Will,
You’re not making this easy.
Write in to sales@carbide3d.com
It would be nice if we could offer the HDZ as a kit option, but at this time we don’t.
It would be nice if we could offer a spindle option for Shapeokos, but at this time we don’t.
There’s a bit on the wiki: https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/Spindle_Options and you may find https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/Spindle_Control#Complete_DIY_Solution of interest (or confusing, or not).
I’m not involved in product development, so you’d need to get @Jorge or @Luke or @edwardrford to speak to things beyond what is listed at shop.carbide3d.com
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David,
If you want something easy, you should stick to what is supported by Carbide 3D. A VFD and spindle is not supported by Carbide 3D and will require you to come up with the parts and wiring yourself. It can be done but there is no definitive way to do it. I cut aluminum all day long with my trim router based machine. It is more than capable of wood and plastic. You will run into motion system limitations before you run into trim router limitations. If you are worried about noise as I was, build an enclosure with sound deadening in mind. The standard Z-Plus that comes with the machine is also more than sufficient for wood and plastic. If you want something that supports a spindle out of the box with a plug and play kit, go look at AVID CNC. I have one for work and its great. Very different price class though.
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Nick,
Real talk. You’re probably right.
I’m used to a totally different scale here, and I just want what I have at home to be the best it can possibly be - but the machine is just a means to an end. I have literally zero interest in tinkering with the machine itself. I just want to tick the boxes: rigid, reliable, durable.
I am used to programming and machining CFRP molds from alloy steel, and turning high pressure valve components out of inconel and toughmet. Maybe I’m overthinking the Shapeoko.
Can I just buy an enclosure? I don’t have an existing wood shop at home.
BTW, FWIW, the X-Carve Pro seems to tick every single box except price. It’s in a completely different league and a tough pill to swallow. But wow!
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The Shapeoko 3 is the best for rigidity you can buy in it’s price class. However, that does not mean that it is anywhere close to as rigid as the machines you are familiar with. Because of the belt drive and V-wheels, rigidity in my opinion is the primary limitation of the machine. That does not mean that the machine is bad, just that you need manage your expectations. It can do just about anything you want in wood, plastic and nonferrous metals as long as you use the appropriate feeds & speeds. I do not know of any available enclosures for the machine but not having a wood shop does not prevent you from building one. Both Lowes and Home Depot will cut down sheet goods for you if you buy from them. Combine some MDF, some 2x2 lumber, a hinges and latches, and maybe some plexi and you have a good enclosure. You can get sound deadening foam on amazon.
Machines in this price class make sacrifices to meet the price point. This means that some things are left up to you like work holding, enclosures, etc. Not a lot of people who buy these machines will go out and buy a $500 enclosure, hence the lack of pre-made options. For how much the Shapeoko 3 costs, it does quite well with your 3 requirements. The only real issue I had with my machine is EMI related disconnects. I worked with support and was able to resolve it. It was an inconsistent problem and they worked with me over many weeks to resolve it.
As for the X-Carve Pro, it does not appear to be as rigid as the equivalent Shapeoko Pro to me. I don’t have either but that is the impression I get from all the pictures I have seen
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You typically will want to make your own enclosure to suit your space (ceiling height, table dimensions, etc).
If you wanted a prebuilt version, then the 80/20 enclosure that others have done is Probably as close as you are going to get to prebuilt. I’m sure they would be willing to send you the parts order list and the dimensions if you want to go down that route.
I’m not even a month into my ownership of a Shapeoko and I have now redesigned my enclosure 12 times. My redesign yesterday was when I realised that I need to allow an extra 4.5 inches at the front of the machine sweepy. So glad I caught that before building.
@robgrz You should probably update the dimensions of the Shapeoko Pro to include the additional Y inches required for sweepy 2.0 considered it is included accessory
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David,
As a new user (month or so in) I can tell you from my experience depending on whether or not you do dust collection the router likely isn’t your noise offender. We’re still running more of a temporary setup but our shop vac is likely 20 decibels louder then the router. It’s loud enough that ear protection is a necessity, but with the vac off the router is pretty quiet.
Also if you’re looking for something full turnkey and isn’t somewhat a project, not 100% sure this is the option best for you. As others have said in this forum the shapeoko is a project in itself and if you’re not interested in working on “it” there might be better options out there for you.
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Because of how loud shop vacs are, I went with a cheap dust collector from harbor freight. $150 and much quieter.
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openbuilds has enclosures that are compatible with Shapeoko. They have the extrusions, panels and all the connectors. They sell a turn key set up. They are not cheap but building one from scratch is not all that cheap.
You can also build and/or buy a cyclone separator to make the HF dust collector much more effective.
Thanks for the link! Honestly, my Google skills are starting to wane.
Jeff,
Thank you for your thoughtful response.
I’m just looking for a hobby machine that I can take seriously, that doesn’t require upgrade after upgrade which turns into a hobby unto itself. I am no stranger to getting more than I bargained for.
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No worries, they(Mechatron) do not make it easy to find their webshop, but I guess they would like the customers to contract them first before ordering.
Perhaps not exactly what you’re looking for, bur OpenBuilds has a 65mm spindle.I don’t know what the power rating is … but it’s essentially a trim router with an er11 collet.
William,
I should mention that I am not at all plugged in to the home cnc World, and so I definitely appreciate the OpenBuilds reference. I found Shapeoko somewhat early on in my searches, and my old boss has a Nomad at home and he stands by it.
I know earlier I mentioned that I wanted a turnkey machine, but in reality I’m looking either for the right, complete machine or I’m willing the build the right, complete machine. I don’t want the machine itself to become the hobby, that’s all. I have specific projects in mind that I just want to execute; if I have to build it, I will - as long as there is a specific, tangible benefit to doing so.
I have a specific work envelope in mind, and specific space requirements, specific power requirements and so on. Shapeoko 3XL mostly checks out, which is why I am here - making sure that’s so.
Ha… I like and respect this approach. Assemble and learn the machine and program, then set about creations.
I think a lot of people purchase the machine and expect great product right out of the box without actually learning what they have and how to use it. (I am guilty of that in this case). So, as you are doing, I am not really using the machine presently, just poking at it and learning how it works and what I can do with it.
FWIW, I never intended to purchase a cnc, I was using a hand driven pantograph for carving when the wife started asking about a V-carve unit. I looked into it and decided on the shapeoko and the xxl size, my reason is with this size, I can custom make the panels for a carved front door. It is also large enough to carve kitchen cabinet doors. I am no where near that level yet, but will get there.
Positive attitude and shared experience like this is really helpful and probably the reason I don’t throw a cover over it and stack it with the other things I have purchased and don’t use…yet. like the complete Bosch 36000 btu heat pump system sitting in the garage…
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I’ve been checking out benchtop cnc options for some time and will almost certainly buy into Shapeoko’s system … it seems the most robust, capable in it’s price range. It is also the most complete turnkey system I’ve come across … but I too would like to be able to use an er collet, so that would be the only component I would choose to swap in. Check out jpl richard’s postings on instagram … he’s pushed his system to do much that others didn’t think possible on a machine in this category.
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I bet Bosch Thermal Units are much more consistent and reliable than old British ones 
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