I thought about that, but cutting to the workable area leaves a good bit of unsecured slat to vibrate. So I left mine full length, but undercut for that reason.
My rationale is that having a wider bed is nice for work holding so you can actually hold down a piece that large with clamps or other things that might require things like threaded inserts.
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I see the spoilboard has made it into this thread so had a quick thought about that mind you I do not have a Shapeoko Pro… yet. Once you’ve resurfaced the spoilboard a few times and need to replace the pieces would there be enough space remaining to add a 1/4 MDF piece under the existing ones to get more life out of the spoilboard. I’m assuming shimming them up 1/4" that the screw/bolts holding them down would still sit below the aluminum extrusions making up the T-slots or at least get a few more passes.
Also assists in keeping larger pieces of wood level during tiling. I actually have a roller stand that I use to support long pieces of wood when they extend past the cutting surface area
You can always just glue NEW 1/2" or 3/4" MDF slats on top of the originals once they get low. Then manually jog the CNC itself to trim them flush.
Inspired by the horizontal table from this video:
I worked out doing that sort of thing on my XL at:
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Fourteen of my posts equal the length of one of yours.
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Before I pulled the trigger on my Pro XL I looked at probably a dozen different variants of nicer hobby-cnc machines because I have a somewhat specific set of use cases that I needed it for. The OF was definitely a top contender but the bed of the Pro and the size/breadth of the community around it was what ultimately made my decision for me. I wanted a machine that had incredible base rigidity and despite being a life long tinkerer I wanted something that I could set up and start using to make money right out of the box without having to think about all the ways I needed to improve it to get what I wanted out of it.
Each of the machines has their pros that separate them and you have to weigh what those mean to you. I lurked on this forum for a solid 2 weeks before ordering to see what kinds of things people were having issues with and seeing the response from the support team getting people parts in a day or 2 was a HUGE factor. I’m not doing production runs with this thing (yet) and it’s definitely not a primary source of income so it being down for a few days isn’t that big of a deal but forward looking longevity of a company so they can continue to support me for years is important.
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I used to have a Shark. Next Wave Automation makes the Shark and have an online forum. I would say similar but they are not similar. You never saw such a lack luster community. Maybe because I was used to this community is what made the Shark forums so dull and boring. They sell Sharks a lot of places now but a few years back they only sold them at Rockler. NWA/Shark are an example of a bad combination of machine and support. I have posted many things on this forum and always been well received. The moderators are on top of this forum and keep things moving along.
My only gripe with the forum is not with the forum but people who are frustrated and write in venting. Usually they have not attempted to fix their problems they just want the problem to magically go away. It is a poor craftsman that blames his tools. I have had some weirdness from time to time but upon analysis and reaching out to the community I have been able to fix my problems or concerns.
A while back I had posted a link to Myers Wood Shop breaking up with his Shapeoko and getting a OneInfinity. I Broke Up With My Shapeoko CNC - YouTube The video was funny but brings up a good point. I am old school and I always go home with the girl that I took to the dance. Maybe I will take a new girl to the next dance but for now I am quite happy with the one I got.
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Ben Meyer’s video itself wasn’t directly biased…but his overall stance is bias. The break up video was ment to through shade on shapeoko…I mind you that he had a fit here because he wasn’t included in a beta test…He is a YouTuber and from what I can gather that is his primary focus is YouTube videos. His shapeoko videos are no longer getting him views. So to expand his subscribers he jumped to Onefinty…we have no insight into what the arrangement between them is…hopefully shapeoko doesn’t send him more free stuff to try to sway him back…
Onefinity seems like an OK machine but the user interface isn’t as developed…with that said as bobcnc has shown anyone can make a cnc its everything else that makes the machine…software, customer service, innovation, and most importantly a forum that let’s you talk through your issues(with cncing)
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I used to subscribe to Myers channel but got tired of his overly long videos. I think they were long so more advertising breaks could be inserted. My spoil board and clamps are based on his designs but his designs are reruns of others before him.
Myers trys to get sponsors to pay for his stuff. Nothing wrong with free stuff but you must be up front with your bias if you are going to hawk others equipment for sponsorship.
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I started with a shaepoko XXL it took over a month to set up and get squared with shims and other crap to get it squared etc. There after had to buy a HDZ after the original Z broke. It’s been nothing but problems
The onefinity woodworker was up in a half hour, zero problems since and now the XXL is collecting dust
Please donate it to a school program that could use it.
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John there is a simple answer. Sell/Donate your Shapeoko and reclaim your space and problem solved. However complaining is not solving anything. There are always a few that have had problems but from what I have seen there is always a fix. Your fix may be to sell or donate your machine and maybe someone else will have success with it. Problem solved!
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Besides the rough start, what are your observations as to the differences ?
extra program needed?
support?
parts availability ?
machine performance?
How do the two compare as to accuracy?
After you got your shapeoko up and running, what made you look elsewhere?
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“complaining” may save someone else the grief I went though and wasted$. I use it for my laser only now
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More than a rough start. many problems,support is good and they try their best. parts are available but you shouldn’t have to fix and jerry rig a new machine with shims,deal with broken v wheels etc. It;s just not a robust design. Sorry to speak my mind
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No worries from me, I am an adult who is not easily offended and you can speak as freely as you choose as long as you can accept the same from me.
Glad you can still use it for laser work.
So, I take it rigidity is the main remaining issue? probably due to the only two v-wheel design?
What broke on your z ? I have the belt drive and it’s ok, but maybe you can point me as to what to watch for?
Thanks
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If you donate your XXL to a school I will pick up the cost of shipping throw in a little extra for your time. Send me a PM.
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I have a love/hate relationship with my Shapeoko XXL.
I love the capabilities of the machine. I hate how nothing is ever as simple as it would appear.
The possibilities are endless, but so isn’t the trial and error that goes with every project. Which program will do what part of the design. No one program does everything comprehensively. Then the setup and the testing, and the double checking. I have limited time with my machine and spend far more of it tweaking and checking than I have to spare.
The design of the machine allows for many ways to set it up. But it is in constant need of setup. Ensure the screws are tight, make sure the axis have stayed true. Make sure the spindle is plumb. Check the tension on the belts. Clean the rails. None of these were covered in any real detail in any of the hours and hours of videos I have watched. When they hit record, everything is all ready to go, and the cuts never have more than a minor misstep.
My first time caving I had V-wheels explode causing my cutter to drop off the rails. It ripped the wood off the table and sent it flying across my basement. I still haven’t found that .25" endmill.
But the Carbide team was amazing. It happened on a Sunday afternoon. I fired off an email right after. Got a response almost immediately. Before I knew it I had replacement parts for every damaged part delivered to my door. Every time I have run into an issue, there has been someone here with an answer to my problem within hours.
Then there is the 3" Z travel. Well, I bought the T-Track and Clamp kit. Then once I went to install it, that when combined with an endmill in the cutter and that on my bed and I am left with barely room for more than plywood.
I love that the team is constantly working on improving the product line. But I hate that If I had just waited a few months my machine would have come stock with several upgrades that I would now have to pay several hundred dollars for. And now the XXL 4 is less than I paid for my 3 on a Black Friday deal a year and a half ago. That comes with the T-Tracks built in plus 4" of clearance.
As for the OF, it is obvious that Suckit set out to design a machine that simply solved the problems of the shapeoko and the x-carve. Belts are a pain and v wheels are problematic. Easy, screws. Setup time is arduous, easy, make it 3 pieces and snap together easily. Having to slave my laptop to the machine for a day of carving is a pain. Easy, give it a cheap tablet interface. It looks great. Sounds great. And I will admit, that I have had thoughts of selling my XXL and buying a OF. The idea of 5" of Z travel is very tempting in and of it self. Oh, and they have their own laser kit that they support as part of their package. And the fact that it comes with an E-Stop button was a nice touch. I completely trashed a nice piece of wood figuring out that you must pause the cut before you can hit the stop button, after clicking on it several times with no avail.
However, with so few machines out in the wild there is very little to back up their claims. And even less to demonstrate their commitment to quality and customer service. And the Carbide team has definitely set the bar very high on that.
As far as Myers is concerned, it is very clear that he is gone all in, and is hoping to become the Winston of Onefinity. His review of the X-Carve vs the Shaepoko video was what pushed me over the edge to going with the Shapeoko. It was a very well done review. In contrast, his OF review was little more than an infomercial for it. I am just hoping that by the time I am ready to upgrade I can find a machine with at least a true 6" of room for material under the cutter and 48" of cutting width. With the way the Shapeoko is evolving, it just might happen.
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