Shaper Origin G2 - Took the plunge

[Rick Herrick]

Been keeping an eye on this for about 18 months.  Now that there is a new version, and a bundle, I pulled the trigger today.  I think I may pivot my wood shop more to this type of work for awhile.  It looks very fun and productive.  With a couple of kids with babies and cousins with babies, there are lots of requests for customized work.

First question is the wi-fi.  My shop has terrible wi-fi but I do have ethernet there for my computer and TV.  Does anyone have a good suggestion on a wi-fi extender that I can put in place ?

Has anyone tried Shaper Studio ?  I will start with the onboard options first and see how far I can get.  Watched a video on the Studio and I like staying in the same ecosystem so I think the $99 per year subscription may be worth it in this case.  I don't use any other tools like Sketchup, Fusion, etc, so I might as well do my learning on Studio unless anyone points out any issues.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Studio is fantastic. It does what you need directly. The other software out there is way more complicated, more than it needs to be, at least for a beginner. Those things can build you fancy 3d models of things, but you still need parts. I got more from Studio after just one Youtube video than I have with anything else.
I had WIFI issues too, for a while, so I did everything on a laptop and transferred it with the thumb drive.  That has since been resolved. Now I'm looking forward to the Jenner update and extension.

 

[woodferret]

Has anyone tried Shaper Studio ?  I will start with the onboard options first and see how far I can get.  Watched a video on the Studio and I like staying in the same ecosystem so I think the $99 per year subscription may be worth it in this case.  I don't use any other tools like Sketchup, Fusion, etc, so I might as well do my learning on Studio unless anyone points out any issues.

Has teething issues.  But better flow to tool than others (short of Fusion).  Good for messing about, but not full-featured.  If you just bought it, might contact support@shapertools.com and see if you can get a discount code for Studio.  Owners got a thank you 50% discount for the first year, while others got a 25%.  It expires Nov 1, but who knows how flexible they may be for a new purchaser.

 

[mattgam]

I've been a Fusion 360 user for about 3 years now but I tried Studio this weekend and am hooked on it for Shaper projects. It is just so easy to use and it works great off of my m1 Ipad which is the killer feature for me since I can use the ipad in the shop.  I'm not a fan of the on tool design process but Studio sold me on the $99 being worth it.  I'm sure they will add more features to it over time as well. 

I'll be very curious to see your impressions on the gen 2 Origin.  Having a Gen 1, I didn't see the upgrade as worth it but am glad to see the continued investment in the ecosystem.

 

[Michael Kellough]

[member=72072]woodferret[/member] thanks for pointing out that the special price for owners expires Nov. 1. I had not noticed that and just signed up, Nov. 1 Eastern Standard Time.

 

[woodwise]

I am also a big fan of fusion 360. There is a shaper plugin that is essential for convenience!
That said, Studio is so convenient and works for 90% of what I need...
This probably falls under the umbrella of different tools for different jobs.

In regards to WiFi, if you happen to have an old router laying around you can configure it to extend your existing network. If you need instructions ping me.
If you are looking for new hardware, the Google mesh WiFi has worked best in my experience, if you are invested in the google ecosystem. Avoiding google myself, I can tell you the Netgear options are workable but have not been overly reliable (require very frequent restarts etc.).

Good luck!

 

[Rick Herrick]

Has teething issues.  But better flow to tool than others (short of Fusion).  Good for messing about, but not full-featured.  If you just bought it, might contact support@shapertools.com and see if you can get a discount code for Studio.  Owners got a thank you 50% discount for the first year, while others got a 25%.  It expires Nov 1, but who knows how flexible they may be for a new purchaser.

Thanks [member=72072]woodferret[/member] .  Who do you call to ask about this?  Today being 11/1, I might be out of luck.  I see a lot of online resources but not sure who I could reach out to to see if the discount is still available.  I did sign up to be notified about their educational 'Sessions' series.  They sent me an email indicating I could get a free bit but I guess that only if you buy from them.  I bought mine from US Tool & Fastener as I have bought most of my Festool gear from them and they have been pretty good to me.

 

[Rick Herrick]

In regards to WiFi, if you happen to have an old router laying around you can configure it to extend your existing network. If you need instructions ping me.
If you are looking for new hardware, the Google mesh WiFi has worked best in my experience, if you are invested in the google ecosystem. Avoiding google myself, I can tell you the Netgear options are workable but have not been overly reliable (require very frequent restarts etc.).

Good luck!

Thanks for the offer but no extra gear laying around.  A few years ago I bought one of those that you plug into a wall socket but it was spotty at best.  I have an ethernet switch sitting in the garage with several open slots.  I need to figure out if I can plug 'something' in to that, that emulates the signal.  But not many skills in that area.  I will look at the Good mesh gear but I don't need much. I can actually do wi-fi in the garage, its just very slow.

 

[chrisrosenb]

Been keeping an eye on this for about 18 months.  Now that there is a new version, and a bundle, I pulled the trigger today.  I think I may pivot my wood shop more to this type of work for awhile.  It looks very fun and productive.  With a couple of kids with babies and cousins with babies, there are lots of requests for customized work.

First question is the wi-fi.  My shop has terrible wi-fi but I do have ethernet there for my computer and TV.  Does anyone have a good suggestion on a wi-fi extender that I can put in place ?

Has anyone tried Shaper Studio ?  I will start with the onboard options first and see how far I can get.  Watched a video on the Studio and I like staying in the same ecosystem so I think the $99 per year subscription may be worth it in this case.  I don't use any other tools like Sketchup, Fusion, etc, so I might as well do my learning on Studio unless anyone points out any issues.

I have been looking at Origin for a long time. I am looking into making the purchase now that they have the upgrades.

As for wifi, are you saying you have ethernet in your shop? If you do, get another router for the shop & setup the shop up with it's own wifi.

 

[4nthony]

Thanks for the offer but no extra gear laying around.  A few years ago I bought one of those that you plug into a wall socket but it was spotty at best.  I have an ethernet switch sitting in the garage with several open slots.  I need to figure out if I can plug 'something' in to that, that emulates the signal.  But not many skills in that area.  I will look at the Good mesh gear but I don't need much. I can actually do wi-fi in the garage, its just very slow.

Apple used to make a product called the Airport Express. It was a small wifi router that looked like a power brick and plugged directly into the wall. It has an ethernet port. Plug it into the wall, connect it to your switch, and set it up with 802.11n. It'll do WPA2 security but you're limited to about 54Mb speeds (or whatever 802.11n is). They're no longer made but easily found on eBay. You can add multiples and easily extend your network. If you just need basic wifi in your shop, it might be an inexpensive way to go and it is very easy to configure.

A bonus feature of these is they have a stereo jack so you can plug in a set of powered speakers and send audio to them via AirPlay. If you go this route, look for the Airport Utility app on the App Store.

Studio is fantastic. It does what you need directly. The other software out there is way more complicated, more than it needs to be, at least for a beginner. Those things can build you fancy 3d models of things, but you still need parts.

I like Studio and have the same observation: it's great for parts but I find it lacking for projects. I've made a few templates and one-off things but I wouldn't use it to design a chair. I'll need to watch a few more videos and see what kind of advanced things people are designing with it, along with understanding their Studio workflow.

 

[Rick Herrick]

I reached out to the support arm via email and they gave me the a code to get the 50% discount.  I assumed that I would be too late, but this code did work just now.

OriginOwner_6*jhisY7

 

[smorgasbord]

Thanks for the offer but no extra gear laying around.  A few years ago I bought one of those that you plug into a wall socket but it was spotty at best.  I have an ethernet switch sitting in the garage with several open slots.  I need to figure out if I can plug 'something' in to that, that emulates the signal.  But not many skills in that area.  I will look at the Good mesh gear but I don't need much. I can actually do wi-fi in the garage, its just very slow.

Note that putting an extender in the same room as the one you want the signal boosted in won't work because the extender is getting the same low signal. If anything, it'll make it worse. You need to put the extender in a room about half-way between the router and your garage, if there is a room.

Another option that worked great for me is that if your router has 2 or more external antennas, replace one of them with a larger antenna, which will boost the signal at the source. I used this one:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039ORBLK/ which is only good for 2.4GHz (but that's probably what you want boosted anyway) and is omnidirectional.

Another good antenna is this one:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R1PA9EO which boost both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, but is directional, so you'll have to point it at your garage.

Also, the wireless extenders have their own issues since they use a portion of the wireless signal to repeat, thus cutting your effective bandwidth in half. Mesh routers have separate dedicated back channels so they don't suffer from this, but that means a new router and then additional satellites. Netgear makes what I think are the best mesh routers, but a setup will cost you $1K minimum for the top stuff.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I reached out to the support arm via email and they gave me the a code to get the 50% discount.  I assumed that I would be too late, but this code did work just now.

OriginOwner_6*jhisY7

That’s the code for everyone

 

[Rick Herrick]

That’s the code for everyone

Yep, just putting it out there in case anyone else wanted/needed to use it.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I like Studio and have the same observation: it's great for parts but I find it lacking for projects. I've made a few templates and one-off things but I wouldn't use it to design a chair. I'll need to watch a few more videos and see what kind of advanced things people are designing with it, along with understanding their Studio workflow.

Yeah, that's what I was meaning. It is great for individual parts, not a model of an assembly.
Since I have no experience with 3D modeling, I see these types of assemblies as parts that are already assembled. Then I just lay out the parts individually. I'm sure that as the complexity of the things I need to make grows, I'll have to get into Fusion. At this point, I just don't have time to learn it.
Eventually, I'm going to have to learn it, since I want to get into 3D printing too.

 

[DynaGlide]

Can the Shaper replace the LR32 for limited runs with Plate?

I don't make cabinets that often. I guess I could always use the shaper tape as well.

 

[woodwise]

In my experience I would say no...
The primary reason for my answer is based on speed. If you have no other option, yes it can do it but it is not fast or easy.

 

[Rick Herrick]

Can the Shaper replace the LR32 for limited runs with Plate?

I don't make cabinets that often. I guess I could always use the shaper tape as well.

According to the videos I have been watching, yes, the Plate can be used for LR32 holes.  Would I want to do 6 cabinets with holes all the way up and down, no.  But this Plate seems to be very good for smaller, one-off type of things.

 

[woodferret]

The LR32 thing is serviceable.  Somewhere akin to the Kreg jig but with a nice router bit.  I think it's geared more towards fine furniture builders who may throw in a tiny bit of adjustability, but not a full slew of holes.

If you're doing a full run, I'd probably do the tape.  Less indexing fun although the pin is suppose to be machined and has a 8mm base so less slop.... but still.

edit: I should point out that there's also no real registration to the front edge and one has to eyeball it to layout lines.  Each index shift over you'll have to make sure you're not drifting towards/away from the front.  Falls in the 'good nuff' category.

 

[DynaGlide]

That's what I kind of figured from the videos. It can do some holes, but only within what the Plate can see. The alternative is putting tape over all your cabinet sides but that sounds like an awful PITA.

I do have a nice Woodpeckers shelf pin jig that I've yet to use. It could fill the same need for batching out cabinets. I'm just looking for reasons to justify this expensive CNC tool (toy?) and I'm not doing a good job coming up with reasons to get it. At least not yet.