Gary- if you are in the market for CNC, its hard to go wrong with SB. In all the forum posts its incredibly rare for someone to give up and return something. With other companies they would not allow users to post their complaints on such a forum.
I have had powersticks since they were first offered. And on this very thread I have documented some difficulty I had with the early models, also I documented the adjustment necessary. Perhaps it should be a warranty issue with SB, however like most users I have changed my SB around a lot from the way it was delivered originally.
SB still stands behind it. With almost all other companies, they use an escape clause from support "you change anything and void the warranty", not SB. Ok I had to add some washers to the original table after my PS installation. The powerstick did not exist when I bought mine.
I also use a modern BT-48 occasionally, and removing the 2' table and putting on the longer power sticks is obvious. Nothing needs adjustment or modification, it works from the factory. The one caveat is the powerstick does not have a deck on it, you add that to meet your needs. Personally I prefer this approach. The original supplied 24" deck is used to create the larger deck.
CNC is an expensive learning experience with any CNC. The question is do those of us who own SB machines have regrets? Speaking only for myself: none. I am still learning, read this forum and it seems everyone is still learning. Learning is not something I avoid though.
Dive in if you want to learn.
I wouldn't trade the capacity I have gained with the SB.
What may be missing on this forum is the hidden humor, I get to laugh at myself more than I care to admit. When you meet SB owners the one thing they almost all own is a big smile.
Make that a grin.
D
"The best thing about building something new is either you succeed or learn something. Its a win-win situation."
--Greg Westbrook