cabinet for the machine to live in in the hopes of reducing noise and keep dust from getting everywhere. I’m looking at dust collection options and don’t know if I need a proper dust collector or if a simple shop vac will work.
I wanted to reach out and see if any of care to share your insights on things you wish you had done, things you didn’t consider that you wish you had, and things you over thought that weren’t really an issue in regards to shop setup. Or in general?
I’m very excited to start this hobby and really wish I had considered it years ago!
Thanks,
Logan
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Hi Logan,
Dust extraction when carving with a Shapeoko is something you will definitely want, even with a enclosure. A strong shop vac works best in my opinion combined with a Sweepy dust boot.
The Harbor Freight style dust collector does not have much static pressure so it did not work well for me, I would warn against buying it.
The best shop vac I have found is this Ridgid with 200 CFM and it comes with a lifetime warranty for around $200 at HD, and is equipped with a fine dust filter which is very important, but there are many others out there to choose from.
I would suggest a Peachtree 2.5" hose to go with it, as it comes with a metal slinky inside, and can be used as a ground connection to prevent static build up.
One other item you will most likely want is a dust separator, which is a cyclone system for dust extraction that separates the dust and chips, and lets them get collected in a bucket instead of making it all the way to your shop vac filter and clogging it up. This pretty much works on everything except for the finest dust that mostly comes from carving MDF wood panels. I recommend the Dewalt as it is much nicer then the other brands out there in my experience that are sold for around the same price.
Just want to point out that the dust from carving with a CNC machine can be dangerous to breathe and especially MDF is very bad for your lungs, proper dust collection is a must in my opinion.
I happen to make 3d printed hose ends and Sweepy adapters to fit these items, if you need any 3d printed parts made for your setup let me know.
Good luck and enjoy the new Carbide 3D CNC machine!
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Logan,
For dust collection I have found the best vacuum to be the Fein Turbo I dust extractor. Not crazy expensive on amazon, like $350, has awesome suction, takes up a small amount of space, and is quite compared to a regular shop vac. Those things scream. I have used a small 650 Rockler dust right dust collector in the past and it worked good, but the Fein works better.
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Thanks for your recommendations. I makes me dizzy browsing the web looking at different shop vacs and dust separators and trying to decide which to buy.
@CNCInspiration Could you elaborate on this? It never occurred to me that that would be an issue.
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When cutting certain materials, such as PVC or MDF etc, a static charge will usually build up and could cause interrupts or other strange behavior. Running a ground wire to your wall plug ground post can help stop static build up. Here is an example of one.
In my experience the more CFM, the less mess and cooler temps for the tools. I place my dust separator next to my CNC and run the hose outside where I keep my shop vacs. As you stated, you are in a tight area shared with others so you will have to weigh the noise factor with how much CFM you want. There are ways to quiet down a shop vac with its own enclosure, or possibly have it placed in a bottom cabinet of your enclosure with some sound deadening panels around it.
Heat build up is also an issue, one of the reasons I prefer Rigid with it’s lifetime warranty as shop vacs do not last forever, in my case sometimes running non stop for days.
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Retired navy, traveled the world…settled down, bought a farm, started a business to support my hobbies and habits (USSbackyard.com). Recently purchased a shapeoko 5 (w/carbide pro) and an xtool. Live in Northeast Texas, have truck, 7k axis trailer, will travel…and thanks for all the tech support so far.
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Welcome sir. Thank you for your service. Enjoy
Love your Web Page
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Howdy all. I have historically messed with 3d printer and plasma/laser cutters but have not done any milling. I picked up a XXL 3 to dip my toe. I typically use equipment for industrial applications and fixturing rather than art side but I am thinking I want to play in that a little as well.
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Welcome Gary. Nice to meet you.
Let us know if we can help
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Hello, Bud in Cincinnati here.
Just ordered a Shapeoko 4 XL on the Black Friday special. I’ve been dabbling in woodworking since Jr High shop class in the ‘60s and have a decent wood shop but never worked with CAD, 3D printing or the likes. I’m a Mechanical Engineer but all my design work was done with a T-square and triangles! Luckily my son-in-law designs 3D printed parts for jet engines, and my son is a programmer and makes 3D parts so I should have some technical help as needed. It will be an interesting learning curve!
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Welcome! Sounds like you’ve got plenty of support 
Bud, I’m bored and retired. 30+ years of CAD and brand new to CNC. Reach out to me if your family is too busy working. You shouldn’t need any programming help, but I have 10+ years of that as well. Once learned a new language over a weekend for a client.
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Hello, I am Mark. Just ordered my first cnc and fairly new to the whole wood working hobby. Have my bench built and waiting LOL. Looking forward to learning as much as i can from every one.
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Hey all,
I’m Mark in Northern Minnesota. I work full-time helping build and maintain a summer camp. I had a chance to use a donated shapeoko at another camp a few years ago I mentioned it when I took this job. Since then it’s turned into a nice little responsibility during the day.
I also love making gifts or just things that could be beautiful. Camp comes with less hobby income but more access to tools and nature, so you’ll see me make stuff with wood I cut down and milled instead of purchased.
Personally, I’ve got a wife and four kids. With the two youngest being twin 3 year olds and a half-built home addition there’s not a lot of free time. Most of what I make is work stuff but I’ve got some wood drying now for some ambitious stuff in the years to come. It’s easy for a 1st grader to get lost in the woods so I think I’m at about 300 directional signs.
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Mark:
What a wonderful introduction. I grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota and at 75 have memories of mornings where the frost on my face was similar to your countenance.
Signs - especially for the restroom - is appreciated more and more as I get older 
Welcome aboard.
Bill
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Hello from Mesquite NV.
My name is Jon, I’m newly retired (not by choice, just got laid off) from the software world. My wife and I have been running a side business for a couple of years with laser designs - both files and finished items, and we’ve decided to make this a full time thing.
I just ordered a 5 Pro, and looking forward to learning CNC. Hopefully this will give us some new projects and help grow business.
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Welcome to the Fracus. Have fun, try again, and ask questions