I Just received my new shopsabre 4896 with tool changer ,4th axis and digitizer.Very good quality ! Same components as machines costing much more.Come with columbo spindle Mitsubishi 7.5 hp motor and ac digital servos THK rails Ball screws. I'm very pleased with the service and the product !
Ben

Could You Please Help Me With Your Opinion On Your Shop Sabre Up To Now

Could You Please Help Me With Your Opinion On Your Shop Sabre Up To Now

Hello , Sure what would you like to know.Mike Seegar was my salesperson.He's great to work with,A no pressure kind of guy thaqt tells you about the machine ,but takes the high road when it come to talking about the competition.I can't stand a salesmen who automatically starts trashing his competition.T
There are alot of good router manufacturers out there.It just a matter of who is going to give the top of the line components at the best price.In my case I did not really look at rack and pinion machines because I knew I wanted ballscrews.If you have any specific questions I'll be glad to answer.
Thanks,
Ben

Have you digitized anything yet? If so, how'd it go. Seems like it would take forever. Considering how many points you'd need to map out an object.

Just curious,
Todd
http://www.innovative-accents.com

Yes,I did digitize some pistol grips,Yes,they have the probe set for a very slow rate.I use the basically the same probe on a little carvewright machine they run it at about 600 ipm,The shopsabre will cut at those speeds easy, I'm not sure why win cnc wants to run the digitizer so slow.But the either way it still slow... you just set it up when nothing else is going on and leave it.
Ben

Was the pistol grip "checkered". If so, how'd those little squares come out. Or is that to small for the probe to read? I don't know that I'd ever need one. But the concept is intriguing. Besides if it's slow I'd go crazy watching that. Not that I'm a "hack" I'm just impatient. Nothing worse than watching your machine cut air.

Thanks for the info,
Todd

Hello,
I just noticed you are running wincnc with the probe option, I was reading the manual the other day about the probe set up. I noticed it looks like you can set the feed rate for that in the wincnc.ini file. Look in the manual under the section that shows all the ini set-up.
Was the probe option part of the shopsabre package? I just called winnc and they wanted $300 to turn that on, on my practical cnc. I will convert over to Mach3 before I spend $300 just to be able to digitize!
Hope that helps,
Cutmore

Yes, The probe is a 300.00 option that came with a digitizing probe.When you talked to win cnc and they wanted 300.00 to turn it on . Did that include the digitizer probe?I bought mine at the time I purchased the machine,So I'm not sure how it works when you add it later.
Ben

Ben,
The $300 was with no probe. I am almost finished building my probe. How well does the probe function work? I have a customer who needs a carved fish scanned, would the probe that came from wincnc work for that?
Thanks,
Cutmore

The probe works well and will capture fine detail . They have a new mode ,called frame where it just captures the outline of an object.I was surprisred the softwarw did not have a depth of scan option, to enable you to create a imaginary z bottom.The way it is now the probe goes down until it feels a bottom, which makes the need to block up around a deeper items.so th probe will have something to touch and also so you don't break it by scanning something to deep.
Ben

Hello, anyone wish who uses wincnc can get the new update ,that now has the false Z-bottom ,this is good when you are scanning sonething deep and just want to capture the top portion,with out the false z-you would have to block up around the part so the probe would have something the touch.
Ben

Have you digitized anything yet? If so, how'd it go. Seems like it would take forever. Considering how many points you'd need to map out an object.

Just curious,
Todd
http://www.innovative-accents.com

Todd,Looked at your website,you have some very nice patterns on there,I may ask you for some pointers,what software do you design with?
Thanks,
Ben

I use ArtCAM. It took sometime to get used to it. Most of the patterns are either reliefs from gray scale images, manipulated in Photo shop, or vectors with various shapes applied to them. I work with designers that give me a rough idea of what they want and I go from there. It takes some trial and error to nail it. I bill by the hour so they can make all the changes they want.:argue: It was a slow start but now I'm running 7days a week and we still can't keep up. My only advise would be "push it to the limit". People will pay more, if they are getting more. You just have to give them the option. Oh yeah, 1/4 scale samples will save you tons of time and material. It may even seal the deal. Just landed a bid for 550 wall panels for 25 franchise restaurants based on 1/4 scale models. It's out there you just have to find it.:banana:

Todd

Great work Todd ! I've heard a great deal about artcam. Right now since our primary business is cabinets and lumber I have autocabinets and Enroute 3.I also use some of vectorart3d elements for signs ,just playing around getting use to the machine at the moment .Do you have a vacuum system on your machine? That's one area I'm a little concerned about is when I start cutting melamine drawer fronts for p. lam cabinets, is holding the small parts,I guess I will try a tab ,or onion skin.I have heard the Vacuum can let small part like drawer fronts move anyway,but I guess I won't know for sure until I try.On your panels , are those routed in a high density foam?
Thanks,
Ben

I got the 20hp vacuum. It works great. Drawer fronts should be no problem. I've yet to "toss" any of the cabinet components we make.
It gets a little tricky when the width of the object is thinner than the height of the material. Like small letters or inlays. When something like that comes up I use spray adhesive (3M #77) to stick the material to a piece of 1/4 MDF. If needed use "tacky tranfer paper", like what on acrylic sheets, to protect the material from the glue. Then vacuum or screw the whole thing to the table. Saves a lot of time and aggravation.
At the moment the panels are machined from 1 1/2inch slabs of MDF. We're currently working out a molding process. It's coming along, but at this point the product repeatability is not where I'd like. Once the variables are taken care of it should be the way to go. I'll just keep experimenting till I get.

Good luck,
Todd

"I'm not a failure. I succeed at finding out what doesn't work" LOL
-Christopher Titus

Hi Ben,

Any glitches so far with your ATC?

How is your machine for deflection and square?

I'm thinking seriously of getting the 3636 Shop Sabre with an ATC.

We manufacture electric guitars so our needs are a little different than cabinet makers, but it looks like you do both.

TIA

No no problem with it the tool changer, works great .I opted for tool changer and left the vacuum for later.I have not had any accuracy problem either as the machine has very hi-end components.Be sure and get the ac digital servo's.I'm working on making my own vacuum system at the moment.Let me Know if you have any other questions.
Just call and ask for Mike Seegar, he'll take care of you.
Thanks,
Ben

Hi ben I should see My 4896 SS 5hp 5atc in a week or so. I can't wait to get it. I had a question for tim. Art cam how much is it. I can't seem to find a price anywhere. I have Rhino and vcarve to start I would really like Enroute Pro but it is 6 grand.

I want to do wood grained textures on signs to look like it was a sand blasted sign. Vcarve though good and easy to use I don't think it can do it. I use the texture profile and only can draw stuff that looks like stones. its cool but not all I want out of my work. I know enroute will do everything but is pricey. later

I had a question for tim. Art cam how much is it. I can't seem to find a price anywhere.

$7K+

I quess I will save up for Enroute.

I want to do wood grained textures on signs to look like it was a sand blasted sign.

I'm guessing you won't be using real wood? Because it would probably be a lot cheaper and faster to actually sandblast it, rather than cnc it.

Hi ben I should see My 4896 SS 5hp 5atc in a week or so. I can't wait to get it. I had a question for tim. Art cam how much is it. I can't seem to find a price anywhere. I have Rhino and vcarve to start I would really like Enroute Pro but it is 6 grand.

I want to do wood grained textures on signs to look like it was a sand blasted sign. Vcarve though good and easy to use I don't think it can do it. I use the texture profile and only can draw stuff that looks like stones. its cool but not all I want out of my work. I know enroute will do everything but is pricey. later

Hello, yes artcam is 7,500 for the pro version. They also have some cheaper versions with less functions and enroute pro is 5995.00 I believe.
Ben

I will have to live with v carve for now to get started. I have had to make 2 $900.00 payments on my Shop Sabre and still don't have the machine. How many weeks or months did it take from your down payment to at your door? Ben

Gerry I wanted a cnc for the same reason as my plotter and digital printer cutter... Repeatability and accuracy. I can repeat 2 million times the same thing, decal, bumper sticker or cnc sign. I want to be able to pull up a file in 5 years and cut the same sign. That is why I want a wood grain look to cnc also in sign foam it is hard to get a wood grain look because there is no grain in HDU foam so the cnc is needed to make it look like that.

Hello, from the time they got my deposit it was right at 6 or 61/2 weeks, pretty much the time Mike ,my salesman said it would take. You will want to borrow an engine hoist to install the gantry and you will still need 2 people to line her up and put the bolts in.There is just the legs to bolt on and the gantry and two braces and 2 air lines if you got the air balancer and that's it.About 2-3 hours taking your time.Use a nylon strap or big rope around the gantry, less chance of damage that if you use a chain.
Ben

actually ger is right, sand blasting removes the softwood at a different rate and depth as the hardwood. the woodgrain look in sign foam is achieved with a mask or wire type overlay and blasted i've seen it and cam probably find it.

to "carve" a woodgrain in sign foam would take a long time with the shear volume of code change involved as it, or atleast i have yet to see it carve in linear grain fashion

time wise sand blasting is far better jim

so kustom just how cold is it??

jim

so kustom just how cold is it??

jim


its been cold even for a ND native. since december 1st we had only 1 day that was 14 and all others have been below zero.

last week we hit -30 and -40 today heat wave 21 !!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to go snowmobiling now before it was a little cold to go 100MPH at -30 the wind chill can reach -120 at those speeds.

COOL!!!!

jim:wave: