Shaper Origin Handheld CNC Router - CNC Level Precision Cutting - Portable - SO2-NN - Inlays, Custom Joinery, Engraving, Lettering, Fine Woodworking, Depth Control + Router Bits, Tape and Systainer

Product Information

A CNC is for carving-type items with multiple features, layers, and detail. The main downside is the bed size for many affordable sizes, and the space needed for the larger bed size. A CNC does almost everything the Origin can as long as it fits within the confines of the bed, but a Shaper Origin cannot do everything that a CNC can do.

The Shaper Origin saves time spent in producing templates as the template is stored in the machine’s memory, allowing you to get straight on with the job. This machine offers limitless possibilities. Create complex joinery, intricate inlays, fine engraving, decorative parquet flooring, lettering and sign writing Timtool - that's what I was thinking, you expressed it better than I could have. It's a novel idea but I think the Shaper is more practical.

The big, big difference between the Origin and a flat-bed CNC is not this, however. It's that you have to move it yourself. If you have an hour of cutting to do, you need to move the machine around for an hour while you're standing next to it with ear protection on. This is tiring and you need absolute concentration the whole time. If you are doing things commercially and have enough shop space, having a flat-bed CNC would enable you use that hour for something else, even if you need to be in the vicinity just to keep an eye on it. Experienced Origin users achieve cut quality and precision comparable to a gantry-based CNC. Less experience is needed to achieve cuts far greater than 1/100th of an inch using Origin. Where is Shaper Origin made? Origin can’t see enough ShaperTape to guarantee cutting precision. That could be due to cutting through some of the tapes in the workspace. Before you begin cutting, travel over your entire design in Aircut Mode to verify that your tape metre will be healthy throughout the cut.

For me, working in a small workshop and not commercially, with the Origin, I can use my Festool MFT as a work surface and bring my CAD designs directly to the wood without needing to print them on paper and use bandsaw, belt sander, spindle sander etc. to cut them out. I love it Shaper Origin is the first handheld CNC router. It is for woodworkers, and users looking to add CNC capabilities to their shop without the learning curve, footprint, and cost. That is in contrast to what a traditional CNC machine entails. No, but Shaper Origin works with Festool products, enhancing your existing workflows and bringing new capabilities to your workshop. Who owns shaper origin?

Tips and Tricks

This Shaper Origin handheld precision CNC router offers unparalleled accuracy, flexibility and efficiency. Shaper Origin features a larger 5.5” high resolution screen, a 25% increase in size. The entire assembly is now housed in a sleek, super strong aluminium unibody construction. The Shaper Origin, literally puts CNC routing at your fingertips. When Origin is alone, the woodworker applies a tape to the workpiece, and Origin scans that to create a map. The Origin knows where it is and where it needs to go at all times. And when using Workstation as a fixture, do not apply new ShaperTape because Workstation has a permanent and reusable tape array ready to go. The tool has an automatic cut correction. Pros IMHO there are 2 major innovations in the Shaper, one being the freehand form factor but more importantly for everyday use is the onboard CAM. Anyone who has experience in traditional CAD/CAM workflows should appreciate the ability to have the onboard motion control software take over CAM. 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. Or if you cut all the way through, the wheels could drag the parts and get them mangled by the cutter. 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.

On more con to Shaper is that it's actually only 2D. Meaning it uses SVG files for cutting paths, but it's on you to remember the cut depth of your different machining steps. Something a true CNC handles automatically. bobfog - fair point. Not a major concern for me as I expect to use it for a lot of one-off small parts or operations like cutting finger joints or mortises in end/edge grain. Not trying to advocated for one over the other as everyone's use case will vary. I have pointed that out to them, politely, 3 months ago, together with a list of other things incompatible with how things work here in Europe. While they have used the last three months to change some of the (for them) worst things that I found with their offering... the issue of their ToS is still as-is. Having given them enough time (akin to responsible disclosure) to change this without effect... it's IMHO now reasonable to voice my dispraise for their terms of service and to advise others against spending money on a device that you will not own, a device that can be stopped to function without reason or notice, a device that when used in the advertised use scenario (while it's still functioning) will steal transfer the rights to your designs to someone else without compensation.

#AxminsterTools

I have used my Origin to make some jigs - shapes cut out of 12mm ply for use on a router table with a trim bit. They are 30-40cm long. I haven't measured the accuracy but so far have found the following: Like any CNC machine, pre-programmed computer software dictates the movement of tool. Origin features precision X, Y and Z axes with automatic tool tip detection. The large screen displays the path of the design for you to follow, the really clever bit is the full auto correction for the movement of your hands guaranteeing precise results every time.