Buy Once

Well, I am facing a bit of a crisis at the Toybox. For ten to fifteen years now I have watched computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment push from the large commercial shops into the smaller home and hobbyist shops. When I first started looking at this type of equipment, the Epilogue lasers were my top choice. This equipment used a laser to either cut out or etch product. You could use them to do laser engraving to decorate projects, or use them to cut through some material. I was absolutely hooked, but the better part of $20,000 would need to be laid out to purchase this kind of equipment. I figured that the thing to do was wait and let the price come down. In the years since I saw the first one, the capabilities have increased exponentially, and the price has come down by about half.

So, while I was biding my time, along came 3D printers. Early on, I told friends that I believed this would be one of the most disruptive technologies we could see in our lifetime. The time will come when rather than going through the manufacturing processes that we have all known, an item will just be loaded into a printer and appear before us. I actually talked about this in another post here. For a while, I paid a great deal of attention to where these were going, at one point even discussing with Andrew that we should buy one together. Again however, I figured that with time would come more capability and lower price. That is exactly what has happened.

Then, the final straw. In all of the time that I worked in the industrial sheetgoods and hardwood business, one of the things that I just loved was watching a CNC router cut parts out with an accuracy that would be almost impossible to duplicate with traditional woodworking techniques. Between the software that drives these machines and the way the cutting works, parts are virtually perfect and duplicate parts are exact. I was always fascinated but never really thought about it, as this type of equipment is tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, and need to be used continuously to make the economics of the purchase make sense. Until now. At this point, it is possible to get a shop-sized CNC router for under $2,000. One that I have seen is available for around $500.

So you ask, what is the crisis?  Most of it comes from experience and listening to others that I respect in woodworking and other crafts. The first table saw that I bought was used and I gave $400 for it. I used that Delta Contractor saw for over twenty years, moving it at least seven times. It was a good piece of equipment and I built several very nice projects with it. A little over a year ago, I bought a new table saw, and paid nearly six times as much. I would not tell you that it is six times as good a saw, but I would tell you that it is three or four times as good. The accuracy and the manner that you can repeat the same setup with accuracy is incredible. It is an amazing addition to my shop. Thanks to the people at Powermatic. If I could have done it all over, I would have bought the saw that I now have the first time. As Alec Steele says in his vlog, "Buy once, Cry once." What he means is that you should buy the absolute best equipment that you can the first time. You will be happy and your work will be better.

So, still getting to the crisis, right?  Now that CNC routers have gotten down to the place that I can afford to add one to the shop, I am second guessing myself. Should I figure out how to invest more money and buy better equipment right off the bat? I am supremely conflicted. I know that I will add this capability to the shop and it will allow me to add new dimensions to my woodworking. But am I looking at buying something that even though it is in the several thousand dollar range is too low in its quality and capabilities. Should I just suck it up and find more to invest in a better piece of equipment, or bring this in as a way to get to know what is possible?

I'm pretty sure that Alec would tell me to get better equipment, but those of you that know me the best know that I'm a little tight with money, so... there's my crisis. It will be interesting to watch this one play out. I have no idea what will happen.

On a side note, I have been tasked again with a couple of projects for kids' shelters here in the community. I am always so glad that I can be helpful in making it better for children and young adults who really need a little extra help. I will keep you posted as this goes. Hope that all is great with each of you and that you are working on all of the things that bring you joy.

Have a great week.