My adventure with CNC

[DaveH]

If you want to know about Cut2d here is the web site http://www.vectric.com/products/cut2d.html
(I have no connection with Vectric I just use and abuse their program )

DaveH

[TomG]

I learned with a felt tip pen in the spindle just drawing shapes. I figured it was better to destroy a few pens (and I did) than drive a cutter into the table. It worked pretty well.

Tom

[awemawson]

Dave, I also failed to get to grips with EMC ! I did actually put myself on a unix based C programming course a few years back, even passed the exams and got the (rather basic) qualification. But somehow unix based stuff doesn't seem as intuitive as windows based stuff. I fully appreciate that unix is nothing like as bloated as windows, runs much more efficiently, can have a genuine 'real time' kernel to allow proper interfacing to fast events, but it seems I'm too long in the tooth to pick up a new operating system :(

Andrew

[DaveH]

(11-10-2013, 09:43 AM)TomG Wrote: I learned with a felt tip pen in the spindle just drawing shapes. I figured it was better to destroy a few pens (and I did) than drive a cutter into the table. It worked pretty well.
Tom

When I started doing some engraving on the mill I also practised with felt tipped pens. Stick the paper on to some MFD and off we would go, only to see the tip of the pen trying to go through the MDF
But like you say Tom heck of a lot better than a cutter going through the table.

DaveH

[DaveH]

Andrew,
Same with me - just became too much
I thought I would mention EMC changed it's name sometime back to LinuxCNC.

DaveH

[awemawson]

I down loaded it about 9 months ago when I started on the Traub as a fall back - put it on a CD that was self booting and stand alone and VERY confusing :( - it was simpler for me to fix the Mitsubishi control :)

[EdK]

(11-10-2013, 01:03 PM)DaveH Wrote: Andrew,
Same with me - just became too much
I thought I would mention EMC changed it's name sometime back to LinuxCNC.

DaveH

I looked into LinuxCNC earlier this year and it has a lot of promise but it's definitely a do-it-yourself experience. Not a plug and play package at all.

Ed

[EdK]

Here's a nice video of a guy that used LinuxCNC. I enjoyed it.

http://youtu.be/zz0gd3TS0LM

Ed

[DaveH]

He seemed to have done all the electronics as well. Did work well.

DaveH

[Hawkeye]

Something that works well for test cuts is fine-grain styrofoam A sharp end mill turning at a fairly high speed can walk through that stuff. I have my X2 CNC set up to cut foam that way, or with a hot-wire tool. That lets me make patterns for lost-foam castings.

The MDF over the table is a good idea as well. It's amazing how fast a little mill can move when it's doing the wrong thing.