[CadRhino]

Had to get an order our today so yesterday was the last day to get everything finished so I started at 5am and ran the tormach straight until 11:30 pm.
That atc got a good workout too.

[mountaindew]

I had a long day and Bozo the clown was in charge. start with entering wrong tool offset, End mill I changed to for long reach was junk, Had to e-stop more times in one afternoon then in last month. Even had a drill chuck pop out of mt .................................. and managed to make a good part that had a bad design dimension anyway. All fun stuff with a few giggles .and some scrap.

[CadRhino]

Yes, thus day started a little wobbly when a part came loose on the fixture and snapped an em. I had an em that was too long for the cut and replaced it with a much shorter one. I learned what I should not forget - always use the shortest possible tool. The shorter tool ran so much smoother.

I had a long day and Bozo the clown was in charge. start with entering wrong tool offset, End mill I changed to for long reach was junk, Had to e-stop more times in one afternoon then in last month. Even had a drill chuck pop out of mt .................................. and managed to make a good part that had a bad design dimension anyway. All fun stuff with a few giggles .and some scrap.

[popspipes]

My longest days have been here lately, machining wood of all things! Zero profit, but is fun making them. They are little wood games for the church shoebox program.

I do have the code pretty well modified now and have figured out what works and what doesnt etc., this is the fun part for me.
I am getting plenty of machine time and the way to get better at anything is basically repetition.

edit:

MD, I had the wrong offset yesterday, but the Max velocity slider saved the tool and the fixture! I am very fond of that "sneak up" feature!!

Nathan, I am fortunate that I have a Darex emdmill grinder, I can cut off dull ones and make shorties out of them, resharpen the flutes and go again.......

[mountaindew]

Yes, thus day started a little wobbly when a part came loose on the fixture and snapped an em. I had an em that was too long for the cut and replaced it with a much shorter one. I learned what I should not forget - always use the shortest possible tool. The shorter tool ran so much smoother.

The right GOOD quality cutter imho makes a HUGE Difference. I use many of the high performance cutters from YG that Tormach sells and the difference is amazing!
I can plow thru material fast and the tool sounds like music with correct settings.

POP: I was lucky and was working with 1.5" part dimension. I could see on the first cut it was about 0.25 deeper then it should be. No big deal and I even let it run while thinking about what bozo did wrong. Then e-stop, fix problem and put in new stock. And I would love to have the ability and tools to sharpen end mills and drill bits with precision, someday I will add this to my collective.

[popspipes]

The right GOOD quality cutter imho makes a HUGE Difference. I use many of the high performance cutters from YG that Tormach sells and the difference is amazing!
I can plow thru material fast and the tool sounds like music with correct settings.

POP: I was lucky and was working with 1.5" part dimension. I could see on the first cut it was about 0.25 deeper then it should be. No big deal and I even let it run while thinking about what bozo did wrong. Then e-stop, fix problem and put in new stock. And I would love to have the ability and tools to sharpen end mills and drill bits with precision, someday I will add this to my collective.

The endmill sharpener I had left over from my buisness, just putting it to use again.

I dont use my estop much, I use the space bar instead, saves a re reference etc however in an emergency the e stop is easy to hit!!

[CadRhino]

I have been curious about your wood machining. It sounds neat. I have machined wood once and am still finding dust in my shop. I have to machine wood next month and am not looking forward to it. The recent thread you stared on machining wood and shop vacs gave me some good pointers, though. Time to hook up the shop vac.

My longest days have been here lately, machining wood of all things! Zero profit, but is fun making them. They are little wood games for the church shoebox program.

I do have the code pretty well modified now and have figured out what works and what doesnt etc., this is the fun part for me.
I am getting plenty of machine time and the way to get better at anything is basically repetition.

edit:

MD, I had the wrong offset yesterday, but the Max velocity slider saved the tool and the fixture! I am very fond of that "sneak up" feature!!

Nathan, I am fortunate that I have a Darex emdmill grinder, I can cut off dull ones and make shorties out of them, resharpen the flutes and go again.......

[CadRhino]

I could not have gotten this far without all the help from folks like you, popspipes, Michael and others. Lots more to learn.

The right GOOD quality cutter imho makes a HUGE Difference. I use many of the high performance cutters from YG that Tormach sells and the difference is amazing!
I can plow thru material fast and the tool sounds like music with correct settings.

POP: I was lucky and was working with 1.5" part dimension. I could see on the first cut it was about 0.25 deeper then it should be. No big deal and I even let it run while thinking about what bozo did wrong. Then e-stop, fix problem and put in new stock. And I would love to have the ability and tools to sharpen end mills and drill bits with precision, someday I will add this to my collective.

[WOTDesigns]

My longest day so far was 72 hours. Last summer preparing for Sturgis I was back ordered $10k in Omni's and needed 1,000 of them to take to sturgis. Kept the machine running with 1 hr cycle times for 72 straight hours. 30 min naps as frequent as I needed them and lots of coffee when I thought I didnt.

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[CadRhino]

Wow, I knew you where a machining animal but that is an amazing story. Glad to see your omni cruse being so successful. Thanks for sharing.

My longest day so far was 72 hours. Last summer preparing for Sturgis I was back ordered $10k in Omni's and needed 1,000 of them to take to sturgis. Kept the machine running with 1 hr cycle times for 72 straight hours. 30 min naps as frequent as I needed them and lots of coffee when I thought I didnt.

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[WOTDesigns]

Poor planning mostly. Get so busy chasing nickels doing job stop work I start losing dollars missing omni sales. Now I have a strict rule that Font Fixation and omni are priority and I'm comfortable telling customers that they have to wait. Just had a customer cancel $2000 job because it took too long. Don't care. Didn't cry. Told him it would be 6 weeks. And it was.

Hoping to pick up a 10k RPM late 90s Fadal vmc later this year to dedicate to job shop work

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[CadRhino]

Cool. What CAM program do you use? Will you be hand coding the Fadal.
I do you have an cnc lathes yet?
Keep all of those plates spinning!

Poor planning mostly. Get so busy chasing nickels doing job stop work I start losing dollars missing omni sales. Now I have a strict rule that Font Fixation and omni are priority and I'm comfortable telling customers that they have to wait. Just had a customer cancel $2000 job because it took too long. Don't care. Didn't cry. Told him it would be 6 weeks. And it was.

Hoping to pick up a 10k RPM late 90s Fadal vmc later this year to dedicate to job shop work

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[WOTDesigns]

I have Fusion360, HSMxpress, Mastercam X5 (lathe), and used to use Mastercam for Solidworks.

90% of my mill work is done on HSMxpress, and occasionally Fusion for 3D which I avoid. Mastercam I only use for Lathe as my lathe is a 5 axis with full C and live tooling. I purchased the lathe this last December primarily for one production part. It basically just takes a round rod (5/16") and machines 4 long flats 2.5" long to make an O1 tool steel square shaft for my stamps. The only way to buy 1/4" O1 is precision ground which cost me $1.50" each vs $0.25 each for the round. Go figure. $20K total into the lathe so far but after 15K parts I'll be ahead again.

Unfortinately the lathe requires 80% hand coding as it is WEIRD to program. They didn't use a control for 5 axis so they have a LOT of finiky little Mcodes to cheat the system. Like changing tooling on the tail stock (tail stock has a 6 tool changer) uses m170~ codes or something and can only be called in a sub program. PITA. But its a production machine not for one offs.

The fadal or brother will be programmed for production parts only and will likely just hand modify the codes I already have. Plan is to get Omni-Cruise on the new machine and MAYBE the stamps if it can handle the accuracy (.001" is a large move on these; average step over .002 down to .0005".

[CadRhino]

Thank you for the insight.
Very impressive developments.

I have Fusion360, HSMxpress, Mastercam X5 (lathe), and used to use Mastercam for Solidworks.

90% of my mill work is done on HSMxpress, and occasionally Fusion for 3D which I avoid. Mastercam I only use for Lathe as my lathe is a 5 axis with full C and live tooling. I purchased the lathe this last December primarily for one production part. It basically just takes a round rod (5/16") and machines 4 long flats 2.5" long to make an O1 tool steel square shaft for my stamps. The only way to buy 1/4" O1 is precision ground which cost me $1.50" each vs $0.25 each for the round. Go figure. $20K total into the lathe so far but after 15K parts I'll be ahead again.

Unfortinately the lathe requires 80% hand coding as it is WEIRD to program. They didn't use a control for 5 axis so they have a LOT of finiky little Mcodes to cheat the system. Like changing tooling on the tail stock (tail stock has a 6 tool changer) uses m170~ codes or something and can only be called in a sub program. PITA. But its a production machine not for one offs.

The fadal or brother will be programmed for production parts only and will likely just hand modify the codes I already have. Plan is to get Omni-Cruise on the new machine and MAYBE the stamps if it can handle the accuracy (.001" is a large move on these; average step over .002 down to .0005".

[keen]

I had a long day recently trying to compete with a full size VCM. Large steel parts 8" square and lots of heavy machining.

The big VCM that was out of action that day...it cut the parts in 7 mins each - but the client needed delivery that day so it was sent to me! Yikes! Chips everywhere - I had to slow down the process and lighten the cuts to the point were my Tormach and the cutter would survive the job.

Best I could do on my 1100 was 2 hours each.....keep that a secret please!....hence it was a long day...sigh....why didn't I buy a full size VCM !

Keen

[WOTDesigns]

I had a long day recently trying to compete with a full size VCM. Large steel parts 8" square and lots of heavy machining.

The big VCM that was out of action that day...it cut the parts in 7 mins each - but the client needed delivery that day so it was sent to me! Yikes! Chips everywhere - I had to slow down the process and lighten the cuts to the point were my Tormach and the cutter would survive the job.

Best I could do on my 1100 was 2 hours each.....keep that a secret please!....hence it was a long day...sigh....why didn't I buy a full size VCM !

Keen

The tormach is a lot cheaper to screw up on. I just had to replace the spindle on my house and it cost $4,000. That's most of the new tormach LOL

Just remember when you do stuff up to another machine if you have room and you're smart enough or able to wait until you can keep both... Keep both. I very frequently have my Haas tied tied up and could be making an extra $60 an hour if I still have my Tormach... hence having to turn around and buy another Mill this year this year

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[CadRhino]

Are you getting another haas or tormach when you get your next new machine?

Keen, great job competing with the big vmc. That is what o love about the tormach. A great inexpensive route that can make real parts. It has been great for prototyping and small runs. Glad to make the mistakes now than on a $60k+ machine.

The tormach is a lot cheaper to screw up on. I just had to replace the spindle on my house and it cost $4,000. That's most of the new tormach LOL

Just remember when you do stuff up to another machine if you have room and you're smart enough or able to wait until you can keep both... Keep both. I very frequently have my Haas tied tied up and could be making an extra $60 an hour if I still have my Tormach... hence having to turn around and buy another Mill this year this year

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[keen]

Hi Guys. You know I have been resisting getting a full VMC for several reasons.

Here in New Zealand our crazy government has had the doors wide open to China for quite some time and it has decimated the industrial sector.

I have several associates with full VMC shops and they are either idle and depressed most of the time, or run ragged on a low hourly rate not really covering there costs. It is a crazy situation here.

Don't let the USA authorities open up totally to the Chinese - unless you want to work for $10 an hour.....they will kill you off too.

I think under these circumstances working from home with almost zero overheads is a better business model. I can paint the house or develop my latest invention when the work load gets light.

I do wish I had built a bigger and higher workshop extension so I could fit in a mini mill or Hurco etc.

Keen

[WOTDesigns]

Are you getting another haas or tormach when you get your next new machine?

Keen, great job competing with the big vmc. That is what o love about the tormach. A great inexpensive route that can make real parts. It has been great for prototyping and small runs. Glad to make the mistakes now than on a $60k+ machine.

Who knows. I loved my Tormach but now that I have 3 phase, space and need production it really doesn't fit any of my needs. Tormach is easy to learn, AMAZING support Community, fit in a garage and run on 220. $ for $ a used Fadal or Brother is 10 to 100 times faster for the same money. 1996 Fadal 30x15 is more than double the envelope, 10k RPM spindle, 700+ ipm Rapids and can run a 1" em 2" deep with .2" woc until the EM breaks. If tormach had gone with a 2200 version with any closed loop system instead of the 440 it would be on my list. $15K I'll take a 3 phase 8,000 lb machine with 15hp since I have the space, have 3 phase, have already learned 3 different machine controls and time is $$.

I've seen some Mazaks, Fadal and brothers that fit the bill for $15K. I'm leaning towards fadal as it has the most bang for the buck, accessible parts and knowledgeable repair people available. The control is wonky (compared to haas) but haas is basically just an AMAZING control on a light weight machine.

Sharp stick in the eye when I figured out "all parts available in days" means all SUB ASSEMBLIES available in days. Need a motor pulley? $4K for a new motor cuz they are heat fit on. Whatever. Took 3 days and I had a replacement spindle installed for $4K. Sure that would have been a few hundred and days of work with tormach but haas runs production parts 2-10 times faster with a LOT more walk away time. Worth it if you have customers waiting.

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[CadRhino]

Thanks, again, for insights into your lessons learned.
Didn't you buy your haas new? If so, how come you needed a new motor pulley so soon?
I would be nervous buying a used VMC. I could see the $200/hr machinist repair bills as unknowns.
Most of the used machines in my price range (mostly fadals) look pretty beat and I really need a fourth axis for the parts I make. The Haas 4th axis is almost $10k!

Who knows. I loved my Tormach but now athat I have 3 phase, space and need production it really doesn't fit any of my needs. Tormach is easy to learn, AMAZING support Community, fit in a garage and run on 220. $ for $ a used Fadal or Brother is 10 to 100 times faster for the same money. 1996 Fadal 30x15 is more than double the envelope, 10k RPM spindle, 700+ ipm Rapids and can run a 1" em 2" deep with .2" woc until the EM breaks. If tormach had gone with a 2200 version with any closed loop system instead of the 440 it would be on my list. $15K I'll take a 3 phase 8,000 lb machine with 15hp since I have the space, have 3 phase, have already learned 3 different machine controls and time is $$.

I've seen some Mazaks, Fadal and brothers that fit the bill for $15K. I'm leaning towards fadal as it has the most bang for the buck, accessible parts and knowledgeable repair people available. The control is wonky (compared to haas) but haas is basically just an AMAZING control on a light weight machine.

Sharp stick in the eye when I figured out "all parts available in days" means all SUB ASSEMBLIES available in days. Need a motor pulley? $4K for a new motor cuz they are heat fit on. Whatever. Took 3 days and I had a replacement spindle installed for $4K. Sure that would have been a few hundred and days of work with tormach but haas runs production parts 2-10 times faster with a LOT more walk away time. Worth it if you have customers waiting.

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