Newbie here with some questions. I’m sure all the answers to my questions are on the forum here and I just didn’t see them. I’m getting ready to buy my first CNC. No specific plans on what I’ll be making, maybe some signs, and little nick knacks to start. I’m looking at getting a 1F Elite Journeyman and had some questions that I’m hoping you guys could point me in the right direction:
I’m on the fence if I should get the QWC with rolling legs or make my own rolling cart. How stable and “easy to move” are the 1F carts? I want something that can roll but can also fold up to take up less floor space when not in use.
With the QCW Frame can you mount the Masso controller and VFD for the spindle?
Dust Collection: I have an OK dust collector and have Dust extractors. My hope is in the long term that I can be making something on the CNC and still using other tools that use dust collection (Table Saw, Planer, etc.). Am I better off setting up the 1F to use a 4” dust collector or a 2-1/2” dust extractor?
As a newbie are there any must haves that you would recommend?
I can give you my opinions based on my experience with the QCW…your mileage may vary
I have the QCW for the X-50 Woodworker (recently upgraded to the Elite model)
I have a small shop (basement) and wanted the ability to move around as needed
The QCW is very sturdy and I don’t have any problems with vibration or stability
I attached a piece of plywood to span the legs on the left side (when facing the machine) positioned as to allow the folding up of the legs to still happen and I have attached my power box, VFD, power strip to the outside of that plywood as well as the touch probe, MASSO pendant, and hook for my two spindle wrenches on the inside near the front…works amazingly well
Yes, the Masso touch screen/controller mounts to the front of the Y rail on the left side…works much better than the display/mount from the original setup which always seemed to get in the way of the Z-Slider assembly when homing
I have a very nice Laguna 2-stage cyclonic dust collection system; so, I have hooked up 4" for my system. I would like the convenience of a 2.5" shop vac; but, unless I want to spend as much on it as I did my current system…it wouldn’t collect dust nearly as well. With the PwnCNC dust boot (v10 with the Elite conversion)…it works pretty well. I don’t do a lot of 3D carves (which would be somewhat problematic with the V10 that I have).
If you haven’t already discovered @PwnCNC you should check them out. Daniel isn’t exclusive to the Onefinity platform; but, he runs a small business that is doing great things to move the world of CNC forward and I love his products and service.
Back to your original questions…the Journeyman is nice of course; but, I find that I can do everything I need to on the Woodworker. It is cheaper and takes up less room. I can’t speak to the QCW with the Journeyman either.
I would definitely go with the Elite line up
Peter (CNCNutz) has put together an amazing lineup of educational videos on Youtube for the Masso and has a Onefinity thread as well…check it out
JTech is your go-to for adding a Laser to your Onefinity. They also have a rotary attachment to use with the laser to etch water bottles and glasses
Jay, thank you very much for your input. I had thought about making something like that to mount everything. Do you have a picture of your setup you wouldn’t mind sharing? Are you saying that you think it would be convenient to be able to go back and forth between the 4" and 2-1/2" or that the smaller would be better if it was a better collector? I’ve already been looking at PWN for their spindle kit. I figured the Journeyman would more or less future proof me from wanting more vs, the woodworker. Thanks again for the feedback it is indeed helpful.
No, I’m not saying going back and forth between the 4" and 2.5"…just that it would be nice to have a dedicated dust collector for the CNC that I could have controlled by the MASSO. Unfortunately, they only support 120v on the power box from OF; so, it would have to be a shop-vac. To get one that is decent HEPA quality would cost close to what I paid for my Laguna…don’t want to do that. So, I opted to just use my Laguna with a 4" connection. I could have gotten a Nordfab reducer to go to 2.5" but, why?
Actually I Vac has a solution for this, I looked into using my Oneida Super-cell and for a few hundred dollars they can make it work, you need to work direct with I Vac and not Oneida as they have not rolled it out to them yet.
Pat
Thank you for the pictures. That helps tremendously. Now I understand where you were going with the dedicated dust collection that can turn on and off by itself. :+1:
I use it for 7 other tools and was quoted the parts from I Vac to be able to use it on my CNC in conjunction with the other tools, I would need one electric blast gate and the relays like what Expressomatic refers to, all supplied by I Vac.
If interested, ask for Tom at below number. iVAC International Technical Support
