New-Carve is a CNC router from CNC4newbie, a Canada-based brand that’s gaining popularity in the hobby CNC world.
What’s remarkable about this CNC is the extreme customizability options it provides in terms of size and choice of components.
In this review, I look at each aspect of this CNC router to help you decide whether this is the right machine for you.
I reviewed this CNC router on various parameters like size, material capability, rigidity, ease of use, overall build quality, assembly, community, and customer support.
1. Size of New-Carve CNC Router
| Model | Footprint | Work area |
|---|---|---|
| 500mm | 28″ x 26″ | 15 3/4″ x 14 1/2″ |
| 700 mm | 38″ x 36″ | 25 3/4″ x 24 1/4″ |
| 1000 mm | 48″ x 46″ | 35 1/2″ x 34″ |
| 1045 mm | 48″ x 64″ | 35 1/2″ x 52″ |
| 4545 mm | 64″ x 64″ | 51″ x 52″ |
Size options and work area summary for New-Carve
There are five size options to choose from for the New-Carve CNC, 500mm, 750mm, 1000mm, 1045mm, and 4545mm.
The largest variant has a footprint of 64” x 64” with a work area of 51” x 52”, while the smallest variant has a footprint of 28” x 26” and offers a work area of 15 ¾” x 14 ½”.
All the variants of the New-Carve come with 4 1/2” of vertical clearance under the X carriage.
This means you can slide a 4 1/2″ thick stock onto the workbed.
CNC4newbie also offers to build custom-sized CNC routers for you based on demand. This is quite unique and not offered by most other CNC brands.
2. Material Capability
Like most CNC machines intended for hobby purposes, the New-Carve CNC can be an easy go with wood, plastics, composites, acrylics, PVC, and more.
New-Carve can also be used to cut aluminum. But you need to match the right spindle and choose appropriate cut settings.
As a result, it is an excellent CNC for newbies who want to explore metal carving.
For cutting aluminum on the New-Carve you will need a 2 hp (1.5 kW) spindle at least.
For example, while cutting aluminum with a 2 hp (1.5 kW) spindle at a speed of 18,000 RPM with a 0.25″ depth of cut you can achieve feed rates of 100 inches per minute using a 1/4″ endmill.
3. Frame
New-Carve comes with a 2040 aluminum extruded base frame with a C-beam x-axis of size 3” x 2.5” and a Y-axis of size 1” x 3”.
The 6” wide front plate to attach the Z-axis slider is strong enough to mount a heavy 2.2 kW industrial spindle.
For the Z-axis, you are provided with the X-Carve slider having a 3” x 5” front plate and a 3” x 10” backplate with a 7″ travel. All the plates are machined out of ½” thick 6061T6 aluminum, including all the motor mounts.
CNC4newbie also offers you upgrades for the Z-axis that lets you have a longer Z-axis travel for cutting deeper into thick materials.
You just need to mount the new slider on the X carriage and fix the spindle mount to the front plate of the new slider.
But make sure to upgrade your GRBL settings, the details of which you can find in the CNC4newbie portal.
CNC4newbie doesn’t provide a wasteboard for any of its variants of the New-Carve, but instead, you will be provided with the drawing that will guide you to build one.
The drawing includes the width and length of the waste board with the position of the holes and their dimension.
4. Linear Motion
For linear motion, New-Carve has a 12 mm lead screw drive mechanism for the X and Y axes and an 8 mm lead screw for the Z-axis.
The screw-driven system, as opposed to a belt-driven system, is a major advantage to buying New-Carve compared to most hobby CNC routers.
The X and Y axes are supported by 15 mm square linear bearings, while for the Z-axis, you are provided with a 9 mm square linear bearing.
Linear bearings are rigid and have less vibration when compared to V-wheels but they require occasional lubrication and maintenance for optimum performance.
The recommended maximum feed rate is around 150 inches per minute, but you can tweak it if you know what you are doing.
5. Spindle on New-Carve
All the New-Carve variants offered by CNC4newbie come with pre-assembled router mounts.
CNC4newbie offers multiple router mount options for you to choose from while buying this CNC router.
Currently, they provide four options for router mounts, 65 mm, 69 mm, 80 mm, and 89 mm.
If you are using a Dewalt 611 router, which is a good choice for woodworking, you should go for the 69 mm mount.
For those using Makita RT0701C, which is better than Dewalt for cutting thin aluminum sheets, the 65 mm router mount is a better choice.
If you are planning to buy a VFD spindle along with your New-Carve purchase, CNC4newbie recommends making your purchase from the BNR Customs website.
BNR Customs offers a 2.2 kW water-cooled spindle, 2.2 kW air-cooled spindle, and 1.5 kW air-cooled spindle options.
They also provide you with a pre-programmed VFD that is compatible with the controller of New-Carve to control the spindle you choose.
Since the VFD is pre-programmed, your choice of controllers/drivers does not matter, and it will be compatible with almost all control systems.
6. Controller and Electronics
Controller
CNC4newbie provides you with the demon controller for all the variants of the New-Carve. The controller comes as a separate package along with a USB cable.
The controller is enclosed in a 3D-printed black box where the power supply unit is attached to the bottom.
A slidable panel is provided at the top through which you can access the controller modules.
The demon controller is different from most other integrated CNC controllers as it allows for the replacement of the included stepper drivers (TB6600).
In most CNC controllers, you need to replace the whole controller if even one stepper driver stops working.
Of course, you have the option to buy the CNC kit without the controller and choose to use any controller of your choice to control your New-Carve CNC router.
In general, GRBL-based CNC controllers cost relatively less, and there are plenty of free software programs that pair up well with GRBL-based controllers.
If you have the budget you can choose to go with a more premium control system like Mach3 + Gecko G540 + Ethernet SmoothStepper.
Electronics
New-Carve uses four NEMA 23 260 oz-in stepper motors for movement.
One motor for the Z-axis movement, one motor for the X-axis, and the other two motors for the two sides of the Y-axis.
The inclusion of stepper motors along with your purchase is optional.
For all New-Crave variants, you will be provided with X and Y-axis drag chains as a standard option, which is great, as these chains will help guide, support, and protect your wires.
Along with that, the CNC kit includes contact type limit switches for all three axes.
7. Software for New-Carve CNC
CNC4newbie does not offer any software program with the New-Carve CNC router, which means you are free to choose any software that fulfills the demands of your projects.
There are plenty of free and paid CNC software that you can use with a wide variety of features and performance.
If you need more features and versatility in your design, you can use professional CAD software like Fusion360 and SolidWorks.
Fusion360 provides you with a free license for personal use with limited features. But to use SolidWorks you need to have a license.
A good all-in-one solution is Easel, it has several features and tools for designing.
Easel is a cloud-based software program which means you need to have an active internet connection to load and save files after which you can work offline.
CNC4newbie provides the GRBL settings for quickly configuring Easel to work with New-Carve.
If you prefer to go with GRBL you can use any G-code sender, some of the popular G-code senders are UGS and GRBL Candle, both of these are free CNC software.
8. Laser Module for New-Carve
Currently, CNC4newbie doesn’t offer a laser module for their CNC routers.
But you can get a third-party laser module from optlasers, which is a high-pressure air-assist laser module.
These lasers use pulse width modulation (PWM) signals for their operation and have a universal mount.
This allows for a quick installation in any CNC milling machine.
Additionally, you do not have to remove your existing spindle to mount the laser as it’s attached to the spindle mount itself.
9. Assembly
All three axes of the New-Carve CNC router come pre-assembled with the lead screws and the linear bearings pre-installed.
CNC4newbie provides you with an excellent assembly manual complete with drawings that show the proper positioning of the bed frames along with what goes where.
You can also refer to videos on New-Carve assembly that are available on Youtube.
If you are a newbie to CNC, this might take you one to two days to complete the full assembly. But I also know people who have completed it in under eight hours.
For the smaller variant, like the 500 mm, it’s easy to perform the assembly on your own. But for the larger variants, you would need some assistance.
10. Community
The New-Carve is a fairly recent CNC brand that is quickly gaining popularity among CNC hobbyists.
While there is no dedicated online forum for this brand currently, you are likely to find other users of this CNC router on Openbuilds and Reddit.
11. Customer Support
CNC4newbie offers free shipping in the USA and Canada.
If you purchase a New-Carve CNC without a controller, which CNC4newbie calls the mechanical portion, the support from CNC4newbie will only be limited to the mechanical portion.
You can also buy your controller as a separate unit, which is not included in your New-Carve package from CNC4newbie.
In that case, the support for your controller will be covered separately by the company.
CNC4newbie has a technical support department for its customers.
They also provide video instructions, and documented projects on their customer support page related to CNC4newbie machines.
12. Final Thoughts
The New-Carve CNC router from CNC4newbie is a good choice for hobbyists.
Most components of the New-Carve come pre-assembled, which avoids a tedious assembly process.
In its design and pricing, New-Carve is comparable to the Openbuilds LEAD CNC router and the Ooznest Workbee Z1+ CNC router.
While it doesn’t have the ecosystem or customer support of bigger brands like Carbide 3D and Inventables, this CNC router is fast growing in popularity among CNC hobbyists due to the quality of the product.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I reuse my original z-axis stepper motor if I upgrade my z-axis with a longer travel?
Yes, you can use the z-axis stepper motor from your New-Carve, or a z-axis stepper motor from other CNC manufacturers that use a leadscrew or ball screw mechanism.
You can simply do that by removing the motor from the motor mount and attaching it to your new z-axis motor mount. All you need to do is properly couple the shafts.
