[Deech]

I've been eyeballing the CarveWright for a while, but due to the varying reviews on it, haven't pulled the trigger yet.

I'd like to know if there are any other options for me that are similar. The biggest thing that draws me to the CW is the way it feeds. I can work with the width constraints, but a lot of my ideas and projects will be long, not wide. I like the fact that it's a fairly compact machine, but can feed up to 12' lengths.

I've looked all over and have found nobody else really doing this. I could build my own, but I'd really rather a tested kit at least.

So, is there any other company making a similar low cost machine that can do what the CW does? I found this: Phlatprinter 3 Kit which cuts foam. Ideally, I'd like a machine like this can can cut wood and foam like this.

In a perfect world, I want to be able to cut 4x8, but that's a hell of a lot of room to commit in my workshop, so this style seems perfect, if I can find one.

Any ideas?

[cabnet636]

My first was a carvewright, you may be going down the right road to take a long look, after 6 weeks I saw its limitations at first it was size capacity for me, it worked the collet was junk but I believe that has been long fixed and the newer ones will do pretty much as expected, Fun Machine. just not long term.

you may have to look at full cnc, whether it is a kit or a better stand alone like several shown here on the forum. the next step up after that is gonna run 5-10 k (bearings and hardware make this Price Point) basically there is no apples to apples for the CW, it is very proprietary to the machine software, upgrades parts support, has a really good forum for the owners though. look at the camaster stinger, xzero, shopbot, for Long term use with mostly open source hardware, then there is a plethoria of smaller kit machines I know little about !

[Deech]

I know I may outgrow this machine, but the main thing I'm looking for is a machine with a similar form factor. That is to say, instead of having a bed, using belts or something to feed the piece into the machine.

[cabnet636]

Pretty sure there is no comparable machine ! good luck on your CNC venture it can be fun !

[ger21]

The ShopBot Buddy with Powerstick uses a similar technique, but is larger and considerable more expensive. But it's also a lot more machine.

[Deech]

Thanks, the shop buddy was actually exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, it's well outside my price range.