[frcguy]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

This is very helpful thank you.

Also, do you have any particular recommendation for the arbor press. Not to sure what I am looking at and how to figure out which one is better.

We have this one: http://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/ap0-...r-press/333605

It's a 1/2 ton and really small so you can't use it for much, but the overall quality of it is pretty good and they make bigger models.

Edit:

Originally Posted by RoboChair

2. I have no recommendations for you at that price range really, I have heard good things about the X-carve and shapeco and those should be in the range you need. One of them 2 has full cad of the machine free to download so you could get the minimum and beef it up and/or make another with the first.

Some more on this. Our school bought a Shapeoko 2, the predecessor of the X-Carve, two years ago. We have spent the last 1 1/2 years working on it and trying to make it function well. We've had many problems, and have successfully only cut 3 things out of plywood with it. IMO, take a look at Carbide 3D. They are led by the inventor of the Shapeoko that split off from the project to start his own company. The Shapeoko 3 looks to me to be superior in build quality and rigidity, and they have great technical support, and it is light years ahead of the Shapeoko 2. PM me if you want more specifics of the Shapeoko troubles we had.