Seeking Solutions for Setting Up a Shapeoko 5 Pro in a Limited Power and Space Situation

[Col]

I recently bought a Shapeoko 5 Pro but haven’t set it up yet due to needing warmer temperatures for proper adhesive setting for my table top. I’m facing a challenge with my living situation. I reside in an apartment where we have a detached garage split into three units, all sharing a 15A outlet. My unit needs a sound-dampening enclosure for the machine, router, and dust collection, but the current power setup is insufficient. Despite initially receiving positive feedback prior to purchasing the machine from property management about installing a dedicated 20A circuit in my garage, the complex’s owners changed management companies, and the new team has refused my request, citing cost concerns. While the 15A is not a total breaker in terms of operation it means i would have to give up the dust collection running while the jobs are.

Here are my questions:

Will omitting dust collection in favor of building an enclosure significantly impact the operation?

Given that it might depend on the job, how often will I need to stop each job and manually clean the machine?

Could the lack of dust collection lead to additional wear on the machine?

I’ve considered using an external portable battery for dust collection, but the cost is prohibitive. Moving to a larger apartment to accommodate the power limitations is an option, though I’m unsure about its feasibility in an apartment context given the noise constraints. Renting a dedicated space is also expensive, making it a less attractive option for a hobbyist like me.

I would appreciate any additional considerations, advice, or suggestions on how to navigate these issues.

[Kelsicia (Kelley)]

Hi Col, I am still a newbie as I got my Shapeoko 5 machine the week of Thanksgiving 2023. I didn’t fully realize how big, messy, or loud it actually is. My husband already claimed the garage so I assembled mine in our basement so I could work on stuff even while my husband and kids are sleeping upstairs. I personally had no experience with CNCing until I got my Shapeoko. With that said, after running the machine with the router, I realized dust collection is a must with this machine. I started with a shop vac and a dust deputy attached to a 5 gallon bucket. It was loud. I don’t have any sound proofing or enclosures since our situation is semi temporary(we will eventually be finishing the basement so the machine will eventually be disassembled and moved(not looking forward to moving it)).
In my opinion, hands down, dust management over soundproofing/ enclosure. I still have a dust pan and hand brush to clear the table between each job even with a harbor freight dust collector. I also quickly upgraded to the spindle since it drastically reduced the noise and it is much safer for a newbie like me(FYI panic button doesn’t shut off the router but it does shut down the spindle).
Thinking outside the box. Have you thought about asking a family member or close friend to rent their garage?

[Woodcrafter (John Matteson)]

@Col

I’m facing a challenge with my living situation. I reside in an apartment where we have a detached garage split into three units, all sharing a 15A outlet. My unit needs a sound-dampening enclosure for the machine, router, and dust collection, but the current power setup is insufficient.

I have my equipment on separate circuits, I don’t want to trip a breaker in the midst’s of a running program. (that would not be good).

Some other things to consider which are relate to you post:

Grounding your Shapeoko

Why would you want to ground your Shapeoko? This isn’t something everybody should do, but if you have either of the following issues, you should consider it; Dust & chip accumulation (on rails and V wheels causing movement problems) Random disconnects (when cutting plastics or when extraction is on) There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with the way the Shapeoko is delivered and there’s no safety issue WRT grounding on the machines (if you add a VFD spindle that must be properly grounded but that’s not for…

Static Electricity Issue Fixed!

I recently moved from (sea level) the San Francisco bay area to the Sierra foothills (3000ft elevation). The air is much dryer here and I ran into static electricity issues that I did not have at sea level. My machine kept cutting off when cutting PVC and running my vaccum, dust collection. First thing I did was plug everything into a separate electrical outlet. The laptop, the router and the vacuum all on separate grounded outlets. This did nothing to fix the problem. I then ran a ground …

Reasonable priced solution to EMI issues?

I regulary have som problems with what i think is EMI issues. I have a garage connected to a single circuit breaker with ground fault detection. I have build a enclosure that have outlets to shapeoko, LED lights and Spindle on the inside. On the outside there are a outlet for vacume and switches to controll all of the outlets. This is connected to one of my outlets in the garage throgh a powercon-connector. The problem is if i try to run the vacum(or compressor) or starts or stops the spindl…

@Col

Given that it might depend on the job, how often will I need to stop each job and manually clean the machine?

You don’t want and debris in the tool path.

Chips stuck in the cut

The Problem: Wood chips/dust stuck in the cut. Really stuck, like cement. Technical (Please ask if you need more detail): Running a DeWalt router on a Shapeoko XXL. Using .25" Spektra 2-flute compression endmill. Homemade dust boot. Feeds/speeds roughly derived from G-Wizard. Most all cuts are full bit-width cuts. Cutting 3/4" Birch plywood from Vietnam 11-13 layers. Context: I cut 3/4" plywood all the time. Almost exclusively. Many species. But this is my first go with this wood. During fi…

@Col

Could the lack of dust collection lead to additional wear on the machine?

Short answer yes, and the potential for a fire hazard the fine dust that’s produced is highly flammable.

This forum is a great place for references,( worthy of the time spent) and a big thank you goes to all who freely share their knowledge.

[Chaotica (Joel McKenzie)]

I have run my SXXLPro with dust collection readily off of a 15A circuit - but that’s with a speed-controlled shopvac to keep power consumption down. I’ve also run it with the full power consumption of the shopvac, but definitely had times where I popped the breaker cause I was pushing the compact router too hard & had too many incandescent light bulbs turned on in the garage - like 2-4 100W bulbs I think.
Dust collection doesn’t need to consume over 1kW to suck up the majority of the dust with a proper dust boot. With my shopvac cartridge filter removed, exhausting to the outside & keeping my hose runs short, I have been able to reduce the shopvac power to 450W & still get adequate air flow at the boot for most chips & essentially all fine particulate.

Perhaps you could get an adequate gauge extension cord to run from a different circuit on the building(outdoor plug?).

[SLCJedi (Josh Tenny)]

I have been there with an apartment and rented external garage…on a WEAK circuit. I feel your pain. Management companies get worse every year.

I ran my Shapeoko 3 with a router and Harbor Freight dust collector on a 15A circuit. But I usually had to start up the router and dust collector at a different time. The dust collector had a high initial draw, but dropped to a lot less after it got spinning. So I’d start the DC first, then turn on the router, then start the job.

I also echo the idea of running an extension cord from any other circuit you can if that is a possibility.

[avetrano (ANTHONY VETRANO)]

@Col

While the 15A is not a total breaker in terms of operation it means i would have to give up the dust collection running while the jobs are.

Try using a battery powered dust collector. You may need to get several backup batteries and keep them charged. Changing out a dead battery during a project will not cause you any problems it will just leave chips when not working and will usually pick them up on the next round when working.

A shared 15 amp circuit can cause problems when the other tenants decide to to connect their shop vac and clean their vehicle out. A surge or heavy power draw can cause several problems. You could get a large battery backup power supply that would allow you to have time to shut down or stabilize your power supply and allow the event to pass.

This option could give you what you need to work but if you do get a quality vac and battery backup you could be spending a big chunk of dollars.

Anthony

[BML]

Must have dust collection

I have used 3 different size Vacuums on my machine. The problem is in North America is we have gotten sloppy with making sure manufactures advertise real specs What a silly measurement Peak Power. it means nothing.
I was going to suggest looking for a Vacuum that uses less current, I saw everything from 5 to12 amps and all kinds of BS marketing crap Grrrrr

Point is I used a 3 Gallon Rigid with a 1.1/2" hose I believe, and it worked fine. I did used a 12 Gallon on a router speed control to slow it down and make it less noisy, and now I have a 9 Gallon Dewalt, the super quit one, very nice I assume they all draw different amounts of current. I am not sure if that will get the over all current down enough though . I assume the 3 Gallon draw less. Hard to say with the specs they do now a days

The Makita Router RT0701C says it draws 6.5 amps
Plus the current draw of the CNC machine and lights and …

There are a lot of things to consider

The start up current of the either might trip the breaker. that could be twice the normal draw. You could use a router speed control to reduce the start up current of your vacuum with a softer start up (manual turn the dial up). and also reduce the normal running current
If you do a hard pass with the router that might trip the breaker. As it will draw more when it bits in, should be no more then the 6.5 they advertise.
Plus how far you are from the breaker will create line loss.
Max current on a 15 amp should be ( 80^ rule ) 12 amps

Seems hard to make it all work reliably

You can use a battery powered Shop Vac, I am not sure they are designed for continuous use though. Spec 20 - 30 minutes on a 5 amp hour battery, 45 CU ft per min, Hose Diameter: 1-1/4"

I hope you got that request in writing because if you do and you did your diligence by asking and get permission and you spent money based on that, then you should have a good case to plead.

A maybe hokey solution that might work is to charge car batteries, or the likes of, on a good wall charger, ( minimum of a three stage changer) then use an inverter to run your vacuum off the batteries. The batteries will charge in your off hour. I don’t know for how long the battery will last but RV batteries are normally a 100amp hour vs a 5 amp hour power tool battery. I have never done this for a vacuum however I have done this for a radio transmission center
You could also use 2 batteries in parallel and a low current vacuum and or speed control

Seems like a lot of work to me. I would just fight for the extra circuit. but it could be an option.

Just throwing some thoughts out there.
Hope it works out