My Newest Desktop machine

[microcarve]

Thanks Drools!

For something like PCB work, I'd make it a fixed bridge type of machine.
That practically eliminates a lot of the problems that come with doing
extremely fine work. And if you can stand MDF....which many can't...it
has some genuine advantages to it. One being transfer of vibration and
resonances are damped greatly. Mostly to a point of little/no concern.

I showed a prototype of a big MDF machine for doing cases and control
boxes. That has a separate table that can be so precisely adjusted to make
getting everything in perfect alignment very easy to do. So, while it's
far from a beauty of a design, it's very practical. I use it on occasion to
mill 6061 flat.

It'd be an easy machine to build with those rails. That's exactly why I made
mine....to use rails I had on hand, to put them into use instead of just
gathering dust. Aside from the rails, the machine costs basically nothing....


John

[microcarve]

http://www.alumilite.com/

Great stuff for making small lithophanes and assorted parts. Main drawback to it
is, it's expensive....(there's a few others.....)

Small kits of it can be found in lots of hobby supply places.


John

[microcarve]

Thanks for those links Gerry!





http://www.microcarve.com/zone2/gcodes.zip

Here's the gcode files for the last 3 pictures if anyone's interested.
They have very small stepovers so a very fine bit would be needed
to actually cut them. Mostly they're here just to take a look
at if anyone wanted to open them up in Mach or EMC.

The extension can be changed from .nc to anything. I often just
use .txt so they open by default for easy editing in notepad. Mach
mostly doesn't care what the extension is.....

[dertsap]

John
love the cuts you've been doing , you've struck another spark for me so I've got to get my machine powered on and play some in my up coming holiday's , I've tried the one lithophane and sort of blew it , the small stepover that your using seems to be a major key , I've been thinking of trying a small ballnose but will try the tighter step over first with the fine tip

your cabinet is a brilliant idea , looks great , and must keep the crap under some control

[microcarve]

Thanks!!

You notice I keep saying I'm using a homemade bit.

That calls for an explanation. I have the .010 tipped one from you.
That would do just Great if I honed the point to .003-4 or so with
a little diamond hone I have around here somewhere....it came from HF,
I believe.....

But I've just been waiting for the right day of steadiness and "perspective"
to try altering that Nice bit.

Being as you have tons of them.....

Use a good magnifier.

[dertsap]

Originally Posted by microcarve Thanks!! I've just been waiting for the right day of steadiness and "perspective"

well , there's patience
that beats me after my five cups of coffee at the grinder with or without my glasses

[microcarve]

It has been awhile, but when it comes, I can write my name backwards
on a pinhead. With a Dremel.....

Seriously though, that's the perfect bit to "enhance". I just want
to get it right the first time.....

http://www.microcarve.com/zonesmall/bot014.jpg

http://www.cnctoybox.org/store/page27.html

[microcarve]

Running a few parts today....

This is a "router room" I built in the corner of my shop.
It sits about 2" from the wall all around and rests on strips
cut from shop floor mats from Harbor Freight.

Pretty much isolating it from the walls, which makes a big difference
in loud noise transferring to outside the room. It's based on the idea
they use for home theaters, but that was going to cost wayyyyy
too much to get it as quiet as those things are.

This works plenty fine enough to contain 99% of dust and contains
the loud 3.25HP router noise enough that a normal conversation can go on
right outside the room.

That allows me to run things any time of day or night. Of course I
do live way out in the country here in South Georgia, but oddly enough,
noise travels very well and noticeably in a place like this on a quiet night.
Without the room, I couldn't run the machines late into the night.



Dust containment alone is worth having one...



John

[microcarve]

The router room is made from both OSB and MDF. I'd intended to seal it
a little better...and will one day.

The MDF I used is some of the "complete crap" brand/variety.
I build lots of machines from MDF, and long ago noticed a wide
variation in the quality of it.

There are basically 4 "grades" best I can tell. The GOOD stuff, is GOOD
stuff. Very dense and a pleasure to work with. In my area, it's a sort
of honey/beige color.

The BAD stuff is ,well, we won't go there....

It'll punch through when drilling and is more akin to cardboard
than anything remotely useful.....except a good sound absorbing
router room...

I have to drive 80 miles one way to hand pick my MDF I use in my
machines. Sometimes Lowes has the good stuff and sometimes
Home Depot. I have to check both places.

I can imagine some people who swear MDF is all crap, just got some of
the bad stuff right off....(who'd even think to drive around comparing qualities
of MDF....)...and had a bad opinion of it set for life. I would have.

So a whole load of crap MDF turned out to be useful after all. But that's
when I learned to go find the good stuff myself. Even if it means driving the 80
miles there and 80 miles back.


John

[tpworks]

I noticed that shop vac you had in a previous post has the inlet on the lid, just for reference the ones with the inlet on the lower part will accept bags and filter and reduces the amount of crap that clogs the ones that just use filters cartridges.

[ger21]

Look for Plum Creek MDF, it's one of the best ones.

[Drools]

It would be nice to have a sise-by-side comparision of the good vs bad MDF? With pictures?