Shark pro vs. pcnc machine? or better?

[luthier]

UPDATE: The machine was delivered yesterday. It's in the garage right now on the pallet and I'll try and get it inside tomorrow and hook up the computer to try and fire it up.

[dobrientruckers]

Well congratulations. After 8 weeks of waiting now the fun begins!!

Let us know how the installation/bring up goes.

Dennis

[luthier]

I had it shipped by the recommended shipper and that ran about 300 dollars. They were quick with the delivery and the guy rolled it up into my garage on a pallet jack. I removed the shrink wrap which covered it and was pleasantly surprised that it made the trip intact.
Well I got the machine into the basement yesterday with the help of my wife and daughter. It is pretty darn heavy I might add, nearly 200 lbs when on the pallet.
I put it on (2) 24 x24 kitchen cabinets that I had been using for other tools. I went to load the mach 3 software which was a piece of cake. The machine came with all sorts of stuff which I haven't really looked at. I figured that the machine needed some software tweaks, so I just waited until today. I called Bill and he spent about an hour on the phone with me trying to get things in order. It turned out my computer just wasn't happy with Mach3, so I ended up going out to buy a used XP machine with enough ram and processor speed AND the proper connector for the printer. You can't use a USB port it has to be the rs32 or whatever that was called from the past.
It turns out that Bill is working on the documentation and that's why he talks you through the install. Actually I preferred this to trying to make sense of some more paper.
Once I had the new computer I actually remembered what Bill told me to do on the first install and I was able to do it myself. I don't do electrical, plumbing, or computer stuff, but feel comfortable with most other areas of tech.
Now I need to go through the tutorials for Mach3 and try to forget my DOS based Maxnc knowledge from my last DIY Router I built.
My first impression is this PCNC machine Rocks!

[Jay Jager]

Look good,

Keep us up on your thoughts as you use this for the next month or so!

[luthier]

Well so far I cut one simple part yesterday. The machine is blazing fast as compared to my maxnc powered machine. I'm in the process of trying to figure out mach3. I may try to rout a body today but I think I may have to change all my feeds to something slower. Trying to learn Mach3, Meshcam, and Rhino at the same time is burning me out some.

The Dewalt trimmer got my bit stuck in it. This is a common problem as I've had two of these trimmers before on my homebuilt cnc. The dewalt also has a shaft lock pin that will deform if torqued too hard. It's a good router, but they should look at these bugs. I've had those two at the repair place for new pins. Watch how you torque those down. I also put some anti lock compound on the router collet. This I've had to do before as well.

The machine needs a more solid base because of the speed. I have it on two flimsy kitchen cabinets side by side. I need to beef these up as well.

[SparksStudios]

luthier,
Congratulations on getting your PCnC machine! I'm still new to the CNC world but I've been studying the Mach3 closely and might be able to help you from a new users perspective.
I ended up mounting my machine on a 6' folding table, which I know doesn't sound very steady, until I put the cross-brace on the legs. I then removed the leveling feet from the machine and bolted it to the table, I can now say it is rock solid!

[luthier]

Well Mach3 blows the Dos based Maxnc software out of the water. I can see why Maxnc themselves went with Maxnc3 (mach 3 tweaked just for them).
I am in the process of making a fence for the machine and I'll have the Y axis square it up for me. The slots in the laminate top are nice to have and the machine came with 4 plywood hold down clamps that work quite well. They also added a program to the CD in order to make more of these clamps. The accuracy seems to be pretty consistant in the small cuts I've been making. The Z has a bit of slop in it due to play in the linear guides. I'd like to see that adjusted some if possible. In order to compensate, I'm adding an extra move to the beginning of the file, lowering the cutter away from my first important cut so that the bit is down and straight. This is my only negative with the machine as it was delivered. The auto tool zero device is a nice feature. I need to find how to change the parameter to see if the number corresponds to my metal pad's thickness. At this point, I think the cost is a pretty good deal for what you are getting on this machine.

[luthier]

Well I've been at it a few weeks now. I've been learning about meshcam and mach3 and Rhino at the same time. I've modeled a couple necks and attempted to cut them with the machine. After 3 attempts I still don't have it right, although I'm getting closer now. The meshcam works pretty well and I may end up buying it. It is pretty straight forward with fewer bells and whistles. Once the nut behind the wheel gets everything figured out, I think I'll be doing pretty well. Nothing new on the PCNCautomation side of things. The router seems to be doing OK. Right now the operator is the problem.