Is The Shaper Origin Worth The Money?

[@reidallen1783]

Shaper Origin has been a game changer in my shop. Was hesitant to jump on Auto Pass, but finally did and I do not regret it. Thanks

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Thanks for watching! I agree. It's a huge add to the shop. That might not be the case for every shop. But it is for mine.

[@realdennis79]

I'm just some how stumble upon wood working by accident on your channel but wood working such a fascinating subject. I do not know about Shaper Origin or router. However, wood taking a different shapes in videos making me so soothing. Thanks for let me enjoy your videos.

[@rayjackson4547]

Nice work. This is going to be one of those tools that needs to come down in price to attract the masses.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Thanks! I think it's not a tool for the masses though. I think it's for a specific group. I don't foresee that happening in my opinion.

[@johnhubbard6262]

This is interesting, routers to me are like cutting in on painting, you can do 99% of the work perfect, then one slip and you ruin the entire room. With this I think I could actually complete a template w/o going through an entire sheet of plywood

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

They take out a lot of the guess work for sure!

[@ethanday8107]

I ended up getting a shaper about 6 months ago and love it. Just finished some commisions and hope to make my money back on it.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

You will for sure. It opens up new things

[@ronniekotler9265]

Really good video, for way to long I have been trying to decide about getting this hand held CNC. I think you just made up my mind. Thanks and I subscribed to your channel.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Glad I could help! I would love to hear about your experience with it once you get it rolling. It's such an awesome tool!

[@YTubeSDD]

I checked out the cost and definitely expensive for the hobbyist/weekend-warrior. Guess I'm stuck with spending 12 hours to make a routing template for any shapes I want to cut out. Thanks for the demo. I would love to see more demos of what it can do and what it can't.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Yeah it's hard to justify unless you're making money with it or have disposable income. I'd love to make more of a deep diving video on it. Just need to see if this gets interest.

[@andrewbrown8148]

Yep, count me in too~! Would love to see a deeper dive on how this tool works for your shop.

[@lortnokmeister]

you could buy a 3D printer and print out router templates, just a tip. 3D printers are cheap nowadays.

[@BobBob-eh5sb]

Good, informative video. I’ve been watching videos on these and the possibilities with the portability of it seem to be endless. Being able to set in on a table, countertop, desk, floor or whatever and do inlays with wood or resin would be great and could be a business in itself. Thinking about the bowties, could be onsite repair too, if a large table or structure cracked and was too big or couldn’t be moved to shop.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Being able to take the tool to the piece is HUGE!

[@sawdustwoman]

Great, concise demonstration of the tool. You’d make an amazing woodworking instructor.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Thank you! Hopefully some day. It'sa dream of mine

[@TeufelHunden-o2d]

In January of 25 I'll be buying the SO + Workstation, Trace, Autopass and so forth, looking forward to it!

[@4legdfishman]

New subscriber here! I saw a guy wearing a shirt with your logo the other day (Bent's). Then I see one of your videos in my feed! What are the chances? Thanks for sharing this. I'm more of a hobbyist at the moment and do some woodwork. I wasn't sure about the Shaper mainly because of the price. But a million ideas ran through my head once I watched this and other videos. Now I definitely have to save my pennies. Thanks again. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

It's a very cool machine. Price is definitely the biggest barrier but it makes things happen in such cool ways.

[@TroyD-vo1bz]

I bought the origin when it was first introduced. I think at that time they were around $1500. I also have a stationary CNC. I would say both have their place. I was envisioning when I first bought the thing I would be taking it to job sites, but that didn't work out at all. As you know, with the shaper tape you still need a fair amount of space. It's definitely not well suited for tight spaces or uneven surfaces. My big complaint with my stationary CNC is making mistakes with the tool paths. If you need to mass-produce a bunch of parts, the stationary CNC is definitely the way to go. The origin is great for quick jobs though and you can select which side of the line you want to cut on on the fly. Because the thing is handheld you can't take very big bites or the machine will get out of control on you. In that sense, it's very slow. If you wanna compare to making custom jigs though it's a huge time saver. Since I purchased it they of course have come out with the workstation and the shaper plate and that has added a huge amount of functionality to it. I've been doing custom van builds this past year and let me tell you it has come in handy quite a few times. It's not that hard to learn to use which is a big plus. I think it was well worth the money I spent for it but not so sure I would drop 3K on it. Support has been great and weekly videos are a nice touch. My two cents.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Great write up!

[@scottreynoldswoodworking]

Thanks for the education and helping me understand the shaper so much more.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

thanks for watching. I hope it helped man!

[@adventureswithmaple4459]

Awesome. I've been looking wood for something with cnc capabilities. You really helped to explain why this would make sense.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Awesome! Glad it helped!

[@EvanDunville]

Seems pretty handy. I might get one some day, I don't have the space for a full CNC

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

They're really fun and can do so much!

[@montewestlund8195]

standard Festool holes are 20mm. and there are 2 Shaper Origins in your shop?

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Correct and correct!

[@brucehurdman2055]

If you are constantly using 2 different bits on a project, you can also buy a second motor to save time changing bits.

[@brucehurdman2055]

All it takes is money - lol.

[@JeffC-ct5jj]

How do you place your cuts on the work piece, like various hinge cuts or exact location of an inlay?

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

It depends but I like to use Plate a lot but I also make grids and do layout marks. The grid feature in Origin is powerful.

[@wardsworkshop]

I had an origin and I’d possibly buy one again. I do have a gantry cnc, so I wasn’t sure of how the origin fitted in my workshop. I liked the idea of not being limited to size and then the idea of driving a router over a full 4x8 sheet doing multiple passes maybe not. There’s the vertical workstation aspect but then I have a domino and a router that I can make templates for. It is cool though :)

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Yeah there's a lot of tools that can do a lot of what it does. I think it's more for people who don't have those. But I have those and we use them here all the time.

[@rorygibb66]

I just got one yesterday and I'm dying to use it and I have been watching videos for two days now hahahhaha

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Oh you'll love it! They are such awesome machines!

[@confuuused1]

You mentioned cabinets at the beginning, would the shaper be a good tool for custom cabinet doors?

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

I've never used it for doors specifically. I have used it for joinery and hardware. I've used it A TON for nice door hardware.

[@confuuused1]

@@CoffeyCustomBuilds that sounds cool! Do you order your hardware straight from shaper?

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

@confuuused1 yup! www.shapertools.com/coffeycustombuilds

[@AthreyaNagesh]

Hi I was curious if this would work for cutting out a profile along a board that was 4-5+ feet long? Can i set up a repeatable station that will allow me to batch build parts with a specific profile? Thank you.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Great question. I haven't done it but I'm certain you could.

[@AthreyaNagesh]

@@CoffeyCustomBuilds thank you for the reply! This product seems like a great option for me. Thanks again.

[@andrhamm]

I almost went with a pantorouter because I really want to make more accurate mortise and tenons and much faster. I'm hoping to find a plan for the Origin to cut out all the parts to build a wooden pantorouter for longer pieces though 😅

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

🤣🤣 that's clever. That would be a cool video.

[@thieltech1]

I assume i can use this in my metal working shop to put 1" holes in my 1.75" thick steel welding table top. Im excited to order one know , should be even faster then my magnetic drill!!! Does it have a plasma cutter and laset cutter add on option. Hopefully its just a software update as well ! Im going to guess this tool is about $250.00 usd . Super excited to start my steel projects using this monster!

[@garybadger325]

It looks like you have a second Shaper sitting in the background but it is mostly black and the one you demoed is white. What is the difference between the two? Looking at getting one.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

They're the same unit. Both gen 1's. I have a gen 2 now and it's phenomenal.

[@Sdub976]

i work in my 2 car garage. Could this replace a large 4x8' CNC machine? currently, i go to another shop where I have my tabletops CNC'd for design work, not flattening. would this do the job?

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

What are you having them do on the cnc?

[@Sdub976]

@CoffeyCustomBuilds just engraving, patterns, images, fractals, etc... I'm looking for CNC options for large pieces like epoxy tables.

[@punksurfer76]

autopass features are a standard thing on the majority of other cncs, i cant justify spending £210 on what should be a free update like on other tools. as much as i love my shaper thats just too much, i mean i even beta tested their studio software for them and then they slapped a price tag on that too.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

A standard CNC costs more, generally speaking. Also, this is not a standard CNC.

[@punksurfer76]

@@CoffeyCustomBuilds , xcarve, ooznest, carbide3d and shapeoko all cheaper cncs all have this feature free.

[@steveh8724]

Yeah, we'd all like this to be free. But really, unless you would never need or benefit from the added functionality, it seems like a pretty modest additional investment given the cost of the basic system. Hard for me to imagine not getting this upgrade, even if I don't like the price.

[@Volkswoodshop]

I’ve only used my origin for one project but love it.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

It's such a cool tool. No doubt.

[@thistledownwoodcraft3426]

VERY cool jig, thanks!

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Thank you!

[@mdlawrenceusa]

THANK YOU. EXCELLENT VIDEO.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mrskwrl]

I'm curious how you align it with the preceding hole, if you want a row or grid of holes...

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

You mark where you want them then use the reticle on the plate.

[@mrskwrl]

@@CoffeyCustomBuilds Ah, is the precision only how accurately you manually line up that reticle or does it do some self alignment? I guess you would have to use the tape to get perfect alignment?

[@steveh8724]

​@@mrskwrl Yes with proper tape you have a single large (or multiple linked smaller) workspaces. The router knows exactly where the cutter is relative to that overall space. So features are located to that same digital precision.

[@brucehurdman2055]

I made my own project table using my Shaper to cut out all the rows and columns of holes. I created a svg file using their Shaper Studio software. I set a rectangle just a little smaller than my table and was able to place the circles in a pattern where they formed perfect square rectangles. My table had tracks on 2 sides for clamps and I wanted my circles to be exactly parallel with my tracks. With the file in my shaper, I created a grid and placed it just inside my work table piece. I then used shaper to cut the edge which made my holes exactly parallel with the edge. I then continued to cut out all the holes. I don't think I'd trust myself or shaper plate to cut out 60 holes in an exact square pattern. It's a great accessory tool form small cuts like hinges and drawer pulls. I haven't tried it but it could be great to make shelf pin holes and dozens of other cuts.

[@austinmillbarge7740]

Great overview. The AutoPass feature cost is 199 not 100. Hopefully Shaper will provide a cheaper software cost

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

I do understand the frustration of having to pay for sure but I know these things cost money to develop and I'd rather pay them to develop more great features.

[@austinmillbarge7740]

Love the tool, new features, and innovations. They keep making it better. I was excited to hear you say the AutoPass was 100 dollars. I would have paid that right away. I simple wanted to make others aware of the actual cost.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

You're 100% right. That was a misspeak! I'll edit the description.

[@austinmillbarge7740]

Your content is great! Keep it up

[@kevinh5349]

If the workpiece won't come to the CNC, the CNC must go to the workpiece. That's handy for someone making their living in woodworking. But you better make money with it, because with all the fancy add-ons, and the fact that some of them are subscription based, you can spend a boatload of money on it.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

I think there are two mindsets here. If you're a business you'd better make money on it. If you just want it and have disposable income that's fine too. Enjoy it. Just have fun. And you can definitely have fun with this machine.

[@aymericrdv]

Hello All, I have used this tool off and on for the past two years. I have had exactly zero projects that were not an absolute headache! From the tape ripping, to phatom "tape movement detected" messages due to who knows what. I will admit that my world is more the traditional CNC/mechanical engineering space and not the woodshop. I was so excited to be able to use this machine to have me implement my CNC/CADing kills to the woodshop...alas that was not the case. I am sure if I large chunks of time with the machine (and maybe better lighting in my shop) that I could work out the bugs. But this machine is not for the beginner woodworker. It definitely does not fall into the "right out of the box" or "plug and play" category. One last thing. An absolute must for this machine is a robust dust removal system!

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Hello, I have used it for about 18 months in my production shop, two of them in fact, and they have performed very well and made me a lot of money. I will agree you do need proper lighting, and should anyways in a woodshop, and good dust extraction, and should anyways in a shop, so not having these fairly common things in the shop will cause performance loss.

[@andrewpinson1268]

I probably could find all of this information elsewhere, but could you go through the costs of bare tool and then all accessories and their advantages and disadvantages. What is a one time cost and a yearly cost if applicable.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

If there is enough interest in this video we will definitely do a more comprehensive video!

[@andrhamm]

I’d also love content on an experienced user’s thoughts on how to best get started quickly. Best types of (or specific) projects, to what extent ShaperHub files are good for beginners, etc. How it can be used in a production shop for actual production work, tricky setups etc

[@missingegg]

@@CoffeyCustomBuilds I'm another person interested in that follow-up video!

[@devinteske]

LoL, just yesterday I was using AutoPass and the urge crept into my mind to take my hands off the machine and film it doing its thing all its own. I decided against it, but pretty sure it would have been fine. One tip, I see you looking down at the screen with your neck strained and I have to suggest you get a stool that puts the screen at eye-height to avoid neck strain.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

That's a great tip!

[@PunCraft]

What's keeping you from going outside the lines? Is there some built-in limiter or do you have to "draw within the lines" yourself? During my CNC stint I had a lot of circles so I'm curious how it would handle larger "freehand" shapes.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

So if you push to the line you get prompted to go away to them and if you go past them the spindle gets pulled up so you can keep cutting. It's really fast.

[@PunCraft]

@@CoffeyCustomBuilds That is pretty wicked! Thank you for the info :)

[@2006goducks]

What do you think of the gen 2 vs gen 1

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

I think if I was buying one now I'd go gen 2 but if the price keeps you from getting either get gen 1

[@2006goducks]

@@CoffeyCustomBuilds thanks for the quick reply. Is there anything about the two that you think is a significant difference?

[@lortnokmeister]

Every time I watch a video about this tool I only see people spending a billion times to set it up talking about it as a toy, handling it as a little toy. Buy a normal cnc machine instead so much more efficient and faster and not more expensive then Shaper.. The only scenario when this would make sense is indeed if you go to locations and make engravings on the spot, let's be honest that is not a usual scenario for most. If shaper origin is a game changer imagine having a proper cnc router.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

I have two industrial CNC's.

[@alwatts9713]

I really like this little tool, but it's a shame they want to stick the customer for $100 for the "auto pass" feature that's basically a software enhancement. For the price this thing costs, this kind of corporate greed turns me off.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

I guess it's a matter of what your time is worth. $100 in my shop doesn't last long. Its about 45 minutes billable time. Well worth the time saved

[@TwoMooseDesign]

I wanna play with one so bad!

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Fly out dude! We can do dueling origins!

[@mellowplace]

Does the shaper know where it is because it knows where it isn't?

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

It knows where it is because of the tape.

[@josephKEOarthur]

A shaper origin or a Co2 laser?

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

For me or for you?

[@josephKEOarthur]

@@CoffeyCustomBuilds looks good. But yeah ill be in the area.

[@GuitarFuYou]

It has been for me.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Same here! It's a solid machine.

[@JeffFontecchio]

I could do that too if I had a Rockler Dowling jig.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Lmao 🤣 thank you for this

[@JeffFontecchio]

​@@CoffeyCustomBuilds great video, I have not used one of these but it looks like a great tool.

[@wittworks]

First! 🎉

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

You did it!

[@SuperJeggo]

cool so basically you can freestyle rout with awesome accuracy

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Essentially

[@steveh8724]

Yes, but equally or perhaps more important, you can also route with that same accuracy a CAD drawn cutting feature. So you're not just winging it, you're producing the EXACT cut you wanted, be it straight, curved, whatever. And you can do it over and over again from a saved file. And you can make small (or large) precise changes to get things to fit just right.

[@Mike-dy8bq]

Standard bench dog holes are 20 mm, not 19 mm, and explains why they don't fit.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Nice

[@EricBalcon]

This tool is brilliant but I am not a professional, it would be quite expensive only for a simple hobby.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

I agree the entry price isn't for casual users. I think one way to look at it is the time savings it offers. Would you rather have your small amount of spare time be taken up by tedious actions or would you rather those tedious actions go faster and smoother. There's no right answer. Just what makes sense to the user.

[@shawnkirsch]

🔥

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Thanks dog

[@luisp8999]

I have invested so much money on the system that I can’t sell it now without losing a lot, but if I had a time machine I would not buy it.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

I'd love to hear why.

[@shughes599]

Not for me. Good content.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Thanks for watching. And yeah, it just isn't going to be for everyone.

[@shughes599]

I appreciate you doing these types of videos on just about anything beyond a basic table saw and circular saw shop. I don’t know if it meets your model or your audience’s desires. If you intend to do more of these realize that you are rapidly losing relevance to beginners by the very nature of your own journey. You are still a model for me in my growth. I like how you approach new tool purchases for instance your first cnc, you bypassed hobby grade completely and built a business use case and roi into decision. Maybe videos on when to upgrade from ridgid or Dewalt mitre to kapex. I like your insights to repeatability in that discussion. Maybe a “going pro” series. I don’t see that wrinkle in content, maybe it’s there and I haven’t found it, I have found “going pro” business end but not as it relates to tools.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

@@shughes599 you are 100% right, Scott. We are trying to figure out the identity here. I think you are right. We need to make content more in line with where I'm at. Bottom line. Good information can be taken from it either way though. I really appreciate the feedback. We definitely aren't a beginners channel.

[@XxMalabooo]

Is it worth it? Hell no, Is it cool? Eh sure

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Everyone has their own experiences but mine have definitely paid for themselves several times over. It all depends on your use level. I own a production shop with multiple employees and it is a lock for me. I think if someone's a hobbyist they will find value in the time it saves. If you only have 4 hours a week to dedicate to woodworking, you want to get as much done in that time as you can. Origin helps with that.

[@urbanbengtsson2500]

This got me thinking on youtuber Louis Rossman. In th future they are gonna charge you on something you all ready paid for. Probably a subscription(spelling wrong??) Instead of bying a feature you want . In the end you will own nothing

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Well it's not a subscription but I get your point.

[@leonb1111]

you can buy a real CNC machine not a toy for the price and have some change

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

I have 3 CNC's and two Origins. They are not interchangeable tools. And I can almost guarantee you my Origins make me more money in a month than any CNC you can buy for the price of an Origin.

[@rays9033]

My question is, why would you cut holes for some crappy Amazon dogs that are a non-standard size as compared to the other “standard” size dogs you already use in your workshop. Title of the video should be “ruining an expensive workbench so I can use some Amazon (most likely China made or poorly 3D printed) dogs that will be impossible to find in a few months” video.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

That's a great title! I was surprised none of your videos had titles that good.

[@whisnant23]

😂😂

[@adambarnett9900]

#catnapwithcoffey

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

So sleepy.

[@brendangallagher732]

No.

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

It's all relative

[@brendangallagher732]

@@CoffeyCustomBuilds Why ask then?

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

@@brendangallagher732 because we can all learn from conversations and the experiences of others. What are you doing with your Origin and why isn't it making you money? Or do you not have one and just came in here to say "no" with zero experience on it?

[@brendangallagher732]

@@CoffeyCustomBuilds Of course I don’t have one, not at £3000+ . In my opinion, having watched many videos on it, it’s an expensive and elaborate toy. I’ve watched guys making dovetails and box joints on it, taking 10 times longer to do a simple operation with time consuming set up, grids, probes, files, sticky tape, more files, test cuts, clamps and so on and on. If it works for you and others maybe in a commercial shop, fine. So is it worth it for me? No. My contribution to the conversation.

[@jtr789310]

To me it look like a expensive worthless tool, I would spend my money on a real CNC .

[@MrAndzzeys]

Great tool... cause you cant buy a drill bit for yout needs :D hahahahah