A Nomad 3 to go beside the Shapeoko 3XL

I've run a Shapeoko 3XL for years. It's a big open-frame router and it's great for plywood, MDF and the odd bit of aluminium. Most of the jigs and brackets around the workshop came off it, plus the odd coffee tray.

It has two problems though. It's loud, and it makes dust that gets everywhere. It's also not great for small precise parts, where the setup takes longer than the cut.

So I'm putting a Nomad 3 next to it. It's Carbide 3D as well, so the software and workflow are the same, but it's a small enclosed mill. It's quiet enough to run while doing something else, and it handles small aluminium parts properly.

The split is simple. The Shapeoko does big flat parts and anything in wood. The Nomad does the small stuff: test fixtures for boards off the SMT line, jigs, and small machined parts that would otherwise be a 3D print or an order to a machine shop.

I'll write a follow up once it has done some real jobs.