Introduction to X-Carve

Can you please explain the maximum depth of cut, the maximum height for cutting substrate? How thick of a chunk of wood can I put on the X-carve, and how deep into it can be cut?

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This is a bit of a complicated question. See the image below.

  • The maximum thickness of material is about 67mm.
  • The travel of Z is about 90mm.
  • The longest bit you can install at this extreme is 38mm on the 24VDC spindle.

You can cut on a piece that is up to 67mm, but you won’t be able to cut through it without modifying the machine to increase the Z travel. If you know your material thickness you should be able use the numbers below to see if you are able to cut through it.

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Hi guys,

The X-Carve looks like a really great machine - I’ve got a couple of questions before I take the plunge:

  1. How loud is the 24V spindle? Is it a similar spindle to the Shapeoko2 quiet-cut spindle?
  2. Do you have any distributors in Canada?
  3. I’m sure you are getting lots of orders - it is possible to get an estimated ship date once I’ve placed an order?

thanks!!

@DavidDeKoning

  1. Yes it is very similar to the quiet-cut. We did a demo at Pumping Station: One and we were able to have a nice conversation with the group while it was running a job.

  2. No we do not have distributors in Canada but we do ship to Canada from our Chicago warehouse.

  3. We are promising people we will start shipping by April 30th. Some parts have come in but not all the parts yet. We will be posting shipping progress updates as they come available. There will be a post this week with progress.

I’m getting ready to pull the trigger on the X-Carve and have a question? I have a Bosch Colt, so I was going to sans the spindle and power supply in the kit. My question is - what would be an adequate power supply to power the stepper motors? I know the cooling fan in the kit is rated at 24 volts, but I have plenty of 12 volt fans laying around. Could I get away with a 12 volt power supply or should I play it safe with a 24 volt 150 watt power supply? I’m just going to throw a bone here, because I know ultimately it depends on many factors but…The main reason I’m purchasing this is to mill small wood project boxes out of 1" thick hardwoods. I’m more concerned with accuracy than milling time, would I be better off with the included quite spindle?

Thanks

Depth of use?
Will this router work below the base level - i.e if i place it on a concrete floor, can I use it to engrave the concrete?
Also will it have enough power to do that task?

How hard would it be to configure it to 1000mm x 500mm?
Would i buy a 1M x 1M then a 500mm X axisand drive screw?

Any idea when shipping will start?
Any idea of shipping cost to Auckland New Zealand?

Am i right in my assumption this will work with Vcarve?
cheers adam

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Hi @AdamHaining

I can’t speak to some of the other parts of your question post, but I live in Auckland and have ordered the full kit with 1000mm rails. The shipping is pretty high, but worth it when compared to the cost of getting something locally. All total the shipping for my order was $507, but you can get a more accurate shipping estimate buy putting your cart together and calculating your specific order’s shipping.

I also plan to use Aspire (same engine as V-Carve).

Hope that helps.

I am hoping it will do what I am thinking of doing with it. The other option is “Concrete Printer” but it is about 5K US plus shipping. Expect I will need to stiffen the base as I will not use a base board.

Presume the power supply will be switchable to 240V

Interesting idea. I’ll probably tinker with opening a hole in the waste board to cut the end of longer stock, but nothing like removing the whole thing all together…

The power supply has a switch on the side that you will be able to toggle between 110v and 240v.

Can anyone tell me the footprint of the larger machine (1000mm x 1000mm) INCLUDING clearance for the Drag Chains, and anything else sticking out each side? I am building my benchtop and one side will be against a wall, so I want to provide enough table top to account for clearance from the wall. Thanks! :smile:

The footprint touching the table is 1006 x 1006. The steppers stick out 50mm in the air. The drag chain sticks out about 100mm in the air.

You need to give yourself space for the power supply, computer, and it’s nice to have some space for tools.

Thank you, is that on both the X and Y axis with the drag chain so plan on 1100mm x 1100mm to be safe, (plus other which in my case will extend in another direction)?

I’ll measure it tomorrow.

On the topic of 12 volt versus 24 volt asked by SHowa, I wouldn’t choose to run on 12 volt just because of having some 12 volt fans. Motor torque is much better on 24 volts - I tried 12 volts until I got a 24 volt supply, and the improvement on 24 volts was huge! I too am using 12 volt fans, it was a simple matter to put together a 7812 regulator and a few capacitors on a perfboard to drop the 24 volt supply to 12 volts for the fans. I’m using a 24 volt 8.5 amp switching power supply - lots more than I really need, but the incremental price difference was really small, and I like having ample capacity.

Hi, I would also like some info on below base carving and
would you recommend this machine for use with mostly aluminum stock and sheet?
What max. thickness? and the expected cutting speed?

Thanks

Would be nice if a company representative answered some questions!

Below base carving!
Really want an answer from manufacturer. I really see an advantage in being able to place machine on a surface you want to carve/engrave.
Q1 - Will the spindle/bit reach below the bottom of the baseboard as it is supplied. i.e if we remove the baseboard and place it on a surface we want to carve?
Q2 - will the unit need to be stiffened if we remove the baseboard?
Q3 - if we order without the baseboard, does it still come with the rails that are under the baseboard?
Q4 - Can the end plates be shortened, the cross rails raised (leaving room for the carriage to run unobstructed) without any issue?
Q5 - what is involved in reconfiguring it to a different size e.g. 1000 x 500mm. I know you can change/swap the rails, but what needs to happen on the software side?
Q6 - How practical would it be to set this up to make it easy to semi disassemble, pack and reassemble. (i.e remove carriages and pack compactly) I.e make a case for it, take it to site and reassemble to do a job. Making it really a portable machine? Would it need to be reconfigured each time, if so what is involved in that?

I am relatively inexperienced with CNC routers and need some help. I was a draftsman with a PENCIL 50 years ago while I went to school plus I have a utility patent and several ideas I want to pursue, and your X-Carve is perfect for me. I love what you are doing. However, I need a slightly larger machine on the Y axis, 1800mm (62" working length"?) to make my parts. The 31" (1000mm) X axis is fine.

Please quote the fully rigged Xcarve all the bells and whistles plus the additional items needed to extend the Y rails to 1500mm (wiring, drag chain, G2 belts, etc). I assume I need some mounts to eliminate flexing of the Y rails. I will supply the waste board. Add the tool kit and the digital calipers.

Also, I played with Easel and had some real problems. Is there a tutorial somewhere? Can I Beta test? What do I need to design and make a style of Jigsaw puzzle in 3/4" pine?

Thanks,
Bill Raines
314-255-6048

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Hi @william_bill_Raines Thanks for all your interest and excitement. That’s really cool that you are taking your experience as a draftsmen and testing out Easel and X-Carve.

For a quote or to help configure your machine please give us a call at 312-775-7009 or email help at inventables.com. The community forum is for community discussion and we don’t provide quotes have sales people monitoring it. We’re trying to create a place for folks to meet each other and talk shop so to speak.

Thanks!

Zach

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I am designing a enclosed cabinet for the 1000mm X-Carve that I have ordered. I need to know what minimum dimensions for the inside I need to follow. Zach earlier mentioned that the stepper motor kicks out 50mm and the drag chain about 100mm. Does the drag chain flare out further than 100mm when the machine is in use that I need to give more room for?