argh! money and time spent, but no machine on the horizon.

[posix]

Well, more of a sweet talk really.

I've been burnt by so many failures in my endeavours with building this thing that I'm now stuck to the computer screen drawing, simulating, re-drawing, re-simulating, looking at new posts in the forum, looking for design flaws of linear rails, refining them, coming back to square-1, repeating, and not a single (wood)chip in sight... I guess I'm just looking for excuses so I don't have to build anything any more.

How does one break out of this vicious circle? My funds by now are, well, how do I put this, they aren't really depleated, they were depleated a long time ago. Now they are just nill!

Print out the plans to jgro machine and hope everything works as that seems the cheapest way of going about it or keep designing and refining untill I've arrived at a machine that can be built with a 1m length of 20mm pipe and a good luck charm?

[p38nut]

JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[posix]

Like for example this simulation which shows what happens when you buy cheap 2nd hand skate bearings, like I do...

[posix]

or this one, when everything works as it should...

[Jason Marsha]

Print the plans and build the JGRO. The key is to get a machine finished ,learn and practice. Make some money from the JGRO and use funds to finance a better machine.
I have cut my dogs tags from aluminum using small fonts and all lines came together perfectly. The JGRO can do almost anything the more expensive aluminum machines can. Its not as rigid so cutting metal at slower rates is a must.

I agree with p38nut: Just do it.



Jason

[Rance]

posix,

I'm so tight with money that my joints have almost rusted up. I have lived most of my life believing I have a money problem and have been trying to overcome it with just planning & building a smaller machine that doesn't use all the expensive parts. Point is that I'm FINALLY coming around to the fact that these machines simply require money. I've put my machine on hold for 60 days or so to paint a house for a guy. Once finished, I'll be able to 'BUY' a controller that I really want and that will support a future (more powerful) 2nd machine.

If you don't have the money, then go mow some yards or something to get some. That's ONE key ingrediant for building these machines. The rest is history. Just DON'T QUIT!

Rance (my 2c worth)

[posix]

It is interesting to what lows us programmers have sunk after the dot-com bubble burst. Now it's down to mowing and painting OTHERS properties to get money rather than designing the latest and greatest web portal/online banking/crm thingamabob. Heh! ghh...

[HayTay]

Posix,

Buck up, man! It's not that bad. I know, I've been there. Somewhere on here are a few of my rants when I was lower than whale excrement and every tool that I own was out to get me. Thanks goes out to ynneB (who has obviously been there, too), bkukowski, and a few others for their encouraging words that got me back on track. Okay, the thread is located here, What's Your Problem???????????

"Just do it", "Take it one step at a time", "Do the best with what you've got", and all of those other clichés are true and sound easy enough but you've probably heard them from friends and family enough that you're sick of them. What you really need to do is figure out exactly "what's your problem". It took me a while, but I finally figured out my biggest problem was my job. In reality I had quit my job 2 1/2 - 3 years before I actually quit my job the end of Nov. 2005. Sometimes, I'm kinda slow. In the mean time I was taking all of my anger and frustration out on loved ones and a large quantity of inanimate objects (which included my tools).

Since then I've started a new job more in line with what I like to do, namely, take things apart, fix them, then put 'em back together. It's been stated that "perception is reality", but "reality affects perception" is also appropriate. I've changed my reality and now perceive events in a whole new light. I enjoy things more, smile & laugh more, and don't go off the deep end at the slightest inconvenience.

Take Rance's advice, mow some yards, paint some houses (even if it's yours), have a yard sale & save up your money. While you're doing those odd jobs, use the time to meditate on "what YOUR problem is"! Once you determine "what YOUR problem is" use your programming & logic skills to find a solution. Think about what you really like to do (usually what you're really good at) and try to engineer a solution that takes advantage of those skills.

In your post you stated that you are a programmer. Maybe you could put your skills into a project like Spalms SpiroCNC or 10bulls CAMBAM applications. Maybe you can write a program that quickly draws and produces g-code for fancy borders offset a certain distance from a given shape? Or, another program that produces g-code to cut panels/parts for boxes of a given dimension. Options could include cover type (hinged, open, or cookie jar style), panel joint type, number of sides or no sides (round, oval or egg shaped), along with the addition of drawers. Do for borders and boxes what Vectric did with VCarve Wizard and PhotoVCarve.

Just an observation on my part, but, you need to get beyond the design, design again, and over-design phase(s).

That's my 2 cents. No offense intended.


As Jason Marsha says:

Print the plans and build the JGRO. The key is to get a machine finished, learn and practice. Make some money from the JGRO and use funds to finance a better machine.

Thanks to JGRO for making his plans available for FREE! Those of us with limited funds need to take advantage of all of the FREE we can get (almost all, anyway ) I built one (see attachment of my, then, half-finished build), so has Joe2000Chevy (BTW thanks for your help, too, Joe), Jason Marsha, thunterman, MrBaseball and others. The plans are fantastic and can be used as single project or as a step to building a bigger, better, faster CNC table ala Joe2000Chevy as documented in his amazing threads.

From what I've seen here on CNCzone.com and other sites, you did a great job with your LiniStepper unipolar driver board design. Now others like Fodder1 are starting to use your board design for their projects. Kudos to you!

Let us know what parts you've currently got for your build and what parts you need. Start another thread with pics of your progress (or lack thereof). Maybe those of us with finished or nearly finished builds might have some leftover parts we can send your way.


Chin Up!,

HayTay

P.S. You listed your location as "bih". Where in the world is "bih"?

[lurch]

BTDT "Been There Done That" My first jgro machine was a mess, entirely because, I modified while I built and improvised, or was imprecise and sloppy in how I set up cuts, etc. I understand the frustration.... On the upside, I did successfully build my controller from a HOBBYCNC kit!! Great kit!! Anyway, I trashed the first monstrosity after salvaging most of the hardware. I started slowly working on a new smaller setup part time at work. I drew out the pieces and checked fit in TurboCad. I then made them in the shop at work a lunch hour here, a break there. Now I'm getting to the point of setting up the y and z axis on the new machine. I'm not hurrying but I'm not stopping either... You can't fail if you don't stop trying.... Follow the jgro plans they are good plans, get your first one built. Joe2000Che also will have a nice set of plans soon I hope. That's the first set of plans I'm going to duplicate once I get this first machine built. For what its worth, I began the first router table 16 months ago.... Don't let something you like go just because it's gotten difficult, plan and be patient, not to patient.....

[ynneb]

I have a mate who was planiing to build a router at th same time I stated to build one.
I built mine fully working in 3 months. 3 years down the track he still hasnt built his.

The difference is he is a perfectionist and I am prepared to put up with comprimises.

Actually I have built two machines in that time. The second machine is better than the first machine. If you get any machine up and running you will be able to edit it as you use it.

As others have said. "Just do it" Hey that would make a good advertising campeign slogan !

EDIT:

Thanks goes out to ynneB (who has obviously been there, too)

Yeh but I cracked the sh1ts after only a few weeks of trying. I wasnt as tenacious as most others on here.

Some say it is bad luck to do this, but running your servos / steppers on the bench and seeing them stop and start with a bit of G-Code running will really spur you on to finish.

[andy_ck87028]

Posix

There is heaps of articulate, up-beat and creative discussion in evidence in your thread about Torsion Boxes (http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17059).

I really enjoyed reading that contribution and the issues it raised.

Being able to think three dimensionally is a great skill which isn't shared by everyone.

Perhaps using your creative thinking abilities will be the way to solve your problem.

Andy

NB Where is BIH..... I'm curious also

[posix]

well after having read a few of your past threads I feel like a right moaner. I thought I was the only one but it seems most of you guys have come to what seemed like a dead-end at some point. so I shall press on. let's see what I can come up with in the next, say 2 weeks? bih - bosnia