Large form factor, small price

LowRider CNC Advice
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Hi all,

While I’ve been 3D printing for years, I had always wanted jump into CNC. However, cost was prohibitively expensive at the time. I currently have a budget of $1000 and was almost about to purchase the Maslow, before I learned about the LowRider2. Based on what I see, I like the setup better than the Maslow. I’ve also heard that the Maslow tends to have accuracy issues and it is not a good option for any sort of carving. I don’t foresee doing a lot of carving or projects requiring laser-sharp accuracy, but if the LowRider2 can provide better accuracy and carving functionality, even better.

Has anyone been in the same situation where they were contemplating the Maslow and ended up going with the LowRider? If so, are you happy with your choice (or not)? I am sure I won’t go wrong with either CNC kit, but money is tight and looking to make the most informed decision possible.

I’ve heard of “wobble” issues with LowRider, is that mainly due to user-build error or does this issue exist? I am assuming if you have a sturdy enough bench/table, there won’t be any “wobbling”. I had a “wobble” issue with my 3D printer, but it was all due to the flimsy table it sat on, is this similar?

Anyway, thanks in advanced!

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Hi Adam,
Short answer…I was looking at the Maslow, stumbled across the Lowrider 2, went with the Lowrider and am very happy.
I’ve done engraving on coasters, carving of large outdoor ornaments, 2.5 D tests in wood/ply and it’s been great. There is a CNC learning curve that you might be able to shorten with your print experience but learning the tolerances of the machine is part of the process.
My table is very stable so I don’t have “wobble” issues but a lot of carve issues are related to learning feeds and speeds.
Have fun!

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Hate to break it to you, but with $1000, you’re getting “wobble”. With the caveat that you aren’t a master cabinet maker already (or have access to free work by one), but even then you’re not getting the same solid movement as a multi-ton cast-iron CNC mill.

But that’s all hyperbole, anyway. What sort of projects do you foresee? How much shop space do you have to dedicate to a CNC machine? How good are your carpentry/construction skills? All these play into the decision. If you don’t have much, if any, floor space, and you’re carpentry skills are minimal, then the Maslow may be for you. If your carpentry skills are moderate to good, there are several fold-away LR2 tables floating around the forums here, and some have even talked of pulleys and hoists to just raise it when not it use.

If space isn’t an issue, then you still really want to think about what projects you do plan on tackling. Not just fanciful “Gee, Wally, I bet making a full-sized arcade cabinet on a CNC would be really keen!”, but honest to goodness, what are your concrete plans for your machine? Many folks build a full-sheet capable LR2, only to find they never use more than half of it anyway, and the other half just sits as horizontal unstructured storage area. There’s not a whole lot of projects that require full-sheet (4’x8’) capabilities anyway. Many can be done with a half-sheet (4’x4’). But again, it depends on what projects you’re planning for.

Also, you’re right in that a lot of “wobble” is due to construction issues, and thankfully, most of it can get ironed out fairly quickly and easily here. As long as you can build/buy/borrow/steal a square and level table of sufficient size, you can get a LR2 to perform quite well. And yes, the LR2 is accurate from corner to corner, whereas the Maslow apparently loses accuracy in the corners. It should also be said that neither is completely foolproof construction or assembly, and many, many things can (and likely will) go wrong. I honestly have no data on whatever community there may be in support for the Maslow, but this community is quite responsive, very helpful, and exceptionally knowledgeable, even about the V1 machines, applicable electronics, and CNC machining no less!

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Thanks for the replies, much appreciated. As far as the projects I intend to do, they are going to vary. Sort of like my 3D printer, I didn’t have a specific project in mind, other than I wanted to have one and print projects as I needed them. I see the CNC as well. Funny that you mentioned “Arcade Cabinet” as that is the initial project that is pushing me in the CNC direction. I see myself doing cabinets (for personal use, not sale), furniture here and there. Also things like wooden picture/mirror frames and fretwork. I own a scroll saw which I do enjoy using, but if I can automate it with CNC, so much better.

Anyway, I would see myself doing smaller projects about 60% of the time, but I do want the extra build area when I have things like and arcade cabinet I want to cut. I don’t intend to do anything for sale or anything requiring crazy precision.

Regarding the “wobble” I do expect that a sub $1000 DYI CNC Kit won’t perform like a $20K+ professional machine, so I am prepared for some issues or extra maintenance/work required. Regarding my workspace area, I have a 20x15 shop which already has plenty of room, so no need for a fancy fold-away table. I do like the fact that the Manslow takes less square footage, but other than that I am leaning toward the Lowrider2.

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Well good news. Typically, the only thing to expect is more time per cut. Probably less maintenance.

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This is true, provided you aren’t out measuring every cut with calipers, a micrometer, and engineer’s square (although if you did, you’d probably be pleasantly surprised). But if you were doing that, especially while cutting wood, of all material, I’d likely be questioning your sanity.

As Ryan mentioned, the real cost is time per cut. Let’s be honest, a real craftsman, in a well-appointed shop, can probably do what the LR2 does faster and possibly better. But that’s using a number of tools in a large, well-appointed shop, with years of experience. Something many of us don’t have. So we sacrifice that time to let a machine make those nice, straight cuts and complicated joinery bits and bobs for us, even some carvings, so that we can bypass all those years of training and the expense of more and more tools and the space to store them.

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Thanks to all who replied! Going to order the LowRider2 this week.