We Bought a CNC Router! Shapeoko 3 Assembly and Setup

[@micarmo1948]

Excellent points regarding the construction of the Shapeoko. Hopefully the people at Carbide will watch it. Very good video, even funny at times! Keep us posted on whatever you make on your beautiful machine!

[@bluustreak6578]

I've been designing hobby CNCrouters for years, and I appreciate the combination of rigidity and simplicity of the Shapeoko. AFAIK, it's much better designed than the X carve in terms of rigidity.

[@psychotikpaisano]

Ahh yes. The good old nissan 3.3 v6. I did head gaskets on one over winter. Not too bad to deal with, just quirky. I am waiting on my xxl to be shipped, thanks for the video!

[@Chemical14]

Yeah I like little trucks like that. Good luck with your shapeoko! I’ve really been enjoying mine.

[@craigschaffer828]

Love the Shop!

[@gregbrimer9144]

Enjoyed the video. What size is your table?

[@Chemical14]

The shapeoko xxl is about 32” x 32” I think. I’ve since upgraded to a custom built table that’s 48” by 48”. Thanks for watching!

[@BinoyJacob992009]

Which one is good? Openbuilds lead 1010 machine or shapeoko XXL

[@Chemical14]

I haven’t tried out the Openbuilds but I’m very happy with the Shapeoko. The ones they’re selling now have a ball screw z axis which should be even better than the version I have. So far I haven’t really had any problems with it.

[@ClintonCaraway]

I got my Shapeoko second hand and was not impressed with it at all starting out. However after upgrades like the HDZ, 2.2kw spindle wired into the controller. Carveco Maker Plus software and a lot of time at KZbin University... I've got it tuned in to a very functional little cnc!

[@Chemical14]

Yeah there’s definitely some bugs to work through with it but it’s got good bones. I built a dust vac system for mine which helped a lot. The z axis was getting jammed up with chips before but now it’s great.

[@richardfarwell6759]

Nice honest review. I'm not a big fan of "hobbyist" CNCs, but if you're ok with their limitations, that's all right. With most "kit" CNCs you seem to get what you pay for. Myself, I have an Avid 2x2 CNC that is rock solid. At our local makerspace, (slomakerspace.com) we have a Build your CNC with 4x8' table: big, but not very rigid. If you have fast internet, you might consider Fusion 360 for design software. It's free for hobbyists/small companies. -- Might be a stiff learning curve, I don't know. I have Vectric's Vcarve Pro -- at $700 it's not cheap but I really like it. Great support too. Look forward to seeing what you build.

[@Chemical14]

Yeah I switched to fusion 360 pretty quickly and I’m loving it. I was already familiar with designing in fusion, and using the CAM functions turned out to be easier than I expected. It looks intimidating at first with all of those menus and options but once I got started I realized that it’s pretty straight forward.

[@265chevy]

Now that a cool tool

[@shelby50411]

Hi do anyone know if the shapeoko stock router and the makita rt0701c collet/nut are the same interchangeable?

[@Chemical14]

I’m pretty sure the shapeoko stock router is just a clone of the makita so it should work.

[@staceymiller5046]

I am very much considering purchasing either the Shapeko or the XCarve machine... have not made my mind up yet but really appreciate your video..... Is your's the XXL (largest size?). Thank You guys!

[@Chemical14]

Yes mine is the xxl. I chose shapeoko over the xcarve because it has a slightly larger cutting area, but more importantly it’s rail system is much more rigid. In order to do any kind of precision work in hard materials rigidity is key. If you’re just making designs in wood this may not be that important but if you’re trying to make accurate cuts in metal, or if you think you might modify you machine later to use heavier tooling the stronger the better.

[@robmccaughey8351]

I just got my Shapeoko XXL last week, and also considered the xCarve. I'd highly recommend the Shapeoko. I've run large router tables in my time and this thing is simply a pleasure!

[@Chemical14]

I absolutely agree.

[@Painfulwhale360]

Can these be used by Mac computers?

[@Chemical14]

Yes, I use a Mac with mine.

[@bishipc117]

you should change the name. its not a shapeoko 3. its a shapeoko 3 xxl thats a totally different machine and 2 has limit switches and one does not. i am sure that there is more differences.