Seeking Advice on Best Budget Friendly CNC Machine

[Dominic]

BobsCNC E4 vs. MillWright Carve King vs. Shapeoko 3 XXL

I am a neophyte to CNC, but I’d like to produce my own products for my e-commerce store. As far as what kind of products I’d like to produce, I’m not exactly sure. Certainly signage type things like house plagues, address numbers, custom carved floating shelves, etc.

I’m a graphic designer and internet marketer with over 25 years of experience, so the thing that will make whatever products I end up producing different, are my designs. That said, I am not a woodworker and no have no firsthand experience with CNC. I just feel like once I decide on a machine, and learn it, a whole new world will open up, my creativity will flourish, and new product ideas will be generated. So I want as many options as possible with the CNC machine I ultimately choose.

I’ve been doing a ton of research, and I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following 3 machines (unless anyone feels compelled to steer me otherwise).
Here are the considerations:
BobCNC E4
MillWright Carve King
Shapeoko 3 XXL


The only thing I can’t seem to find is a comparison of the 3 machines—hence this post.

Thank you in advance for any guidance provided. I really appreciate it, as this is a rather large investment.

[ttabbal]

Well, considering where you are, I think you know what you will hear.

Not many of us are going to have much experience with multiple machines. So around here, you will likely hear from Millright users. Just to make sure our bias is known upfront.

I haven't looked into BobsCNC, so I can't really comment on them. I did compare Millright to Shapeoko though I was considering a Power Route, not the Carve King. For the things you mention wanting to do, I would say either will get the job done. The Shapeoko XXL has a larger work area, but looks a bit less rigid. That would mean running a bit slower feed rates. But if you need to work larger parts, it might be a deciding factor. I suspect the Carve King would be more accurate as it uses a screw drive while Shapeoko is a belt drive design. The belt machines also seem to need a bit more attention to maintenance to keep tension when the belt stretches a bit over time etc.. I've also heard about chips getting in the belts, but I don't know how big of an issue that would be in reality, particularly if you use a dust shoe, and you should. I also like that the Carve King includes the T-slot tracks, it's an upgrade on Shapeoko. When I looked, you also had to add on the router for Shapeoko, while the Carve King includes it in the base price. Pros/cons both ways, but things to consider when comparing prices.

I went with the Power Route as it looks much more rigid than either, has the larger work area, and a full aluminum t-slot bed. It also has more powerful steppers so faster and deeper cuts are possible while maintaining accuracy. I also plan to work with Aluminum later, so the metal bed being immune to coolants and cutting fluids is an important consideration. Though the Carve King with the starboard would likely be fine for that. I also got very fast and helpful replies over email from Millright when I was looking at the machines. I did not ask the Shapeoko guys anything directly, so I can't say if they are better or worse in that regard.

[Hommer Woods]

I agree with everything ttabbal said. I have the Carve King and am quite happy with it. I think screw drive puts it ahead of the other two. I also would be concerned with the frame on the BobsCNC as it says it is made from 6mm Baltic Birch.

[rowiac]

When I was in your position recently, I was comparing the Shapeoko 3 (regular size, not the XL or XXL) to the Carve King. The Shapeoko team has gone to a lot of trouble to make their machines appear to be user friendly including custom motion software and simple design software. MillRight, on the other hand, leaves you to find the free (or paid) software that you want to use. This had me worried at first, being a total noob to CNC, but I figured it out pretty quickly, including getting UGS to work on an Ubuntu Linux laptop.  One advantage of the CK over the Shapeoko is the extra Z travel. As I recall the CK has 4" of vertical travel while the Shapeoko is more like 2". That may or may not make a difference for you based on what your projects will be.

I finally ended up with a MillRight M3 since I got a good deal on a half-assembled one on Craigslist and I'm happy with it. I think the only thing I miss is the extra work area I would have had with the Carve King. On the other hand, the M3 is very compact and doesn't take up much space in the garage.