ShopSabre RC8 EVA
Image: shopsabre.com, ShopSabre
Key Specifications
Rapid Traverse
Repeatability
machine dimensions
cutting area
z clearance
z axis travel
How much does the ShopSabre RC8 EVA cost?
Price estimate
We do not have a price for the ShopSabre RC8 EVA that we can stand behind, so we show no number. Configuration, options and installation move the final price a long way: a quote is the reliable figure.
Overview
The ShopSabre RC8 EVA is the RC8 router configured for EVA foam and SeaDek marine decking: the same 51 x 97 in (1,295 x 2,464 mm) table, with a tool changer, a drag knife and vacuum hold-down added as a package. It is the least complex of ShopSabre's three EVA machines and the only one in the RC family.
Decking foam is cut in two ways, and the package covers both. A router bit does the grooves, bevels and logo pockets in the top layer. A knife does the through-cut around the outline without making dust or leaving a kerf. On the RC8 EVA the knife is a Donek D2 drag knife, a passive blade that trails behind the spindle axis and swivels to follow the path. It is simple and has no motor of its own, which is the difference from the tangential oscillating knife fitted to the PRO EVA 408 and the IS EVA machines.
Foam sheets are light and flexible, so they must be held flat everywhere. The Well Equipped build therefore replaces the plain RC tabletop with a surfaced MDF top over a hi-flow vacuum grid in 4 independently controlled zones, served by a single-phase F4 vacuum pump. The tool changer is listed as a 5 hp / 6 hp electric fan-cooled unit with 5 positions on ISO30 holders.
Underneath, nothing changes from the standard machine. X and Y are rack-and-pinion driven, rapid speed is 1,500 ipm (38.1 m/min), repeatability is +/- 0.002 in (0.051 mm) and Z travel is 9 in (229 mm). Footprint is 79 x 116 x 69 in (2,007 x 2,946 x 1,753 mm), or 78 in (1,981 mm) high with the tool changer.
Full Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Machine Dimensions | 79 x 116 x 69 in (2,007 x 2,946 x 1,753 mm); height with tool changer 78 in (1,981 mm) |
| Cutting Area | 51 x 97 in (1,295 x 2,464 mm) |
| Z Clearance | 8 in (203 mm) |
| Z Axis Travel | 9 in (229 mm) |
| Rapid Traverse Rate | 1,500 ipm (38.1 m/min) standard |
| Repeatability | +/- 0.002 in (0.051 mm) |
| Drive Motors | Closed Loop Motors with Planetary Gears |
| Drive System | Ball screw Z-axis with planetary drives; rack-and-pinion X and Y axes with ShopSabre Floating Drive Technology |
| CNC Control | Ethernet/network-ready machine controller with at-machine PC and Windows OS |
| Linear Guides | 25 mm linear guide rails and bearings on all axes |
| Software | Vectric VCarve PRO CAD/CAM software license |
| Dust Port | 4 in (102 mm) |
| Well Equipped Spindle | 5 hp / 6 hp (3.7 / 4.5 kW) electric fan-cooled auto tool change spindle |
| Well Equipped Tool Changer | 5 tool positions, with 5 ISO30 tool holders and ER32 collets |
| Well Equipped Knife | Donek D2 drag knife |
| Well Equipped Tabletop | Surfaced MDF tabletop with hi-flow vacuum grid, 4 independently controlled zones |
| Well Equipped Vacuum Pump | Single-phase F4 vacuum pump |
Specifications sourced from shopsabre.com — verified 2026-10-05
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- Packaged for EVA foam: tool changer, Donek D2 drag knife, vacuum grid tabletop and vacuum pump
- Single-phase F4 vacuum pump, so the hold-down system does not need three-phase power
- Hi-flow vacuum grid with 4 independently controlled zones under a surfaced MDF top
- 51 x 97 in (1,295 x 2,464 mm) cut area for full 4x8 foam sheets
- 5-position tool changer with ISO30 holders and ER32 collets
Limitations
- Drag knife, not the tangential oscillating knife of the PRO EVA and IS EVA machines
- Rack-and-pinion X and Y with +/- 0.002 in (0.051 mm) repeatability
- Only one size is offered; there is no 5x10 RC EVA
- ShopSabre's feature list names a 4HP/5HP spindle while the package lists a 5HP/6HP tool changer, so the spindle rating needs confirming
Best For
Frequently Asked Questions
01
The package. Both share the RC8 frame, the 51 x 97 in cut area and the 1,500 ipm rapid speed. The EVA version is listed with a 5-position tool changer, a Donek D2 drag knife, a surfaced MDF tabletop with a 4-zone hi-flow vacuum grid and a single-phase F4 vacuum pump.
02
A Donek D2 drag knife. It is pulled along the path by the machine and steers itself, with no drive of its own. ShopSabre fits a tangential oscillating knife system to the PRO EVA and IS EVA series, so that is where to look if you need a powered knife.
03
By vacuum. The Well Equipped build has a surfaced MDF tabletop with a hi-flow vacuum grid and 4 independently controlled zones, and it includes a single-phase F4 vacuum pump. Zones that the sheet does not cover can be shut off to keep suction where it is needed.
04
Yes, it remains a 3-axis router with a spindle and Vectric VCarve PRO software. ShopSabre does note that the RC family, with its rack-and-pinion X and Y axes, is aimed at hobby, lower-accuracy and low-production work.
