A buddy of mine and I are considering a joint-dive into a CNC machine for a hobby shop. We've watched too many videos from the XCarve to the Shapeoko, to something more finished such as a CNC Shark, or even real dollars with a small Shop Bot. Unfortunately the answer is NOT clear.
Curious to know who here is doing the CNC thing, and what you are using & how you like it? Any feedback or advice is appreciated.
I run a ShopBot 4x8 full size machine. When I was looking for mine, I looked at a lot of the different ones out there, and debated the size I wanted / needed. I quickly realized that while 90% of what I cut on it is 24x24, it's real nice to have the full size machine for the other 10% of the time. I buy my material in 4x8 sheets and can cut multiple 24x24 items at the same time without swapping out source sheets and without having to cut them down to size first. I know if I had just gotten the 24x18 ShopBot I originally was going to get I'd have sold it and upgraded within a year. My advise is get as big as you can.
The biggest thing I found out in all my research has been the lack of rigid construction on cheaper machines, and lack of software.
Same thing I learned when I researched mine. A new ShopBot comes with all the software you need (VCarve Pro which costs $700) so be sure to figure that in when you are shopping. Some of the lower priced products come with none or limited software, so you have to factor in the cost of buying software. Also look at what they use to cut with, is a it a spindle, a higher end router, or a trim router or dremel (yes, I saw some that used a dremel tool to cut). You want a good spindle or router system, that helps with the speed and depth of cut you can accomplish.
One thing I have learned is it's not that hard to make money with a CNC machine. I use mine as a hobbyist, not that often (really need to use it more) and pretty much every project I've taken on to sell I've made money off of. I've paid for a 1/3 of my machine without even trying.
And consider the used market, I picked my ShopBot up used (drive from Raleigh, NC to Atlanta, GA to pick it up). ShopBot's hold their value well, not sure about other brands, but that's a good way to judge a product. If there are a lot of used ones on the market, especially if they aren't that old, then ask yourself why are so many people trying to get rid of them?
And don't forget the value of back end support from the company, as well as from the CNC community.
Let me know if you have any questions, and good luck with your CNC hunt.