Looking For Info on a CNC router Machine

wilbur

I am looking for info on purchasing the right CNC Router Machine to make surfboard fins. I,m not wanting to make hundreds a day just looking for info on being able to make a few fins a day at a low cost. I have always made my fins using a lay-up of 40 layers of fibreglass cloth and laminating resin and then would cut the shape out and foil them all done by hand. The sheet thickness of glass is about 13mm and looking at these machines I would have to do one side at a time then turn it over to foil or rout the other side. Any info on the type of unit that would do this I would be greatfull for.

PaulRowntree

How big are the fins? Would you be cutting foam or fibreglass? Foam would cut great, fg ... not so much.
I built mine (4'x6') for ~$1500. 2 sided work is fine, just takes a bit more effort to set up.
Good design software is important to get the most out it... I use and like Vectric programs; some let you program in Lua.

VonSzarvas

Moving thread to General Discussion.

... And welcome to the forums Wilbur!

hatallica

My initial thoughts:

Build vs buy - the spectrum of machine options spans from DIY to kits to fully assembled and ready to go. Where is your comfort level?

Work space (X x Y x Z) - the ability of the machine to move over the height, width, and depth of the work piece is pretty much a non-negotiable specification. Sorry, I don't know the size of a typical surfboard fin. Small bench-top machines might handle up to, say, 6x6x6 inches (15cm). Kits will generally expand your X and Y dimensions in the range of 1ft to 4ft (30cm to 120cm), but may or may not increase Z travel.

Flip jig - it would save a decent amount of effort if the machine has (or can easily accept) an alignment jig that preserves symmetry.

Tooling - fiberglass requires special bits that look more like a rasping tool than a typical spiral cutter.

Dust management - As you likely know from working by hand, fiberglass will create some rather nasty dust. Proper PPE is non-negotiable. I strongly suspect that stray fiberglass dust would do horrible things if it gets into the moving pieces of the machine, also. At the minimum, I would look at options for a dust shoe with shop vacuum attachment.

macrobeak

Wilbur,
Build a Shapeoko cnc engraver/router as a starting point.
Cheap, easy to operate and it will cut fibreglass easily.

JasonDorie

I was going to suggest a new XCarve, which is basically an upgraded Shapeoko. It'll do what you need, is relatively well supported, and easy to maintain. Also, I don't recommend a shop-vac as your dust management, get a proper dust collection system, like a 2hp at minimum. A shop vac will collect the big stuff, but it's the small stuff that gets into your lungs, and to get much of it, you need to move a LOT of air, and a modest dust collector is only a couple hundred bucks.