Mine hasn’t made any money… but I did use some “sample” projects when I got my job at a machine shop. had gotten laid off from another company doing wire winding (wire core, Medical cable, flexible power shafts). Now I run waterjet, lathes and mills.
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I did a just over $1000 (£800) worth of stuff on Etsy leading up to Christmas. I’ve not paid off the X carve yet but working on it. My main problem is time, working a full time job and then trying to get stuff done in evenings and the odd free weekend. I’ve take a lot of my etsy listing down as i don’t have time at the moment to make stuff to sell.
My machine paid for itself last summer with the deck board job that was a subject of a blog post here on the forum. Since then it has become not so much a money maker as a method to add enhancements and value to the other things I make in my wood shop that I would be unable to do by more traditional methods.
(pics coming really soon of my most recent piece, Phil has seen it under construction)
It also simplifies things like pockets in the middle of a workpiece to inlay a mirror for example.
So, the term “paid for itself” has different meanings for me.
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I had to make a deal with my wife to buy mine. I built a bunch of stuff by hand to make enough money to buy the x carve and i can’t buy my next machine (3d printer or Laser cutter) until I make the money for them with the xcarve.
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Wow that looks great. Thanks for showing it done with 2x4’s, that is my plan too, including ripping them to ensure the same height!
Hi everyone - new X-Carve owner here ( I’ve built it but yet to use it). Just wanted to say hi and also show what I’m planning on building this week to house my X-Carve.
I’ve had to design mine to accomodate sound soundproofing material - here and here - as I live in a block of flats in the UK and I doubt my neighbours will be happy with the noise. Worst case scenario if it is still too loud I will just have to rent a small studio workshop space in town somewhere but hoping it won’t come to that.
So here’s what I’ve come up with so far (based on a few things I’ve seen on here). I’ve yet to figure out how’s best to feed in the dust collection hose so any ideas shout out. I’ve got the shop-vac ready and a cyclone separator already, just need to build a soundproof box around them too.
As I’m sure someone will shout out air intake will be important for those and I plan to install some 120mm fans to help airflow into the boxes with some sort of baffle out the outside to stop that noise too.
Exterior shots
I spoke to the guy who sells the soundproofing material and he said he also had some thick sound proofing acrylic or something so I plan to use that for the windows. The black that you can see lines the interior of the lid is that soundproofing material I linked above.
The red beneath the X-Carve will be the floor soundproofing material.
And then inside the torsion box at the base (first time designing and making one of these so any tips or pointers welcome) I plan to fill all the cavities with expanding sound absorption foam. link
Anyway, look forward to chatting to you all and learning from this amazing community. Now feel free to pick holes in everything I’ve said and uploaded haha
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Welcome Toby! Cool design. I should probably do something like that too just so my wife doesn’t throw the whole thing out the window! =)
Cheers Jason. Once I’ve finessed it with any tips mentioned on here and built the thing I’d be happy to share the fusion 360 file. All the measurements have been input as variables so it should just auto update if the sizes need to be tweaked. I’m definitely no Fusion 360 expert - more just have a go until it breaks and then look to youtube for the answer haha. So no doubt someone will look at it in shock and horror at my approach the F360.
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Fatkat… nice shed. will be interested in how you outfit the inside.
Toby. Since sound is such a large concern, you should look at doing a water cooled spindle. they are really quiet compared to a router.
First time poster here. This forum is full of excellent content, so thanks to all you contributors.
My X-Carve is somewhere between Chicago and Nova Scotia. I went with the 750mm mama bear, not too big, not too small. Now I need to prepare a workspace before it gets here, specifically a dedicated table/bench/desk. Here’s what I’ve learnt:
- table top must be extremely flat and stiff
- lots of mass dampens vibration
- a good table height is ~30" (I’m 6’-1")
- work surface should be no less than 30" x 40"
- adjustable/lockable wheels are a good idea
Anything else?
I’m a big fan of cost-effectiveness and simplicity, and I like to reduce/reuse/recycle where possible.
Here’s my studio:
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We’re in Shad Bay, halfway between Halifax and Peggy’s Cove.
My wife used to live in Halifax. Love going to Peggy’s Cove.
As a tall guy myself (6’2), I can definitely recommend going a bit taller on your table build. Mine is 34" tall including leveling non-skid feet and it’s perfect for me.
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This arrived today just one week after placing the order. The plan is to build a lightweight torsion box to mount it on. There may be a need to bring it to offsite so I want to be able to get it into the truck. When docked at home it will be “united” with a fairly massive shelf.
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Fra-gee-lay… must be Italian. =)
Hope it’s a leg lamp!
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Between shipping, customs, and currency conversion it feels exotic and European. Maybe I’ll make my own leg lamp.
I’m 6’2" and have my finish table height built at 40 inches so roughly 42" to the top of my wasteboard. I would highly recommend building at least counter height so you don’t have to lean over to work.
I like that idea. The great Julia Child (whose kitchen can be seen at the Smithsonian) liked her countertops extra high. I’m making my X-Carve Workspace adaptable with lots of room for change. I may have a fear of commitment.
