JT,

It all comes down to timing.
Both machines perform similar to each other. I feel that the MM is better performer all things considered since you may customize the deck, spoilboard, z-stroke, speed, dust control as your application needs.

If you need something today, to make money today - then a premade, or used machine may be the best value for you.

The cost for a standard BOT with 3.25HP spindle is about 13K plus shipping. The MM equiv will cost you almost exactly 1/2 that with a 3rd party spindle. Which makes the MM a heck-of-a-deal.

Regardless of choice, the goal is to make money.

The support group of MM'rs is here for you!

Sean

Yes JT, Sam has a 5x10 shopbot. Because my MechMate is 4x8, I recently used it to cut out (the aptly named) 5x10 skiffs that you'll be assembling at the wooden boat school.

I really liked the spindle, but I found the shopbot to be less rigid than my machine (the tube steel gantry on the MechMate is better, as is the longer and wider wheelbase on the y-carriage, and the bigger v-rollers.), and I also found the controller to be idiosyncratic - for instance, I couldn't make sheetcam output useful SB code (although I'm sure it can be done).

It's a perfectly serviceable tool. If I didn't have a preexisting bias toward MechMate and EMC2, I'd probably have been perfectly happy with it.

Sean & Jeff,
That is a totally bias comments... I'll not say anything different myself :D

I do agree if you need a machine in a hurry to make money, buying a pre-made machine helps. With MM, the built is the easy part, there are just so much more learning curve to climb & fine-tuning.

Not forgetting that there are a heap of modification, upgrades & customisation choices to make AFTER the built. Just because you can.

Well I dont exactly need a machine right away as I am not really trying to make money with it although that would be a nice benefit, I originally got into cnc as just a means for another hobby, but I havent touched that hobby since I started with the cnc haha!
I am probably going to go with the mechmate as machine builds are my new favorite hobby!:D
And I got a new welder to try out
I have built a couple of stepper based systems, but would like to incorporate servos into this project, I have some of the electronic components already ie: power supply, geckos, smoothstepper, etc...
Looking forward to this epic build, wont be able to start for a little while (gotta sell some other toys to finance this one), but I will be sure to keep an updated build log here.

JT

Beams...
 

Jeff,

Thought I would check back on your build after watching you build it (through the forum). I did notice you found some goods and bads listed about your choices. Thanks for the updates!

If you did it over, would you go with the laminated beams again?

...

Talking to the ones questioning doing a build vs buy decision (sorry if this is enabling hijacking your thread). ... The best argument I hear to build (for commercial use) is to 'know your machine' and make it as you want it. The other side of that coin is it provides time to turn into sales. If a build takes 9 months, and delivery of a commercial one takes 2 months, that is 7 months of making deliveries to customers to make up the $$ difference in sales (and hopefully profit). The choice depends on you and your business model.

As a hobbiest, building a tool is as satisfying as using one. But that takes a different kind of attitude than the one that is less $$ constrained and wants to 'just use it'.

But again, those are just my thoughts. ... Jack

Jack,
There are a few folks, myself included, that have built a MM from scratch - after receiving all the parts and pieces in a very short period of time. If you have a pile of parts, a 2 week build is possible - as long as you stay focused.

Best,
Sean

Jack,

You can build a machine cheaper than you can buy one and you can make it the way you want it.

Building one isn't always cheaper... To me it is because Gerald gave me the opportunity to say "Because I can." The rest are just bonus & excuses.

"Cheaper" depends on your skill level, and how much your time is worth. As Sean points out, an experienced builder can make a MechMate in about 80 hours; if it's your first time with some of the techniques or technologies, I think I'd time budget double that. Whether a month of your time is worth more or less than the price difference between pre-built and parts is up to you.

Of course, if you do build, you also get a priceless education thrown into the mix, and that comes at no extra cost to you.

When you buy a machine from a typical vendor, you are still going to spend a number of hours unpacking, laying on power and other services, setting it up, levelling and kicking it into life. When things go slightly wrong, there are hours spent on filling out support tickets, hanging on the phone, leaving messages.... If you want to modify the hardware a little, you have to wait a year for the warranty to expire :)

Anyway, the point is that a purchased machine is seldom just plug and play and you'r away at full speed.

This is unbearably painful!!! :D

When I built my MechMate, I didn't have anything more than a vague idea of how to make money with it. If I had to do it again from that starting point, I'd still do it as cheaply as possible with available materials. In my case, that meant large solid timbers that I had on hand. It's been very serviceable.

That said, now that I know more about what I'm doing (and have a solid business plan for it) my next machine will be all steel.

The one thing that I didn't mention previously, partly because it isn't a problem for the work I do, is that a wooden table grows and shrinks with the climate. The way this is designed, it isn't a problem for X and Y axes, but it does manifest on Z. When I surface my table, it rarely takes off the same amount in the middle as it does on the ends - due to the movement of the wooden crossmembers supporting the spoilboard.

As for the rest of your point, most of us don't have a instant revenue stream associated with a machine. In that case, the time spent building can also be used to develop a business plan.

It was nice to meet you at the wooden boat festival Jeff.
You had a very nice booth set-up and display
I am building a little rubens nymph for my son this weekend, he is very interested in learning how to sail so this is an inexpensive entry for him, he is also enjoying helping with the build as well
I got a great deal on some epoxy and supplies at the show so I am staying busy now

Jayson

Thanks Jayson, I hope you enjoyed the show as much as we did. The weather and the company were both outstanding.
http://www.westsatsop.com/images/boa...ot%20model.jpg
Bolger was one of the best designers ever, post photos of your progress!