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Looking at cutting out panels to make speaker enclosures so max size would be ~40" or less.
Anybody have any suggestions of machines to look at?
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Wild Turkey
We may see the writing on the wall, but all we do is criticize the handwriting.
(joined 10/1999)
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You may want to consider a 4 X 8 table to take advantage of shhet goods.
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How many speakers do you sell a year ?
How much is the machine you’re looking at cost ?
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The machine is part of the cost, you’ll also need to buy the software to design your product and run your machine. I also recommend a dedicated computer like a laptop for your cnc. Plan on some quality time learning your design software, the learning curve can be steep. I used Vectric software for mine. The entry level is “V-Carve” next step up is “Aspire”. For something simple like speaker enclosures, V-Carve will easily do the job.
That said, I really enjoyed my foray into cnc and it saved me a lot of time in my business.
VH07V
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I'm using a Onefinity and the Carveco Plus software. I've cut some panels with random hole locations similar to a speaker front. My machine can cut 32"x32". They make a 48"x48" model. No problems so far. And yes, the software side will keep you busy until you get dialed in.
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(07-02-2023, 07:48 PM)Wild Turkey Wrote: Looking at cutting out panels to make speaker enclosures so max size would be ~40" or less.
Anybody have any suggestions of machines to look at?
There is somewhat of a parallel between looking at CNC machines and table saws.
With tablesaws there are everything from tracksaws that can do most things a tablesaw can do, all the way to euro sliders that you pretty much have to be a pro to utilize to their full capabilities.
Cnc is the same way, if you don’t have much space, there is the shaper origin that uses tape and almost hand routing to follow lines, all the way to commercial setups that have integrated auto tool changers.
Of course, budget is going to play a huge part in what machines you want to look at as well. Just like there’s a world of difference between a benchtop saw and a cabinet saw both in price and functionality. CNC is similar, you have machines like the x-carve and shapeoko that are fairly budget friendly but will take more time to do you project, and you have machines like the avid cnc (formerly cnc router parts) that is about twice the price, but will also cut your parts about twice as fast.
So the next series of questions is, what’s your desired budget? Are you looking to have it running in background making you money while you do other things? How adaptable are you to learning complicated computer based tasks etc
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I have a OneFinity as well, the 48 x 32" Journeyman, running V-Carve Pro. I think it was about $4200 all in. It uses a Makita router. If you upgrade to a spindle, plan on something close to another $1000. I've had it for about 16 months now and have done all kinds of projects with it, including making my horizontal router mortiser, shooting boards, and several wood gear clocks with it. I'd call it a prosumer level machine, capable of small batch production work at modest speeds. That said, OneFinity machines are not plug and play. You get a great deal for the quality and capability, but you have to build a base for it, mount the components, and get it all dialed in. If that's not appealing, then you should look for a machine with an integrated base. Avid, Camaster, etc might fit those requirements for you at maybe $12 to $15K.
John
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