[BurrMan]

Thanks Ger,

In the $30K-50$ range, I'd start with Shopbot as the lightest duty, then move up to Camaster and ShopSabre.

I kind of ruled out shopbot as more of a DIY, or "too light"... I could be wrong. I did breeze by Camaster yesterday, I'll give them a better looksee....

$30K is really at the bottom end.
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I DID like what I saw at ShopSabre. They seemed to have machines from around 10k up to 30k. Does this statement mean that "below 30K is not really going to get you what you're asking for"???

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Then you jump into the "big iron" range, where prices can run from $70K to $150K.

I don't have any direct experience with thermwood, but I've always considered them at the lower end of the big industrial machines.

"At the lower end" meaning, 100k will get you in that game, and the others are going to be more? Or "You can get a better product for that 100k than one of those"???

The guy's company only does around 400k to 500k a year. They do everything by hand. I think for 50k to just add the "special custom one off" stuff is not a good move. Only if he can start to cut out his production stuff with it too, does that amount make sense. I don't think he has enough production stuff to start trying to cnc the workload...

I think 10k to 30k may be a reasonable option for that....

If your budget is in the $30K range, then Camaster and ShopSabre are probably the best options out there

Thanks for the other brands to look into... I'll give them a mow over...