BT48 standard with 8' powerstick

[tallen84]

I am thinking about getting my first shopbot and I am looking at the Buddy BT48 standard. I do not have the permanent space for a full 4x8 table but I do see the possibility of needing to cut 4x8 sheets of plywood in the future. My question is will I be able to do this with the 8' powerstick on the standard or is the X motor not strong enough for this without going to the alpha (can't afford that right now). Also if it is a problem is there any way to upgrade the X motor without going to the full alpha.

[tappsman]

Todd

I assume that the standard will handle the plywood with the 8' powerstick and the powerstick outfeed support system. However, you said that the reason that you were purchasing a buddy is that you don't have enough permanent space for a 4' x 8' table. Keep in mind that to cut a sheet of plywood with a buddy and a 8' power stick requires at least 16' of clear space in the X axis.

[erik_f]

The standard is rated to be used with the 8' powerstick. It really depends on what kind of work you want to do with it also. If you are looking to hold high tolerance you may be let down unless you are very careful about setting up the powerstick and cut pretty slowly. Taking alot of care in setting up the powerstick kind of goes against the purpose of being able to change the size of the table quickly. I would talk to Shopbot in depth about what you are thinking and get their honest opinion if it will work for you. They will be upfront about the product. If you can afford it and can somehow find the space I would really say you should go with the bigger table...unless you are just using it for fun.

[tallen84]

Dennis,
I would be using the 2' powerstick 95% of the time, however, the other 5% I would like to be able to cut from a 4'x8'x3/4" plywood board. With my setup I can afford a 4'x20' space in the shop temporarily but not a 4'x8' permanently. So since most of the time I will not be using the long powerstick I think the buddy would be the preferred machine for now.

Erik,
You indicate that tolerance might be an issue, is that just with the 8' powerstick or does that apply even for smaller jobs on the 2' powerstick.

[erik_f]

I think with careful set up each is able to produce equal quality cutting. With stepper motors the faster you go the less torque you have...so on the standard moving slower is better. Also you will need a way to set up the PowerStick so that it is supported and level through out its travel. I have an older BT48 with the aluminum table. I find that if I am careful and don't try to rush things I can get around +/- 0.005" tolerance and better without too much work. I think the PowerStick is a great idea...but I would contact some people that have them and get their personal opinion on it. I suppose my only fear for someone is thinking they are getting their cake and eating it to...which you sort of are...but still keeping your expectations tempered with reality. I purchased an 8' Powerstick that was damaged in shipping (I ended up not keeping it)...let me tell you this thing was huge and not super easy to carefully manage on my own...now add your wooden base...and you have a pretty large thing to handle. Also...think about your platform with the 8' PS...how many sheets of ply or even MDF have you seen that are flat? I'm not sure how great the PS would be for cutting dados and rabbits since you might have a hard time keeping your work flat. Thats why I say talk to SB about it...they have more experience than I do by a large degree. I'm sure they have solved a lot of the problems that I ran into with the Gen I PS. The only major problem that I really see with the PS is keeping work flat and missing steps by trying to push the machine too fast. It sounds like a good fit for your situation. At some point I may even try another PS, but I think I would go for the 4' version for me. The SB is a great machine from a great company. I am on my second SB. I'm sure Frank in Tech Support has had it with me...but he is still nice every time and has always taken care of all my problems.

[ajf]

I went through the same decision process a couple of months ago about whether the buddy with a 8ft power stick would meet my needs or not, or should I go with 4x8 table model. Finally decided on the 4x8 though it meant redesigning my shop layout to fit it in. Must say once I got the ShopBot up and running I was quite happy with the decision to go with the larger unit. Even though the majority of the work I'll do on this unit could have been done on the buddy, the 2 jobs that I have done that required the larger workspace have proven the point of having the larger unit. It also turns out that the larger space needed when using the power stick would have created other problems for me when I had to take into account how it would effect the work flow on the shop floor.

[tappsman]

Todd
I can understand your shop space limitation as I purchased a BT 32 because I have very limited space. When I purchased my router I was concerned about the accuracy of the Buddy compared to the full size machines. When I talked to ShopBot about it they told me that the Buddy was as accurate because the gantry was fixed which seemed to make sense to me. I assume that they were talking about the standard 2' power stick. Several times since I purchased my router, I have wished that I had a 4' power stick but I have never saw a need for an 8' one. Of course that may be because I have a fairly decent cabinet table saw and cut plywood sheets on it.

You stated that you only anticipated using the 8' power stick 5% of the time. Considering that the 8' power stick and required support system will cost $1,900 plus shipping, I would recommend that you purchase your machine with the standard stick and use it for a while before investing in the 8' stick. You may decide that you only need a 4' stick which will save you $1,000.

[tallen84]

Dennis,
I think that is the route I am leaning towards... especially since I can upgrade to the alpha and/or 8' powerstick later. As for space I have tried several possible arrangements with my shop and I am finding that the full 4x8 table would eat up just too much of my assembly area where if need be I can even push the buddy outside and have it running there. I would like to thank everyone for their input. I am going to start looking at all my options for software and some other necessary tools and then I hope to make my purchase sometime next month.

[erik_f]

Is this for work or for hobby use? Also don't forget you will have a 4'x8' table that you can use to assemble things on when the bot is not in use if you chose to go the big machine route.

[tallen84]

Eric,
The table is for both actually. I have several hobby/research projects as well as a small startup business I am working on.

[erik_f]

It sounds like you are a lot like me. I'm not doing kitchen cabinets or large case work. I do miss my old 4x8 PRT, but I haven't really found anything I couldn't do on the BT48 with a little extra effort...but mostly everything I do is on a smaller scale now anyway.