Newbie from TX

[Adaml]

Just wanted to say thanks for letting me join! I don’t currently own a CNC machine but started my research about a month ago. My son is in welding at his high school and has started to really gain interest in it. So I thought maybe get a table for our home shop so he can gain even more experience then maybe turn it into a career for him outside of school. So any advice y’all have to offer would be greatly appreciated!

[acourtjester]

Welcome aboard, nice that your son is getting into welding. Do they have a table at the school for the students to learn on?
Are you looking to buy a table or learn how to build one as a way for your son to advance and use what he has learned. There are many DIY types here that can help with info on how to do that. I have built 10 tables from scratch myself using different software and electronics along the way.
There are many great files to download from here to use when you have a table you can use the search function in the upper right to look around.

[Adaml]

Yes they have a Torchmate table at the school. Well when I began the research I went straight to the buy a “turn key system” and for my budget the Modular STV, Langmuir XR and squickmons Elihu-S are in the finals. As time goes on I have started to consider the build your own route but have no idea where to start. So that is how I came across this forum. I am hoping joining this forum will help me decide which route to take.

[adbuch]

Welcome to the forum Adam! The Torchmate seems to be a popular table for the schools, and the TMCad software is a nice package and pretty easy to learn. If you son is already familiar with that system, then migrating from TMCad to CorelDraw, Fusion 360, or Inkscape should come easy for him. Of the tables you mentioned, I would personally gravitate towards the Langmuir as I feel they offer an excellent package for the price. I have heard nothing but praise for the Langmuir tables, and they also have some excellent Fusion 360 tutorial videos at their site.

As far as the software goes, Fusion is free for students and hobbyists, Inkscape is free, and CorelDraw can be purchased on Amazon for around $100 for perpetual license. If your son really likes to use TMCad for design, then TMCad (basic version) can be purchased for around $300. I just recently purhased a copy for myself and it is a nice program and great fun to use.

For cutters I would recommend the Hypertherm 45xp with hand torch. If funds permit, you could also buy both the hand torch and machine torch - machine torch for the table, and hand torch for manual cutting.

Good luck and let us know if you have any specific questions.

David

[Kaos]

Did you decide on a table?

[adbuch]

Did you decide on a table?

Welcome aboard Kaos! Please tell us a little bit more about yourself. What kind of table and cutter do you have (if any), which design software do you prefer to use (or are trying to learn), and what sorts of projects are you interested in creating? There is a wealth of knowledge to be had here, as well as many cut file ready to download for contributing members. Let us know what questions you have and we will try to answer them and help you along your path to creative cutting and/or engraving.

David

[Adaml]

No I have not decided on a table yet. It is a big purchase so I’m not sure when I will actually pull the trigger on one.

[Kaos]

No I have not decided on a table yet. It is a big purchase so I’m not sure when I will actually pull the trigger on one.

My list narrowed almost exactly as yours and after many months of research I ended up going with Squickmons. They reached out to me and answered some of my questions, so that helped me with my decision. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

[Adaml]

What table did you go with at squickmons? And did you get the software upgrade?

[Kaos]

The Elihu Lite 4X8. No software upgrade. I was already at the top end of my budget and wanted to get the machine and learn how to use it before spending more on the software upgrade.

[Rftek]

Hi Adaml,
If your in the Austin area feel free to message me and come checkout my Langmuir Pro setup! Its basic but I love it, no regrets.