Hello! I'm Joe, the owner of Appalachian Craftsman. After a long career in the creative and marketing industry, I find that I really enjoy working with my hands more and more. I have always enjoyed learning new things, and as a very detail oriented person I generally figure out most challenges pretty quickly. As a kid I enjoyed watching The New Yankee workshop, and now I am channeling my inner "Norm!"
On this channel I'll be talking you along for the ride as I share custom projects of various types, share my take on equipment and maybe even offer some business tips and advice. Long term, I hope to build a community around the channel in which we can all have some fun doing what we enjoy.
Great review! You certainly helped with my decision. I'm still wrestling with one question: floor space. I have a two-car garage, so a table-mounted CNC will take up a ton of space. I can make it fit, but it will be tight. Some of the Pro models will work with the wall mount, while none of the Elite series will work on the wall. Candidly, I'm not at all sure I like the wall mount idea due to issues with dust collection and materials handling, but it is an option. Looking forward to seeing your projects!
These machines can be pretty heavy and being flat and level all are of the utmost importance for most projects. I'm with you, I am not a fan of a wall mount. In my humble opinion you'd be better off with a smaller machine (depending on your plans). 90% of the time I find myself using about a 24x36 area in the front of the machine. I am fortunate enough to have the space so I got the larger machine for those times I DO have a use for the larger area. It's simply more jobs you can say "yes" to. By no means is that space of critical importance though for most projects. Just my opinion, enjoy your new machine! Thanks so much for watching!
I run Carveco Maker on an M1 Apple Mac via Windows 11 running on Parallels. So far, only a couple of very insignificant issues running on a Mac this way. For file transfer I simply use my browser (Safari) from the Mac side.
Nice work. Wondering if you can share how difficult it was to set up the spindle and vfd. Does it take special wiring to the build botics box or just plug in? I just got my pro woodworker but see a lot people in forums complaining about the makita. Thanks
Hey Gary, the beauty of the PwnCNC spindle and VFD is super simple. When ordering you select which box you'll be using your spindle with and they include the appropriate connection cable. That is the beauty of PwnCNC's VFD & spindle setup, it is completely plug and play and my experience has been that if you do happen to need their support, they are fantastic in that department too. Good luck and enjoy! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing your video and welcome to the Onefinity family!! I have the X-50 I purchased in 2022. Works like a champ. I'm on my second router (first was a Makita) and looking to go towards the PWNCNC spindle like pretty much everyone else does. I do have a question though. I see you aren't running the 3rd rail (like I am not). How does that spindle hold up for you without the 3rd rail? Seems everyone I've seen so far runs with the 3rd rail. I can get the third rail for $170 but looking to get the spindle first. Thanks again and oh....I'm in Akron!! :)
Hi John, thank you for watching and I am glad you found the information of interest. I have zero issue with not having the 3rd rail. I have not noticed any deflection, or issue with not having it with the spindle at all. I also have not had any issue with spindle drop as some others have experienced, and why 1F came out with the Z-20 braking motor. Akron, hey! You are fairly close. I head that way somewhat often, rising some of the sawmills that direction. If you are ever in my neck of the woods feel free to give me a shout. When you are ready to make your purchase from PwnCNC, don't forget to use code "APPCRAFT" on checkout to save a few bucks. At some point I'll be doing a review of my PwnCNC system. Thanks again for watching and saying "Hi!"
Nice project. I noticed the PWN Spindle and was curious if once you set it up did your probe not work properly? I installed mine yesterday and can't get my probe to go in the correct direction. It probes upwards and away from the probe block. Looking online I see people are switching the magnet wire to the aluminum block and the block wire to the magnet. Is this something you also did?
Hi Bill, thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the video. My touch probe has worked fine since day one with my PwnCNC spindle. I have seen where others have had the issue you speak of. I would think a message to PwnCNC would get you taken care of. My experience with them has been top notch. Good luck getting that resolved quickly. Thanks for watching!
Hi Joe, I ordered the files (I use Carveco). I plan on making several of these. Very good video. I am not yet accomplished enough to create the shapes in a few minutes and without mistakes. Otherwise, I could make it on my own. So, I just ordered from you. One thing I noticed, the handles are not the same, two are contoured (curved inside) a bit. I like better than the two that are straight from end to end. I may just delete them and only use the design I like. Hope you create more projects with follow along and offer files.
That you very much! I appreciate your valuable business and input on the video. That was truly my intention; to provide something simple at a very reasonable price that would strike that balance between spending the time to make it, or just purchasing it already ready. For sure, you can just use the shapes you desire. I will definitely be creating more in this series where files will be available. I hope to also have some other items available in the near future that may not even merit an entire video. Thanks for watching!
Perfect! That was my whole intention. I really wanted to start at grass roots and groo from there. Thank you for watching & thank you for your valuable input, it is very much appreciated.
Great stuff man! I just ordered the Foreman Pro a few days ago and I can’t wait for it to arrive! I appreciate the in depth explanation of everything you provided in this video as I’m not a noob to CNC work but I have much to learn. Keep up the great work!
Hi Barry, I'm sorry, but RU-vid will not let me add photos to comments. I will however gladly show the table & wiring in more detail in an upcoming video.
I enjoyed your video. Very informative. I just purchased the foreman pro. I have never owned a CNC and am a bit nervous about the software aspect. We’ll see in a couple of weeks when I get it. Subscribed!
Thank you! I’m glad you found The video helpful. My plan moving forward is to start showing some projects all of the way through. I’ll be starting with some basic projects and gradually increasing the complexity. In my very next video I’ll be creating some bottle cap openers. A simple single bit project that makes great use of that extra scrap pieces we all have around the shop. I’ll be utilizing Carveco Maker and showing the send/cut process in its entirety. I think you’ll be glad you subscribed, I hope you find it useful. I’ll be looking forward to feedback.
I've been thinking about this choice. It isn't often that two different tiers of a product have plusses and minuses on both sides other than price. When I followed the differences link on the site, I was surprised to find out that I'd be giving up some significant things by going with the Elite, like the joystick and the larger monitor. I haven't confirmed, but I assume that the closed-loop stepper motors in the Elite will not work with the Pro controller, as that would see to be a significant upgrade for a lot less than the $2K that the Elite upgrade will run you.
Agreed. Like so many things +/-, but the Pro series suits many quite well I feel. Sure it's always nice to have the biggest and best of anything, but many times not really necessary to get the job done. And this is coming from a guy with Festool tools, lol...I am pretty sure that the closed loop stepper motors require the Masso controller as the BB controller does not have the capacity to receive the location feedback. Plus I would imagine you need the homing sensors, etc. Thanks for stopping by my channel!
great overview, thanks! Also noteworthy, I believe the Elite series machines don't support wall mounting with the QCW wall mount kit like my X-50 Journeyman. That was the feature that gave me the green light to purchase for use in my small shop!
Thanks! I can tell you, even though mine is the pro series. Being a Foreman, I wouldn't want that son-of-a-gun hanging on the wall. I'd never be able to move the darned thing.
Thank you for going through this. I’m currently running the original woodworker and wanting to upgrade to a foreman but have no need for adding a 4th axis, atc and am fine with using a touch probe, plus I feel very comfortable with the interface and it’s over $1,000 less. I’m always just worried about buyers remorse.
You are very welcome. I am glad some are finding the information useful. I certainly understand where you are coming from. If you are happy with what you have, and don't need the larger cut area, there's probably not a lot of reason to change your setup at all in my humble opinion. If you are thinking of upgrading, I think it comes down to: budget & wait time. The Elite has it all currently, the best of the best. The Pro will certainly get the same jobs done (with the exception of 4th axis), and allow you to add a spindle if you'd like (which is definitely worth the price of admission! IMHO) for about the same price difference. Or you could just pocket the $1K. Definitely food for thought. Each has it's advantages. Thanks for your comment!
nice review. I'm also new to the cnc world and have been looking at the Onefinity's for a long time. What is the difference between the Pro and Elite as far as the software and user interface? I've heard people love the Masso screen.
Hi Dave, thanks for your question. I do not personally have the Elite so I cannot really comment first hand, only on what I have seen/reserched. Having said that, I do know that the Elite does offer a much more robust software interface via the Masso controller. Things like being able to adjust speeds and feed rate on the fly, parking locations, the ability to use a tool setter, etc. All of these things are things that I, personally, would consider more luxury & convenience type offerings for the average hobbyist that is not in a high-volume environment. As far as functionality and the types of jobs you can do, the only thing I understand that the Elite/Masso setup can really do that the other models cannot is 4th axis carving. Hope this helps!
Nice review of your new Pro Foreman and the other Onefinity models. I've had an X-50 Journeyman for almost 2 years now and really enjoy it. Onefinity has been making great products and I hope they continue to do so. Good luck with the new channel and I look forward to seeing more content. Subscribed.
Thank you! Much appreciated! It’s also nice to see Onefinity keeping up with the software on these models. The new macro feature just released has some nice potential.
Correction: you can purchase a very inexpensive wireless mini USB keyboard to jog you elite machine remotely. Cost less than $20 which I believe is cheaper than the joypad
Thanks for the correction Darian. I was unfamiliar with that type of device. The joypad is still included with the Pro series, so still a small savings.
Correction, the elite series has at least 3 USB ports. Only one is easily accessible from the outside of the monitor. The others are accessible by opening the monitor via the 4 corner screws on the front.
