I already have 3 CNC small machines and I believe the Shaper can replace them all. Still, all of this bodes well for the creation of a whole new category of tools for small shops/mobile work. Whacking something out of a sheet of plywood is one thing, locating finger joints on the end of a dimensioned board is another. I also think the Shaper is much more precise in terms of placing the cuts where you want them on the stock. It was a risk I knew going in but not one I will take for $2K. I have backed 8-10 smaller Kickstarters over the years and perhaps 1-2 happened anywhere near on time and 2-3 never delivered, lost the $$ but <$100 each. Festool lending their reputation to it via supplying the spindles also gave me comfort. I also figure that the first batch will have landed months before mine is ready and there is the option to cancel right up to shipping. One reason I was hesitating is the risk of them failing to launch, which I judged is minimal given how long the worked on it before starting to take orders. I dithered over the Shaper until the last minute and ordered one 9/30, last day for the 2nd batch. It's a novel idea but I think the Shaper is more practical. This seems to be only for cutting on complete sheets, with either huge loss or huge set up - that's what I was thinking, you expressed it better than I could have.

Quote from: Timtool on October 07, 2017, 11:09 AM I don't know about this one, they all focus on one hip advantage and hide all the new inconveniences their solution creates. This seems to be only for cutting on complete sheets, with either huge loss or huge set up time. I wonder how you can even hold down small materials if you can't have any clamps stick out on top? Not to mention the giant, slit-free level surface you need to build around the material each time.

Or if you cut all the way through, the wheels could drag the parts and get them mangled by the cutter. If you make several cuts next to each other, you will have grooves everywhere or even holes where certain parts have been removed, how will that interact with the wheels, not to mention the huge amount of dust. Every time, for every different element and every different thickness. Here if you don't want a huge waste line around the material then you need to build a large table around your material with wide edges level with the material. In reality you want your CNC to get the most out of your material, work close to the edge and cut out parts close to each other. That just doesn't happen in every day life. It's cool to see it doing a small cut in the middle of a giant panel, as cool as watching an SUV commercial with it driving through the desert or on a beach. I don't know about this one, they all focus on one hip advantage and hide all the new inconveniences their solution creates.

Shaper origin