My resolution for 2016:

- reduce what's on my "Bucket List"
- Increase what's on my "F* it List"

and maybe a new sail....

The standard fair for me this year; drop 15 lbs. Bonus goal; buy a 4'x8' cnc router.

Enjoy life.

What are you planning on doing with that Jake?

Mostly signs (foam board) but personal wood projects will find their way to it on a regular basis.

Not quite 4x8, but here's a start: linky
This thing looks cool enough I might have to get one

Another cool toy:
https://fslaser.com/Products/View/0

Start racing Hobie 16s again.

Mike

There's one made in Georgia called CamMaster. They look to be a decent lighter duty machine. Locally there's a company called Shop Sabre that builds cnc's that would likely fit your needs pretty well.

I'm hoping to get a 5x10 in the next couple of years. Looking at an Andi router, but all said and done I'll likely have $125k into it. Sky's the limit on what you can spend.

I'm mostly looking at things along the line of Laguna's CNCs but they just get them from China and rebrand them. I've found the Chinese manufacturer that they appear to buy from and when I get to the point, will probably contact them and do some math on the international freight and delivery...also looking at used industrial equipment too.

You are definitely right - you can spend as much as you want. I can only imagine how it would speed up the things you do. I'm mostly looking for a new toy.

Avoid Laguna anything.

Used industrial stuff could work out, it's hard to say. I've basically ruled that path out myself. But if the right machine came along I wouldn't say no. IRSauctions.com is a good spot to look. The classifieds on woodweb would be another site to troll on the regular looking for something used.

I figure a cnc at our current rate of production would save me about 200 hours per year. The busier things get, the larger that number becomes.

You'll shoot your eye out, kid....

interesting little tidbits I've gleaned from several clients who work directly with the Chinese manufacturing:

- they can produce pretty much anything. They have an uncanny way of changing a design just so to get around patent violations.

- they build several different "grades" of quality depending on how much you wish to pay. You definitely want the highest you can afford. As one of my clients is fond of saying "they produce German engineering and Japanese quality control at Indian prices". Granted, they are producing a high quality product and paying premium prices for it.

- you're pretty much obligated to pay a middle-man. It's sort of an institutionalized racket. But this can work in your favor if you develop a good relationship with them (vs. the mfg.) because the good ones can grease way more wheels when it comes to getting it done on-time, on-budget and delivered with a minimum of hassle. Most of these "representatives" are American university (MBA, J.D. or better) educated.

I'd suggest reaching out to your 'Merican contacts who have contracts in China and seeing if they have a handler/middle-person they work with who could possibly line something up for you (for an american sized fee, of course).

Yeah, I agree some of that (including China) can be pretty sketchy but as long as the bones are decent the electronics don't scare me too much. I have designed industrial controls using steppers and servos for a while during my career and should be able to refit an obsolete or incomplete machine with modern stuff. Of course, that could be opening up a complete nightmare for myself...but we'll see. Space is my next problem.

Well it is the last frontier.

Funny you mention that... I was binge watching the "Twilight Zone" marathon on Sci-Fy last weekend (complete with Rod Serling's narratives)...

I saw the episode with the Gremlin on the aircraft wing that only one passenger saw (they went and remade this episode in the Twilight Zone movie).

And who was that passenger in this black & white episode? A 22-year old William Shatner /James Tiberius Kirk.

Yikes I'm getting old.

How'd they get a car to stay on the wing???

Mike

The magic of TV I guess

But the gremlin on this black & white episode was hilarious. Looked more like sasquatch and "scary monster" from South Park

I believe that I've seen that episode, and your description is pretty accurate, including Shatner.

I didn't watch much of that show. The episode which disturbs me to this day was the one with the guy who gets paralyzed in a desert, but is still aware when a vulture comes by for a snack...

Mike

yes, that was pretty mind-bending.

There was some other movie where they buried a guy up to his neck and waited for the tide to rise. Quite disturbing as well... Of course, he came back as a zombie or something to avenge..