We are looking at a Vortech CNC ( http://vortechcnc.com/artisan-408.html ) router and wonder if there are any comments out there?
Sincerely,
tm
Tks Michael,
The 4x8 size is actually at the top of the size we can fit on our space, and if we had more room the larger would be a good idea.
I have had two other routers in my past and one was a Saber 408 with leadscrew and the other was an older Gerber AR 400. Both of those worked well at the time but in today's market a little pricey for me.
What is the down side to a Rack and Pinon setup vs. leadscrew or belt driven?
Sincerly,
tm
you have to replace the rack and pinion a little more frequently than a lead screw. my sabre is run at least 20 hours a week and some weeks it will run 24 hours a day for days on end. on one particular job it ran 16 hours plus a day for almost a month. with over a decade of continual use, it has not had a minute of down time and is on its original screws. all it takes is occasional maintenance. my gripe with the sabre is its size. 4 x 8 is just too small about 30% of the time.
the multicam rack and pinion machine i use is rock solid but my main gripe is that every time i lean over the machine to look at something closely i end up with grease all over me from the rack and pinion. while this machine is fairly new, i have been told that the r & p will have to be replaced every once in a while. i will know more about that is a few years but a 72" x 144" working area is stunning.
a belt machine? wouldn't own one if it was free. i ran one of the gerber ar 600's and the belt adjustment and replacement thing was too much for me. i would rather work with my machine than work on it.
my advice is is still to knock out a wall and move it or throw away something that is in the way and figure out a way to make the 5 x 10 fit. that extra size is worth its weight in gold when you need it.
michael
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i can't say anything about the brand name because i have never even seen one of these. but i prefer lead screw machines as opposed to rack and pinion. if you are comfortable with the brand my only recommendation would be to go ahead and spring the extra 2 grand for the 5x10 version. that little bit of extra working room is worth another 10k down the road. it is the difference in being able to make a large number of jobs in one piece as opposed to putting together jigsaw puzzles on location.
michael