Which one to purchase

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mchurchf
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:55 pm

Which one to purchase

Post by mchurchf »

I was planning on purchasing the Shark HD3 but the HD with the 63" bed has made me wonder if this would be a better way to go. Would it be worth the extra $1,000 for the longer bed? This will be my first CNC and I dont want to start off with regrets. Is there anyone out there that has the long bed have any suggestions?

tonydude
Posts: 1581
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:23 am
Location: Buffalo,NY

Re: Which one to purchase

Post by tonydude »

I have the long bed for awhile now. I took the bed off and added angle iron in a few spots to stiffen it up a bit, before that it sagged a little in the middle. I added a spoil board to it also and it helped a lot.

Tony
Buffalo,NY

"What will matter is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave”

Aspire 11.015, photo vcarve, cnc mako shark extended bed with the new upgraded HD 5 gantry with Led pendent.

Redhorse
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 3:17 am

Re: Which one to purchase

Post by Redhorse »

Hi McChurch, It could depend on what you want to carve. A majority of my carvings are done on a smaller bed. If you plan on carving something like large signs then a larger bed can be advantageous. Don't forget about indexing with the Vectric software. You are only limited by the width of the bed of the cnc. Since you are considering something with a router other than a palm router you should be able to do inlays. Palm routers can handle inlays but I think the forces put on palm routers when cutting inlays can be excessive. Fortunately (unfortunately) you have several to choose from.
Dave

Proflemoi
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:26 pm

Re: Which one to purchase

Post by Proflemoi »

Hello All,

I am about ready to buy a Shark HD3 for my woodshed, but since I am new to the world of CNC can you please describe the Vectric "Indexing". I am guessing this is something that would enable one to carve / cut out parts in sections for projects that are longer than the CNC bed? So for example, If I had a long raised caring that goes the entire length of a sign, would the indexing allow me to carve this out in sections and have it do so "seamlessly"?

Other questions with indexing using the Shark HD3 (Standard size bed):

1. Could I cut a 40" wooden part with indexing? (Say a fancy rail for a blanket chest)
2. Could I cut a 70" long sign on the HD 3 and have the carvings be seamless?

I could really use that $1000 on other woodworking tools, but I don't want to "cut" myself short and buy the wrong Shark CNC. Any help or advice would be much appreciated! I would really like to see some pictures of larger projects that were done with the indexing feature.

Thank you!

tonydude
Posts: 1581
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:23 am
Location: Buffalo,NY

Re: Which one to purchase

Post by tonydude »

Watch this video tutorial http://support.vectric.com/tutorials/V8 ... _2DTP.html This tutorial demonstrates the use of the Toolpath Tiling feature. This enables you to create projects which are larger than the available machining area or material and cut them in smaller sections (tiles). Also watch the other tutorials very helpful http://support.vectric.com/tutorials/V8 ... Index.html

Tony
Buffalo,NY

"What will matter is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave”

Aspire 11.015, photo vcarve, cnc mako shark extended bed with the new upgraded HD 5 gantry with Led pendent.

ryanrob78
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:47 am

Re: Which one to purchase

Post by ryanrob78 »

I just joined this forum and this was the exact question I was going to ask. Thanks for the replies.

cjablonski
Posts: 227
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2012 7:16 pm

Re: Which one to purchase

Post by cjablonski »

Also take this into consideration...

You can grow into an over sized machine, but can never make an undersized machine grow....As a wise man once told me no tool is cheap, but no one can afford cheap tools.
"I'm not smart, I just remain on problems longer"
Albert Einstein

Making many BTU by experimentation. ...some days it gets too warm :)

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