This is all great news. That’s good enough for my needs. I’ve been considering taking some debt to buy an expensive machine for my startup… but I hate the idea of getting in a hole early on and prefer the idea of 1-4 of your machines that I can run at a time.
Much appreciated and I look forward to the general sales opening up!
One safety note, particularly since you are planning a multiple-machine setup. The Maslow is designed to be a low-cost, no-frills machine. As such, it does not inherently have some of the safety features of an expensive commercial machine. In particular, if the sled get hung up or the bit gets too dull, it is distinctly possible to ignite a fire when cutting flammable material. It doesn’t happen often, but it has happened to a few users. As a small startup, you have many things to do and it may be tempting to leave the Maslow(s) to run unattended. Don’t! Keep a fire extinguisher handy near the exit of your workspace. Give serious thought to how you will manage dust in your workspace. Search these forums for the term “Fire” and learn from others’ experience.
I’m not trying to scare you away from the Maslow. Safety hazards come with any equipment, but it’s important to understand the Maslow’s risk areas in this regard.
I also generally try to steer people away from Maslow or really any of the cheaper options for doing hard core professional work. I think that a ShopBot is the cheapest machine that I would really recommend for any kind of job shop…that being said a Maslow4 costs significantly less than the intro class to running the ShopBot and uses all the same software and basic skills so it’s certainly valuable as a learning tool.
We haven’t found a way to offer a $27,000 machine for $500, we’re just offering something entirely different.
@bar @jwolter I appreciate the guidance. I’m drawn towards the Maslow as an interim solution that lies between building the business at a Makerspace and having enough working capital (and space!) to go all out and buy a $50k machine. My volume won’t be super high, by the time I’m cutting an average of a single sheet a day, I think I can justify the leap to a larger machine.
That said, the idea of throwing some wood on and having a couple of sheets cut while I’m at home enjoying a beer would have probably happened, if not for your warning. So thanks again for the guidance.
I’m actually using a ShopBot right now at a makerspace, but being a community resource, there’s a bit of a “tragedy of the commons” situation going there that leads to unreliable cuts on the Z axis. I’ve learned a ton over the last year on that machine and am really grateful to have access to it.
I have a tiny space to work in, so naturally the Maslow is appealing from a space perspective. I like the idea of possible layering 2+ machines at 15 degrees. While not perfect, it seems like it might be a way to reduce costs while I build the business. Hopefully not a long or medium term solution, but one that can be a step to get where I want to be.
Which router is required for Maslow 4? Thank you.
Depending where your from DeWalt DWP611 (US) D26200 (Europe) are the recommended routers
Using a 1/4” bit, what’s the max pass depth the Maslow4 can handle?
It’s going to depend on the material and the bit and the feedrate also. My goto has been 1800mm/min and 3mm depth of cut, but I haven’t experimented that much.
it depends on the wood how sharp the bit it, the grind of the bit, and how fast
you are cutting, you really need to test it. people can give your rough things
to try, but you need to test.
Bar tends to be extremely conservative at 0.2 in per pass, others will go much
deeper per pass.
David Lang
fwiw V1E belt based CNC machines seem to maximize material removal rate (i.e. volume) using deep slow passes/cuts.
that requires a rigid machine and a suitably slow spindle.
neither of which really applies to the maslow
David Lang
Can the Maslow 4 process an entire 2.5x1.25ml panel?
Enea wrote:
Can the Maslow 4 process an entire 2.5x1.25ml panel?
with the right size frame and wasteboard around the edges for the sled to ride
on, yes.
We are having some issues with calibration right now, so we are not sure what
errors will show up on the ‘standard’ ~2.4m x 3m frame, you may need something a
bit larger to handle the full panel.
David Lang
Is the Maslow m4 designed to have the belt attachments at the height of the work surface or would it be better to raise them to always keep them parallel to the work surface? Obviously each at a different height. Thank you.
Enea wrote:
Is the Maslow m4 designed to have the belt attachments at the height of the
work surface or would it be better to raise them to always keep them parallel
to the work surface? Obviously each at a different height. Thank you.
The real answer is “we don’t know yet”
All of Bar’s testing was done with them anchored below the height of the work
surface.
Many of us think the same thing that you do, that having the belts parallel to
the work surface will be better. But there just hasn’t been enough testing to
know for sure.
David Lang
This has been the topic of quite a bit of discussion. The truth is we don’t really know, and the answer may be different if your Maslow is mounted vertically (i.e. primarily supported by two belts) or horizontally (i.e. primarily supported by the work piece). Some of the factors to consider are: how much force does the Maslow need to remain pressed against the work piece? Does pulling on the belt tend to tip the Maslow over?
In the end, I think we’re just going to have to try different arrangements and see what works.
Hi, I have two questions to ask. How do you understand if the update of the Maslow and Index files was successful?
When I retract the belts there is no problem, but when I try to extend, two belts extend correctly, while the other two turn the motors the right way, but only if they are pushed rather than pulled. Could I have mounted something the wrong way around? Thank you.
This sounds exactly like: Push to extend bug? which we are still trying to figure out
OK, so my existing Bosch is definitely not suitable - It is a Bosch GKF 550.
The ‘clampable’ body of it is 85mm long, and it is plainly too short for use in the M4.
I would totally recommend this router, but as a router, not for your M4
GKF 550 Palm Router | Bosch Professional (bosch-professional.com)