Show HN: Compass CNC – Open-source handheld CNC router

Great feedback, thank you. The video is indeed on the landing page, but as people have mentioned it's hard to see (which is obviously a problem hahah).

I am working on putting out more videos! Definitely aiming to address the accuracy and answer some other FAQ. As far as 3D printed parts go, tbh I'm just going that route for now because it's easier. Less hassle to deal with another manufacturer (or build out my own print farm, which is a whole other thing) and have to go through all the quality control that comes with that. Definitely planning on incorporating 3DP parts in the future, but saving that for when other stuff is more dialed in. Good idea to include a link to 3DP supplier.

A big difference between this and that is that this appears to determine relative positioning through multiple mouse-style optical sensors, rather than visually checking relative to patterned tape.

Also that there was a failed commercial attempt, which it turns out is getting re-booted:

https://handibot.com/

The shaper is super cool, but a little pricey understates it.

You can get a very nice router for $300-ish; the Shaper Origin is 3k.

There are loopholes for kits if it acts like a subassembly: https://emcfastpass.com/fcc-rules-kits-subassemblies/

Have you seen the opulo yt video on this?

The workflow on the shaper origin is extremely nice, --- apply tape, swing it around to capture the environment, load svg and position. If you need a regular spacing grid, you just press a few buttons and ram the tool into three non-colinear points on the edge of your object.

You can cut objects in place, including irregularly shaped stuff you'd need to disassemble to put on your gantry. That comes up frequently for engraving but it's not exclusive to it.

The whole device is basically the size of a sewing machine. Yet it can cut parts that won't fit on an gantry you're able to fit in your garage.

It's quite tedious for repeated work. So I think it's really more in the class of manual power tools than in the same class as a CNC setup.

As far as accuracy goes, the tracking tape eliminates some source of errors. Say your clamping is not 100% and the part shifts slightly while being worked-- tape the part moves with it and all is still happy. Of course, it introduces some of its own problems too.

So in summary:

1. Very small device, yet can work with arbitrarily large pieces. 2. Good workflow means very fast setup suitable for one offs. 3. Works in situ, especially useful for engraving things in place.

I imagine that if it weren't a bit pricey that many people who do CNC woodworking would also have a shaper origin like device-- much like you probably have a skillsaw in spite of owning a CNC router.

Plus the simplicity of setup and the size makes it attractive to anyone who only wants a tiny amount of CNC for precision engraving, hole positioning, or cutting an inset for a hinge... and would never own a CNC gantry.

FWIW, I use a Shaper and I think there are four areas where it is better than a gantry. If I was just blasting out flat parts, I'd go for a typical gantry setup. But I very rarely do that.

1.) Cuts that are not easy on a gantry. It would be very difficult to do a tenon on a gantry. You could do one side and then flip the piece. Or maybe you could have a special bed with a void for putting stock in that direction. Either way would be difficult to get just right. With the Shaper and their workstation this is a 60 second operation.

2.) Cuts in the real world. If your stock fits into a gantry, great. But if it doesn't then you're going to have to dismantle the thing to get it into your CNC. With the Shaper I've done inlays on-site, in hardwood floors, kitchen counters, on walls, and on a rough surface picnic table.

3.) Sneaking up on tolerances. Again, if you're batching out a ton of stuff you'll get your tolerances once and everything will be set. But when I use a gantry getting the tolerances just right takes a ton of time. On the Shaper you cut a pocket, test fit, bump the tolerance by a thou or two, recut, and re-fit. This is fast on the Shaper.

4.) Storage space. I don't have a ton of space. I have a small CNC (~15" x 15") for small stuff that I want to batch out, but I work out of my garage. I'd love to drop a 4' x 8' CNC in there, but it isn't going to happen. With the Shaper it all goes into a systainer box and sits on a shelf. When I want to do something big I lay some foam down on the driveway to use as a backer, drop the wood, lay out the tape, and go.

It's crazy pricey. But that's more because it's owned by Festool than any inherent reason. If you're the kind of prosumer who goes for Festool-grade tools then it's probably a decent fit.

Size I assume - this should be able to handle massive projects at the same price, while a gantry router would be much more expensive. Or so I would assume, I didn't dig into this to see how large it can go.

it's in the second sentence of the link:

> It automatically adjusts the cutting tool to stay on the programmed design path, enabling a significantly smaller device footprint while still handling large-scale cuts.

I don't know how many people it concerns but the use case is very clear

https://youtu.be/t5xDmslfzvs

It’s on the compass home page. Admittedly the Play button does blend into the background image of the router a bit.

?!?

I'm not seeing that --- sounds interesting! Link?

Maslow is self-propelled using cables. It's the same goal - expand the work area by getting rid of a rigid frame of the mill - but a fundamentally different way of getting there. Here, you're the one moving the mill to follow your desired pattern, and the device simply corrects for your errors to stay on target.