you were absolutly right about the 5th axis head i posted, the cost of that baby runs $ 55.000.00 US to start, and will only obtain 5000 rpm.

jim

Hi Fellas, We ordered our router bits today. Ended up getting them from Routerbits.com.
Emailed an Aussie supplier - Professional woodworking Supplies. They did send the prices to us and we were very disappointed with them.
The 7 MDF Door bits were AUD $736. Highway bloody robbery!
The price from Router bits.com AUD $ 400. What is wrong with suppliers in Australia? Greedy ********!
We do not mind paying a bit of a premium but that is ridiculous.

Rocket.

my new friend and fellow camaster owner George from nc. have spent some time preparing to use cabinetpartspro, ryan also is testing a mdf door program to go with cabpartspro.

george purchased his machine two weeks ago from bill and is very software minded. with his help we are cutting and maching parts!!

now i may or may not step up to cabinet pro or one of the other cabinetprograms, i was able to sell my 20/20 today and have cabnetware for design but not cnc.

ryan is also offering a nest program that will import dxf layers from cabinet design programs.

my bits and collets will be here tommorrow doors will have to wait as we out source all our hardwood cope and stick as well as mitred doors.

got lots of apartment sign work and will have to carve a night just to cattch up (photos are comming) jim

on amazon

whiteside 5645,5610,1303,5620,5725,5630

total 259.11 incl shipping

what did i miss
jim

Hi Fellas, We ordered our router bits today. Ended up getting them from Routerbits.com.
Emailed an Aussie supplier - Professional woodworking Supplies. They did send the prices to us and we were very disappointed with them.
The 7 MDF Door bits were AUD $736. Highway bloody robbery!
The price from Router bits.com AUD $ 400. What is wrong with suppliers in Australia? Greedy ********!
We do not mind paying a bit of a premium but that is ridiculous.

Rocket.

What????

Did you order the router bits with Kryptonite shanks and unobtanium inserts?

We know the reason for the price differential- much higher sales volume and market competition provides for consumer savings.

on amazon

whiteside 5645,5610,1303,5620,5725,5630

total 259.11 incl shipping

what did i miss
jim

Jim, there are 7 bits - you omitted 5720 and 5710 at a cost of USD $ 57.60 each. 1303 was not included. Came to a sub total of $357.59 Plus shipping $27.99. So total in USD was $385.58. These are about the same prices as Amazon. We went with Routerbits.com because they are specialists in the field and as such would probably carry stocks - hopefully translating into faster delivery.

Jimmy, the thing is that the Aussie business do not even carry stocks. They quoted 10-14 days delivery from the USA. Looks to me like they simply doubled the USA retail price. I intend to send them an Email to
" tell em they`re dreamin!! "
I had sent an Email to a major Aussie bit supplier and they replied that our required bits would need to be custom made. Big$.
How are you going with the Chinese bits? We are definately in.

Rocket.

my new friend and fellow camaster owner George from nc. have spent some time preparing to use cabinetpartspro, ryan also is testing a mdf door program to go with cabpartspro.

george purchased his machine two weeks ago from bill and is very software minded. with his help we are cutting and maching parts!!

now i may or may not step up to cabinet pro or one of the other cabinetprograms, i was able to sell my 20/20 today and have cabnetware for design but not cnc.

ryan is also offering a nest program that will import dxf layers from cabinet design programs.

my bits and collets will be here tommorrow doors will have to wait as we out source all our hardwood cope and stick as well as mitred doors.

got lots of apartment sign work and will have to carve a night just to cattch up (photos are comming) jim

Great to see that you and George are up and flying.
What are your impressions of cabinetpartspro so far? I did send them an Email about it but they did not bother to reply. ( nothing new ) We want to buy it as we will be doing some carcass work and if they incorporate an MDF Door program it should suit us down to the ground. So if you speak to Ryan tell him to answer my bloody Emails.
Now that you are routing are you noticing the difference in manufacturing times?

Rocket.

Jim, there are 7 bits - you omitted 5720 and 5710 at a cost of USD $ 57.60 each. 1303 was not included. Came to a sub total of $357.59 Plus shipping $27.99. So total in USD was $385.58. These are about the same prices as Amazon. We went with Routerbits.com because they are specialists in the field and as such would probably carry stocks - hopefully translating into faster delivery.

Jimmy, the thing is that the Aussie business do not even carry stocks. They quoted 10-14 days delivery from the USA. Looks to me like they simply doubled the USA retail price. I intend to send them an Email to
" tell em they`re dreamin!! "
I had sent an Email to a major Aussie bit supplier and they replied that our required bits would need to be custom made. Big$.
How are you going with the Chinese bits? We are definately in.

Rocket.

Last lot of bits cost me quarantine inspection fees, chinese wrote 'wood bit's' on declaration so it was assumed there may be timber products inside- $70 per xray before they will release for delivery.

I'm having mixed results at the moment- carbide seems hard but they tend to chip fairly easily. Interesting that some are great and all supposedly from the same batch. My tool sharpening guy I go to touched a couple on his diamond weel and suggested the carbide was low grade.

I'll have some AUS sourced bits end next week, compression bits, ball nose and roughing (big name respected supplier) that I am told by an insider are chinese manufactured. If they work out ok I can look forward to mates rates pricing.

ordered on a weekend

here on tuesday am

4rth axis i am getting is attached to table jim

We are getting the same machine. After kicking around for a few years and looking over everything we could find I felt that Bill has had the best answers to my questions and has been very professional in dealing with my questions and straightforward with his answers. The fact that he could point out features that he feels make his machines better without degrading other companies tells me he is pretty secure in what he is offering on his machines and to me that says alot.

I am interested to see what you think of cabinetparts pro Jim and whoever else is using it.

george in wilmington is mastering it for us i will be cutting the rest of the day and will get you video.
denny we are going enjoy this
jim

I have been looking a lot at the router bit issue, but I have not worked out the relationship between cutting speeds,router speeds and diameter of the router bit. I have read and learned a lot on this page :
http://www.precisebits.com/
http://www.precisebits.com/tutorials/calibrating_feeds_n_speeds.htm

However, when you order you're bit's do you take in to account how many cutting edges the router bit has? We can get everything from 1 to 4 (or possibly more) cutting edges, but then how does this effect the processing speeds and RMPs on the mill?

English is not my native language so it might be that the answer is in the http://www.precisebits.com/ pages. In case, I hope you survive my blunder.

Anyway, any of you're judgements when ordering would be valuable.

K

I have been looking a lot at the router bit issue, but I have not worked out the relationship between cutting speeds,router speeds and diameter of the router bit. I have read and learned a lot on this page :
http://www.precisebits.com/
http://www.precisebits.com/tutorials/calibrating_feeds_n_speeds.htm

However, when you order you're bit's do you take in to account how many cutting edges the router bit has? We can get everything from 1 to 4 (or possibly more) cutting edges, but then how does this effect the processing speeds and RMPs on the mill?

English is not my native language so it might be that the answer is in the http://www.precisebits.com/ pages. In case, I hope you survive my blunder.

Anyway, any of you're judgements when ordering would be valuable.

K

Most manufacturers specify a chipload for their tools, which is how much material each flute cuts per revolution. https://www.onsrud.com/xdoc/FeedSpeeds

The more flutes you have, the faster you can go, because as you increase the number of flutes, the chip load is reduced.

Most manufacturers specify a chipload for their tools, which is how much material each flute cuts per revolution. https://www.onsrud.com/xdoc/FeedSpeeds

The more flutes you have, the faster you can go, because as you increase the number of flutes, the chip load is reduced.

That was a nice link.

Thank's a bunch. Would study it closely.

K

and timely as i am carving an apartment complex sinage tonight, sign foam cuts like butter, bouht new camera (video and will post tonight jim

I had an issue today- the bit i was using broke on me! I was routing a simple groove in the door when the bit chipped off a bit. Does anybody know what causes this - a manufacturing error or an error with the program i wrote to run it?? Does the speed of the bit entering the wood change anything? Ive routed about 10 panels before the bit broke, so im inclined to think that the settings i used were not the issue. Anybody else's ideas?

Sounds like cheap tools, but sometimes you'll find pieces of stone or metal in boards which can chip a bit. Can you show us a picture, and tell me what feedrate and rpm you're using?

Sounds like cheap tools, but sometimes you'll find pieces of stone or metal in boards which can chip a bit. Can you show us a picture, and tell me what feedrate and rpm you're using?

Rodney's just gone off for a tick, when he gets back i'll take a photo of where it broke on the board. I can't show the bit because I've already sent it back in my huff, but the bit didn't snap, it sort of chipped on the edge.

The feed rate was 20mm per second, and spindle speed at 12000 rpm. Does this effect anything?

It's probably just a defective bit. What's the diameter of the bit? You can probably up the rpm a little (14K or so) and double your feedrate.

and wheres a huff?

jim

and wheres a huff?

jim

Tick = 'not long'

Huff = Frustrated and annoyed to the point that couldn't be bothered thinking about it. (pretty sure noy AUS term).

[I] think cabnet636 was making a old joke bout the huff.

i figured he threw it to place never to be recovered !! i can relate my quiet tone is all about finding ouy just how illiterate at this cnc i really am

it's obvious only practice will prevail!!!!!

bill has sold a few machines lately and i am so grateful he finds the time to help me, when i read some of the stories of others i feel fortunate.

yall i am having a "tit" of atime uploading from my new vid/dvd/memory stick
camera, i'd love to show you what we have done, but technology has gotten the better of me,

i am gaining a newfound respect for the learning curve of cnc!!

think i just take the old tape camera today

back asap jim

for those interested, i purchased the vector art 3d v carve collection to go with v carve pro and at over 2000 images prepared for carving thats one of the best $ values i've gotten so far!!! at 99.00

for those interested, i purchased the vector art 3d v carve collection to go with v carve pro and at over 2000 images prepared for carving thats one of the best $ values i've gotten so far!!! at 99.00

Thank's for the tip. I need to do some "carving" pictures for my mother so she could put on the wall of our new cottage. The old one burned to the ground, which had a lot of handmade stuff going up in smoke.

Looks like I would receive my machine after Easter holiday, so I guess there would not be any CNC and beers on me :(

K

thanks joey "cut to the bone" file done job delivered and more next week


got all my bits and collets and will be turning this machine over to employees for production i will be jockeying for "table time"

i am so looking forward to my new machine jim

i got my colletts and bits from all kinds of dealers yesterday, all was very good

i would all get catalog

http://www.usshoptools.com/

jim

I Will get to work on the others and have them to you A.S.A.P. The sign with your logo looks great. I would like to use some of your pics in the DVD I'm working on. And bring a sign to IWF "Going Home With Jim" Tell your crew hello. and I'll talk with you latter.

P.S.
about yesterday its taken care of.(nuts) to the curb!

Thanks,

Joey

will be cutting panel today and atempting to download video, i am learning about sony dvd camcorder its smarter than me at this point, will get to an expert today and learn it, jim

Keith, am I to understand that your machine from Camaster (Bill) is the import and they made modifications to it prior to delivering such as the Wincnc controllers and such? I have received the price/spec list from SH-CNC and there are a few variances from some of the earlier post. I’m certain these will change again ever so often just as they do in most manufacturing as suppliers and buyer negotiate for the best value and ability to maximize profit. Main change seems to be the replacement of all the liquid cooled spindles with HSD (prices are lower than some post also). When I was at Camaster I saw the imports but we spent more time talking about their built form scratch machines than the imports other than Bill saying they were OK machines and he was using them to cut parts for his own machines.

george in wilmington nc is having success with the cabinetpartspro software and is figuring out the doors program. how are you comming on your doors

got new camera long story about mini dvd and memory card etc, will post carving tonight

jim

greg in atlanta how you comming along??

kustom has it started to thaw yet??

[QUOTE=cabnet636;403540]

greg in atlanta how you comming along??



I'm hanging tight waiting for a machine to fall out of the sky, hit me in the head, program itself and produce $$$$$$$$$$ (read tons of money).

did you ever get so far as getting a shipping quote and import charges from China?
I know the shipping is around $875 on a machine with a pump and $640 without one in a less than contanier load but trying to figure the duty and port charges is like calculating rocket fuel to get to mars. I'll have to call a forwarding company on monday.

I gotta tell ya after seeing these prices it's going to be hard not to buy the import and use it as is and just let Bill build my plasma machine.

I could pay him by the hour for a long time for support with the savings.

but the chinese were in line after all was said and done the prices were within 1000 of each other, i remember shipping at 3500.00 to sc, machine
quotes were disscussed way back in the thread.

robert did this today with router

also i bought machine 1st of dec 07 and return net to me so far is 8900.00
and i have not done any thing that has been related to our existing work

jim

Yes Bill purchased my machine and refitted it with a vaccum table, a 5hp Colombo spindle and Win CNC. I'm not like some of these guys that are really smart or have plenty of money to play with. I didn't know anything about a cnc router when I started and definitely didn't have lots of money. I didn't just invest in a machine. I invested in Bill. He's helped me a lot more than I ever expected. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, after sale support is as important as a good machine. Think long and hard before you make your decision. If you don't believe me, talk to Jim McGrew (cabnet636). Also, consider that the Chinese machine comes with a 3hp liquid cooled spindle. There's a lot of difference in the price of a 5hp Colombo. Win CNC is about $1,000 more than Mach 3. Good support is priceless! Sounds like a Visa commercial doesn't it !? If you're in Atlanta, why don't you go talk to Bill? He's not that far from Atlanta. Come to Camden and see my machine if you like. Good luck! www.camaster.com
Keith

That's gotta be the prettiest duck casket I ever seen!!!! :rainfro:
Keith

Thats what I was thinking, but tell me it isn't :eek: :D


Shannon.

O.K. What `s the story here? We appreciate the fact that you blokes maybe " New age Guys ", but in Oz we shoot ducks and consider them a delicasy. But why would you need a Duck Casket? Just chuck it on the barbie and have a feast! Not my cup of tea, but what gives?
What next? You blokes Gonna charge KFC with cruelty to Poultry?:confused:(nuts)Them poor birds!!!!

george in wilmington nc is having success with the cabinetpartspro software and is figuring out the doors program. how are you comming on your doors

got new camera long story about mini dvd and memory card etc, will post carving tonight

jim

greg in atlanta how you comming along??

kustom has it started to thaw yet??

Jim - You are a pretty smart bloke. I remember somebody suggesting that it is just a matter of following a logical set of steps. Now who was it?
Oh -- it was you!!! LOL. ( so says me. I am hopeless at working these things out.) Perseverance my friend! You can do it!
Rocket.

is one serious hunter, i seriously believe that for as good a cabinetmaker he is
(his apprenticship was at sourthern architectural woodwork)
http://www.southernwoodwork.com/

far better a hunter, it is not uncommon (in season) for robert to hunt in the am before coming to work,

once he arrived for work on a real cold morning, the windows of his suv were bloody and the one window was kicked out (bit spooky) when i asked him what happened he said " i thought he (the deer) was dead, put him in the truck but he came alive while riding down the interstate highway, so i had to kill him at 70 mph".

duck hunters and hunters of all types will be a great carving market for us here!!

http://www.ducks.org/

he plans to carve and donate to this.
http://www.sewe.com/

bought the last of tony mac's programs "photo v carve"

will post from charlotte tonight jim

IT'S NOT A DUCK CASKET

jim

Thanks, that’s what I needed to know. The machine I would compare with an equivalent domestic built has a 3.0 Kw HSD which is equal to 4 HP, they do have the 3.8 Kw or 5 HP available and they only list HSD fan cooled spindles now.

I absolutely understand the importance of service and it is at the top of my list right under quality. I think the two add up to equal value (there’s a Mr Goodwrench commercial in there for you Jim). In another thread I mentioned that I had been to Bills shop and he spent the better part of the day with me. He even took me out in the field to show me a couple of machines in service and I was able to talk with the shop owner about his experience and applications. There is no doubt that Bill is an asset and will influence my final decision. I also noted in the other thread we will be setting up a plasma machine as well as the router and Bill has offered to build that for us. I still plan on giving EZ Router a look before my finale decision as they have a couple of new machine in production with some upgrades and what looks to be a fair price.
see: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51383

I’m asking my questions in this thread because they relate directly to the import machines.

Jim, assuming shipping of 3500 (and I think to Atlanta it’s going to be about the same) the difference is more like 6k even after upgrading to Win CNC if I make my own vacuum table. The question for Bill will have to be what make his scratch built the better deal than the import and it may come right back to the service + quality = value issue.

By the way to our mates down under I think someone already sued KFC’s supplier not KFC directly for the cruelty to chickens issue. They probably won a nice settlement in court and get free KFC every Tuesday night for life. Ah American justice…

was based on quotes given to one in england, austrailia and two in us

it was an aples to apples to quote before i purchased and upgraded to wincnc

so you probably are right,

and actually at this point i am just DUCKY about my camaster.

walter phillips once a titan of industry and long since passed, told me as i was cleaning his beach on water island of the coast of st. thomas usvi.

"jim, people are happiest when they are paying, then they know what to expect" in my business the low bidder loses!! jim

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then............

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then............


Throw it in a pot and cook it.....

Jim, hope the day trip went well.

I saw where you posted something about Bobcad. Are you using it or looking into using it. I need to find a CAD program and have downloaded a few of the trial versions but haven’t had a lot of time to look them over. I have some experience with Corel but that wont do everything I need to do.

See: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24068

By the way we all know that’s not a duck coffin it’s a mallard casket.

i have bobcad full program it's with bill and josh to see if it's lathe program is viable bill is wanting me to use mechsoft and i will ultimatly go with his suggestion.

i also have corel, type3, all of v carves program, cabinetpartspro, autocad,
cabnetware designer, 20/20 and bob cad preditor.

will purchase cabinetpro as well, i informed cabnetware i was not going down the cnc road with them as even in my custom business i am not sold on the
fact that while the program is extremly viable it may well be way over blown at 25000.00+.

the next software for me is either bob cad or mechsoft as to the fourth axis.

i have figured out the camera and am waiting on you tube to process.
video soon jim

ALRIGHT

this sign foam cuts like butter and finishes well with laquer primer

YouTube - sign foam sign

good to see you got the new camera figured out. It looks great and i will be in touch monday or tuesday.

C-ya Joey

wincnc

YouTube - sign foam wincnc

YouTube - cutting sign form

G`day Ducky, You have really got it all together, the videos are great and you are already making money with your machine.
The more that we see of the wincnc the better it looks.

Our progress has stalled as we wait for our bits to arrive. We decided to go ahead and get the replaceable insert bits as well. They should arrive mid week and then we can get routing. We have also fitted a one piece spoilboard now.
Ramon is going very well with his designing of the patterns in V Carve Pro
Hopefully by the end of the week our money making machine will be paying itself off.
We are extremely busy at work but i will try and find the time to post photos as soon as we are up and running.
Rocket.

havin all the a good machine, support, bits and colletts as well as proper software makes all the difference.

it's kinda like a rocket, fill it full of fuel lite the fuse and it goes off!!!

ate some wild boer at the "blue" restaurant in charlotte nc last night "WOW"

went to the mint museum of art and craft for some cnc inspiration!! process and application!!

jim

Jim, You are very well set up now. On reflection i feel that we could have been better prepared with things like software, bits and collets, but it has given us time to absorb it all. I guess that if we can get up and running properly after having the machine for only one month we will be satisfied.

You seem to be enjoying your trip to Charlotte NC. Good to be busy at work but then you need to unwind once in a while.
Back in September we bought a Ford F-350 tow truck from Floyd West who lives near Charlotte. Truck was 3" too wide to fit into a container and the shipping people with roll on roll off ship wanted 11,000 to ship it over.
So Floyd was kind enough to resell it for us. Good people in Charlotte.

Your wild boar at the restaurant sounds delicious, but i thought that you might have gone for Peking Duck!

Keep those videos coming.

Rocket.

my wife just made the comment that these routers are not like cars, you don't just turn the key and go they are not plug and play, they have to be fitted to you desired application, thanks to you, jimmy007, joey, ger, bill glenn
and all at cnc zone i am feeling more comfortable and am now really enthused.

friday robert and i were watching the machine run, (we both have contracted to much larger plants with big beam saws cnc edgebanders that looked like tanks and all off them weighing over 4 tons) robert said to me " remember going to iwf and wondering when we would go cnc" i responded " i never figured we would"

he looked at me and said " i knew we would have to"!!!

woodwork is still teaching old "DUCKS" new tricks!!

jim

Jim, You have taken to cnc like a Duck to water!

The car analogy is an interesting one. I have pondered myself about people who think nothing of signing up for a car loan for 20 - 30 k, yet it is going to depreciate in value from day one and be a drain on the wallet until it is traded in and the cycle starts all over again. I have never believed in using finance myself. But if those same people were to buy something that is going to make money such as a cnc router they would be far better off. In our cases it is more of a necessity in order to make significant labour savings.
In your situation you are already using your machine to generate extra income with the signwork, and then you can make your cabinets in a fraction of the time and with great precision. I see why you are so enthusiastic about it.
By the way - Kustom has not been sighted on the forum for a while. Any idea why? I know that it is freezing cold up in Fargo ND, but surely the power is still on. Hope he has not fallen off of his snowmobile and hurt himself.
Rocket.

kustom he's been a big asset to us all jim

cabinetpartspro

YouTube - camaster.cnc.mcgrewwoodwork

YouTube - mcgrewwoodwork,cabinetpartspro, wincnc

got a new laptop 4 gig ram 250 gig hd kick it in!!

vaccum is not enough called bill today mine came with 5 hp regen and i need more. had a part move todat no problem but i see the difference now jim


wheres jimmy007

Been busier than a one eyed cat watchin two mouse holes!

I'm running a 4kw becker constant displacement pump and would really enjoy the luxury of more VAC. I am getting away with it but often have to put plastic on open areas of the spoilboard, leave tabs and in some instances with ply or slightly sprung veneered board have to think about employing a clamp or two when cut depth is critical...

I have noticed that there is a one way valve at the vac reserve tank and am thinking about installing a second and buying in an 8kw or larger unit to run parralel and fire it up when needed.

Glad I went for the 6kw spindle- now wishing I went for the big pump.

G'Day Jimmy
Unfortunately even a 20Hp vacuum is marginal at times.On very small pieces local gaskets help.If you can putup with a few holes,after a pre cut,not through,you can shoot 2 brads into the small pieces.Part of the problem is side forces trying to slide the part off the smooth spoil board.Here is a link which may give some ideas.They have antislip gaskets.
http://www.allstaradhesives.com./index.php
Gotta have a smoko,I will mull over the problem and open my XXXX slab.Its snow'in here,later I will grab the hottie and go to sleep.
Hooroo
Larry

how you comming on conversion?

i am to be routing tommorow as we have another apartment job and vaccum is no problem with sign foam.

will be looking to purchase cabinet pro tommorrow as well

rocket how about an update, doors yet??

jim

We have ordered a 1530 router today, Looking forward to getting it.

Shannon.

good for you
after seeing rockets i am really impressed



jim

Shannon - Good on yer mate! How long before you will take delivery?

Update - Our router bits that we ordered through Routerbits.com arrived several days ago. They only took one week and a day to get here which we were quite happy about. They are Whiteside bits and the quality is top notch. The patterns are not quite what we are after.
The replaceable insert bits from the local supplier are due to arrive on Monday, and these have been made to our specifications so we should be good to go.
We have been experimenting with the bits that we currently have and are happy with our progress.

An interesting post was put up on the forum last weekend in the Australian and New Zealand section. I have a thread titled Commercial cnc Router in S.A. . I had posted on the thread congratulating SyS-e for becoming a Excitech agent for NZ and Australia and wished them all the best. I was absolutely flabbergasted by the response from SyS-e - The reply to me was that they would be happy to arrange another purchase of an Excitech Router for me and have it delivered to me for a commission of 25% !!! HUH? Or a delivery and setup service for a 40% commission plus airfares and accommodation!!! Huh? Forum rules prevent me from posting the appropriate reply to this person.(nuts)(nuts)
Sys-e - You are Dreamin!!
My suggestion to anybody considering an Excitech cnc Router is to buy direct from sh-cnc in China!

Rocket.

Hi everyone,

I am looking in the next few months to order another excitech with the auto tool changer and some other upgrades to run as a dedicated machine. I wanted to get a list together of all the little niggles and problems you excitech owners have with the machine and then submit them to Taney. Hopefully they can then fix all these before I order another machine hehe :D

Not only that it gives excitech a bit of constructive feedback which they may not otherwise know about, heres what ive got so far:

1. DSP cable where it goes into electrical cabinet is not good at all, needs fixing so it is clipped in properly and possibly relocating.

2. Tool sensor plastic cup mount needs fixing to be secured better.

3. Clean swarf out of gantry side plates, gears etc where they drilled through.

4. DSP needs some upgrades, I have 120 programs on it now and it takes me a lifetime to scroll through and find the one I want.

5. If at all possible dont put the vac pump on the nice flat machined vac bed when shipping as there have been problems with it not being flat anymore in that area.

Sure there is plenty more you guys can think of.

These are are relatively minor things but dont take a lot of effort to fix and we be a big help for future customers. (like me)

G`day Dougie, I totally agree with you on all points although we do not have a fraction of the programs on the DSP that you have.
As you state- they are all minor problems and should be easily rectified.

Have you seen Jim`s wincnc Controller. It would be nice to have that from the factory or if that is not possible then maybe Mach3.

Rocket.

Yep, great idea (NOT)- pay a lazy 25% for a no added value drop ship.

To date all appear to have had a happy ending in direct deals with the factory and our friends in the EAST will always deal direct to secure the business- no real need to go through an agent unless thay are adding value by way of local support.




Shannon - Good on yer mate! How long before you will take delivery?

Update - Our router bits that we ordered through Routerbits.com arrived several days ago. They only took one week and a day to get here which we were quite happy about. They are Whiteside bits and the quality is top notch. The patterns are not quite what we are after.
The replaceable insert bits from the local supplier are due to arrive on Monday, and these have been made to our specifications so we should be good to go.
We have been experimenting with the bits that we currently have and are happy with our progress.

An interesting post was put up on the forum last weekend in the Australian and New Zealand section. I have a thread titled Commercial cnc Router in S.A. . I had posted on the thread congratulating SyS-e for becoming a Excitech agent for NZ and Australia and wished them all the best. I was absolutely flabbergasted by the response from SyS-e - The reply to me was that they would be happy to arrange another purchase of an Excitech Router for me and have it delivered to me for a commission of 25% !!! HUH? Or a delivery and setup service for a 40% commission plus airfares and accommodation!!! Huh? Forum rules prevent me from posting the appropriate reply to this person.(nuts)(nuts)
Sys-e - You are Dreamin!!
My suggestion to anybody considering an Excitech cnc Router is to buy direct from sh-cnc in China!

Rocket.

No progress there yet Jim but will get to it- jobs are comming in thjisck and fast at the moment.

Despite earlier comments concerning expected limitations in the supplied DSP controller I have to say that I am yet to find a specific issue with it.

how you comming on conversion?

i am to be routing tommorow as we have another apartment job and vaccum is no problem with sign foam.

will be looking to purchase cabinet pro tommorrow as well

rocket how about an update, doors yet??

jim

been wondering if we were still alive around here!

yes jobs are thick and comming in here too!!

sadly i have had 8 of what i would consider great to master cabinetmakers come in here looking for work, the us econ will survive this but the residential cabinet shops that put there faith in kitchens only are hurtin here

will be routing in a few more video and photos

got all my bits, and rocket i have heard from kustom and spoke to him on the phone, it's 10 degrees there in fargo and he is waitng in machine, i can tell he's gonna be a great file writer

jim

Shannon - Good on yer mate! How long before you will take delivery?


I am not sure of the delivery date, Taney will give me one at some stage. They have Chinese new year holidays over there so that will slow things down a little. I am not in a tearing hurry though.

Glad to here your router bits have turned up fine.

Shannon.

Jim, We are a bit concerned at the moment. Although we are busy right now the outlook is not good. Therefore we are concentrating on maximising our workload while we can.
Strange thing is that while interest rates are being cut in the USA ours have just increased again. Seems that our government is trying to slow inflation here. House prices are at record highs -something has to give.
The lowest price for an outer suburban house here is over $200,000.
I have checked out prices in the USA and see lots of homes around $50,000.
Worldwide share markets are taking a hammering and there could be a big crash coming soon.
I don`t like to sound like a prophet of doom - but start putting your money away fellas.

Rocket.

I have checked out prices in the USA and see lots of homes around $50,000.
Not anywhere near any major cities, or nothing you'd want to live in.

The cheapest homes around here are about $100,000, down about $50K over the last year or two. There are hundreds of houses for sale, nobody's buying. 2 houses on my street have been for sale for 2 years.

I used to work in the wood working industry, when the housing market was slow people spent their money on house furnishing and cars etc. I would expect to see the money that would normally be spent on houses, spent on other things. IMHO but what would I know :D :D

Shannon.

Rocket,
can see why Aussies can afford CNC routers.Townhouse in Toronto Canada,$400,000 starting price,old rundown house$325,000.Suburban can be as much and higher as no one wants to live in the city.Work space rent is $5,000/month for 5,000sq/ft plus hydro and gas.I should move to Aussie land and learn the language.Are aliens from Canada accepted in Aussie?

G`day Igalla, Aliens from Canada and USA are more than welcome in Oz. Over the last ten years our government had welcomed Aliens from other parts of the planet and we worry that they have brought their customs and religions with them - there may be a price to pay in the not too distant future. Look at the current dispute in the UK over Sharia law, this sort of thing happening in the western world is very frightening.

House prices on the Eastern seaboard - Melbourne,Sydney, Brisbane are on a par with your Canadian prices. In Adelaide we have always had lower cost housing, but a lot of investors from the Eastern states are buying investment property via the internet which has driven up prices to the current levels.
Many people have redraw facilities on their home loans and have been using these to buy new cars, home extensions etc. Add to this the massive credit card debt and rising interest rates and you have a recipe for impending financial disaster. The bubble will burst one day soon.
Gerry states that homes near major USA cities (outlying areas) are around $100,000. This is affordable for young couples starting out and is really what the same property here should be selling for.
So pack up your belongings, come to OZ and rent until the bubble bursts.Then you should be able to buy at realistic prices.
No need to learn the language - half the people here can`t speak english anyway. Just learn about Aussie rules, ask for a pint of VB at the pub and fire up the barbie for yor dinner and you are one of us.
You can even order your Excitech cnc Router to be delivered when you arrive.

Rocket.

Gerry states that homes near major USA cities (outlying areas) are around $100,000. This is affordable for young couples starting out and is really what the same property here should be selling for.


Not all major US cities. I live near Detroit, which is possibly the hardest hit are economically in the country. $100K will get you a 50-80 year old home in some areas. Two years ago, it was almost impossible to buy a new home for under $250K. Today, they are not building ANY new homes at all due to the poor economy.

I'm pretty sure that near a lot of major US cities, home prices are probably still closer to $200K, but they are starting to fall fast all over the country. Millions of peoples homes are now worth far less than they owe on them, leading to millions of homes that can't be sold, and millions more going into foreclosure. On the news a few days ago was a story about a new California neighborhood where about 75% of the homes were either for sale or in foreclosure, and no buyers for them.

is this a cnc forum or a housing reform..? prices everywhere are rediculus do to the increasing greed of Realtors, contractors, suppliers, raw good manufacturers and goverments this is the reason we are all in this situation. Higher prices driven by GREED!! it takes just as long to build a house today as 50 years ago actually faster do to the technology but we all want more money to do our job so we can aford the over priced goods and services that plaque us all. IMHO

is this a cnc forum or a housing reform..? prices everywhere are rediculus do to the increasing greed of Realtors, contractors, suppliers, raw good manufacturers and goverments this is the reason we are all in this situation. Higher prices driven by GREED!! it takes just as long to build a house today as 50 years ago actually faster do to the technology but we all want more money to do our job so we can aford the over priced goods and services that plaque us all. IMHO


Capitalism is based on greed.

Actually IMO the government has too much of a hand in the economy and that is leading to the problems we are having. A Capitalistic society by design will go through expansions and contractions as the market evolves. The government has intervened through it's fed policies to try to eliminate the variations but in the end will more than likely make matters worse.

Back to the CNC side.


Kustom- How long before you get your machine?

has it thawed out there yet??

it amazes me too the subjects we get into here i know it benifits us all eventually.

machine is carvin away and i will try and run your files tommorrow, as this apartment job has taught me a few things

#1 do not start job with lightweight signfoam forget to turn on vaccum and go to movies with daughter!!!!

jim

huf said.


They told me the 18th but looks more like 22nd or 23rd hopfully. it is in welding right now and they said they are waiting on parts.

they made some changes in the 2008 machines that brags 1200 in min. I want to see it cut something at that speed it is most likely not going to do that. With the changes I figure they are using diferent servos or different ball screws they won't say but that must be the new parts they are waiting on. I didn't really want to be the first one with the faster speed model, incase there are problems with the new design and I will become the gunie pig.

jim no its brisk out. -7 with -31 wind chill. It is cold up here but we deal with the cold its bearable compared to what is happening around the world with terible weather this season.

I see the floods in ohio and the tornados in the south record cold in china and floods world wide. Our prayers go out to those lost.

What sign HDU foam are u using? Persission board, Sign foam 3, ect.

how do you like the price on that stuff. 2" 4x8 sheet$383.00

Hi everyone,

I am looking in the next few months to order another excitech with the auto tool changer and some other upgrades to run as a dedicated machine. I wanted to get a list together of all the little niggles and problems you excitech owners have with the machine and then submit them to Taney. Hopefully they can then fix all these before I order another machine hehe :D

Not only that it gives excitech a bit of constructive feedback which they may not otherwise know about, heres what ive got so far:

1. DSP cable where it goes into electrical cabinet is not good at all, needs fixing so it is clipped in properly and possibly relocating.

2. Tool sensor plastic cup mount needs fixing to be secured better.

3. Clean swarf out of gantry side plates, gears etc where they drilled through.

4. DSP needs some upgrades, I have 120 programs on it now and it takes me a lifetime to scroll through and find the one I want.

5. If at all possible dont put the vac pump on the nice flat machined vac bed when shipping as there have been problems with it not being flat anymore in that area.

Sure there is plenty more you guys can think of.

These are are relatively minor things but dont take a lot of effort to fix and we be a big help for future customers. (like me)

I was just wondering, did you get sorted on that problem in respect of having the mill speed Rpms controlled by the G -code in the DSP, hence not the factory ones inside the DSP? Or was the G code speeds not possible to apply to the work at all? Just remembered that you had some problems with this...

Still waiting for mine, most likely drop down here in the end of March - I hope. House prices.. A FLAT = 92 m^2 = US $ 463 000. Not much room for a machine here :violin:

K

med density sign foam at 183.00 4x8 at .30 per inch carved grosses
1200.00 +/- per sheet


jim

http://www.signfoam.com

http://www.precisionboard.com

I've been told we should get $45.00 sq ft on 1" HDU carved and painted.

$60.00 sq ft 1.5" redwood finished

http://www.signfoam.com

http://www.precisionboard.com

Any of you Aussies know of an equivalent product that we can get in Aus?

Greg

45.00 divided by 144 = .31 cents per square inch,

i got .30 and actually not knowing any better i quoted .19 the sign company

came back and up'ed my quote for me.

i guess they knew they'ed be coming back.

thank God for capitalism

oh an i will say this the sign foam cuts like butter, we primed it with laquer primer and top coated with white,, finishes well

kustom theres your monthly payment in one carve day

jim

Any of you Aussies know of an equivalent product that we can get in Aus?

Greg

We use that stuff here in NZ, its called Signex here.

Shannon.

yeah it is my payment if I could get those prices. I have not got any work yet nor will I get it at that price. the $45.00 sq foot finished product price is what I see on the ads in the back of sign builder mag. there are clasified ads there shops doing wholesale routing and blasting at $45.00 sq foot on 1" HDU signfoamIII.

(are you getting .19 sq in for the CNC cutting or are you priming and painting it to a finished product for that?)

I have one sign shop willing to pay $120.00 hr for cnc time and another one who said he will pay $40.00 hr I can just as well tell the $40.00 hr shop where to go. my labor rate is supost to be $50 hr and I don't get out of people that needless to say this guy wants to pay $40hr for me and my $30K cnc and hour!! My shop with all the equipment and payments and overhead right now cost me $225.00 a day 5 days a week. or $28.00 hr (8HR day).

it doesn't matter what I am doing or what tool I am using through out the day I just have to make the min $225 no mater if I can do it in 2 hrs or 16 hrs I have to make that.

it is nice when I have the printer running, I'm clearing a job in the paint booth and designing something on the computer all at one time. I get lots done then but get fooled about what I am actually making because I am still only 1 person here and I can only do so much in a day reguardless of hours or days put in. point and case I am still here tonight painting a motorcycle and will have to do the graphics, real flames and clear tomorrow because my Open Base paint window closes at 9 tomorrow nite.

I have one sign shop willing to pay $120.00 hr for cnc time and another one who said he will pay $40.00 hr I can just as well tell the $40.00 hr shop where to go. my labor rate is supost to be $50 hr and I don't get out of people that needless to say this guy wants to pay $40hr for me and my $30K cnc and hour!! My shop with all the equipment and payments and overhead right now cost me $225.00 a day 5 days a week. or $28.00 hr (8HR day).

it doesn't matter what I am doing or what tool I am using through out the day I just have to make the min $225 no mater if I can do it in 2 hrs or 16 hrs I have to make that.


Remember that these machines used to cost $50,000+, The multicam at work was around $130,000. The hire out rates need to reflect the services provided not necessarily the cost of the machine. We charge about $140NZD an hour for that machine. IMHO I think that is on the very cheap side too.

I will be looking at charging $150-200NZD an hour when running mine.

Shannon.

I try and work on £80 GBP per hour including me for the CNC router which is approx $200 NZD and I still think that is cheap. A lot can be done in an hour :D

People coming in and non trade customers just dont realise the amount of investment & overheads we have before we even make a single penny, its colossal. thats why I always try and deal with the trade if I can, they tend to know the score..

Kent never got the g code speed override to work via the DSP controller. I have in reality never had any problems with it and if I need to change the speed mid program just takes a couple of seconds on the delta inverter.

Remember that these machines used to cost $50,000+, The multicam at work was around $130,000.
.

my machine was only 28K new.

huf said.


They told me the 18th but looks more like 22nd or 23rd hopfully. it is in welding right now and they said they are waiting on parts.

they made some changes in the 2008 machines that brags 1200 in min. I want to see it cut something at that speed it is most likely not going to do that. With the changes I figure they are using diferent servos or different ball screws they won't say but that must be the new parts they are waiting on. I didn't really want to be the first one with the faster speed model, incase there are problems with the new design and I will become the gunie pig.

I saw the new style when I went there in December. They are basically changing from a approximate 3/4 inch screw to an approx. 1" dia screw,which is much beefier and they are also changing the drive from a setup where they turned the screw and the nut stayed stationary to one where they turn the nut and the screw stays stationary. I couldn't tell by sight whether they had changed the pitch or the servo's but the new unit was much faster than the old one and IMO it is a much superior design upgrade. I think this id how the Techno's have been for a while. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Just Received an Excitech 6090 in Germany, will post photos and hopefully some youtube videos soon, Carl

welcome aboard!!!! you are in the right place jim

Hi Jim

Hope to share as much as i can, while getting into CNC with the 6090, I hope you all would help push the Excitech Routers onto Youtube, I was disappointed
finding no vids of the 6090 on youtube, it would have been a great help when helping me deciding what to buy.

look at the touch screen wincnc at bottom of page jim

http://camaster.com/cs/photos/default.aspx

rocket, whos got the 6090 for ceelt?

jimmy check this, this is one of bill glenns

heres the rest of them

http://camaster.com/cs/photos/gallerylisting.aspx

but i will learn, any one kn ow how to get your printers to work!!

(off topic)

kustom iam getting .30 sq inch primed or 43.20 per sq ft.

jim

What printer issues are you having Jim?

Hi

I was wondering how you were getting on with your Chinese Router and the Becker pump, we are a small flight case company located in the UK and are about to embark on a similar journey so I was keen to learn of your experience so far?

Regards

Andrew





.
This thread is about our first cnc router purchase for our small family business.

We are located in Australia and do not have the availability of many different brands that our friends in the USA can select from.

At this moment we have absolutely no experience in cnc. Our machine is due to arrive in Australia in mid December 2007 and it is our intention to provide an ongoing summary of our attempts to learn about the machine and how to operate it.

The cnc router that we have purchased is from a company located in China called sh-cnc The brand is Excitech.
The specifications are - SHM1530A Router Machine
Table size 5ft x 10ft ( 1500 x 3000 )
Spindle 3.5KW ( 4.7 HP ) HSD
Stepper Motors
Becker Vacuum Pump

If you read through this thread you will see that i had deleted a lot of my early posts. This was because a member had ( in my opinion ) tried to derail the thread by posting negative stories about our supplier. I figured that he was from the anti import crowd. His story in my opinion is preposterous, but as it has been pointed out to me that everybody is entitled to their own opinion, i am attempting to restore as many details as possible. Make up your own mind.

Rocket.

hi rocket67 My name is Chris and I distribute the Excitech routers in SA(South Africa) I have realy looked for a value for money machien around the world and you have just baught it. I sell my machines with the software from Vectric called Vcarve pro and I believe that this is the simplest way to get going. Your machien was probably delivered with type 3 and some other software but you first have to learn the program befor you can get a job out so take my advice and download the demo ver of vcarv pro and have a look and see just how easy it makes everything. www.vectric.com

cheers
Chris

eadya: where abouts in the UK are you based?

G`day Eadya and C Geldmacher - Welcome aboard. Glad that you joined us.
We have had our Excitech Router now for just over one month and we are absolutely thrilled to bits with it. These machines are extreme value for money and are quite easy to operate.
We purchased V Carve Pro software late last year. This is fantastic software at a bargain price.
It is a relatively simple process to design our patterns using V Carve Pro and then downloading to the supplied usb stick. The usb stick fits into the DSP controller which in turn interprets the program and operates the machine. Too easy.
We have not even used the supplied Type3 or Ucancam software.
A couple of very minor issues that we have had are -
1) The adjustable feet on the base had worked loose during shipping and this resulted in the threads being damaged .
2) The connection on the control box for the DSP cord is a bad fit so we had to secure the connection to make sure that it cannot be dislodged.
3) The vacuum table top has a dip on one end that we believe was caused by the vacuum pump sitting on top of the table during shipping. The pump is extremely heavy. The dip is about 2mm and we are waiting for a spoilboard bit so that we can surface our spoil board flat and overcome the problem.
For the price that we paid for the machine these minor issues do not concern us.
At this moment we are waiting for a set of "replaceable insert bits" that have been made specifically for the patterns that we use for our doors.
They were supposed to have arrived yesterday. Unreliable suppliers! Seems to be normal since xmas.
So what do we think of our Excitech - FANBLOODYTASTIC!!!

Rocket.

The control cabinet is huge....

Is that a servo machine?


look at the touch screen wincnc at bottom of page jim

http://camaster.com/cs/photos/default.aspx

rocket, whos got the 6090 for ceelt?

jimmy check this, this is one of bill glenns

heres the rest of them

http://camaster.com/cs/photos/gallerylisting.aspx

big servo i am going to Ga later this week as bill is in fla installing a tool changer machine and will have video and photos soon jim

jim did the camaster and easystreet sign files work? was I way off on my settings? I was just using v carve defaults.

i was in charlotte all day and did not get back to shop i did air run it on my home computer and it looks good i will run it tomorrow, jim i just got home

G`day , I can`t believe how unreliable some suppliers are. We are still waiting for our replaceable insert bits to arrive. Should have been here Monday.
Got sick of waiting - so we used a 1/2 inch three flute spiral bit to surface our spoilboard today. It took about 2hrs 20 mts to complete the job. Worked like a charm. After that we decided to go ahead and start routing some door panels for production using the bits from Whiteside.
Success is ours! The profiles came out very even and smooth with minimal fur.
I think we will continue with the bits that we have and tell the unreliable supplier to stick it. We can get some bits made in melbourne from another supplier.
Therefore anybody waiting for their machine to arrive would be very wise to be prepared before it arrives. I suggest you obtain the following -
1) A grease gun with a very small nipple.
2) The correct lubricants. For Aussies there is a grease that Jimmy suggested which is available from Anglomoil in Sydney. They also have a spray on oil in a pressure pack which you simply spray onto the guide rails. If anybody wants the company details just do a google search for Anglomoil.
3) A good selection of the bits that you will require, including a spoilboard bit.
4) Plenty of practice with your chosen software. We are using V Carve Pro. At about $600 it is a bargain and you will find it easy to use.
If you are well prepared you can be up and running very quickly.

Rocket.

I guess that means me, I received confirmation of payment today, I still need to find some work for the machine when it arrives though.

I already have quite a few (cheap) router bits that I will be able to get started with,

The other items I still need to sort out....

Shannon.

Hi guys,

I haven't been able to do a whole lot with my 0609 machine lately, but it's still going well. I've made a very dodgy dust extraction setup with a Tupperware container, kitchen sink plug, and super glued plastic that I will have to post pictures of soon :-)

Someone asked about high-density foam in Australia are a couple of pages back, there is multipanel (www.multipanel.com.au) who will send out sample squares. 2400 x 1200 x 25 mm sheets cost $360 plus GST. I'll buy a sheet to try sometime in the near future.

G`day howzat, Your dust extraction system sounds very inventive. Can`t wait to see the photos of it. Does it work well?
That high density foam sounds terribly expensive. Maybe i am used to paying around $60 for mdf board at that size.

Shannon, have you been given an eta for your machine yet?
Linbide is a NZ supplier of router bits. We have their catalogue and it is very comprehensive.
I think your software skills will not be an issue, but make sure to have some lubricants ready.
Will take those measurements for you tomorrow - We were too busy in the shop this arvo.

Rocket.

I should be getting mine around the end of march, I'm supposed to be on holiday but keep getting asked to do jobs on the CNC because my bro doesn't want to do them :rolleyes: (chair)

Shannon.

Hey howzat

Im onto my third attempt for my 0609 dustshoe.
1st, i did the same thing with the plastic container. With a toilet roll
instead the brush bristles! (dont ask!, 1st attempt!)
Then i used a short piece of 80mm PVC downpipe.
Then back to another smaller more compact square clear container.
Just finished the 3rd attempt last night so havent tested it yet.
Will post pics too soon.
The vacuum cleaner that i have attached to the dust shoe keeps
blowing the paper dust bags, dunno how to get around that.
Maybe ill get a bagless vacuum cleaner. Cant afford a proper
dust exstraction unit.

Also Ive routered/leveled 1mm off the black foam table top.
Dunno if anyone else has done that? Figured it would be level
from the factory? I guess not! Got the idea when Rocket was
talking about waiting for his spoilboard routing bit.
I used that 22mm routing bit. Tired of cutting parts out
and the parts not coming out with a clean cut all the
way around. Because table being uneven, the blade was not cutting
deep enough in some places.
Im now using those cheap 300mm cork tiles as a cutting mat, seems to
work well. And can arrange them for the clamps if im cutting a
smaller than 600x900 sheet.

Also my router crashed on one occassion. I think i had the processing
speed up too high? Or i may have taken the usb stick out before
I did the 'safe to remove' procedure. :(
Anyway the spindle, drove into the part i was cutting in a 100mm
seemingly random wiggly cut. Fortunately it was only PVC foam (signfoam?)
and the line was only on the x,y axis! So pleased it didnt cut down into
the table top. Thankfully I was watching at the time so was able to
press stop.

When the my router working, most of the time im watching it!
Is this normal?

Im a lurker, Thanks everyone for the good reads!
Cheers
Lee

When the my router working, most of the time im watching it!
Is this normal?

IMHO I think it is a good safe working practice to be near the machine when it is running, It also saves materials and tools when things don't go as they should.

Shannon.

Someone asked about high-density foam in Australia are a couple of pages back,
there is multipanel (www.multipanel.com.au (http://www.multipanel.com.au)) who will send out sample squares.
2400 x 1200 x 25 mm sheets cost $360 plus GST.




Thanks for that. I'll look it up.

Sup Shannon in NZ!

Thanks for info, good to know im being productive :)

Congrats on your machine purchase, Im sure youll be
pleased with the quality.

I was down at the local hardware store.
Is there any reason why i cannot use standard wood router bits?
Do bits need to be from specialised CNC shops?
How about the dremel brand bits? (bit more expensive)
Im guessing the expensive special CNC bits are precisely balanced
and therefore more suited for high rpm's?

Wont need any bits for a while tho, the 20 bits that came
with the router are working great.

Cheers
Lee

You can use normal router bits for wood, but for plastics or alloy you may need spiral fluted bits to remove the chips. The straight flute standard router bits tend to clog up in these materials. The other thing to watch with standard router bits is they need to be run slower as the diameter increases, usually the packaging has the speed ratings on them.

We use single flute spiral cutters for most of the material, and occasionally a router bit for shaped edges.

Shannon.

Hey howzat

Im onto my third attempt for my 0609 dustshoe.
1st, i did the same thing with the plastic container. With a toilet roll
instead the brush bristles! (dont ask!, 1st attempt!)
Then i used a short piece of 80mm PVC downpipe.
Then back to another smaller more compact square clear container.
Just finished the 3rd attempt last night so havent tested it yet.
Will post pics too soon.
The vacuum cleaner that i have attached to the dust shoe keeps
blowing the paper dust bags, dunno how to get around that.
Maybe ill get a bagless vacuum cleaner. Cant afford a proper
dust exstraction unit.

Sounds like I'm not alone in dodgy dust shoes then! I bought a $90 shop vac which does a fairly good job of sucking, makes a bloody racket though. I'll buy a proper dust extractor sometime soon, but don't like the thought of shelling out more hundreds of dollars just yet :-)

Also Ive routered/leveled 1mm off the black foam table top.
Dunno if anyone else has done that? Figured it would be level
from the factory? I guess not! Got the idea when Rocket was
talking about waiting for his spoilboard routing bit.
I used that 22mm routing bit. Tired of cutting parts out
and the parts not coming out with a clean cut all the
way around. Because table being uneven, the blade was not cutting
deep enough in some places.
Im now using those cheap 300mm cork tiles as a cutting mat, seems to
work well. And can arrange them for the clamps if im cutting a
smaller than 600x900 sheet.

I figured it would have been machined level from the factory as well! I was having the same problems of cutout passes not cutting through evenly. I taped a bit of MDF to the surface yesterday to machine that, and found that the centre had a fairly large, shallow depression in it. I wasn't game on machining the tabletop directly, did it cut fairly cleanly and leave a good surface?

Also my router crashed on one occassion. I think i had the processing
speed up too high? Or i may have taken the usb stick out before
I did the 'safe to remove' procedure. :(
Anyway the spindle, drove into the part i was cutting in a 100mm
seemingly random wiggly cut. Fortunately it was only PVC foam (signfoam?)
and the line was only on the x,y axis! So pleased it didnt cut down into
the table top. Thankfully I was watching at the time so was able to
press stop.

I have had one instance of it malfunctioning. When we pressed the combo buttons to use the auto tool sensor it made a strange noise. Then when it came to running a program it just drove straight down into the table. Luckily the bit bogged down before it went into the black tabletop. Next time I hear a noise like that we'll be restarting the machine I think.

The surface is now a little porous. As the black foam looks
to be the same sort of stuff as sign foam. Which is as far
as i know high density PVC foam?
Sealed surfaces, but foam inside.
Not as cleaner cut as i would hoped, but least its level.
If the porous is a problem, i figured ill rip all that black foam up
and redo it with rigid PVC or something.
You can sort of see what the surface is like from the edge of
the foam. (pretty much the same just, a little more dense than that)

That dip in the middle of the table must have been
from when it was shipped with control box sitting on it.

Yeah my vacuum cleaner is louder than the router.

Once or twice the machine reported "-x axis limit"
(only when manually moving the spindle)
Just press the opposing axis key and it comes back in line.
Somehow it got past the 0 sensor.

I still havent used the tool sensor. Will have to try that soon.
And if i hear strange noises ill restart the machine! :)

Thanks Shannon good clearing that up for me.
Theyve got a reasonable selection our local mega mitre 10.

howzat and leef, If you keep an eye on Grays Online Auctions they quite often have woodwork machinery for auction and you can pick up a dust extractor for around $100. I believe that Grays operate in New Zealand as well.
As far as router bits are concerned you can get a catalogue from Linbide in New Zealand, or check out Routerbits.com in USA. They sent me some Whiteside bits which are great and only took one week and one day to get here.

Rocket.

Hi guys, I am glad to hear that I was not the only on that did not like the dust extraction system that comes with the 0609. I did not feel right selling a machien with a substandard dust extraction system so I redesigned one that will fit onto the 0609. there was a bit of engeneering work to be done on the original machine but the results were well worth it. I will get some photos and I will post them on the sight and if any one is interested the could cantact me and I will give you the files to make it. By the way rocket67 how do you find the dust extraction system on your machine?

Cheers

Chris

Hi Chris, While i have to admit that the dust extraction does work o.k. it is not a quality item. The principal idea is allright but the pivotting rod needs to be a whole lot stronger and higher. Jimmy has made a good set up to replace it. His is ceiling mounted and is made from a stub axle with wheel bearings welded to a long flat bar. This enables the bar to turn in mid air and keeps the hose away from the gantry while routing. We were going to duplicate his system - but i got to thinking that we can make a functional system by utilising the existing pivot bracket and fabricate a higher and stronger rod. At the moment the hose is dragging on the gantry and is getting grease all over it.
I do not have a good photo of it but the attached photos will give you a view of the problem.
I have included photos of the dreaded USB cable connection and also our remedy. Are sh-cnc aware of this problem.

Rocket.

much the same way that the dsp cable became attached relieving stress on the cable,, then so will a light weight post attached to the dust collection hose.

i woul assume you have carwashes in aus that have the gantry system for the wash hose, robert hung ours from the cieling and we went to man tool yesterday and looked at new 7-10 hp cyclones for the machine's as we will have two in the not to distant future !!!!!!

http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/ducting.cfm#Layout&DuctingDesign

http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/PVC.cfm

check out ez's plate and skirt

http://www.ez-router.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=48


and actually after looking at it why not try taking a piece of pvc pipe and connect it at the dust foot run it 18-24" up then connect hose jim

Here is a couple of pictures of the dust shoe. Works pretty well for a first attempt using whatever we had lying around.

Except I still want one that looks as nice as Maxmachine's!

show us yours again

rocket, this is what happens when we build a closet

actually did this with cabinetparts pro





jim

Max's photos were here:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=376831&postcount=442

Gentlemen: Thank you for the compliments. About the only fault I have found with the dust shoe is that it is a bit heavy. When the power is off, the spindle drops down. I have a 3 hp spindle (water cooled), so it is already heavier than the original. So far, no problems with losing steps.

The combination of Vcarve and this small router is almost unbeatable. I am able to offer awards that combine routing and laser work. So far, the competition is still way behind in the dust! (wood dust?)

As I mentioned before, the secret is in the cutters.

My next project is to get busy with combining the above with CNC milled brass parts... perhaps inlaying the wood into the brass.

Regards,

Mark (maxmachine)

Gentlemen: Thank you for the compliments. About the only fault I have found with the dust shoe is that it is a bit heavy. When the power is off, the spindle drops down. I have a 3 hp spindle (water cooled), so it is already heavier than the original. So far, no problems with losing steps.

The combination of Vcarve and this small router is almost unbeatable. I am able to offer awards that combine routing and laser work. So far, the competition is still way behind in the dust! (wood dust?)

As I mentioned before, the secret is in the cutters.

My next project is to get busy with combining the above with CNC milled brass parts... perhaps inlaying the wood into the brass.

Regards,

Mark (maxmachine)

Good stuff Mark. Whereabouts do you get your cutters from? Online?

Cheers, Tom

Howzat, your dustshoe looks pretty airtight compared to
mine. I just bolted mine together. Maybe ill put some rubber
seals in there somewhere.
So far it worked real well with the 10mm sheet im cutting.
Will have to tape some rubber strip brushes around the perimeter
when i cut some 3d stuff.
I was pretty concious of the weight of it, thus the compact
container.
Wondering now if the dust particles will harm the spindle bearing?
Not sure if the other dust shoes prevent this better?
As with my design the dust get sucked past the bearing.

(The pulleys im cutting are for an rc car im building.
Can see ive had a few goes trying to get the tooth pitch correct
for the belt!!! Finally got it right)

Thanks rocket for grays auction site. Will keep an eye out.

check this out


http://www.machmotion.com/test/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=62

Good stuff Mark. Whereabouts do you get your cutters from? Online?

Cheers, Tom

Mostly from Antares Cutter Co. They specialize in cutters for engravers. There are a number of suppliers out there... just google "engraving cutters". After doing this for 30 years, I have a huge collection of them. I cut them down to about 2" with an abrasive saw so they will fit in a collet.

They seem to last forever. They can be sharpened many times using a single lip cutter sharpener. below is a link to one on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KUHLMANN-SINGLE-LIP-TOOL-CUTTER-GRINDER-110-V-TOOLING_W0QQitemZ260211101957QQihZ016QQcategoryZ45022QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and:


http://cgi.ebay.com/DECKEL-GRINDER-CUTTER_W0QQitemZ250216578212QQihZ015QQcategoryZ104240QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Mark

On the Multicam machine at work they have quite a neat dust hood - it slides up and down so always makes contact with the surface of the sheet, but is quite shallow in the Z direction. It doesn't seal at the top - but that isn't a problem, because it allows a bleed of air inwards which keeps air away from the spindle bearings anyway. Sorry I'm not explaining it very well. I can take some photos if you want? You might be able to get a picture of it on one of the multicam websites.
http://www.multicam.com.au/images/machine_top_big.jpg
you can just see it in that picture - you can see one of the rods that it slide up and down on, and you can see how the top of it is actually almost below the collet nut.

G`day Fellas, Been over in Melbourne for a few days. Went to the All Ford day at Geelong today. Saw plenty of fantastic Mustangs and Fords of all descriptions. We need some cooler weather so that we can get into the garage and get busy on some of ours...... One day. LOL

howzat and leef - When you wrote about using tupperware containers for your dust shoes i had my doubts. But you blokes are very clever.You have both done a great job with them.

I like Jim`s idea of a length of pvc pipe up from the dust shoe to get our hose away from the gantry- Better put the thinking cap on.
Jim, that walk in robe fitout looks superb. A bit more elaborate than ours i`m afraid. We use white melamine for ours and utilise the " system 32 " method. We use the wall of the room as the back and sides. Once we are up to speed with the Excitech we may look at hinged door robes with carcasses and fancy timber veneers. Don`t know whether our customers would pay the extra.

Rocket.

a year, but they are profitable, i might do four to five theaters a year but they are profitable, i might do 10 -12 corporate and government reception and security desk but they are profitable, i avoid but end up doing 8-10 kitchens a year (and most of them are a pain) but they are profitable,

but dude i tear it up on break rooms and standard cabinetry made of melamine and it is real profitable,, i also use the watered down 32 mm system and blum hardware we got a lot more in common than you know.

fellows i got a commission to build the entrance for the new yacht club building, they had diccussed this with several cabinetmakers and i had all but given up on it (as the gc is not on my normal list and he had his favorite cabinetmaker) well my wife cut the hair of one of the fundraisers and she saw the carvings sooooo they came back (the commitee) to my shop and issued the contract with an add on for the to be carved center piece!! good for routerism

mine will slide up and out of the way enough to change bits. i probably will redesign it but will use the same format, clear is a real neccesity. jim

will probably sell at 200.00

http://cgi.ebay.com/Type3-CAD-CAM-Software-CNC-Router-Plasma-Gcode-Design_W0QQitemZ280200155079QQihZ018QQcategoryZ57122QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

will probably sell at 200.00

http://cgi.ebay.com/Type3-CAD-CAM-Software-CNC-Router-Plasma-Gcode-Design_W0QQitemZ280200155079QQihZ018QQcategoryZ57122QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Not when the starting bid is $399. :)

Howzat, your dustshoe looks pretty airtight compared to mine. I just bolted mine together. Maybe ill put some rubber
seals in there somewhere. So far it worked real well with the 10mm sheet im cutting. Will have to tape some rubber strip brushes around the perimeter when i cut some 3d stuff. I was pretty concious of the weight of it, thus the compact container. Wondering now if the dust particles will harm the spindle bearing? Not sure if the other dust shoes prevent this better?
As with my design the dust get sucked past the bearing.

.

There is a small hole on the side of the lower spindle bearing housing. (This is on the Exitech supplied spindles.) It is meant to be pressurized with a few pounds of compressed air (mine is 12psi). My first spindle was missing the nipple that screwed into the hole. Upon disassembly the whole housing was found to be packed with sawdust. You need this source of air to keep the sawdust away from the bearings. The dust shoe will not help at all to keep dust away from the spindle bearing.

I liked the tupperware dust shoes... much better visibility of the cutter!

Here is something I found on a German web page which I was considering to try to make when my machine show up.

K

can be bought direct from taney for 150.00 + shipping

will probably sell at 200.00

http://cgi.ebay.com/Type3-CAD-CAM-Software-CNC-Router-Plasma-Gcode-Design_W0QQitemZ280200155079QQihZ018QQcategoryZ57122QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You told, you use AutoCAD.
Can an AutoCAD to save & generate CAM code like G-code?
P.S. I have SHG0609 from EXCITECH

i have autocad which i have yet to produce a file from where my cnc is concerned you need a cam engine software to produce g code did you recieve type 3 with your 0609? jim

Yes, I have Type3 & Ucancam with this router

write file in auto cad and import as a dxf, i am still learning this

but what i have seen in my type 3 you could do all of thie there with what you have,

the australians are a loy more attuned to this as i am still hiring out file writers

jim

write file in auto cad and import as a dxf, i am still learning this

but what i have seen in my type 3 you could do all of thie there with what you have,

the australians are a loy more attuned to this as i am still hiring out file writers

jim

Thank you Jim,
I'll try it.
Igor

at .88 cents us per inch 5200.00+/- for a 4x8 so i am pricing the aluminum
to fabricate my own,, any idea's gerry

jim

http://www.nemi.com/NEMI-CAT10.pdf

at .88 cents us per inch 5200.00+/- for a 4x8 so i am pricing the aluminum
to fabricate my own,, any idea's gerry

jim

http://www.nemi.com/NEMI-CAT10.pdf

Use MDF. Skim a little off the top, and cut all the slots. Coat the whole thing with a coat or two of thin epoxy, like West System, and re machine it. Should have a phenolic like surface when done, and fairly inexpensive to replace.

You told, you use AutoCAD.
Can an AutoCAD to save & generate CAM code like G-code?
P.S. I have SHG0609 from EXCITECH

I wrote a macro that will export g-code from within AutoCAD.

http://home.comcast.net/~cncwoodworker/acad/downloads/AC2GCv039.zip

There's a thread about it here:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8226

i may just do that i have used west system before jim

Well stone the flamin crows. They finally arrived. Certainly look impressive.

Ramon will crank up the Excitech today and try them out. The bits were designed to make the pattern profiles that we use on our doors. I will take some more photos of the machine and the bits today so that i can post them tonight.
Several of the patterns require 3 bits to make the profile and Ramon is a bit overawed by it. He is very good on the computer so i`m sure he can work it out. I think that the trick is to use " layers " when doing the design work. Each cut will need to be spaced several mm next to the previous one.
Any ideas on this?

Rocket.

Jimmy, You wrote a few weeks back about the brushes from Australian Brush Company.
Did you get them? And if so - did you find them suitable?

How is the mach3 conversion coming along?

We are still looking at around June to buy a Auto Tool Changer machine. If the DSP controller does not support the ATC are they being built with Mach3 as standard from sh-cnc?

Rocket.

get Ramo to try where you would like the profile to run in any CAD package he likes that can export a DXF file. To the extent that they are offset then he will just draw as many paths as needed with required offsets.

Open DXF in Type3 (set material size first) and place drawing on material with desired orientation.

Go to CAM module and select first tool path, use plotting method, select tool (you will need to enter a custom geometry for your cutter but not critical in this application). Edit pass parameters for cut depth/pass.

Repeat for all paths and tools.

Select all generated files in directory structure and proceed to generate G code.

Btw- machine type that works for us in Type 3 is IsdelISO.

What I do now is take the Gcode from Type3 and open in Mach3- allows a nice preview of what the machine will do before I cut (also helps when I forget what the file is supposed to do LOL :-P).






Well stone the flamin crows. They finally arrived. Certainly look impressive.

Ramon will crank up the Excitech today and try them out. The bits were designed to make the pattern profiles that we use on our doors. I will take some more photos of the machine and the bits today so that i can post them tonight.
Several of the patterns require 3 bits to make the profile and Ramon is a bit overawed by it. He is very good on the computer so i`m sure he can work it out. I think that the trick is to use " layers " when doing the design work. Each cut will need to be spaced several mm next to the previous one.
Any ideas on this?

Rocket.

Mach is an option but not standard offering.

Brushes are extra good- haven't modified my shoe to get them on yet but seen them running on other machines.

I'm looking at June for an ATC machine also. Not hard to have 4 or 5 tools required for a part- resetting the Z is the job where I have found gets to be a pain!




Jimmy, You wrote a few weeks back about the brushes from Australian Brush Company.
Did you get them? And if so - did you find them suitable?

How is the mach3 conversion coming along?

We are still looking at around June to buy a Auto Tool Changer machine. If the DSP controller does not support the ATC are they being built with Mach3 as standard from sh-cnc?

Rocket.

I have ordered a machine with a ATC spindle but no tool changer, I hope to convert it to mach3 and build an expandable tool changer for it. Mach3 can support 255 tools :eek:

Shannon.

get Ramo to try where you would like the profile to run in any CAD package he likes that can export a DXF file. To the extent that they are offset then he will just draw as many paths as needed with required offsets.

Open DXF in Type3 (set material size first) and place drawing on material with desired orientation.

Go to CAM module and select first tool path, use plotting method, select tool (you will need to enter a custom geometry for your cutter but not critical in this application). Edit pass parameters for cut depth/pass.

Repeat for all paths and tools.

Select all generated files in directory structure and proceed to generate G code.

Btw- machine type that works for us in Type 3 is IsdelISO.

What I do now is take the Gcode from Type3 and open in Mach3- allows a nice preview of what the machine will do before I cut (also helps when I forget what the file is supposed to do LOL :-P).


Hey there... I've got the idea on how to do it, whats driving me nuts is that i have to change the bit 3 times per door, and if im routing say 50 doors a week, that is alot of bit changing lol

Cheers for that though :) Razza

Hey there... I've got the idea on how to do it, whats driving me nuts is that i have to change the bit 3 times per door, and if im routing say 50 doors a week, that is alot of bit changing lol

Cheers for that though :) Razza

Practice makes perfect.
I bet you won`t slip with that spanner too often.
Who said anything about 50 panels a week? Try 100 for starters.

Guess who!!!

And I was complaining at work about changing 3 tools a day with the 8 place ATC not being enough.:eek:(chair)

Shannon.

You get computer-controlled equipment to do most of the work, and only need to change tools, and still complain! Sheesh!

Just joking, I want an ATC too!

Lets get rid of the CNC machines and go back to the good old hammer and chisel lol no bit changing required :)

I told him to get the tool changer, but he just wouldn't listen. (chair)

i too thought i was in charge and tried to tell kustom he would not need a tool changer!! man am i glad he did not listen to me!!!

i am now pining for mine jim

Yeah you all said I was nuts for going for the tool changer. JK... I guess I could see into the future more or I saw the need with my signs, Ex v carve this, endmill that, texture here and cut out last. 4 tools just to do that simple easy street sign I made. I knew I would use one a lot my regret is I got the 5 place changer but for $1,200 more I can add 5 more places Up to 20 Places total. it is a expandable system and that was what I liked. 5 is a start but I see 10 within the first year. Jim I have som real rush to wrap race cars before Wild about Wheels in Minot this weekend. next week I want to work more on those pilars!!

8 weeks and 2 days, $1800.00 in payments already and another $900 payment due on the 5th march. my machine is supost to be here on the 29th feb or 3rd march, 9th or 10th week from time I ordered it. I am kinda upset to spend $2700 payments before I have a machine to work with.


by the way Jim it is -26 tonight with a wind chill or -50+ now that is even cold for a north dakota native!!

man i am busy too will get back on columns maybe this weekend, as for the router its an investment just keep gettin ready,

and for those who need to know kustom is going to be one of the stars when it comes to software just keep gettin ready jim

Just wondering what some of the extras cost.A7.5KW Becker pump in the US retails for$9,000.
An HSD5HP spindle with iso30 tool changer is $9,000+++$350 per holder.
Larry

You can get ISO30 holders from
http://www.maritool.com/Tool-Holders-ISO/c23_54/index.html
Just remember that you will need to use a genuine HSD pull stud or your drawbar can be damaged and/or your tool holder comes out of the machine...not good at 24krpm. I have even read that the pull studs need to be inspected for cracks regularly.

My HSD ATC 3.8Kw spindle added around USD$7000 to the price of the machine.


Shannon.

I told him to get the tool changer, but he just wouldn't listen. (chair)

It is not me complaining Gerry. I still believe that the ATC machine would have made our learning curve a bit more difficult. Although i sit in the office and Ramon is doing the learning.
He is doing very well so far and has figured out how to use the three bits together in order to make the patterns.
Just have to remind him now and again of the golden rule - always Z Zero before running program. He took a nice little chunk out of the bakelite top today.
(nuts)
But all is well - no damage. Just another step in the learning curve.

Rocket.

been there and done that

jim

I'm preparing to place an order for an Excitech soon with my partner. Just thought I'd poke my head in and say hi. I've been pouring over a lot of posts, lots of good info here.

G`day wulfheir, Good on you mate. Excitech machines are great.

Which machine are you considering?
Most of us are using V Carve Pro software with our Excitechs. It is easy to learn and costs around $600.
Are you experienced in cnc or newbie?

Rocket.

Rocket,
We are getting the 1530C with 8kw spindle and auto tool.
I've toyed around abit with the trial version of the VCarve package. Also I've been poking around with Cabinetpartspro, but it seems kind of limited, it's hard to tell with all the greyed out areas of the demo version, and I can't find an email on their site.

I'm not a cnc newbie, but I am a router newbie. I've been generating g-codes for a metal punch and also a plasma for about 10 years.
Wulfy

how can i run vec clip 3d file in vcarve jim

Rocket, you are a funny one. I like the way you put it - a learning curve. It doesn't make me feel so bad anymore :)

Jerry had a thought last night- when we put the tool in the chuck, if we measured a distance from the bottom of the tool to a point, say 40mm, if we did that consistently and marked that point on each of the tools wouldn't that eliminate the need to Z0 for every tool that we use? It would also ensure the same cutting depth on each door. However It wouldn't probably work with all the different sized router bits we are using. Does anybody else have any other ideas like this?

Razza

welcome, i have cut cabinets with cabinetparts pro and my hope is ryan will continue to improve the program and at 250.00 how can you go wrong' i have been designing with cabnerware since 97 and have decided not to go with their upgrade on price alone 23.000.00 !! after checking other programs we will be going to cabinetpro at 7000.00 i have seen it and had the opportunity to see it working in a local shop (kieth g will pop in soon)

welcome you got the right size machine jim mcgrew
www.mcgrewwoodwork.com

how can i run vec clip 3d file in vcarve jim

You can't.

V-Carve is for 2D odject cutting only.

you have to use Cut3D for those .stl files

I will e-mail or call me later and I will try to do a sample tool path with some 3D art.

Have to run to the bank with some blood money before my auto pays come out tonight and bounce. I think I broke the guys nose but he paid up after I was done with him!

Re 1530 Auto Tool Changer machine.
This is excellent news. There are a few of us on this thread who intend to upgrade to the Auto Tool Changer machine. You will be the first among us to own it.
Don`t forget to let Taney at sh-cnc know that you are going to post on cnczone about the machine. ( we hope )
We are very interested in this machine and it would be great to see some photos and also hear your opinions of the machine.
Bloody beeeeeeeauty!

Rocket.

G`day Kustom, Only a week left to wait.
Looks like you have already mastered the software side of things. I reckon you are going to be a "gun" cnc man.
If business ever goes quiet you could make a successful career as a debt collector! We used to have that problem but now we refuse to fit a wardrobe if the payment is not available at time of installation - Problem solved!
We hope to see photos of your machine when it arrives.

Rocket.

Cabnet,
I'm now emailing with Ryan. He's informed me it won't do MDF doors, which is a requirement. However, I have sent him a pdf of our design for him to review and let me know if it will work for the cabinet. The price is certainly a big draw.

Rocket,
We'll certainly let you know how it goes, complete with pics.

yeah but I even have the problem that someone orders something them I finish it and they never com to get it till 3 months later then they still expect to walk out with it no pay. Go Figure. this guy owed me $1300 from work I did august 2007.

back on the threads abit is a post with aprogram called free doors it's pretty interesting and georgr g and i have played with it george has really dove into the cabpartspro program i will be running some cabs on it today jim

i will find program and post it rocket probably knows where it is

Cabnet,
Is this it?
http://home.centurytel.net/bwclark/
Looks like it may be our solution. I'd like to have all my software lined up when the excitech arrives.
Wulf