Watch This BEFORE Buying a CNC Machine (10 regrets to avoid)

[@731Woodworks]

▼EXPAND FOR TOOL LINKS and INFO▼ Watch Next: Shapeoko 5 Pro Full Review - kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5WplKitmNCDkNksi=HQHFJ9szIx8znddO Tools in this video: Shapeoko 5 Pro - collabs.shop/xd9ye9 Shapeoko VFD Spindle - collabs.shop/0v5jyg Shapeoko 4 - collabs.shop/qdbs8r CNC Machines on Amazon - amzn.to/3xreEu2 X1 Carbon 3D Printer - shrsl.com/4kate CNC Bits: Shapeoko CNC Bit Starter Kit - collabs.shop/ne4tmb Amana Tool CNC Router Bit Starter Set - amzn.to/3REoD6d 1/8-in Downcut Bit - collabs.shop/qxtpon 1/4-in Downcut Bit - collabs.shop/sywlbw 30 Degree V Bit - amzn.to/4cP5HKb 60 Degree V Bit - collabs.shop/qxtpon 90 Degree V Bit - collabs.shop/ne4tmb Surfacing Bit - amzn.to/4cuiUrj Bowl Bit - amzn.to/4bee94b CNC Accessories Rikon Sander - acmetools.pxf.io/rQ5YOd Milwaukee Detail Sander - go.magik.ly/ml/23a10/ CNC Clamp Set - collabs.shop/ovn4dq Mitutoyo Digital Caliper - amzn.to/4eyV8fB iGaging Digital Caliper - lddy.no/1k035 Double Stick Tape - amzn.to/3xjsVsL Custon CNC Spoil Board on Etsy - tidd.ly/4cvIFaV My.Carbide3D Website my.carbide3d.com/ Dust Right Separator - amzn.to/4ctDwA8 Shop Vac - amzn.to/4culcXr Dust Collector I Have - amzn.to/4cbjkDo (If you use one of these Amazon and other affiliate links, I may receive a commission) Never miss another tool deal. Sign up for my Tool Deals SMS Alerts - NOTE: I text out tool deals so you don’t miss any! text DEALS to 1 [phone] Be sure to add DEALS to your text to me so you get added to the proper list. You can also click this link my.community.com/731woodworks Important to add the word DEALS to the text! 🇺🇸 Join the Tubafour Nation on Patreon to get an exclusive Tubafour Nation sticker, access to exclusive member-only behind-the-scenes videos, member-only livestreams, discounts, and other cool member-only perks! www.patreon.com/731woodworks Some other useful links: Daily Tool Deals on my website: www.731woodworks.com/tool-deals Subscribe to our email Newsletter: mailchi.mp/7e44c16eefdc/731-woodworks-email-newsletter Check out our easy-to-follow woodworking plans: www.731woodworks.com/store Outlaw's Board Butter - So Good it Should be Outlawed: www.731woodworks.com/store/boardbutter

[@cliff5240]

I have a Shapeoko 3XL. I knew absolutely nothing about a CNC but my son gave me most of the money to purchase mine several years ago for Father's Day. The company has great customer service. I had issues with my machine on Thanksgiving Day a few years ago and had several items I needed to finish up for some customers. I e-mailed the company and someone responded to me on Thanksgiving Day and even did a FaceTime video chat with me to figure out the issue. The biggest issue I have had with my CNC is with disconnects related to Electromagnetic interference (EMI) when using my dust collector. The CNC is a great tool that is fun to use.

[@alanhedrick4517]

You're my man Matt! Got the Shapeoko Pro 5 Friday. We have iti together and we've at least got through the Hello World exercise. Not too bad so far - but a little overwhelmed with the next steps. Got a lot to learn. But pretty excited. Thanks for your dedication for efforts to put out the quality video. Oddly - my purchases many times comes from folks on KZbin I have a strong trust ... and you my friend are one of them. Appreciate all you do.

[@DKWalser]

This is an excellent list! Another type of detail sander to consider is a pneumatic sander. Several companies make small, air-powered, random orbit sanders that work well for detail sanding. I have a 2" one from Harbor Freight. (HF no longer sells this sander, but similar sanders are available elsewhere.) These sanders are much less expensive than their battery powered peers -- provided you alread own the air compressor. Air sanders (and other air tools), require a lot of air to run, so you'll need a large air compressor. I have a 27-gallon compressor that runs on standard household current. It runs my 2" ROS and small die grinders without a problem. Why go pnematic rather than battery powered? The advantages of air tools (besides the lower cost) are they are lighter, more compact, more durable, and (generally) are more powerful. The downside is the need for an air hose. Since I only use mine in my shop, the need for an air hose doesn't bother me. I simply drop a 1/4" coiled air hose from the cieling above my work bench and I quickly forget the sander is attached to a hose. It simply doesn't get in the way. YMMV!

[@TheKevee]

Hi Matt. I'm a Christian woodworker like yourself. I'm from an island in the Caribbean called Trinidad and Tobago. I'm just starting up and love watching your channel. May God bless you 🙏 and keep up the good work. You are an inspiration to me to keep trying to better myself with my limited resources. I hope to one day be as successful as you. Thanks again. God ble

[@teabagNBG]

i did everything... plotters, uv printers, 3d printers, fdm, resin, sewing machines.... cnc is by far one of the most complex ! thank god chatgpt can help alot !

[@blackfirst1691]

dude showed up and made the best video out on youtube with no shucking and jiving, thanks man.

[@melchlepp]

And no music! This was a great video and I learn something from Matt each time I tune in. Thanks for the invaluable content!

[@ronhansen7717]

Great video. Fortunately, I avoided a lot of those "mistakes" by literally doing months of research. Some would say that was a waste of time, but believe me, in the end it relieved a lot of the frustration. One thing that you should absolutely avoid is any machine that is belt driven. The belts can stretch, break and skip teeth, not conducive to accuracy. I bought a Longmill MK2 from Sienci Labs 30x48. Bits came from Garrett at IDC Woodcraft, software is Vectric vCarve Pro V12. No regrets on any of it. Since then I've made some upgrades. I got a water-cooled 1.5Kw spindle from PWNcnc (I didn't want to go the 220v route). I highly recommend going for the spindle, if it fits in your budget. It's much quieter, more powerful, more controllable and a lot more durable than the router. I got a 4th axis for the Longmill along with a Super Longboard. It speeds up processing and allows for a lot more options. Garrett at IDC Woodcraft has a ton of videos and great customer service as does Sienci Labs. As for the Vectric software, I recommend taking a course from Kyle Ely at learnyourcnc.com. He is the absolute guru of Vectric software. I got a lifetime subscription at a sale price of $287. There is a structured program that he has developed from the absolute newbie to experts. He has weekly Zoom meetings where you can ask questions and get answers with examples in real time. Hopefully, this helps. If you are on the fence, don't be afraid to go for it, but do your research first and you will be happy in the end,

[@stanleywhite4240]

i have a belt driven machine with some upgrades and you will be surprised at what has come off this bed , i use htd 15mm belts but the standard machine was just as good on little gt2 10mm belts , belts really aren't the problem it's the motion system that screws cheap machines running on little delran wheels that get worn and pick up play and my machine is 2500mm long on y which i also thought was an issue but evidently not

[@wikusvandeventer4877]

Matt I heard a good saying regarding learning. "Never say I can't say I have not tried it yet" . Try everything with your cnc. Mistakes is a learning curve

[@onjofilms]

I heard a good saying too, "Never wear your socks in the rain." - Fonzie's Dad.

[@kilroy79763]

Im still using an original X-Carve from back 10 years ago...I really like it and have made some really neat things with it...I did buy a 60 watt CO2 laser and well althought they both ahve their place and they each are a "tool" for the shop - some have put me down for using the x-carve but it works for what I do...a little slow at time. - thanks for the video - subbed!

[@kevinjensen9817]

Thank you for doing this video. I love your content but my shop is primarily CNC, Laser and wood turning but I watch all your videos

[@731Woodworks]

Thank you 👊🏻

[@EricFerguson-u4r]

I knew a maintenence man who work in government building. He free hand painted people's name and ageny by hand on glass. He new 6 different trades I will always have get respect for him.

[@LaserGarage]

Thanks a lot for the waste board shout out Matt! We’re really glad you like it. If anyone’s interested I have a couple KZbin videos about it on my channel as well.

[@landisrumble4609]

3:16 you showed a compression bit when discussing downflute bits. Compression bits are a combination of both up and down flute bits, used in cutting laminate material when blow out is a concern--great for contour tool paths on plywood as it applies downward cuts on the surface, but up cuts when plunged. Hope this clarifies things for any beginners

The VERY BEST instructor on youtube for CNC is Garret Fromme, IDC Woodworking...nobody makes CNC simpler for beginners.

[@CathalHoare-o6j]

Great advice - just getting started with a hobby CNC and this was just the type of info needed!

[@454liljoe]

Just started the Cnc journey with onefinity. Thanks for more insights.

[@richadent968]

Did remodeling on 100+ year old houses. Sometimes I needed to replace some wood. But nothing in the lumberyard matched so I would need to Have a cutter made to match. The same is true for your CNC once you have the program created you can go to town making your product.

[@Chris_DuCasse]

I haver the mullet cyclone and the dewalt stealth sonic shop vac, highly recommend.

[@samuelmoncarey7183]

I agree, the green t-shirt is a much better choice than bright yellow

[@atmm89]

thank you Matt, for such a great video, I just payed for the shapeoko 5 pro with the 80mm vfd 220v as I am in Australia and we only have 240v over here, I think your video is far more intuitive out there, wish I saw this before sending my money, I would have spent more, ha ha, I am having trouble connecting to .c2d, i would appreciate any help in that regard, I am so green in that department, as I am 77year old and computers did not exist in my days, hence the green part. I am an Australian Vietnam Vet and wood working seams like a great way to use my time I strive to get proficient at CNC work, thanks mate and all the best to you. Allan

[@LYTOMIZE_Woodshop]

After 2 1/2 years of using the painters tape and CA glue method, I've decided to give your way a shot. I clicked on the link! 😄 Say - as another possible time saver, do you finish all your catch-all trays with mineral oil? I've been hand finishing mine and it takes tons of time, especially for the detailed ones... if your answer is yes, it'll save me tons of time as I start prepping for Christmas. Great video for people looking to me the leap!

[@user-is7es]

6:40 Should you even need to replace batteries on a digital caliper? Put a small solar panel on the thing like the old solar powered calculators. (Do they even still make those things?) 🤔

[@jimcastino]

Another super informative video Matt! Longtime subscriber here. I have learned so much from you. Thank you!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Great video, Matt! This is so helpful for me while I am getting started working with CNC’s

[@HisAndHerCollaboration]

You really ought to do a review on some of Shapeokos competition, much like you do between Milwaukee, Bosch etc. I’ve had Shapeoko in the past and am currently in the Onefinity team and would love to see different peoples perspectives to maybe “change my mind.”

No better amateur CNC than a Longmill.

[@urielswing]

I would love to see how hard you can push it in ferrous metals

[@AxGryndr]

If you have a lot of tool marks at the bottom of a bowl, or on a flat surface, this could mean that your spindle is not sitting perfectly orthogonal to the surface. In other words, the spindle could be tilted in the X or Y direction. If this is the case, you need to trammel the machine and make the appropriate adjustments. This leads to something I didn't realize when I got my Shark HD5, these machines need more maintenance than some other shop tools. The rails and ball screws need to be cleaned and lubricated often to keep the machine moving smoothly and the bearings need to be lubricated after about 50 hours of run time.

[@michaelfreesoul5636]

Whats the best bit to create holes. 3.5mm holes to be exact?

[@jq1126]

Has the RIKON 12V 2in Sander/Polisher Kit been discontinued? No one has it in stock.

[@klave8511]

Great video, very practical and positive!

[@dougtaylor697]

Great video. Thanks Matt

[@simonr6793]

Hi Matt, I purchased the same cnc as you now have last December and honestly I just haven't had a chance to do anything with it other than to download the software from their website. The one question I have for you is how do you know what bit to use at what time 🤔🤔🫣, does the machine software tell you what bit to use from the beginning and does it stop during the process of making something to tell you to change the bit?. This is one of my concerns I have especially when I hope to be having a go at making something in the next month or so 😳🤯. As always buddy 💯% 👍 🇬🇧.

[@rohlfing63]

I recently got myself up to speed on running the Shapeoko Pro. Started from ground zero. When you define the tool paths, the Carbide3D software gives you many cutter options, and then provides you a visual simulation and a time estimate, as you play around with cutter options you'll quickly get an idea of the cutter styles you'll use most often.

[@Perfect3Dworld]

Just a heads-up: the down-cut bits mentioned at 3:10 can easily start a fire, so I wouldn't recommend them for beginners. Great video overall, thanks!

[@AoW7]

Can you replace the cutting block to put plasma in?

[@jimrosson6702]

Great video Matt

[@johnhubbard6262]

Nice breakdown thankyou. Question please, that is a thick template for the mallet, what thickness is it.

[@johnprosser2142]

Thank you so much for that, really love your videos! I am just a hobbyist and have recently bought a Genmitsu 4040 pro, any suggestions for a spindle kit please? (I was doing the painters tape and CA glue method and believe it or not the painters tape let go and broke the bit and bent the spindle). May God bless you richly!

[@caluman69]

One thing to add is the new spindle is 220. There is still the option for 110 but they offer the bigger spindle now. I'm fighting myself currently on whether to buy one or not that's how I know 😂

[@hbwilly54]

Thanks for your work brother in Christ.

[@TJWoodworks]

Thanks for the video Matt, very helpful. Just wanted to say that your videos have inspired me to make a channel of my own.

[@matthewsorrentino7222]

Whats the tool chest name behind you? its dope!

[@ericruggiero7490]

where is the link for the spoil boards Revival sent you?

[@landreywoodworks4957]

Thanks for the video, Matt! But what I'd really like to see is the projects you're working on. What have you built lately? What are your top sellers? What new carpentry skills have you learned or improved that you can share with us? Again, I appreciate your very thorough reviews, but I miss your project videos. INI - Peter

[@davidcorliss]

He doesn't do projects for the most cause they don't make money from them plus anytime he does he gets accused of stealing other people's plans

[@warrenking1815]

The added cost of buying bits and good hard wood will be offsetting at first until you can get your head around it.

[@Prophocy408]

Could your previous cnc do corn hole boards?

[@marcneufeld898]

Thank you Matt!

[@chrispaul4072]

Hey Matt, hope all is well have you seen the new Milwaukee van storage system?’?! Def need to review them they look awesome

[@qzll333]

Dust collector link is broken, could you please updated or if you had a video please paste the link

[@WindandraincreatesW]

Love the video! I'm starting out on youtube and I do alot of work on the CNC, I have the shapeko 3 XXL, but hope to upgrade to a newer one eventually. Looking forwards to future videos! Keep up the great work!

[@aaronblackford981]

Honest question for all. What size is a small garage. I hear this term often and what ever garage space I am allowed is a small garage. Lol. However I have a normal sized one car garage with a 7 foot tall x 8 foot garage door if that helps. I know others use smaller. square footage is just under 300.

[@AB-nu5we]

The thick and stick double sided tape is turners tape. Yeah, don't use it as a replacement for jobs the only require double sided tape. It's thick and sticky for a reason: objects on a lathe can be under high stress, so strong tape is needed. Additionally, turners tape needs to be used relatively quickly as the thick adhesive will run out of the tape roll over time and become a mess. Ask me how I know that. Ha ha!. Great tips!

[@mweath281]

I really like your channel. Can you do some more build videos? This is an informative video but I’m nowhere near able to buy a CNC yet.

[@davidcorliss]

Build videos don't make money it's not worth doing

[@gan_the_white]

@@davidcorliss Plus you can produce 10 of these to 1 of the build videos.

[@mweath281]

@@davidcorliss wasn’t asking you to do build videos

[@davidcorliss]

​@@mweath281 I am just repeating what Matt has said himself

[@mikeoxmaul3849]

Do you have any experience or knowledge of the Shaper Origin? I’m wondering how that compares to an actual CNC machine like yours

[@ronswoodshack]

So cool!!!! Thank you for the content Mighty Matt!

[@731Woodworks]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@fredneckengineering25]

Hey Matt, I followed the link to join your masterclass, but it never brought me to where I could sign up. Is the class still available. Thank you , and God bless!

[@fredneckengineering25]

nevermind... its working now.

[@PatioBenders]

Where can I purchase the engraving of the deer and tree from the clock stock. I run a pro 5 here and would love to purchase this g code. Any thoughts? Thanks

[@731Woodworks]

I bought it on Etsy

[@PatioBenders]

Thanks, Matt. I've been looking on etsy without any success.

[@mohammaddh8655]

awesome video thanks a lot

[@yulia-y5p]

There are a lot of machines with excellent performance and solid structure，discounts are currently on

[@nickschuster7618]

can you make a vacuum table to hold down pieces?

[@SchemingGoldberg]

Absolutely, many CNC operators use vacuum tables.

[@neilritchey7200]

I have a Mac house and haven't found a good (easy) solution for using the Mac to control the CNC. Thinking I might have to buy a Windows based laptop just so I can get into a CNC. That alone has stopped me from moving forward into the CNC purchase.

[@videosight1]

Relatively budget PC will do, that’s a non issue!

[@OnefinityCNC]

Great tips!

[@731Woodworks]

Thanks!

[@nwmi493]

is Shepoko open source GRBL?

[@dasfreakster]

Great video! You got a video on those hammers?

[@davidcorliss]

Search his videos

[@JvsH1924]

VFD 65mm or 80mm?

[@tpete61]

10 of this 10 of that! These 10 of vids get old!

[@jeffreytackett3922]

How is #3 something you regret"?

[@OldManPugh]

Wish I had the room (single car garage) and the $$$, what is the layout of you shop?

[@731Woodworks]

Approximately 22 x 20 (2 car garage). But a 8x10 section in the corner is taken up by my home gym.

[@timlawrence3906]

Great information!! Great video! I'll definitely come back to it when I'm ready to buy a Shapeoko 7!(😅)

[@marconiandcheese7258]

I actually dont like the digital calipers. I like the dials because no batteries but also the dial doesnt turn off.

[@robertsmith3518]

if your building nukes or 737’s that doors won’t fall off of then the CNC is the go to method . I want to feel the wood ,the edge , See a knife make ! See a saw mark .feel the love . Can a CNC product give that ? Cheers !

[@mikel4510]

Unless you are a corporation paying dividends, why do you have to make a profit? Costs + YOUR labor = price. Anything you make over costs is taxed as personal income. In other words, just make sure to pay yourself for what you do.

[@TeachingChurch]

Nice shirts. Praise God.

[@stanleywhite4240]

I honestly won't even allow etsy to open a page,their prices are so far beyond insanity i can design most of their items in half the time it would take me to vent about the over expense

[@hanspijpers2100]

Or start learning with Mark Lindsey cnc. with many different language subtitles

[@sarinhighwind]

Ive got a price tag issue

[@scottstamm1884]

Hi Matt: Just to help, it's pronunced "mitt-you-toy-oh".

[@jimjennings1970]

My problem with cnc is like many people is money

[@951WoodworkDesigns-bx4kn]

My son upgraded to a larger and better CNC and gave me his old machine. After a couple days of finally putting together a space to put the machine, there it sits with little to no interest from me to get it up and running. I enjoy woodworking and just have no desire to learn a CNC as I currently have no use for it.

[@onjofilms]

I told this story to my entire family and we all decided to hug each other; except for the ones in prison.

[@brycemoeller1741]

15:46 731 Feetworks

[@abdo1986ify]

thanks for Z

[@BLKMGK4]

VFD is quieter too isn't it? Some spindles are DEAFENING!

[@RonnieStanley-tc6vi]

Spend thousands of dollars for a machine that can make stuff that anyone can make. Thats about right. If you can't use your head and create something, just copy someone else.............CNC is great.

[@adamhorn8414]

Spend thousands of dollars on tools that can make stuff a machine can make. If you can't use your tools and brain just hire someone else to use them. Carpentry is great. Haha a tool is a tool man so what if a computer is driving it. You can still not use your brain with handtools and follow step by step guides. You can also shirk other people's CAD files and CAM files to make your own big brain style.

[@spydermag5644]

You need to update your KZbin counter behind you.

[@davidcorliss]

He filmed this before he hit 600k subs

[@danmar007]

I'm July 31 too. :-)

[@marconiandcheese7258]

Also do not buy Milwaukee detail sander paper. Its expensive and low quality. Buy 3m in a roll or just cut out sandpaper from a pad

[@Matthew-vb8qb]

Love how you have Jesus all over your video. Keep keeping on brother!

[@EricFerguson-u4r]

Honestly I don't like them. Hand made means hand. Not saying I won't buy a product made by one. That is for a new generation of wood workers.

[@contestwill1556]

do you just take your thumbnail photos as you need them or did you just say one day "dang it im gonna get this done" and make every facial expression with every outfit and keep a catalog of them ready

[@richt.4900]

Am I the only one who finds watching long adverts far too frequently, too much effort? I’ve started avoiding watching this channel because of it.😮

[@MMWoodworking]

My only advice for people is just be careful with the files you buy off of Etsy... some expressly forbid you from using them to sell items made from the file. They are for personal use only. Maybe they never find out that you have broken the terms, and plenty of sellers don't have that clause in the sale, but some do.

[@MurrayRose-j5c]

I don't think I will ever get a CNC machine. I spend enough time on my computer as is. And I don't like the idea of just downloading a file and then watching a machine doing what I enjoy doing using my hands - and sometimes my brain...

[@davidpeters8813]

Yeah, but the CNC can do stuff that is extremely difficult or impossible to do by hand

[@digitallureworks7297]

I get what you’re saying, but if you learn CAD/CAM, there can be satisfaction watching the CNC create what you designed.

[@SuperPhexx]

​@@davidpeters8813 Yes! I make a lot of different stuff from woods and metal using lathes, mills, routers, planers, saws and so and whilst I _could_ do my most elaborate ideas without a cnc router the amount of time it would take just makes it 'unappealing' since I know it would take 50 hours without cnc but 5 on cnc, including CAD-drawings and cutting.

[@clubprojects6923]

I have an idea to market. Without CNC I would lose money on an acceptable price. CNC or nothing.

[@dbtest117]

Difficult may be but not impossible. A great craftsman can do better and more than a cnc. That said I want a cnc.

[@benjaminjensen111]

Same T-shirt...different year (and hair)

[@cynicalbaastard]

Mitch-you-toy-yo....... Mitutoyo

[@slapjack2000]

❤👍👍👊

[@paul.alarner6410]

so far just a long line of mainly adverts!.

[@mpmojoe]

Would love to have one but todays economy 99% of people can’t afford a cnc machine. Thats the only problem I have with cnc’s they take away the need for actual woodworking skill and take customers away from hand worked shops

[@barnyardstory]

You had me until I saw the shirts.

[@knutcup8426]

OH and it's Zed not Zee!!! Discuss

[@richardcarlson5151]

Heads up. You will spend hundreds of hours learning a cnc. To make money, you will be spending hundreds more learning to do that. You will never stop learning. To be honest, I don't think there is much money to be made with them. Maybe if you don't mind making a 1 an hour. Maybe use it to add some magic to your projects.