I found a Shapeoko 4 XL that is 3 years old but still in the box, never used. Included is BitSetter, BitZero V2, BitRunner V2, Essential clamps, Endmill starter pack and a Makita router. All for $1,600.
My question is what upgrades or changes have been made to the Shapeoko 4 over the past 3 years? Is this a good deal or should I pay the price for a machine that is fully warranted?
By the way, I reached out to Carbide about any warranty (had to try) and was told no, but they did say they’d send me any missing parts or pieces once I assembled the machine. The customer service is part of my reason to go with a Carbide machine.
I would say that’s a bargain and go for it! The 5 Pro is out now that has an optional VFD spindle, more robust and larger working area. I have the 4 and it does everything and more that I need. Plenty of folks here that have the 3 and still make amazing products with it.
I have an SO3 XXL with HDZ. That machine has done everything i have ever asked of it. I have made a few projects that took the full capability but 90% of my projects would work on an XL. Plus the newer versions of CC/CM have options for passing the project through the back and cutting a longer project.
The SO4 seems to be an excellent machine. they increased the belt size on the SO4 and it would have the Z-Plus. The Z-Plus is a good Z and will work with the 65MM Spindle if you want one. However it will not handle the bigger 80MM spindles that are water cooled. The SO3 had a router mount for 69MM and a reducer ring for the 66MM C3D/Makita routers. Not sure about the SO4 but I would think it has a 66MM router mount so that woould be a C3D/Makita router.
I bought a used SO3 XL that had a bad bearing on the C3D router. I used it for a while but eventually sold it for more than I paid for it. So the Shapeoko machines seem to keep their value. Frankly CNC machines rarely come up on the used market. Seems like a good price for $1600.00 because a new SO4 XL is 2150.00 from C3D.
The only question is what are you going to do? The SO5 is much more expensive but if you are going to cut metal it would be a better choice. The SO4 Pro is ball screw driven and is more ridgid than the standard SO4 but what are you going to cut? Wood, Plastic, PVC and light Aluminum cutting would work fine on a regular SO4. C3D still supports the SO3 so the SO4 would have a longer window of support than an SO3.
I’d say you got a good deal. You are absolutely right about the service you will get from the company. There is tons of information on the forums also. I always go there first my last resort is calling the company. In my experiences it’s all about you getting to know the quirks of the machine.
A lot of the machine comes put together. First thing you should do is make sure all set screws are tight on the couplers on the motors and on the screw blocks on the x y and z axis. That will save you a lot of headaches. Of course you do that after you assembled the machine. Have fun.
Thank you for the suggestions, I’ll make certain to take your advice. I’m new to CNC and programming, but I do have a small wood shop (24’x30’) and am looking to add depth to what comes out of here next. I’m tired of making barn doors and furniture and am looking forward to smaller more detailed builds.
I made the trip (6 hours) to pick up the SO4 and everything was as the seller described. He has a very small area in his single car garage where he does his wood working and 3D printing, but not enough space for everything. Very nice guy!
The SO4 was in the box unopened, but we opened them just to confirm before I paid and left. All things considered, I saved about $1,300. I was a little worried about it being 3 years old, but their reputation sold me. I did
consider the 5, but I’ll be milling mostly wood and who wants to spend more then you have to. I’m happy with my choice.
I got it back to the shop and laid out all the boxes, everything looks good. I won’t be assembling until after I build a table and finish a couple of honey-do projects (the price you pay). I’ll plan to leave 6” - 8” around all sides of the footprint so I can build an enclosure, and I should be able to knock out the table top tomorrow and get a good coat of poly applied, I’m thinking 4 coats. My goal is to finish the table and spend all day Sunday putting this together. But that may depend on honey.
I’ve noticed a lot of different designs on the internet, some really good, and some not so good. I haven’t settled on my design and will probably start to sketch up a combination of several this evening. My plan was to build the table and assemble the SO4 before I build the top. I have a stand alone shop that’s away from the house so while I don’t want it too loud, sound is not the key factor for me. I want it to look really good, but above all it must be very practical. I plan on having it on heavy duty lockable rubber casters so I can access the back or clean out behind it. Please let me know what if any design ideas you may have.