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.

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. 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

Manipulating the tool by hand needs practice. You get better at not moving the cutter away from the line and having it retract on you. It's ok if it moves away from the cut surface but if you move into it, you will probably cut out a chip. 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. I love innovation. I am getting more skeptical on the whole crowd funding aspect because it is investing in a future product based on emotions. I don't know about this one, they all focus on one hip advantage and hide all the new inconveniences their solution creates. I am a ME and have cnc machines ranging from the handibot up to a 5x10 commercial cnc router. On the metal side i have tradition lathes and mills and cnc lathes and mills up to 5 axis several ton beasts. I also actually have a SHAPER. First i love it. it fills a niche in my work flow. First lets get one thing clear. It will not replace any working cnc router or mill. that is not what its forte is. you need to think of it as a router with a computer template capacity. if you were going to make a template for your classical hand held router, this is better, in most cases. when you look at a project and think router and jigs reach for this. Its capacity is more obviously, however it is not a replacement for classic router cnc applications. The tape has its limitations, it will effect work flow, and your cutting strategy must be thought through and take it into account. It is not a power work horse. t is well made and feels like it will hold up. However it is not a 2kw motor router spinning monster cutters. you also can not do 3d contouring. At best 2.5D. this is not a deal breaker but you must keep in mind.

A Shaper Origin is for things like mortises and tenons. It works better if you have a table or if you make one. That is for large surfaces, sign making, and inlays. It has a “Z” axis, but it is not 3-dimensional. 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. 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? Goliath CNC is a portable CNC machine that defies the way makers, designers, and artisans work on flat surfaces. The machine mills, cut and engrave any material and interface with various CAD file formats.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. I expect the Shaper to totally replace the Shapeoko and Handibot. There is not much they can do that the Shaper cannot do and by all appearances easier as well. I may keep the Shapeoko for milling AL, not sure yet. Would really like to recapture that 6.6 SF of horizontal surface in the shop for another use.

When I see the comparisons between these two machines as well as what has come before I see a major obstacle that I would have to have time and real life experience provide the ramp to overcome: dealing with workpiece resistance. Hence I decided to voice my disagreement with ToS like the one from Shaper Origin, in the hopes that they'll see the light and change them (and it would likely be enough to have the ToS reflect the practice they claim to be doing anyway)... so I can continue to vote with my wallet, just then through opening it. Still, all of this bodes well for the creation of a whole new category of tools for small shops/mobile work. I already have 3 CNC small machines and I believe the Shaper can replace them all. Anyone interested in an early version of the HandiBot at a great price? 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. Credit subject to status and affordability. Terms and conditions apply. Axminster Tool Centre Ltd trading as Axminster Tools is a credit broker and is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Credit is provided by Novuna Personal Finance, a trading style of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Services Register no. 704348.Quote from: Richard/RMW on October 07, 2017, 01:27 PM @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 tale tends to slip from its original location on the workpiece or in the workspace. Review your workspace for any tape that has raised off the work surface and return Origin to design to resume cutting.

which basically codifies that they can change the ToS to turn your shaper origin into a pay-per-use device, grant them ius primae noctis or whatever else evil things one can come up with... and the moment you turn on your (*sig*) shaper origin the next time you agree to let them charge your VISA per mm routed, to bend over and relax or comply with whatever else they might come up with. And in case you're not agreeing you, as of the first quote, only have the option to scrap the machine as you're legally unable to sell it as fit for the original purpose since you can not transfer the software license... 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 user moves too far from the cut path for Origin to compensate. Make sure to keep the white dot representing the bit inside the corrective circle on-screen while cutting and ensure Origin can see sufficient Shaper Tape. Personally I will sit on my fence post and wait to see how this whole concept works out once once it goes beyond the company and their network of beta testers and influencers. Till then their ToS is their written testemony that they don't care about me, that I'm just a resource to be exploited to the maximum extend possible - I see no point in supporting an entity that, in an attempt to bind me with it, puts such a stance into writing.

Representative Example:

Traditional style joinery can be cut using the domino tape on your workbench, or in Shaper Station. No Programming Required The Ts and Cs will always advantage the corporation. I can think of scenarios where they would want to take ownership of content uploaded to their platform (e.g. to advertise the platform without having to license every individual item uploaded, or to remove content that is inappropriate). This is a cloud service as much as it is a hardware device, so of course since they are paying to manage the infrastructure they could turn it off without legal consequences... Customers would vote with their wallets and likely avoid Shaper like the plague, and potentially Festool as well. I think the likelihood of that happening, at least in the short/medium term, is extremely low. Knowing that I probably only have another 40 years on this planet, I've decided to concern myself with more pressing priorities. When the user tries to remove too much material, it leads to excessive vertical force on the spindle. Try cutting a pass at a shallower depth, when cutting harder materials. If using Auto-Mode, decrease the Auto Speed and make sure you are moving Origin slowly and consistently, without any sudden movements. Decrease your plunge speed and make sure Origin’s base is on a single surface and try again.