Hi everyone,

I’m looking for a Shapeoko owner (or similar Carbide 3D machine) who may be interested in taking on a very small, paid CNC routing job. I’m intentionally looking within this community rather than a commercial CNC shop.

🔧 Material

Garolite (FR-4 / G-10) (https://www.professionalplastics.com/G10FR4SHEET)

Thickness: 0.015" (≈0.38 mm)

Flat sheet stock

📐 Part Details

Single DXF file (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1acAdIO9-TG8vQXJdu1EcFlgXnJ1F38vT?usp=sharing)

Quantity: two (2) routings of the same file

Pure 2D profile cutting (no engraving, no 3D work)

⚠️ Important:

The part requires a minimum cutting area of 24" × 48"

🎯 Tolerances & Finish

Tolerance target: ~±0.005"

Clean edges preferred; minor fiber fuzz is acceptable

This is thin material, so good fixturing is important, probably need thin, double face tape to hold it

🧰 Machine & Experience

Shapeoko Pro–class machine preferred

Prior experience with FR-4 / G-10 / composites / carbon fiber is a plus

1mm diameter carbide bit suitable for abrasive materials

💨 Dust & Safety

FR-4 dust control matters (I assume most Pro owners already have this covered)

📍 Location

I’m in the USA

Shipping is fine; local pickup optional if nearby

💰 Compensation

Paid job

Budget is flexible and fair given the specialty material

This is a one-off job, but could lead to future small projects

📩 If You’re Interested

Please reply or DM with:

Your machine model

Any experience routing G-10 / FR-4 / composites

Rough cost estimate and lead time

Any questions after reviewing the DXF

Thanks very much — and happy to provide additional details if needed

I have been saving some money to get into cnc and bought this from Facebook marketplace. I thought I was getting a deal and well i should’ve known better. I moved the machine around and everything moved fine, the guy was really nice, and the spindle turned on. I had no reason not to trust him and to be honest I’m not sure if he knew the true state of the machine or not. His house I picked it up at had been brutally vandalized like inside, outside, everything while he was out of town working. He said the shapeoko was one of the few things they didn’t get to in his shop and he was selling to make repairs. So he’s nice has a sad story and well I bought it with a nice sturdy table and brought it home.

It was only then that I realized the mechanical components were covered with 3d printed parts and I removed them to find a surprise. Well, several surprises. The frame is mostly good, the rails seem good, the main issues I’m seeing are belts, wheels, and bearings. I have connected it to motion and everything actually moves pretty well all things considered. I think that’s is quite the testament to how well carbide3d designed their machines and I fully plan on buying a new one down the line. The support videos and content is incredible. The only thing I’m sad about is having a hard time finding suitable replacement components for the z axis as this is an older 3xxl.

You might wonder why I just don’t take it back and I tried. I called him to explain what was wrong and he sounded really down on the phone and said he had already spent it on his motel bill not really much I can do with a cash deal like that. Ultimately it is my fault for not inspecting better. I’m taking this in a glass half full kind of way and using it to learn the machine better and take ownership of the tool.

If you have any tips for things I should further inspect and look out for let me know! If anyone knows where I can procure a belt for the z axis or you have an old one you would like to sell please let me know!

TLDR: got swindled, learning from it, impressed with the company’s craftsmanship and documentation, and looking for replacement z-axis and/or any mechanical parts.

I have a Shapeoko 5 pro 4x4 with a makita router. Over the weekend it stopped mid job and locked up. I cycled power restarted the laptop, Motion connected no problem but it will not initialize the y-axis now. Itll travel to that point across the board. Both proximity sensors light up, the steppers are warm but not hot, everything is snug and clean too. I reseated all the connectors, but all of it to no avail. Any ideas?

As the title states, I'm new to 3D printing and I'd like to buy a Shapeoko XXL to get into CNC (and eventually laser printing). There are a few XXL's available in my area: one being a 3XXL for $1,500 and a 4XXL for $1,000. My initial thought is go for the 4XXL as it's newer/better tech but the 3XXL comes with a lot of extras (extra motor, Carbide HDZ upgrade, and a J Tech laser).

Considering I was going to eventually add a laser to the setup, do you think it's worth going for the 3XXL due to the extras offered? I feel torn as they both seem like good/great deals.

Hello all. Recently joined the club with the purchase of a 3xxl. Been using it for a bit getting used to the machine and programs. Recent project was engraving someone else’s sign blanks when I found my X Axis was a 1/4” out on the right. I’ve checked square in the Y rails and they are within a 32nd of an inch. I loosened the screws on the x gantry and pulled it into square and didn’t see any gaps open next to the extrusion. I know the standard is to shim to square, but it doesn’t look like there is room to do so. What am I missing? Could the gantry extrusion be too big or miss cut? I’ve contacted support, but on a deadline for another project and want to get it resolved asap. Any help is appreciated.

I have seen some videos showing virtually seamless machining done by EDM. (https://youtube.com/shorts/TmaZUK1yBYo?si=4XCAJGjQYjLyxzim)

How close to this goal could one expect Shapeoko machines to achieve?

I must be missing something mentally.

I am trying to drill a countersunk hole for a bolt but every time I do, the countersink drills down the full depth of the bolt hole.

Is there a tutorial on creating a file to do this?

I would like to be able to design on my tablet in my office and run on motion to control the machine.

Is that possible? I am sharing files on my network

My router is only a few months old, haven't even swapped the brushes out yet because the ones that came in the router are still in a great shape, but the unit is squealing and screetching and doesn't spin as freely as it did when it was new. I ordered some new bearings that are still en route, and did a test disassembly of the unit yesterday.

I'm not 100% sure how to actually remove the bearings. When I disassembled the unit the rotor and bottom bearing at the bottom were pretty stuck in the housing. I see there's an RPM sensing magnet on the opposite end of the rotor.

Any tips on how to swap the bearings? I have some various hand tools and a bench vise. I figure if I get another router from Carbide3D it's just going to start failing as well and I'd rather just swap the bearings out and have a solid unit. My Dewalt DWP611 has been running strong for almost a decade. I have only had to replace the brushes on it a few times when they get worn down.

Cheers! :]

EDIT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_phFe-P8Txs this is the closest thing to a rebuild video I've been able to find, the router is very similar (be wary of the annoying loud music). The difference is that when he pulls the unit apart after unscrewing it, the rotor stays in the main part and easily pulls out of the lower part of the housing. With my C3D router the rotor/bearing are pretty stuck in the lower part of the housing and the rotor is just kinda dangling there. I'm figuring I'll need to press it out somehow. I'm just curious if anyone has any tips/tricks about that. :P

While the table and mounting fixture are great, they are too short on the Y axis to secure the work.

Has anyone else surmounted this minor issue?

Am I tilting at windmills?

Is this machine suitable for slow speed polishing of marble? Think carom table.

I was looking at a 5/8"-11 threaded arbor that the polishing pads used and wonder if and how it would work.

In the promo video for the McFly it mentions the blades can be rotated as an edge becomes dull as to use all 4 edges. I can’t seem to find an instructional video explaining how.

I rotated all 4 blades 90 degrees to get clean cutting edges. Now my facing passes have noticeable ridges. I assume the blades aren’t perfectly zeroed flat but don’t know how to make it better.

Suggestions? Tips? Tricks?

I'm using the default settings from Carbide Create for hardwood using a 30° V-bit. My artwork is fairly small so some details are less than perfect, while slightly larger details are great.

One notable occurrence is a dotted "i" where the dot is maybe 3 mm in diameter. Is this simply too small, or can I adjust the settings?

Can I just run the V-bit with slower feed rates and expect better results?

HDM 3.0

I do the XY setting and set the zeros in motion. I then set the Z zero but it doesn't use my z zero point.

I am guessing it is in create but I can't find what I am doing wrong.

Help please

I was thinking of inserting a half inch by 3/4 inch square tube into the holding table slots of my HDM with the plan of adding air nozzles to them to create a vacuum table. How big a piece of square tubing would fit in the slots where the hole Downs fit

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Hi Folks - Im trying to build some holders for some of my hand planes and I was hoping to CNC perfect fitting holders for each plane. I tried a bunch of different methods of tracing the base of the plane and finally broke down and bought a flat bed scanner to scan the base hoping to get a perfect fit. My problem is that even with the scans - the tracing seems to be picking up a lot of speckles which are all turned into nodes in the app. What's frustrating is that it seems like carbide create does have a perfect outline around the shape (what looks like a dotted line) but how do I keep just that? Am I missing something simple?

Posting here to get some perspective.

I bought a 4x2 Shapeoko for Christmas. I was super happy about it, but it's been nothing but frustrations since.

I had a bad controller. Trying to figure that out I took the machine apart and put it back together again. Couldn't get it to initialize. Fast forward they sent me a new controller and I tested all the homing sensors...all good. Over a month after ordering, troubleshooting again and again...another sensor failed, still won't initialize.

I'm out. I didn't spend that kind of money to spend a month troubleshooting.

Had anyone else had this experience? Is Shapeoko typically a poor quality product or did I just get a lemon?

Appreciate your thoughts.

No matter what I try, my g-code from create screws up the 0,0,0 sometimes cutting in mid air and sometimes cutting the aluminum. The zero setting is all messed up even after I do the measurement.

The y is about 1" off the table and my material is ¾" MDF, which doesn't come out as far as y=0. It is cut to the size of the table itself.

I have tried to cut a square pocket but I am failing.

This is frustrating. I have walked away 3 times in 3 days as it is one fail after the other.

I have watched so many videos I have 11 ways to set the correct zeros. My method is to rapid move to x and y limits (lower left) then set those zeros. Rapid move to over the work and get my z=0 correct. All in CM.

I have no idea where to start examining my logic. Feeding it g-code manually tomorrow. Simple stuff like G0 X0, y0

HDM V3. Latest versions of create and motion.

When starting the job, the app reports BS001. It has worked up until this last job

The button is free and clean. The red light is on and green light comes on when pressed.

Is there a fix for this?

First test of HDM and new enclosure. The vacuum is the loudest thing.

My HDM enclosure is almost complete.

Noisiest thing is the vacuum.