Ok X-men… & ladies …(sorry I couldnt resist that . X- men is on the TV as I type ! )
Please could you save me from this hell of should I should’t I buy the X-CARVE 1000mm x 1000mm
. I have been looking at youtube videos , trawling the web etc. for what feels like years now & I am going cross eyed .
I am a joiner/cabinet maker by trade & do carving the old school way ,chisels etc . but feel I am going to be left behind if I do not keep up with technology .
I know most of this has been asked before but I would really appreciate some more advice. will try & keep this short (ish) , as i know you will all be busy & eager to get back to YOUR X-CARVES 
My MAIN CONCERN is that my wee workshop is 3 miles away from my home broadband
My van has gone AWOL. & I am on foot or pedal power for now 
… I live in a wee village in Scotland & Someone nicked my van !!!
I have to go to work in my ripped workie clothes with my ripped workie piece bag , with an old bike with a bloody hard seat in the ******* rain & I have to meet PEOPLE… yup ! THATS RIGHT… PEOPLE !!!.. PEOPLE out for some kind of fitness thing before They go to work , .PEOPLE that look at me funny when i try to light my cigarette on my bike in the rain .PEOPLE IN LYCRA & HELMETS !!! …sorry I have gone off track here… think i might still be a bit bitter about the van !
Anyways I am a wee bit concerned about being stuck with easel online , Is there an easy way that I could work on designs up at the workshop , using some other software ? v-carve ,corel draw etc. tweek designs etc. then carve, Without having to cycle back 3 miles for the internet , just to transfer a design to easel then back to some kind of program , then cycle 3 miles back to the workshop ???
the shop is out in the sticks , its actually in an old POW camp , there is super fast cable just next to me but I kinda grudge having to pay for another internet connection .Please help , I would really like to go ahead & order this X-Carve & give CNC a good go ,but this is holding me back from ordering . ROBOSAVVY seems to be the boy to buy from , here in the UK ? he is out of stock just now but I would like to get one ordered if there is an easy work around !!!
P.S You all seem like very nice people & I didnt mean to offend any LYCRA wearers out there, apologies in advance 
I use vcarve and transport via thumb drive to my x carve where I use universal g code sender.
Easel will also export gcode for you to take to the shop.
Vcarve (Desktop or PRO depending on the size of your work) and UGCS should do fine. Most likely cost less than an new/used van. Save on Petrol.
Hi David thanks for that , I was just wondering (hoping) there would be a way to work on designs , tweek them if needs be & carve all while at work in the workshop . I am new to all this but hopefully I can get my head around it , will have a wee look at v-carve thanks , any help is great
Ha ha ! cheers Larry the van was getting through the deisel like no ones buisness anyway. could i just work from vcarve offline at the workshop & plug the laptop into the x-carve?
Thanks Angus will v-carve work alone without the need tae go through easel ? eg offline ? just i have seen a few posts up saying you have to go through easel for the x-carve … i really cant be popping up & down the road everytime i have to use it ! eg .design something on the laptop at the workshop on v-carve or ugs then back down to the house to export from v-carve or ugs to easel then back to the workshop to start the x-carve …ohh by poor wee brain is whirrling even thinkin about that . ps . hope you had a good time over here ? & got some good weather 
i live in a wee place called Comrie ,in Perthshire
Yes. I use Vcarve, UGCS, PicSender, and Rhino for my designs. All off line products. I don’t use any internet based software.
USB from the computer to the X-carve.
Maybe this will help: (Just be aware that the post processors linked to in that post are not the right ones to use with Vcarve and the X-carve).
Ah thanks Bob ,thats what I had hoped to hear ! my finger has been hovering over the order now button for far too long now ! but had been really put off by some posts saying that the only way to use the x-carve was Easel & then export ! will have a good look at v-carve today . do you think v-carve is the best program to use ? had heard alot abot fusion 360 (but i think this is web based as well , so no use !!!) also thought about corel draw just because i am used to paint shop pro & thought i might pick that up quite easy ! any thoughts ? or is v-carve the way to go ? thanks again for the help ! … i might post up a few pics of previous hand carvings & see if you fellas think the x-carve could manage or help .cheers
My god Angus … think you have seen more o Scotland than me 
ha ha ! you werenae far away in Perth infact you basically have just circled round Comrie 
! home fae home up at Dunvegan eh , home o the Mcleods 
. I might need a wee shot o that fairy flag tae appease the bank manager ! ha ha … oh & glad you kept the troosers on 
Thanks again Larry this has really helped . I will check it out ,Think you have just helped me make up my mind to just go for it !!! Watch out bank manager here I come !!! I might even manage tae print out some £££s wi this thing HA HA !!! Only joking … just incase thats possible.
I would recommend trying out the carbide create software that was released for free. it is very similar to easel in ease of use it is a standalone (no internet needed) and also has V-Carve and local fonts. so any fonts you have on your system can be used in text. and the biggest plus is the free part.
P.S. you can also import SVG files and DXF files as well as edit, create, and modify all of these. I have no internet where I work and this program was a life saver for me.
here is a link Carbide Create CAD/CAM Software for CNC Routers
Thanks for the advice lads !!!
It has helped alot… x-carve ordered & the free trial of v-carve …fiddling about with it whenever i get a spare minute
No doubt I will need to ask for more advice again , but thanks for getting me started !!!
You say there is a line near your shop. See if someone near there would be willing to let you access their wireless for a small weekly or monthly fee. If they know you will only be using it for a few minutes a day you should get a very good rate. You get internet access, they get a little help with their cost as well. It’s worth a try. It’ better than fooling with four programs to do the job of one. Good luck
CHEERS CARL , but the fella with the ulra fast fibe broadband owns a data massive storage company 
& will probably be have control of over half of britains security I doubt they would be interested in letting me use there line 
A good try though mate & thanks for the idea but I dont really want MI5 making a full frontal invasion into my wee workshop 
if you see a man in handcuffs covered in sawdust with a laptop & an engraved wooden plaque on international news it might be ME ha ha ha !
Well Robert , Ive bought the Aspire software & a secondhand laptop now just waiting on the X-CARVE I hope ive done the right thing ,the cost is mounting , but think i am starting to get the jist of what aspire could do 
it will have a lot to do with the person working it i think I am away to look at picsender noo. ooooh i might need another bit o help setting this up but will keep you posted . thanks again