# ShopCam 52-100 advice



## JC-Runningthangs (Nov 27, 2015)

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum. Looking around looks like a lot of great info....I'm looking for some advice on a router purchase. I'm looking at a Shop Cam 52-100, can anyone tell me about those? Biggest question, how can I determine what the thing is worth? Is there a good resource for that or can someone here give me a price range?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey, JC; welcome!
Can't help with your question though.


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## gjackson52 (Jul 4, 2015)

Welcome to the forum, JC !


Gary


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## Roy Drake (Feb 10, 2014)

Welcome, JC. You're right. There is a lot of info here. However, I can't answer you question - I'm still learning every day. Hang tight. I bet someone will come along with an answer.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Hi JC. Glad you joined the fun.

I've never heard of that router. If you poke around here, you'll find very high approval for the Bosch 1617 EVSPK kit, which has both fixed and plunge bases. The fixed base can also serve as a table mount and lift so you can adjust the height from above the table. Table routing is MUCH safer than freehend, and there are lots of folks here who only use the plunge base for freehand routing tasks. 

I also suggest you visit Amazon and look for a used copy of Bill Hylton's book, "Woodworking with the Router." There is a later book by Hylton, but I like the earlier book better.

YouTube has thousands of woodworking videos that can help you by seeing something being done so you get a sense of how to use a tool, or to do something for the first time. Really helps.

For me, buying tools has been a bit painful, especially at first when I bought cheap tools. They were very hard to keep tuned up so projects were often ruined. So I no longer buy the cheap stuff and listen to the advice on tools on here. A few folks have the money for the way cool German stuff, but most of us are always looking for best performance for the buck.

Do you have a table saw yet? It is really the center of any shop. I love my Laguna 10 inch Hybrid saw, but many others like other brands. I bought a table saw book that taught me to set it up properly. Then I discovered the $30 Wixey angle finder, a little cube that lets you set your saw blade to exactly 90 degrees to the table. All of a sudden, my projects started turning out great! 

Here is a link to an article on the 17 things that helped me accelerate my learning curve. It is long, but pretty complete. Hope it helps you enjoy woodworking as much as I do. http://www.routerforums.com/featured-topics/75457-17-things-accelerate-your-learning-curve.html


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## RÖENTGEEP (Feb 18, 2014)

Seems that shop cam 52-100 is a CNC machine not just a router :surprise:

CNC Router 52 x 100 | eBay

Welcome to the forum JC


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum JC.


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