Build Thread- Sonicwonder2000's CNC

[sonicwonder2000]

Originally Posted by ger21 MDF dulls tools pretty quick. You could be looking at a lifetime of days. Really depends on what you're doing with them, though. Keep the rpm's low, and the feedrate high, if you want your bits to last as long as possible.

DAYS!!??!!

You mean I'm going to be shelling out $20 every couple of jobs for new tooling ... ??

Hand tools are starting to look more attractive the deeper I get embroiled in this project ...

You can surface the table with 1/4" tool, but a 1" tool will do it 4 times faster.

I hear about people using "end-mills" to surface their tables, but I thought they were only for metal? I also read about "fly-cutting" and the only fly-cutting I've done is in biology class as a freshman. Care to enlighten?

[ger21]

Again, how long a tool lasts depends on how your using it, and what you're cutting. How long you choose to use a dull bit is up to you. Also, you can get bits sharpened and reuse them. Carbide tipped straight bits can usually be sharpened for $5 or less.


A lot of people call router bits end mills. A lot of people use endmills on their routers, since they're cheaply available.

A flycutter is a metalworking cutter for surfacing large areas. Yo u get large spoilboard surfacing bits, but they're expensive. Cheapest thing is to get the largest 2 flute carbide tipped router bit you can find, usually about 1-1/2"

http://www.amanatool.com/cncroutingdetails/rc-2257.html
http://www.amanatool.com/cncroutingdetails/rc-2252.html
http://www.vortextool.com/index.cfm?...ategory_id=106

[sonicwonder2000]

Originally Posted by ger21 http://www.amanatool.com/cncroutingdetails/rc-2257.html http://www.amanatool.com/cncroutingdetails/rc-2252.html http://www.vortextool.com/index.cfm?...ategory_id=106

Wow! Ignorance is bliss (at least for the wallet) ...

Some serious sticker shock going on here. Well, I guess I should've know when I spent $2K building a machine that another $2K in running costs was inevitably to follow .

[sonicwonder2000]

Well, in the absence of router bits, I have the world's most over-priced printer .

Here she is plotting in real-time:



She's living up to her papa's nick - I love the music she makes!

[stevespo]

Sonic,

Great looking machine. I've enjoyed the thread and respect your dedication. You'll get a lot of enjoyment out of it, but it sure does take time to get everything "finished". I'm not honestly sure any DIY machine is ever really finished!

I've been using this bit to clean my MDF spoil board. It's only 1.5" in diameter, but leaves a really good surface. I cut a fair amount of MDF and find that the carbide bits hold up pretty well. Tooling will add up quickly, but I haven't worn out any bits cutting plywood or MDF (yet). Even so, I actually mark some bits specifically for MDF, so that I'm sure I'm using my sharpest bits in solid wood.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Bott...1-2-Dia-/C1261

I'm wondering if you have you gotten your limits hooked up yet? I had some serious noise issues that caused false triggers on my limits. Even after swapping out ALL my wiring for shielded cable, I still had intermittent problems. A simple low pass filter (capacitor) solved that once and for all. I should have just bought a better break out board to begin with!

Steve

[sonicwonder2000]

Originally Posted by stevespo Sonic, Great looking machine. I've enjoyed the thread and respect your dedication. You'll get a lot of enjoyment out of it, but it sure does take time to get everything "finished". I'm not honestly sure any DIY machine is ever really finished! I've been using this bit to clean my MDF spoil board. It's only 1.5" in diameter, but leaves a really good surface. I cut a fair amount of MDF and find that the carbide bits hold up pretty well. Tooling will add up quickly, but I haven't worn out any bits cutting plywood or MDF (yet). Even so, I actually mark some bits specifically for MDF, so that I'm sure I'm using my sharpest bits in solid wood. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Bott...1-2-Dia-/C1261 I'm wondering if you have you gotten your limits hooked up yet? I had some serious noise issues that caused false triggers on my limits. Even after swapping out ALL my wiring for shielded cable, I still had intermittent problems. A simple low pass filter (capacitor) solved that once and for all. I should have just bought a better break out board to begin with! Steve

Glad you found the thread! I was just about to pm you a link .

Re: Limits. Yes, they are operational. I too had LOTS of noise on the limit lines, even with shielded wiring on the limit switches. A .01uF capacitor and a delay of 1000 in Mach3 seems to have taken care of the fals etriggers. I have gotten one false trigger, but it wasn't while the steppers were moving? I'm thinking I may have accidentally nicked a limit...

Thanks for the heads up on the grizzly bit - looks like it might be within my (non-existant) budget!

[revwarguy]

Hey Sonic,

I know its back to school time, but did you ever get something cut?

Rev

[sonicwonder2000]

Hey Rev,

Thanks for checking in! Sadly, no

I'm going to have to build a dust hood as my first proj because of the whole storage-in-my-ocd-dad's-garage situation. School has been pretty rigorous, so I doubt I'll have a chance to do this till Christmas break ...

Hope things are well with you.