Maslow’s Hanging CNC Machine is a quintessential engraving wood milling machine that allows the users to cut wooden materials with reliability and preciseness on the basis of CNC program. The Maslow’s Hanging router requires the users to assimilate its part and build it, following which the CNC software is installed in the machine. The Maslow’s router is able to carve a surface of the dimension 4×8 feet. The cut depth of the machine is adjustable.
The Maslow CNC also comes with special features like Z-axis functionality. With Maslow’s Machine, cutting out a treehouse, furniture, and fixtures, kayaks, and just about anything is a simple task. Another key feature of the Maslow is that the designs can be shared with others digitally. Therefore, you can design and carve out intricate designs inspired by others or you can design on one your own and share it with others in your community.
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Maslow proves to be a useful for hobbyists and professionals alike (More CNC routers for hobbyists and small shop professionals). The machine is durable enough to cut out anything that can be cut out by a traditional hand router. You can carve out and shape anything from hardwoods, hard plastics, plywood, MDF laminate and more using the tool.
You can get the entire Maslow’s kit for only $500! Moreover, the machine is pretty easy to assemble. You can find a manual on Maslow’s website which clearly instructs new users to assemble the kit with ease.
Product Name | Dimensions | Special Features | BUY NOW |
Value For Money | 4x8 Foot | Stronger Than Belt System Machines. Comes With Good Customer Support | |
4x8 Foot | 3-Pack Includes The Basic Maslow Kit PLUS A Pre-Made Sled, And Router Bi |
In this article, we shall learn more about the company and the product. We shall also study the product in comparison to other CNC routers to ensure it is easier for you to make a purchase decision.
A Brief about the Company
What began as a hobby project for Bar Smith, the inventor of Maslow router, came a long way to be a popular utility for furniture maker hobbyists and professionals. The company officially started in the year 2015 with Bar Smith which took shape to become an open-source community in the following year. In the year 2016, Hannah Teagle contributed to the cause to commence a Kickstarter campaign whose idea was to make tech-enabled machines available to all. The Maslow CNC was presented at the Maker Faire Bay Area for the world to see in 2017. Their first transaction followed shortly after- a sale of four batches of CNC kit.
Soon after the community took off in 2017, packing and shipping the kits to cater to the demands of people from all over the world became taxing for the founders. Therefore, Bar and Hannah decided to post the design files to make it available for others within the community. Therefore, the members were able to come forward, support and contribute to the task of making kits available for those willing to buy.
To make the Maslow router user-friendly and inexpensive, the company came up with the Maslow CNC Controller Software, also known as Ground Control. You can run the Ground Control Software on Windows, Linux, and Mac. You don’t have to be well-versed in CNC Programming to be able to use the software. The software does not require you to make use of any special tool or skill to be able to work with it. All you need to do is load the G-code file and fix a few parameters which are well-understood and applied by users at ease.
Don’t want to use the default software ? No need to worry grab the right software for your needs from this list of best CNC softwares
Review of Maslow’s CNC
The Maslow is popular among woodworkers, cabinet as well as furniture makers. This versatile tool is able to cut a surface of 4×8. The depth of the machine can be adjusted. It is, by the reviews of its users, a quintessential for large format CNCs. The need for adjusting the cutting depth manually is eliminated with the Z Axis functionality which is both time saving and convenient for the users.
MakerMade CNC manufactures the kit and the distribution if endorsed by Maslow. The company prides itself in making available a fully functional and easy to use and maintain machine for those who do the woodworking all by themselves.
What makes the Maslow router a desirable option for users is the Open Source Software that is used to control your machine. Although the software is far from being perfect, it is still pretty doable for the users. Moreover, if you are facing issues with operating the machine or putting in codes and parameters on the software, you can always turn to the Community Garden for help. The community of good and helpful users is quick to follow up with you on the problem and fix it for you.
Like any other router, the only issue with the Maslow CNC is speed. The feed rate on the Maslow can vary between 20 to 35 inches in a minute. Besides the speed, the Maslow works accurate but shallow cuts on the wood. Also, the machine takes a little floor space which makes it an ideal option if you do not have much working space. The compatibility of the CNC coupled with compactness also makes the machine desirable for those who pursue woodworking just as a hobby.
Listed below are some of the major Pros and Cons:
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Maslow vs. Other Manufacturers
There are myriad brands of CNC routers in the market. Among them are popular names like BobsCNC, Taishi and Shapeoko. Let us compare these brands of CNC routers with Maslow against a few parameters to see which DIY CNC kit stands out as the best:
1. Sturdiness
BobsCNC builds one of the most durable designs in the market. The rigid laser-cut ply frame is a reason for its popularity among woodworkers. It works pretty smoothly with both hardwood and softwood.
Taishi CNC machine’s feature an alloy frame which is sturdy enough to carry out the high-impact performance on various materials.
The Shapeoko CNC router is built out of aluminum extrusion. Therefore, the Shapeoko Machine, though lightweight, is not as sturdy as the others in the race.
The Maslow CNC is built out of the wooden Default Frame which is designed by Maslow’s community itself.
The Verdict: When it comes to durability, BobsCNC bag the award.
2. Price
You can get BobsCNC Machines costs $678 which is a price reasonable enough. Taishi CNCs costs around $539. CNC routers from Shapeoko are highly-priced. You can buy Shapeoko CNC routers for $1699.
Maslow provides CNC router at a lower price point than all other brands on the list. The price for Maslow routers costs around $500 which is great compared to the rest cnc machines.
The Verdict: Clearly, Maslow is ideal for users who consider the cost-effectiveness of a product as the factor determining purchase decisions.
3. User Friendliness
BobsCNC products are very user-friendly. Even if you are a novice operator, you can smoothly operate the machine using DC motor control.
The Taishi Machines can process commands at doable speed by the use of Mach 3 Kernel. However, feed rate is not quite great.
The Shapeoko CNCs features hackable X, Y, Z plotter which is an indication of ease of use of the machinery.
Maslow’s Machines are easy to set up and the software is lucid to navigate through. Moreover, there is a community that helps Maslow CNC users in assembling the machine, navigating through the software, setting the G-codes and even fixing parameters.
The Verdict: Maslow is, hands down, the best when it comes to ease of use.
Should You Go for Maslow CNC Router?
After considering the pros and cons of the product and comparing the same with other renowned brands, we can say that Maslow Router is certainly a wise investment for beginners and professionals alike. Overlooking a few factors like the speed and depth of the cut, the performance of the machine is great.
The fact that there is an entire group of people to help you if you encounter any issues with the machine provides an extra edge to it. The website of the company also has really informative materials on how to assemble the machine and start working on it. Overall, Maslow Router is certainly one of the good products that you can get your hands on in the mid-price range.
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So I ordered the Maslow kickstarter kit, and was wondering if it would be wise to use a laptop dedicated to my router and just pick up another one for personal and work use.