I did a video on the Crossfire a few months ago, and I have had a few CNC snobs make comments that I’d like to address in an upcoming video and I’d love for the entire community to come together to make this possible. I want to do essentially a community showcase of your completed projects. My idea is to feature your photos and give you attribution. Connect people to your Instagram, Etsy, Facebook, Website… Whatever your outlet is for your content/products.
If you want to be included in this video, please email any photos that you want including anyplace that people want viewers to see your products/projects etc. Please Email me at ManCrafting101@gmail.com and in the subject line put #crossfire so I can filter them to one location.
I’m super excited to see all the cool projects you are all doing!
I’ve basically learned you just have to ignore the cnc plasma snobs. They act like LS is marketing the crossfire as a heavy duty industrial unit and compare them against their stuff that is 3-5x the cost.
I honestly spent probably 25 hours reading all over the internet before making my order and so many people said to not to even bother buying something without THC…and I took it to heart and nearly didn’t make the order. That would’ve been a huge mistake on my end. The stuff I’ve been able to build, the time I’ve saved, and the quality of what I’ve built has gone up dramatically. For a hobbiest like myself, it’s been a gamechanger.
I wish I had something worth sharing, but I use it for misc brackets and other automotive parts that aren’t real interesting to look at, but it’s really good idea. Love your youtube channel too!
I couldn’t disagree more. These are the very items that bring real value to a tool like this. I used to go to events where people were selling 3D printers and always dismissed them as tools for creating plastic trinkets I could get at the dollar store. It wasn’t until a buddy showed me brackets and modifications to his Keurig and a couple of tools that it clicked. Please send away. Maybe even a description of what it is and why you fabricated it. Your comment above is exactly why I want to make this video. Proof is proof. Height Control would be great, but it’s not a waste of money without it. Maybe I use this entry level tool to pay for my next plasma CNC with all the features. Maybe I continue using this one and pocketing the money. Either way it’s an amazing way to learn, earn and burn.
The snobs are just trying to justify why what theirs cost over this machine. It is easy put put someone or something down to feel better about what you are or have.
In general humans suck. That being said I know and have met many great people I just prefer dogs over all the rest.
With all of the above said I enjoy my machine and it is worth every penny too me. I was also fortunate to be one of the pre buy offer the day they first went on sale. I wasn’t the fastest with the keyboard I ended up batch one tier two and still a sweet deal. Great Machine.
Similar experience with a crowd sourced laser project I backed. It’s about 1/5th the cost of a Trotec or Epilog. But it doesn’t have a moving Z-axis so it only has a 2" height capacity. But I had a cheap Chinese laser with a smaller bed size and a Redsail laser so I knew what I needed vs what I might want. I use the 9" Z-axis capacity of the Redsail maybe once or twice a year. The other 98% of my work can go into the Glowforge and the advantage of a tabletop size and ability to use it inside (vs out in the garage - in CT during the winter, not so much) far outweighs the loss of Z-axis or the larger bef.
I figured I was in the same place with the Crossfire - I’d like height control so I could add a scriber or plate marker but I can use the Shopbot for that using a special diamond mill. I think I’m in the 90+% of what I want/need is in the Crossfire. I never would have gotten a plasma CNC if it was the price of the other commercial ones out there and I wouldn’t have built one not having had or used one before. Langmuir got me into this new rabbit hole ️
Being the average dude I wouldnt have ever bought one if the price wasnt where i could justify it as a toy. Its so much more than a toy now that I have one. I havnt made anything great or overly awsome to most, but to me everything i make is awsome and great knowing I made it. I cant imagine being any happier if i would have had 30k to spend on one right now at the stage im in making things. %100 happy with my little crossfire.
I read through the comment section of your youtube video.Found it ironic that one of the guys bashing the crossfire is a owner of a company that makes cnc plasma tables.
Interesting. I’ll have to see if I can figure it out. He’s probably thinking that he’s losing business. If this would have been even a $5,000 investment, I’d never have bought it. Now that I own this, who knows I may eventually buy a bigger system.
2x2 cutting area, sure a larger table would be nice. But I don’t want to give up that much floor space in my garage.
the cantilever design still allows me to cut parts out of larger sheets.
the small size and price means it would be easy to sell on craigslist if I needed to sell it. Not to many people have the room or need for a 4x4 or larger table.
for me this is more of a toy. I personally do not need to make money from this table to justify the purchase.
I finally had to stop giving my experiences with the table because I was getting so much backlash from owners of other Cnc table company’s. Summing it up they were saying my experiences were untrue and that their systems were far superior.
They couldn’t understand that people wanted a smaller machine that wasn’t 10-20k haha
Well, thanks for the reply’s. I appreciate the input. I was really hoping for some users who wanted to truly share their positive experiences and the parts and art they have created. The more the better. Then it’s not me or even one other person making claims. Kind of disappointed in the lack of interest. Not even one email.
Well. Just got about 6-8 project images and some great stories from Heath. Thank you very much. I know there some amazing projects that I’d love to feature. What’s everyone have?
This machine was literally a God send for me. I’v made my money back on it and my hyp xp 30 in a very short time. I am living off the work I do from my machine. Looking to expand this year infact. But… that’s in the user and the business not so much the machine. Point is these guys made it possible for small shops or hobbiest to obtain a machine. Companies that have had their foot in the doors for years are not going to like the competition at all. May I also add, I do like the small size a bunch. I only cut 1x2 ft pieces most of the time. In that area I have as many as 100 pierces and cutting 3/16 takes almost 20 min with my xp 30. So if you don’t have atleast a 45 amp plasma you’d be cutting almost 40min straight, just babbysitting the work space. So bigger isn’t always better. I love my machine, the forum and customer service is great. It does get a tad frustrating waiting, I know but its worth it. let this company grow and things will get even better.
james, I make custom truck parts for the most part. Patch panels are one. Motor mounts. I designed a kit to adapt 50’s chevy trucks to modern chassis. I am hoping to get time to work on my 4link kits for modern chassis and original frames. I eventually am going to front suspension stuff and full frames. I got tons of ideas. I know alot of people do custom signs and all that, but I just don’t have time for it. I also designed and cut a coffee roaster which I have yet had time to fully put back together. I roast coffee on the side and by building my own roaster, that alone is saving me 5-10k. I wanted to build and sell some roasters to give entry level guys a chance like me to get into roasting without dropping a ton of money.
Good set of products. The car market is one that is always gonna be looking for stuff custom for their needs that you’re not likely to find produced by big parts shops.
I like the coffee roaster idea. We’ve got a friend who has a small coffee roasting operation. I never would have thought about fabbing one - his would have a lot of bending & such to make it I would think.
I initially go the machine for custom truck stuff. Then I had a revelation to build my own roaster as I was looking to buy a bigger one. So I designed one and fabbed it up but knew I needed the face plates to be thicker and more precise. So for months I waited to finally get to this point where I could have them cut. I then go so busy with truck parts, I have had no time for the roaster. but I will get it done this year and I do plan to make smaller ones. This one here is about 5lb roaster which is alot for entry level. There are alot more pieces to this puzzle but these face plates were a huge necessity. the crossfire made it possible! 3/16 thick
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