brand new to site...need help!

[tigerpaw22]

I have a chance to buy a 2005 BT-32B for $3,000 (they said it was a PT-32B, but think they must have the P part wrong, right?)..Anyway, it's a 24 X 32 with a 75182 Porter Cable router and 5" Z. It probably has the Parts Wizard software, and hopefully the Mill Wizard. I want it mainly to carve a pattern in the upper panel of a few 36" doors. First off, will a 36" door, width-wise, fit between the rails? (I do understand that I can only carve 24" width-wise of each panel and 32" length-wise....Are there any tricks if I wanted to machine a longer length even though this is a 2005 model. I was told by Shopbot that the Powerstick would not work on this 2005 unit, since they only work on 2007 and newer.) If so, my plan is to extend the sides of the board that mounts on top of the table so as the clamp the sides of the doors down. If that is not possible, then I will have to carve the panel of the new doors separately and then have them mounted into the doors. Also, is the Parts Wizard software suitable for making wildlife carving scenes. Any help about this older software and unit would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Brady Watson]

Save your money for a gantry tool. Even a 4x4' machine would be better than a BT32 for your application. The tool should fit a 36" wide door, but you will only be able to access about 33" total. The table moves in the 24" direction, which would be parallel to the 80" long side of the door.

This is a great little machine - but a mismatch for your application. If you were doing only appliques that would be applied to the door's outer surface, no problem. Machining the door on the machine would be tricky and you would have to devise in & outfeed rollers to take the offset weight. In the long run, it is not worth it.

Keep your eyes peeled for either a PRT or PRS, 48X48 or 48X96 gantry tool. It is a much better fit for your application.

-B

[tigerpaw22]

Plus any help with the software (Parts Wizard) would be appreciated (in other words do I have to switch to updated software or can someone suggest a suite of programs to use with the Parts Wizard that might not come with the machine?) Since the complete door machining may be a bit much without some added rollers for support on either end (which I still may consider...Has anyone set up rollers on a 2005 unit to support a project?), I would plan to carve the panels before doors were assembled.

I need to make a decision by tomorrow morning before the unit is sold out from under me...Thanks BradyWatson for your input...any other suggestions are greatly appreciated

[curtiss]

I have indexed a few larger items on my 48 48 which is not too difficult, but glad I did not buy a smaller machine.

A 48 48 even fits inside a Jeep Grand Cherokee...

[Joe Porter]

Gary, I think you had better pass on this one. All of us are enthusiastic about ShopBot and the various Vectric (PartWorks) software programs, etc. If anybody thought this would be a good deal for you, we would tell you. As a Buddy owner, what it does is great, but what you describe (I think) is probably a little too large sizewise for this machine. joe

[myxpykalix]

Gary keep your eye out in the "For Sale/Wanted - ShopBot-related items only" section here on the forum. You might find a good deal fairly close to you.

[ajf]

I would have to agree with others that trying to do what you are thinking about would only lead to a lot of frustration. I speak from experience because I tried to make a small machine do that and had very little success. I ended up buying a 4' x 8' Shopbot and it has made my life a whole lot easier. I use Aspire to do my wildlife carvings and again it has made life much easier. You might want to look at my first attempt at a full size door with wildlife scenes
http://www.watsonriverdesign.com/CNC05.htm to give you an idea what can be done using a larger machine and Aspire.

[MogulTx]

Hold out for the 4 x 4 machine (at least).

And when you do, use the software version that comes with it. Pay to have it transferred to you ( I think it is $25 or $50) and ShopBot may be able to offer you an upgrade for a modest amount. However- get familiar with the software and you can then do the upgrade, if necessary.

If you get too small a machine, you will be supremely frustrated. Make life easy on yourself.

Finding a machine: Look on "searchtempest.com". It is a search engine that searches Craigslist and Ebay... you can set the parameters for how far away from you to search. I bought my original machine off a CL ad, and then an upgrade machine using this to search the Craigslist ads in a broader manner...

Good Luck. You will LOVE using the machine once you get it and get over the initial couple of days worth of "learning curve". By the end of 6 months, you will be a Whiz!

MGM