Shapeoko 5 pro review. should you buy this machine?

[CallmeSam]

Loose screws - on a machine of that size, I'd appreciate loose screws on delivery, actually. Something this big and comparatively lightweight has quite some flex to it and will also have bent and twisted during delivery. So, instead of that force going straight onto the structual bits, it'd be better for the machine to be able to give a little. I'd then first set up a stable, flat and very level foundation and then place the thing on there and carefully, step by step measure for parallel with a micrometer and for squareness with a machinist square, then fasten screws and tap with a rubber mallet until i get the precision i'd like to have. Also, all grease traps need feeding, then.

Yes, when you blast that thing through wood, you might not see the difference (in brass, bronze or aluminum you definitely do), but your bearings, screws and other mechanical parts will have a much longer lifetime for it.

[prius]

Excellent. Money ready and needed to hear the cons. Suppose I'll wait now, and see how/if these issues are addressed. Thanks so much.

[fgbeetle]

I have the exact same complaints, I moved my bit zero up to the gantry, just extend the 3 wires .added a z brake to hold spindle up on power down, added air and coolant, to mineOH LETS NOT FORGET THE LOOSE SCREWS! LOL GREAT VID BUD!

[fldiving]

Great review. I had a 3 XXL and now have a 4 Pro. The 3 XXL was a great machine. In retrospect I should have kept it, as I have had a few issues with the 4 Pro. I am looking into the 5 pro as I could use the extra cutting space, and I like the improvements (in theory) over the 4 Pro.

[colinds]

Doesn’t look like your wiring harness is routed properly. Which is causing the wires to come out of the the back channel like that. 3:39

Agree with your comments overall. Had a few loose screws as well and One stepper motor was missing the connector. Packaging was amazing. The thing is rock solid. Gantry light is a really nice touch.

Bit setter and bit zero aren’t working quite right on mine. Support is getting me squared away though.

First few simple cuts in and it’s rocking. Haven’t pulled the trigger on the spindle though.

[gaiustacitus]

I would use a torque wrench and verify that every screw is tightened to specification. As for lubricant, I recommend using either a good sewing machine oil or mineral oil as these will lubricate the equipment without risk of residue build up.

I'm considering the purchase of either: 1) Onefinity Elite Foreman; 2) Shapeoko HDM; or 3) Shapeoko 5 Pro. While the Onefinity gets better reviews, the Elite series has an 18 to 20 week lead time after payment in full. The reason for considering the HDM is that it ships with an 80mm spindle and VFD and ships within 3 days of order. I want (but don't need) a 48" x 48" cutting area, which is why I'm considering the 5 Pro. The downside to the 5 Pro is the VFD spindle kits are sold out, and on top of that they are only 65mm and only uses ER-11 collets.

[TheriotContracting]

For your dust collection it is possible to share the "trigger" wire in the VFD and run it to a Relay that matches the voltage of the trigger, if there isn't enough current coming from the board, you can add a transistor as a "pre-Relay" before the relay using another power source for the current to operate the larger relay. It is advised to use a diode in between the vfd and the relay to eliminate any feedback to the board or vfd. I know this may be out of a lot of people's ability to do, but I just thought I'd put it out there. You can find videos to do this, "using a NPN transistor as a relay" or replace with PNP depending on the polarity of the voltage being used.

[MrToms]

Thanks David, I had this high on my list. No longer. Not that I'm not capable of doing all the fixes, but for the money I'd ecpect a great deal more quality. To many vidoes that are unspocered where theres parts issues and quality issues. Goof luck. I hope the machine serves you well.

[mikeprice]

I use one of those light controllers on my HAAS TM1 and TL1 for coolant.

[derekjenkinson]

Sure you can change the home position in the g code to the front left.

[espressomatic]

It's a shame that most of these desktop systems are put together as if they're home-made. That wiring is a mess and should have been done with cables to keep it clean. The 5 Pro is clearly their best system, but it just doesn't cross the finish line, IMO.

[shawnliu]

This noise comes from the stepper motors. The cheap motors will create a lot noise and close loop motors will not. And this stepper motor will lose some step when the machine meet cutting resistance that will cause the product inaccuracy. And the nut has some steel ball inside to follow the ballscrew. If the machine use cheap ballscrew will have some noise and harm the stick.

[Made_by_House]

as far as the oil, they sell a maintenance kit now

[automan]

If you are not mixing “way” oil with coolant a la milling machine Mobil 1 5-30 should do fine . Locktite hardware as you go over it . I have a 3 and the wiring has always been a chore to keep routed

[rmpbrown]

David - I have this same machine coming and was wondering what would be the ideal dimensions for the workbench tabletop? The Carbide site says the footprint of the machine is 60 x 35 inches. What are your table's measurements? It's hard to tell, but it looks like the front of your machine overhangs just a bit, but it seems you have space behind the machine. I assume there is a reason you can't push the machine further back, but I just can't see it. Please let me know what you would recommend the tabletop be size wise.

[jayeckhart]

I have the Shapeoko 3 and I have been having issues with the screws falling out. Trouble is that I think some of them have been sucked up by the dust boot.

[jakemat]

Make a video on how it runs, how fast it can cut, how deep it can cut, and what kind of cut quality you get.

[rtroiani]

Great review. I just sold my SO3XXL and will be ordering a 5 Pro. On the pauses, it's definitely Carbide Motion. I installed the latest Carbide Motion on my SO3XXL and all those pauses are now there. My machine wouldn't work right on V6 of motion correctly, so downgraded to V5.

[thecreator]

I OWN THE 3XXL AND THE PROXXL I WAS GOING TO UP GRADE TO THIS MACHINE SO I DON'T HAVE TO TILE MY BIGGER PROJECTS ANYMORE, THANK YOU FOR REVIEW. 👍👍

[patriotwoodworker]

Damn brother. Thanks for making this. I have their older pro. It’s okay at best. I’m looking at another brand all together so many times I’ll be in the middle of a long cut file and the damn thing just stops. It’s still spinning but the machine freezes so I have to start all over again