I want to buy an X-carve, can’t decide which one, price wise I like the 500mm but what if I want a larger one later lol, anyone else deal with that decision? I want to try it out first so to speak and not invest the extra, I have an 8x8 insulated shed that’s not being used would a 1000mm fit in that with a small vac system? Can you upgrade it later to a 1000mm system and more or less pay the difference? Like just buy the new board and rails etcprobly a dumb question
All depends on what you want to do with it.
I have only read about a few users that bought the 500mm and didn’t upgrade to the 1000mm. (I started with the 500mm and I still have it).
Yes but you would probably feel crowded as I would expect you would want to put additional tools in the shed. Don’t forget you need a computer system to run the X-carve.
I think it would cost more than just the difference. Inventables does not sell an upgrade kit, but they do sell all the parts necessary for a upgrade.
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Talk to the inventables team and compare price of both 500 and 1000. Price out what it would take to upgrade. Make an informed decision with all the facts. They will work with you. Great bunch of people
You can always buy 1000mm makerslide and belting to expand the Y axis down the road. You’d need to expand the table surface too though. Mine is now 750 x 1000 which yields a usable work area about 20" x 30". My other cnc is 14 x 25 and that has been sufficient for most things I do. You would have to decide what you plan on making and that would help in your decision.
Wow so far this really helps, thanks Larry! I’m not sure what or examples you can’t make on a 500mm
You wont be able to carve anything over 9.75 sq. inches or so on the the 500mm without tiling. So it really depends on what you are making or doing. On my 1000 I have put a 5ft x 28" table top through it to carve an inlay.
Truly, the only difference is size. Both the 500mm and 1000mm use the same software.
Theoretically the rigidity of the 500mm may be better because the rails are only spanning half the distance. But that may only come into play for metal carving and really aggressive cuttings speeds and depth.
When I bought mine, I was 100% sure i’d like it. If you’re the same like me and if you have the space for it, I say buy the large one. In the long run you’ll save some money and not unimportant a lot of disassembly/re-assembly time.
It all depends on what you plan to do with it and what your expectations are. Some people buy these machines with completely wrong expectations and get frustrated very quickly.
When i first saw the xcarve i was like. yup, i gotta have it. then i went through the slobbering phase for about 6 months over it till i got the money up to get it. Then reality hit. which one do i buy?
I wanted mine for doing PCB’s so i didn’t need the 1000mm monster. But my wife of all people said to me, “how much is it to upgrade it later and do you think you will want to upgrade it later”? She knows me all too well LOL. Of course I am going to want to upgrade it!!. In the end i decided on the extra investment and got the 1000mm. I had the space which is a big factor.
Since having it now for 2 years I have even upgraded the 1000mm. Stiffer, Stronger, Bigger, I had the technology (sorry for my bad Steve Austin reference)
In the end. Figuring out your available space and needs is what counts. you cant use a 1000mm unit if you don’t have the space for it. but then again, kids love it when dad builds a fort in the living room, they wont need their room then…
What things are you making with teh 14x25 and what brand is that may I ask?
How large is the 1000mm? in feet?
Work area and exterior dimensions are there under Tech Specs.
Google does a metric to us conversion for you.
1000mm is 1 meter or about 39 inches. Your working area is approximately 31 x 31 inches. Not sure I would try for the max though when carving
I’ve been cncing for about 15 years. I made a small one from scratch, a bigger one from scratch. Both of them used Maxnc motors and controllers. The 3rd one was a K2. They were bought out by Veloxcnc. Velox did away with the small desktop sized machines that K2 was selling. I primarily build guitar components on them. I’m doing up the gcode now for Fender type necks on the xcarve. The K2 wasn’t long enough for a strat or tele neck without having to carve it on an angle, which I did do, but it’s not as convenient as doing it along an axis. https://www.veloxcncrouters.com/
Velox and the K2 were more industrial quality, but the cost is a lot more too.