Re: Smithy vs. Shoptask

Hi Kirk,

I have a Shoptask that I have converted to CNC and added ball screws to so I
can give you personal experience on this machine. I have never seen or used
a Smithy Granite, so my comments on that machine are just conjecture.

Regardless of which machine you purchase, you will likely find that the
lathe is great and has very good rigidity. But, due to the design
limitations imposed on a 3 in 1 machine the milling section has to be
considered as less than optimal. What I am saying is that the mill portion
will work fine as long as you are aware and respect the limitations. Without
a knee like you have on a true milling machine you end up having to either
place risers under the work to bring it up to the spindle (the better
solution) or use extensions in the spindle to get the bit to the work (poor
solution unless the work is very light). Either way you will find far more
flex in the milling setup than in a dedicated machine.

OTOH, I find the milling portion of my Shoptask to be quite useful. I always
try to get the most rigid setup possible and I limit the depth of cut and
the cutter chip load. Doing this allows you to turn out quite nice pieces. I
still am planning to eventually get a "real" mill machine as it would be
nice to have the greater capacity and rigidity that a dedicated machine
offers, but for now the Shoptask does the job and got me a great lathe and a
decent mill at a price I could afford now.

You may want to check out my web page at http://www.ktmarketing.com
I have some of the story of my adventures with the Shoptask and my
conversion to CNC.

Regarding the CNC conversion:
If you want a turn key setup get the factory upgrade, but you will end up
paying a bunch for something you can do yourself for far less. I know that
the Shoptask CNC upgrade is US$2,000.00. If you wanted to put in some time
and effort here is the break down of the expected costs:
Camtronics 5 amp controller kit: $225.00
Case, wire, misc. to finish kit: $100.00
Power supply for controller: $75.00
3 stepper motors if you search for surplus: $150 - $500 (for all 3 and $500
would get you some killer motors)
Controller software: Free - $100
So, all totaled $650 - $900 would get you going.

If you have any specific questions feel free to e-mail me.

Tim
[Denver, CO]

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kirk W. Fraser" <kirk@...>
>
> While I'm not yet able to afford it, I'm still looking forward to the
> prospect of getting a CNC mill-lathe. I would like some more details from
> experienced users of the Shoptask 17-20 XMTC Gold at $1295 and the Smithy
> Granite 1324 CNC at $3195. Obviously the Shoptask is much more affordable
> and the weight and swing figures are about the same. The milling figures
> appear larger on the Shoptask except for spindle bore -- how important is
> that? Is there anything else I should be concerned about?
>
> What I really need is a CNC that can easily deliver 0.001" tolerance and
> perhaps 0.0005" as many of the parts I want to make are pretty tight or
they
> don't fit. Neither Smithy or Shoptask responded to my email. Does anyone
> have experience that one is easier to get that tolerance repeatably on?
>
> And what about the software of their recommended CNC packages -- is one
> easier to learn & use than the other? Although price is very important
I'd
> hate to find out I made an expensive mistake. So what else should a
> first-timer look for?
>
> Thanks,
> Kirk W. Fraser