The next step for me and my SO3

[Sherpa (Jon)]

Hello you beautiful people!!

So I love my SO3XXL to me now I have stood next to it under it, over it and on it enough to say it is not a tool in my workshop but rather my 6th family member.

But all things COVID have, made me think if not now when, and by that I mean drop to part time and machine for a full half income. Been doing numbers etc, but am stuck for ideas as to what would be a good machine to have to enable me to cut much larger pieces, whilst SO3 churns out cashcow items

I know I can tile etc but I would like to be able to have a bed size of at least 1.3 meters by 2.5 was looking at shopbot but was left feeling meh, Spartan machines looked good untill it was pointed out they are all China imports , would love a SO4 from C3D if there was such a thing. Because as you now C3D TEAM you are awesome!!

So anyone have any ideas. Budgets is around £4 to £7 thousand UK pounds?

Edit meant to say machine would be 80% wood machining

Jon

[LiamN (Liam Newcombe)]

Have you priced up the Avid CNC machines?

They’re the only things in that size range that I know of costing less than a German car.

Or there’s the option of spending your next 2 years maintaining a build log on mycncuk.com

[stutaylo (Stu)]

I have been in the same boat recently @Sherpa, I have hit the size limits of my XXL on a few jobs recently, and had to get very creative or farm them out.

For me the Avid 44 or 48 machine is the best value at that pricepoint, it’s a proven design with plenty of videos on YouTube from happy people, the 4*4 can be expanded to the bigger machine down the track, they offer plug and play electronics and spindle. It’s American made, which (even being from Australia) I prefer over the cheaper manufacturers.

If Carbide3d offered something similar and similarly priced I’d buy it In a heartbeat.

[ispot]

I bought a used Laguna IQ and I’m very happy with it. I also own a S3XXL. I recommend you take a look at Laguna CNC’s.