Not Yet... But Soon!

[57jimbo]

Hi There,
My name is Jim, I run a small one man custom woodworks business, cabs., entertainment cntrs, furniture, ect. For years I've done this using conventional methods. I'm now looking to automate.
After much research, I've decided to go with a PRT Standard 96-48 with a router. I don't do high volume production, so speed is not the main factor. I'm more interested in accuracy, repeatability, and relyability.
My question is for those with experience with the open loop systems. Are these systems prone to loosing position or getting out of time?
Other than the obvious power failure, imovable object, or pushing the machine too hard.
Any input would be very helpful, pro or con.
From what I've read on the boards, Shopbotters seem to be very loyal to their machines, and that speaks volumes.
I'm looking forward to joining the Shopbot family.
Thank you for your time and input.
Jim

[ed_lang]

Hi James... Welcome!

You say you will not be pushing the machine, the standard should be fine. You say you are looking for accuracy, go with a spindle.

You will enjoy your machine no matter which one you get. You will find all kinds of things you can do with it that had been too hard or not possible before.

Again, welcome aboard.

[harryball]

Cangrats! You'll be overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Take a deep breath and start at the beginning, you'll be botting in no time.

Robert

[GlenP]

Hey James. We are alot alike in the type of things we build and I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of my new bot. I went for the PRS 48-96 standard and will upgrade when and if nessessary. Like alot of people I looked at alot of other brands and talked to companies but at the end of the day nothing compared to the shopbot for both the machine and the forum. I truly beleive that even if the other machines had any advantage in any way this forum makes up for alot of that. I am supposed to take delivery around the 19th of October and I can't wait.

[jhicks]

James, as you move forward, you will no doubt be confronted with things happening the way you think they should, and others not. Materials. bits, software, feed, speed, hold downs, dust, and more will come into play.
So if you expect instant gratification with a turn it on and walk away, probably not going to happen.
On the other hand embracing a change in how you work,new capability, learning to adapt, and experimenting to get the best results for a better long term solution will be achieveable. Folks on the forum are more than ready to share experiences, techniques, frustrations, and results to help along the way and share the pain and pride in the end results.
So with an open mind and an adventurous spirit, you'll be happy you made the leap and probably like a kid in a candy shop.
Best of luck.

[cmagro]

James,
Jumping on your wagon..I've seen many recent introductions and thought I'd jump in and introduce myself while responding to your post. My name is Christian and I am a custom stairbuilder. I've been using a 96x48 PRT standard with a router and indexer for 2 years now. All of my work is hardwood (jatoba, hickory, oak etc). I am also a one-man shop and your comment about your factors are exactly what I needed as well (quality over production). Before getting the CNC I created my parts with "normal" tools and I view the ShopBot as a true employee (his name is Murphy for those that are familiar with RoboCop). I write all of the programs using CAD and then adjusting the code to meet my needs. I've only had two instances of losing position in the past two years...otherwise my bot is a true workhorse making most of my parts. My rail, fittings, custom treads etc. are done with the bot with incredible accuracy...leaving me to work on non-cnc items. Glen's idea of getting the standard and upgrading when needed is the same route I took. Although every month I say I'm upgrading to a spindle and every month my bot never lets me down and keeps me too busy. I promised myself when my new shop is built (currently in framing) I will treat Murphy to a new spindle (and a new friend). Ditto on everything written by everyone else...no need to repeat.

[GlenP]

Hey Christian, I have already named my soon to be here bot FRED. I also am a one man shop and can't wait to have him (Fred) up and running and making sawdust!

Cheeers,
glen

[GlenP]

James, I can only say that in my opinion if the open loop was a huge problem that it would have been solved by shopbot, by now. Ted Hall and the people at shopbot are great to deal with. I have had questions and concerns about things and they always answered straight up even if it was not in their best interest to do so. That is one reason for me buying a bot and not another brand. Do yourself a favour and buy the machine and don't look back. Also take your time getting to know how to use it. Don't have a tight timeline on a job for the machine and frustrate yourself. I love woodworking and and only looking forward to how my new machine (Fred) can help me be better and more creative. Good Luck.

[myxpykalix]

Christian,
You better hope you never hear "Murphy" say to you..."Dead or alive, you're coming with me" !!

[myxpykalix]

James absolutely the first thing you must do to keep from loosing position is run a bare copper wire thru your dust collection and ground it to the carriage and dust collector. I was constantly losing position due to static electricity and after i grounded it, it hasn't happened once.

Since everyone is naming their bots, i'll call mine "Jamie Summers"...you know The Bionic Woman!

[cmagro]

That's amazing Jack...my bot computer says that exact line when windows starts up...pulled from the film...good call.