What is the price range for CNC routing? I mean the type of routing that is
done by a sensor that touches/reads the pattern, then transfers it to wood
and carves out what it senses. Or that follows a CAD type program. Are
there any pantogram types of apparatuses that do this manually rather than
by CNC?

Thanks

Steve

Steve B (in aU2vf.6890$JT.1789@fed1read06) said:

| What is the price range for CNC routing? I mean the type of
| routing that is done by a sensor that touches/reads the pattern,
| then transfers it to wood and carves out what it senses. Or that
| follows a CAD type program. Are there any pantogram types of
| apparatuses that do this manually rather than by CNC?

Steve...

I believe that there are copy machines that more or less fit your
pantograph description; but I'm not familiar with them.

CNC routers start around US$5000 (see
www.cncwoodrouter.com/cncwoodrouter/ but note that the price doesn't
include shipping, which could be close to the price of the machine).
At the other end of the spectrum are machines with six-figure
pricetags.

ShopBot (www.shopbottools.com) sells a probe that can be used with
their machines to sense the shape of an object and save the data in a
file that can subsequently be used to cut a replica of the original
part. I have one but haven't needed/used it. I would expect that other
manufacturers offer similar accessories for their machines.

I have imported photographs into my CAD program, traced the
photographed objects, deleted the photographic image, saved the line
drawing as a DXF, and converted the DXF to a part program. The tracing
can be fairly tedious if there's a lot of detail, but has worked well
for me.

I'm in the process of building a 3-1/2 axis CNC machine that'll be
used for joinery. It's small enough that I'll be able to stash it
under my workbench when it's not being used. I think I'll have a final
cost under US$2K (not including the PC) and it'll be capable of
cutting all of the flavors of dovetail and M&T joints that can be done
by any of the passive jigs, plus a few joints of my own design.

If you're not in a big hurry, you might even consider building your
own machine. :-)

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/solar.html

"Steve B" wrote in message
news:aU2vf.6890$JT.1789@fed1read06...
What is the price range for CNC routing? I mean the type of routing that
is done by a sensor that touches/reads the pattern, then transfers it to
wood and carves out what it senses. Or that follows a CAD type program.
Are there any pantogram types of apparatuses that do this manually rather
than by CNC?


I just happened to see an episode of the New Yankee Workshop (I believe it
was part of the 2005 season) where Nahm goes back to the sign shop that made
the NYW sign. They had a cnc router set up with a v groove bit cutting
letters in large signs. It used a computer program to set up the job and
transfer it to the cnc. Norm asked how much the setup cost and the guy said
$10,000.

Frank

On Wed, 4 Jan 2006 22:20:47 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Steve B" quickly quoth:

What is the price range for CNC routing? I mean the type of routing that is
done by a sensor that touches/reads the pattern, then transfers it to wood
and carves out what it senses. Or that follows a CAD type program. Are

About $5k-$500k off the rack. Custom systems can go much higher.


there any pantogram types of apparatuses that do this manually rather than
by CNC?

These apparati exist. http://www.copycarver.com/
http://www.terrco.com/ter_5.htm

NOTE: the www.duplicarver.com site is a portal, NOT a site for
carvers.


------------------------------------------------------------
California's 4 Seasons: Fire, Flood, Drought, & Earthquake
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Your first description is not CNC. The tracer type machines have been around
for a very long time..

"Steve B" wrote in message
news:aU2vf.6890$JT.1789@fed1read06...
What is the price range for CNC routing? I mean the type of routing that
is
done by a sensor that touches/reads the pattern, then transfers it to wood
and carves out what it senses. Or that follows a CAD type program. Are
there any pantogram types of apparatuses that do this manually rather than
by CNC?

Thanks

Steve

What is the price range for CNC routing? I mean the type of routing that
is done by a sensor that touches/reads the pattern, then transfers it to
wood and carves out what it senses. Or that follows a CAD type program.
Are there any pantogram types of apparatuses that do this manually rather
than by CNC?

Thanks

Steve

Go to http://www.cnczone.com/. You can get all your questions answered
there, and probably pick up a deal on something, too.

- Owen -