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.
Iām just looking for a hobby machine that I can take seriously, that doesnāt 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 youāre looking for, bur OpenBuilds has a 65mm spindle.I donāt know what the power rating is ā¦ but itās 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 Iām looking either for the right, complete machine or Iām willing the build the right, complete machine. I donāt want the machine itself to become the hobby, thatās 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 thatās so.
Haā¦ 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 donāt throw a cover over it and stack it with the other things I have purchased and donāt useā¦yet. like the complete Bosch 36000 btu heat pump system sitting in the garageā¦
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Iāve been checking out benchtop cnc options for some time and will almost certainly buy into Shapeokoās system ā¦ it seems the most robust, capable in itās price range. It is also the most complete turnkey system Iāve come across ā¦ 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 richardās postings on instagram ā¦ heās pushed his system to do much that others didnāt 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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