Newbie- Use a CarveWright to Build a CNC?

[wizer]

Hi Guys

I'm completely new to CNC so prepare for the dumb questions

I have been offered a CarveWright which I'd like to buy. It's ideal for me as it's simple to use and compact. I only need hobby use at the moment.

The only thing that worries me is that I'm in the UK and as such will have absolutely no warranty service. So I got to thinking that if I could find some plans to build a proper CNC and mill the parts out of MDF or PLY then I have an upgrade option when I outgrow the CW.

So questions are.

Does this idea sound bonkers?
Are there plans out there that I can follow? (I'd need a similar sized small CNC for routing wood and sheet stock)
Are there any tutorials on creating G-Code? (I'm quite good with Sketchup but never done proper CAD.)

Any help muchly appreciated, even if it's a shove in the right direction.

Cheers

[hemsworthlad]

Originally Posted by wizer Hi Guys Does this idea sound bonkers?

Depends how much your paying for CW if it's a lot then i'd say save your money and build the Cnc machine it will do all the CW can and then some.

but if all you want is sign's or carvings then CW is easy.

Originally Posted by wizer Are there plans out there that I can follow? (I'd need a similar sized small CNC for routing wood and sheet stock)

If you look their are a few good plans like Joe's cnc etc

Originally Posted by wizer Are there any tutorials on creating G-Code? (I'm quite good with Sketchup but never done proper CAD.)

Simple Answer NO. . . not really . . . . . but G-code is not really hard to learn just time consuming for anything other than simple stuff thats why people use Cam programs or purpose made Cam/art packages like ArtCam etc.

This is probably the biggest and often most over looked part of cnc, it can be as cheap or expensive as you want to make it.
A lot depends on what you want to do with the machine.?
If it's simple 2d profile work even 2.5D then it can be very cheap, like free cheap, but if you want 3D fancy and easy then it's going to cost.
Gcode doesnt really come from Cad it comes from a Cam program or plugin to a Cad program.
Process goes like this, Draw model in Cad you then use this model in the Cam plugin/program to generate toolpaths, their are various types of toolpaths available depending on how simple or complex you need.
(This to a great degree depends how good the Cam program is, this is where the price comes into play, the better ones come with some great toolpaths and features but unfortunatly most of the time stupidly expensive.)
Then from these toolpaths Gcode is generated, which in turn the gets loaded into a control program like Mach3 which translates these codes into signals that the Cnc machine understands and needs to move.

My advice would be to look long and hard into the software just as much as the construction of the machine, if you still want to carry on after that then My next advice would be get some software straight away and start using it and learning. Even down to the Control software like Mach3 which is free to download and use, it just as a 500line Gcode limit which is still plenty for learning and if your clever you can get round that.?
This will mean when you eventually finish your build you hit the pathment running so to speak, the Machine is just a small part, the easy part in my opinion.

[brihoo2k]

Originally Posted by wizer Hi Guys I'm completely new to CNC so prepare for the dumb questions I have been offered a CarveWright which I'd like to buy. It's ideal for me as it's simple to use and compact. I only need hobby use at the moment. The only thing that worries me is that I'm in the UK and as such will have absolutely no warranty service. So I got to thinking that if I could find some plans to build a proper CNC and mill the parts out of MDF or PLY then I have an upgrade option when I outgrow the CW. So questions are. Does this idea sound bonkers? Are there plans out there that I can follow? (I'd need a similar sized small CNC for routing wood and sheet stock) Are there any tutorials on creating G-Code? (I'm quite good with Sketchup but never done proper CAD.) Any help muchly appreciated, even if it's a shove in the right direction. Cheers

You canhttp://www.phlatforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=98&t=2#p2 create g code from within sketchup.All you need to do is add the phlatscript file into sketchup, and the best part is it is open source.

[wizer]

Guys thanks for your help. It's much appreciated. The CW is available to me for a reasonable price. Much cheaper (less than half) than the brand new price and comes with all the accessories. The problem is that if it breaks, it's bricked and I'm left with either scrapping it or trying to use some of it's parts to build a proper CNC.

One big plus for the CW is the size and the roller function. Whereby it feeds work in and out. All the small DIY CNC projects I have seen so far have not had this function and make their footprint much bigger. I already have a full woodworking workshop in a small one car garage and can really only squeeze something which is 2ftx2ft maximum. My whole shop is on wheels, so I can move things around when I need them. But I'm not sure I want to loose any more space to a large CNC.

I'm hoping to supplement my income with the CW. Making signs is one idea, but I'm quite sure that it's not as lucrative as it seems. The main thing that attracts me to the CW is the software and the 'clip art' function. I'm not sure if you can do that as easily with G-Code type software? I'll admit, the vast majority of the 'clip art' available to the CW is ugly rubbish. But I do have some ideas to make it work for me. The other big problem with the CW is the speed. From what I've read it's incredibly slow and the feed rates can't be tampered with.

I'm going to see if I can negotiate the CW price down a bit to cover me for the possibility of it being bricked. If I can utilize it straight away to make a few things which will cover it's cost then I won't be too upset when it fries. At least I'll have dipped my toe into CNC and will know if I want to go further.

Thanks again, I'm going to investigate the DIY build some more and will stick around to try to learn a but.

[low_48]

Have you read the carvewright forums? I haven't for a long time, but a year or two ago, nearly everyone had to send their machines back to the manufacturer at least once. Often times more than that. The CW is a little carving toy in my opinion. The cutter is driven by a flex shaft. I wouldn't guess how long it takes to cut a piece of 19mm medium density fiberboard. Make a cnc with a CW? Not bloody likely. You would be better off making a new cnc with your existing woodworking equipment.

[wizer]

thanks guys. I think I'm starting to realise that I should build a proper CNC

The issue of space is a big one and until I know that I'm going to be able to utilise a CNC and be competent enough to use the software, I will build a small one. BYOCNC seems like an obvious choice. I think I'd prefer to use MDF as the main material, purely as I am used to it as a material. It needs to fit in a 600mm x 1200mm space. So we are talking small. But that should get me learning the process and cutting some projects I have in mind.

Much more research to do now...

Thanks again guys. I'll be asking plenty more questions, I'm sure

[Kammo1]

I looked like you at the Carveright and came to one conclusion and that was I would never ever be totally happy with its cutting size so the answer was obvious not to purchase one and build my own, in fact I have 2 machines that are nearing completion and when I weigh up the cost of both machines its cost me less than half to build the 2 instead of having the Carveright which would of been ok but then that was just me wanting one. I think you can definately be sure is building the CNC will give you a fascinating insight of how the machine works and will perform so if anything you are learning all the time, have a go you'll love it and I warn you it is very,very addictive.Whereabouts are you in the UK ?

[wizer]

I can see how addictive it is. But at the moment it's all foreign to me. Really struggling to get my head around it all.

I'm in North Kent, nr Dartford.