I have listened for over a year and learned the Grizzly X3 @ $850 was a good buy and bought it. As soon as I got it, took it apart, cleaned it and added the Syil X3CNC kit. I'm a retired electrician and hobby machinist that had a great time doing that part with the help of Richard and Rod! Now for the check out, start up and tune..... I looked at TurboCNC as suggested here and decided I'm in big trouble. I didn't even completely understand the computer lingo for installation. There was a good intro. to machining at the DAK site, but where can I go for software ABCs? Where can an old dog learn how to get going with CNC tricks? I want to cut out numbers and letters from 6061 and brass and know that must be CNC 'cause I never got good with Etch-A-Sketch! Thanks for any help to be like you. Delwood

What type of computer are you using.... dos, win95/98, xp, or vista operating system.
I ask because TurboCNC runs in DOS.

I don't know what to tell you about the best cad/cam software to get that has easiest learning curve. Maybe others here on the zone will be able to help there.

Something else you might look into. Local vo-tech or community colleges that offer night classes on CNC machining.... just an idea.

Good luck,
Jack

Hi,
As a newbie CNC machinist myself, I can vouch that building the machine was the easy part! I am at the figuring out the software stage right now. Here is what has been the easiest combination (for me) as far as the software goes:

CAD: TurboCad Deluxe (I think I am running version 11.something.)
CAM: CamBam
Milling Software: Mach3

I am still learning this as I go....I am now in the firm belief that there is nothing "easy" about the software part. One package might be less confusing than the other, but they all have a certain learning curve that will take time to figure out. Is CamBam the "best" CAM software? Probably not. But I am finding it has been easier to learn than any of the others. You can also ask 10 people on the board what combination they are running and you will get 10 different answers. :) Good luck!

Mike

My computer is a Pentium III running Windows XP but believe it will start up in DOS, with a boot disk. That's about where in my search I realized I needed help. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a widly held opinion on best place to start with CNC? The one thing I know about TurboCNC is it fits my budget. Wish I knew if it was a good place to start. Must be like asking friends what is the best pickup to buy!

I think I've read that a boot disk is not an idea way to run it. Their site says DOS, Win3.01, win95/98.

I'm using Mach3 for my machine. I had looked into TurboCNC until I started looking for an old version of DOS or Win95/98 and I guess I had thrown them all away, bummer.

I was going to load my pc with Win98 and then load XP in a dual boot configuration. That way I could use newer versions of the CAD and CAM softwares in XP and still be able to run TurboCNC in the DOS of Win98.

I'm thinking of looking into Brassbuilder software suggestions. I hear that CamBam is free software.

Cheers,
Jack

I'm thinking of looking into Brassbuilder software suggestions. I hear that CamBam is free software.

Cheers,
Jack

That is correct, CamBam is free. And Mach3 is "free" up to a point. You can run up to 300 lines of code but after that...you need to register it for around $160. I am doing that tonite. I drew a part that had well over 300 lines of g-code and I want to start making it tonite. WooHoo!
You can find TurboCad 12 Deluxe on ebay for around $30 shipped.

Here is the CamBam site:

http://www.brusselsprout.org/CAMBAM/

Mike

Mike 10 different answers would confuse me but if I may ask a learner ahead of me, why did you choose the software you are using?

Jack I have my old restore disk and can go back to Win 98 but wanted XP for other functions. Good to know both can be had with a dual boot configuration. Like to hear opinion of CamBam when you get one.

So .... all I need is CAD software, CAM software, milling software and training for all the above, and a few good retirement years to learn it. I think I can do it when I figure out what it is. Delwood

Delwood,

I took some classes at a college where I used some student software.
I've used AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and ProE CAD software, but I can't afford them.
I've used Pro/NC CAM software to program some engraving on a part, but I can't afford it either.

Everything I've done so far I've been able to program with a pen and paper and typed it into a text editor. I learned how to program 3 & 4 axis CNC's and a CMM manually back when I was working.

It's time for me to get some software (CAD/CAM) to use at home. I'll have to learn new software, bummer.... I'm retired too (injury) and have time to learn new software.

If you don't have a night school to attend, where you could get hands on experience, you could check around and see if there's a group of CNC hobbyist in your area or maybe someone on the CNCZone in your area. They might have meetings to share knowledge. Just some ideas.

Jack

Hi Delwood,
I got most of my software because of the tutorials available. If you search ebay, type "turbocad* tutorial*" (without the quotes, but in this case it really does not matter. Type in the two stars after each word though) and that will bring up a couple of matches. Mine came with a couple of books and 2 or three CDs. They really helped.

Mach3 is very popular on the board. The Mach3 site has video tutorials to get you going. There was information in there that helped me get things figured out.
http://www.artsoftcontrols.com/artsoft/index/index.htm
Click on tutorials and then video tutorials. I also printed out the operating manual. That gave me a few more pointers.

I started using CamBam because of a recommendation on the board. I think it was from Hoss, but I don't remember completely. I think SheetCam would be a good choice too, although it will cost around $150 to get it registered. I think it is limited to around 300 lines of code. I messed around with it a little, but ultimately went back to CamBam because it just seemed to be a little easier to pick up (and it was free). CamBam has a forum for help, of which I have used a little. On one of my questions the creator of CamBam had me post my drawing on site and he looked at it personally. There are also a couple of short getting started tutorials on site. I also post as BrassBuilder on the CamBam forums.

And...for one last resource...take a look at Hoss's site. I think he is the master of CNC on this board. LOL. His X2 is called "The Freak" if that tells you anything with what he did to his X2. :) It is a work of art and in a class all by himself.
http://www.hossmachine.com/cnc_conversion.html
He had motor settings and things posted that helped me get stuff figured out on mine.

Read back through my previous posts because there is a wealth of info in there that might save you from repeating my same questions. Left click my name and then click on "find all posts".

There are other software packages that will do a very fine job in doing all the above too. There is a free CAD program that I've heard good things about but I have never looked at it. SOmething like A9CAD....something like that. But the above combination is working for me...so far.

One last thing...I started using the CAD software around a year before I started the CNC process. I had that down fairly well by the time that I got my mill CNCd. I didn't have to spend a lot of my time learning CAD on top of everything else.

Hope this helps!

Mike

Delwood,

I took some classes at a college where I used some student software.
I've used AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and ProE CAD software, but I can't afford them.
I've used Pro/NC CAM software to program some engraving on a part, but I can't afford it either.

Everything I've done so far I've been able to program with a pen and paper and typed it into a text editor. I learned how to program 3 & 4 axis CNC's and a CMM manually back when I was working.

It's time for me to get some software (CAD/CAM) to use at home. I'll have to learn new software, bummer.... I'm retired too (injury) and have time to learn new software.

If you don't have a night school to attend, where you could get hands on experience, you could check around and see if there's a group of CNC hobbyist in your area or maybe someone on the CNCZone in your area. They might have meetings to share knowledge. Just some ideas.

Jack

Hi Jack,

I say retired but actually unemployed and having too much fun in the garage to change that right now. Electrical work is very slow anyway.

The variety of night classes is amazing, but no CNC training. I'll check out the other possibilities! Delwood

Hello Mike,

This really helps out. I can follow every thing because you talked to my level. The last two days here will help me get going again. I have previously found myself posting in the wrong forum and stumbling around quite lost and stuck.

Thanks, Delwood

Hi Delwood,
I got most of my software because of the tutorials available. If you search ebay, type "turbocad* tutorial*" (without the quotes, but in this case it really does not matter. Type in the two stars after each word though) and that will bring up a couple of matches. Mine came with a couple of books and 2 or three CDs. They really helped.

Mach3 is very popular on the board. The Mach3 site has video tutorials to get you going. There was information in there that helped me get things figured out.
http://www.artsoftcontrols.com/artsoft/index/index.htm
Click on tutorials and then video tutorials. I also printed out the operating manual. That gave me a few more pointers.

I started using CamBam because of a recommendation on the board. I think it was from Hoss, but I don't remember completely. I think SheetCam would be a good choice too, although it will cost around $150 to get it registered. I think it is limited to around 300 lines of code. I messed around with it a little, but ultimately went back to CamBam because it just seemed to be a little easier to pick up (and it was free). CamBam has a forum for help, of which I have used a little. On one of my questions the creator of CamBam had me post my drawing on site and he looked at it personally. There are also a couple of short getting started tutorials on site. I also post as BrassBuilder on the CamBam forums.

And...for one last resource...take a look at Hoss's site. I think he is the master of CNC on this board. LOL. His X2 is called "The Freak" if that tells you anything with what he did to his X2. :) It is a work of art and in a class all by himself.
http://www.hossmachine.com/cnc_conversion.html
He had motor settings and things posted that helped me get stuff figured out on mine.

Read back through my previous posts because there is a wealth of info in there that might save you from repeating my same questions. Left click my name and then click on "find all posts".

There are other software packages that will do a very fine job in doing all the above too. There is a free CAD program that I've heard good things about but I have never looked at it. SOmething like A9CAD....something like that. But the above combination is working for me...so far.

One last thing...I started using the CAD software around a year before I started the CNC process. I had that down fairly well by the time that I got my mill CNCd. I didn't have to spend a lot of my time learning CAD on top of everything else.

Hope this helps!

Mike

One of the nice things about TurboCNC is that it runs on DOS, which means an old, slow, obsolete computer will run it nicely. By asking around, you could probably come up with several computers that would work. Then you would have a dedicated machine controller and not have to share when you want to use it as "your" computer. A Pentium 200MHz to 500MHz with 8 Megs of memory will work well. I'm setting mine up with a CompactFlash card as a hard drive, so there are no mechanical parts to fail in a dirty shop environment. Someone you know would love to give you that old computer that's taking up room in the back of the closet.

Glenn

One of the nice things about TurboCNC is that it runs on DOS, which means an old, slow, obsolete computer will run it nicely. By asking around, you could probably come up with several computers that would work. Then you would have a dedicated machine controller and not have to share when you want to use it as "your" computer. A Pentium 200MHz to 500MHz with 8 Megs of memory will work well. I'm setting mine up with a CompactFlash card as a hard drive, so there are no mechanical parts to fail in a dirty shop environment. Someone you know would love to give you that old computer that's taking up room in the back of the closet.

Glenn

Glenn,

I like that idea. Just find another old, slow, obsolete computer besides the one I'm using for "my" computer! Is that 8 meg required for the flash memory? The computer isn't the only item here that's old and slow but I refuse to become obsolete.

Thanks, Delwood

Hi,
As a newbie CNC machinist myself, I can vouch that building the machine was the easy part! I am at the figuring out the software stage right now. Here is what has been the easiest combination (for me) as far as the software goes:

CAD: TurboCad Deluxe (I think I am running version 11.something.)
CAM: CamBam
Milling Software: Mach3

I am still learning this as I go....I am now in the firm belief that there is nothing "easy" about the software part. One package might be less confusing than the other, but they all have a certain learning curve that will take time to figure out. Is CamBam the "best" CAM software? Probably not. But I am finding it has been easier to learn than any of the others. You can also ask 10 people on the board what combination they are running and you will get 10 different answers. :) Good luck!

Mike

Mike,

My daughter handed me TurboCAD version 9.1 she decided not to use. Do I use it or do I need the 11.something?

Thanks, Delwood

"Is that 8 meg required for the flash memory?"

Yes, 8 Megs is plenty of RAM to run DOS and TurboCNC. After all, in the "good old days" we used to run on 512k of memory and thought it couldn't get any better than that. Actually, you'll probably have to run more memory because those small sticks of RAM aren't that easy to find any more.

Glenn

Mike,

My daughter handed me TurboCAD version 9.1 she decided not to use. Do I use it or do I need the 11.something?

Thanks, Delwood

Give 9.1 a try. But take a look and see if the program will save your drawings in a DXF format. You will need that format for CamBam.

Mike