Hey everyone, thank you in advance for your insight.
I am looking to order my first CNC and will be getting a Journeyman X-50 or Woodworker X-50. I am looking for insight as to whether the increased size is worth it. Obviously this is greatly dependent on what I’ll use it for and I know that, so I’m just hoping to get feedback from people using these size machines as I have never used a CNC before.
Currently I’m primarily making furniture pieces, i.e. coffee tables, end table, entertainment centers. I plan to use the 1F to make templates and geometric door designs.
The cost difference between the two isn’t too much of a consideration because I strongly believe in the “cry once” mentality. Space savings is the biggest reason I am debating the two. I don’t have a huge shop but if the bigger size is worth it, I’ll figure it out.
it would be helpful to hear current users experience, such as if you’ve ever been limited with the smaller WW and what project you were trying to do or on the flip side if you have the larger foot print machine but have never used it’s full capacity.
You’ll almost never regret going with the bigger/better/larger/faster machine, if you can swing it.
I would much prefer the ability to handle 48" wide material. I love my Woodworker machine, but I regret the size limitation and having to rip full-sheet material down twice before I can feed the CNC. My first laser handled approximately 24" x 39". I buy 1/8" 4x8 sheets of acrylic, and if you’ve ever tried cutting that stuff on a table saw without proper infeed & outfeed tables/supports, it’s scary! My new laser handles 52" wide so I just load a sheet in and let the laser cut it down to (2) 3x4 sheets and (1) 2x4 sheet that I can store on a shelf. I say all that because it’s nice having larger sheets, and less waste, which applies to the CNC.
You mention templates - I label the bottom corner of each piece of acrylic with a serial number, then save all my cut sheets. I arrange the stuff I need to cut onto the sheet, cut the parts, then move all the new artwork to an ‘already cut’ layer. That way I can easily position new parts in the remaining areas. I’m not sure how this works with the CNC yet because I don’t batch out parts, but hopefully it helps somehow with your templates if you don’t already have a workflow figured out.
Yes - the outer rectangle represents the sheet size. I put the red-dot laser right on the corner (where the green dot in my image is located), then jog the machine left along the X axis to confirm the material is square with the machine bed. Saving sheet layouts like this would be a good way to go back and cut additional CNC clamps, fence pieces, etc… But I have no idea how to incorporate this workflow into the CNC router realm.
I upgraded to the Woodworker X-50, but if I was buying new I would likely spring for the Journeyman. My shop is also a little on the crowded side, but I find myself doing smaller things (cutting boards, catch-all trays, 3d wall-hanging pieces), and haven’t had much of an issue keeping under 32".
I don’t work on plywood a lot - so the partial-sheet issue isn’t a big deal for me. I do have a table saw with an outfeed table, and a Makita track saw, that makes dealing with 4x8 sheets possible when I do need something on the 1F.
But, way more people wish their machine was larger, than wish it was smaller! I think if you’re either doing big things (large signs, cabinets) or large volumes (cutting multiple things out of a single piece of material), a larger machine is a no-brainer. Templates for furniture could very likely benefit from a larger size - if you can squeeze it in, and you think a CNC is something you’ll use regularly, I’d suggest the Journeyman.