Ordered my CNC today

[honesttjohn]

A laser is a great addition to a CNC.  Of course, it depends on what you are making and how serious one is about production.  I've got a few contacts (you know a couple of them) who actually make as much, or more, doing laser work than CNC.  Again, it depends on what you are producing.

[4DThinker]

As production isn't a goal of mine I can confidently say there is nothing I want that a laser cutter/engraver could give me.  Crank out Windows in my house aren't ideal for venting a laser through.  I may end up with one before I die, when my power of denial brakes down and my finger that clicks on the "Cancel Order" icon no longer works. 

[honesttjohn]

You'll crack sooner or later.

[Artie]

On 3/22/2023 at 6:21 PM, honesttjohn said:

I wish like hell we were closer to each other. I’d make you an offer you couldn’t refuse. I come over weekends, you feed me, we build that thing. In the past the feeding me thing could drive you broke, but these days I don’t eat so much. ---- Artie

 

You guys could still come for a few days.  Room and Board in exchange for a little help.  You might get to "experiment" a little and even take the Probotix home at a discount.  Oh...I got a 100 watt laser in the garage waiting to be set up too.  I got it uncrated (took more than a year).  MA to MI is just a day trip.

John, I wish I could make the visit happen, be like your trip to Alaska in reverse! Also wish I could even dream of getting your Probotix, Nebula is it? Don’t think the Missus would let me replace the diningroom table with it LOL. I’ve pretty much run out of room. Our trip times are usually much linger than others manage. The Missus is a type one diabetic. We are usually in need of facilities at least once an hour. I have joked about getting a US/Canada map, and using yellow stickpins mark out our trips. She don’t find me too funny, I wonder why? LOL. I could only imagine the cribbage boards you could make between the laser and the CNC. You have passed beyond the threshold of Craftsman to Artiste!

[honesttjohn]

See Artie - you could practice by making one of these.  They can be made into cribbage boards too!!

[Artie]

Artiste!

[KevTN]

On 3/22/2023 at 3:33 AM, 4DThinker said:

Sorry to hear about the bad power supply.  Likely one of those thing no one bothered to check before packaging it up to ship.  The last Probotix CNC, a GX2525, seemed fine when set up but went awry during it's first toolpath.  Trying to cut t-slots in the provided MDF bed the two steppers moving the gantry got out of sync. . Turned out it was a bad parallel cable as swapping that cable out for another one fixed the problem. My comment to Probotix at the time was an angry "Why wasn't this cable checked before sending it with the CNC?".  I checked the continuity of every pin between ends of the cable I got with my Taigtool CNC mill to eliminate it as the possible reason it wasn't working at first.  It wasn't a quick task, but if I had to check 1000 cables I'd make a quick test station that would check every lead instantly with a plug in of both ends. 

 

My birth day story:   I have 3 older sisters.  Folks were hoping for a boy.  Mom was a little drugged as I was delivered when she heard the doctor say "It's a BOY!", then the nurse said "It's a BOY!", then Dad acclaimed "It's a BOY!".  Mother's response was "Three of them?!"  We believe she'd envisioned balancing the family with 3 boys to follow the first 3 girls, and might have been hopeful she'd taken care of that with one pregnancy.    I'm the 4th kid.  My name is David a.k.a.  4D.

LOL Yeah I was moms surprise to dad 

 

Thanks. Power supply will be back monday I wont be home until late tuesday night for one night Hope to play a little with it

[KevTN]

On 3/22/2023 at 5:23 PM, Artie said:

It’s funny, because it’s true!

No doubt there. I am trying to rearrange the 'shop' now to make the most room and work flow

[Artie]

I’m really interested in this, so I’m hoping you’re gonna let us follow along on this journey.

[4DThinker]

Work flow planning will be time spent well.  Another flow to consider is dust collection.  That's one thing my garage shop suffers from. 

The challenge with woodworking is that often more time gets spent cleaning up than was spent making the mess.  

 

Hoping you've got your CNC running now.  Love to see a photo even if it isn't in its final working place. 

[KevTN]

On 3/24/2023 at 8:05 PM, Artie said:

I’m really interested in this, so I’m hoping you’re gonna let us follow along on this journey.

Yes sir….I have everything together, now if you can sell me some time…lol. While waiting on the machine to show up I created a couple of things. Software I am using Vectric desktop with Universal g code. The CNC is a Millright Carve King 2.   

I hope to test out a file in the morning for a dry run and depending what time we get home Sunday a real run or may have to wait until Thursday or Friday.

[KevTN]

4 hours ago, 4DThinker said:

Work flow planning will be time spent well.  Another flow to consider is dust collection.  That's one thing my garage shop suffers from. 

The challenge with woodworking is that often more time gets spent cleaning up than was spent making the mess.  

 

Hoping you've got your CNC running now.  Love to see a photo even if it isn't in its final working place. 

I’ll snap a pick in the am. I have it on a rolling table to take into the driveway until a dust collection solution is found.

[KevTN]

As promised. Yes the area is in a mess so don’t judge! I was hoping to play a little this morning but I was informed we had to leave early…I hope everyone has a great weekend

Edited April 1, 2023 by KevTN
Info

[4DThinker]

Purdy lil machine you've got there!  Only advice I'll share is to allow for removing one bed panel and adding a way to clamp boards vertically under the spindle.  The open frame and use of two steppers to move the gantry  leaves the potential for cutting joinery on the ends of board, and setting projects within the frame to cut details on parts that assembled are too thick to lay on the bed.  

4D

[KevTN]

21 hours ago, 4DThinker said:

Purdy lil machine you've got there!  Only advice I'll share is to allow for removing one bed panel and adding a way to clamp boards vertically under the spindle.  The open frame and use of two steppers to move the gantry  leaves the potential for cutting joinery on the ends of board, and setting projects within the frame to cut details on parts that assembled are too thick to lay on the bed.  

4D

Thanks 4d. Yeah it’s a cutie lol

[KevTN]

Well learning experience just to do a test piece but think I am beginning to get a little better understanding. This is on a pretty warped piece of pecan that’s why the depth is different

[4DThinker]

Great to know that your wood works, Kevin!  My wood tends to prefer laying around in the garage just enjoying the peace and quiet rather than working to become something greater.  

 

Not sure what toolpath you used for that text.  In VCarve and Aspire there is a V-carving toolpath that will raise the bit up or down depending on the width between vectors outlines, and lift up in sharp corners to make crisp corners. Of course how it turns out depend on the surface of the board being consistently flat.  You can achieve that with a shallow pocket cut on the surface using a 1/2" diameter or wider surfacing bit. 

[KevTN]

Thanks for the tip. This was 0.2 VCarve but with the warp. I just wanted to get something on some wood. Lol 

Edited April 14, 2023 by KevTN

[Artie]

22 hours ago, KevTN said:

Thanks for the tip. This was 0.2 VCarve but with the warp. I just wanted to get something on some wood. Lol 

I really understand that!

[4DThinker]

Never hurts to practice on scraps just to make sure you have the hang of it.  I vaguely remember when I got my first CNC (an early CNC Shark) and the trepidation I had before cutting the first time.  I set the Z axis higher so the toolpath would just cut air so I could make sure the bit would travel where I expected it to. Had to make sure it wouldn't run into any clamps or bump into the travel limits of the machine. Several years later now and with a flock of scarred clamps I still occasionally watch in horror as something I didn't foresee happens and another clamp earns it's battle scar.  Most jobs now are a dance back and forth between the CNC where I clamp down the board first, then return to my office to adjust the toolpaths so they won't go near clamps I've set. Sometimes the dance returns to the CNC where I move a clamp up or down because the drawing revealed that where the clamp had been it would have gotten bitten. 

The most important feature in VCarve/Aspire is accessed from the toolpath menu.  Set, then Home /Start Position variables let you tell the CNC where you want the bit to start from and return to at the end.  This can be different than where you have zeroed off X,Y, and Z axes,  I like to zero against the bottom and left side for Y and X respectively.   I prefer the job to start in the middle rather than at that bottom corner though.  The Home/Start Position allows that. 

4D