The standard size SO3 I have at my mother-in-law’s is going to be used for cutting tropical hardwoods because it’s on a folding/rolling stand:
(need to get a second one for my SO3 at home)
a drag knife is a great idea, but my inclination would be to sell it.
Converting to a 3d printer is covered at: https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/RepStrapOko — while it works, buying a 3D printer makes a lot more sense.
Bringing the machine up-to-date is a matter of:
- control board (depending on whether it has an expansion adapter or no)
- homing switches — included w/ a Z-Plus or HDZ
- Z-axis (if belt drive)
- belts (upgrade to 9mm belts using the Maintenance Kit if a launch edition machine w/ 6mm belts)