Anyone also using CNC?

[GammaRays]

I had wanted a CNC for a long time and bought the XCarve as soon as it came out. Great machine, but it's less ready-to-go than the FF prints are, so it's safe to say you should expect to tinker and fix things often.

Also, the Easel software from Inventables will only work with CNC controllers that use GRBL software, which the XCarve machines do.

[roykirk]

Thanks for the additional advice, GammaRays. It's helpful to be able to wrap my brain around how the machines work! Those xcarve machines look awesome, and I'm thinking I might just return the one I ordered and get one of those. After reading up more on the xcarve, it sounds like another problem with the Easel software is that it's not really suitable for cutting/carving 3D objects. A lot people recommend Meshcam for such projects on the xcarve, but it's kind of spendy. It sounds like there are some free options out there I'll explore first. One major feature I'll be looking for in software is the ability to import an existing STL file and be able to output it to the CNC machine. It doesn't seem like a tremendous amount of platforms allow that, but I have read that Meshcam will do it.

[GammaRays]

That's true, Easel cannot do 3D carving in any real sense. Fusion 360 is what you want to look into. It's an excellent CAD/CAM package that is free to students and hobby users. Also, if you have a university e-mail address you can get a lot of other CAD/CAM software for free.