[CarveOne]

Very Nice C1 !

I've had to pause and resume to do maintenance during a long cut, a couple of times since testing mine. the bolts on the Z motor mount loosen. I've double nutted them now, and they seem to be staying tight.

I must think about a dust shoe for mine.
What software do you use for the video editing?

Rich

Thanks Rich,

Blue Locktite brand thread locker is what I use. Doesn't take much. Blue prevents loosening but the screws can be removed. The red version requires heat to be used to soften the screws. Nylon insert aircraft nuts should work fine for your Z axis nuts. I could also use set screws with the nylon insert in the threads instead of the plain ones that fell out.

The vinyl skirt works, but the suction from the 1,700 cfm dust collector sucks it inward too much at the end of the pipe. Making a removable magnetic bottom plate works really well. I'll make a second one with a brush material in the near future. The yellow stuff I used on my big machine was pulled out of a push broom.

CarveOne

[CarveOne]

Forgot to mention that I have a computer with Windows 7 Home Premium on it. The included Windows Live Movie Maker is what I am using for the videos.

The camera is a Nikon Cool Pix L110 12.1 mega pixel. I have it set for 720P video and 1024x768 photo modes by default.

I intended to use a larger size embedded video in my post. After copying and pasting the embed code it wouldn't let me delete it and replace it with a larger image, so it will stay as it is.

CarveOne

[TrickyCNC]

I haven't 'played' with video yet. So far, my phone saves in a format that photobucket likes.

Yours do look very 'pro' though

I have a DSLR that records good video, I'll get around to it ... one day !

Rich

[CarveOne]

Windows Live Movie Maker has lots of effects and features to work with and you can edit the video to make it shorter, split it up, and add still photos with fades between them. A professional videographer would find it lacking in a lot of respects and be willing to pay for better software. For my videos the features in Movie Maker is enough. There may be other fades and effects available from Microsoft and other sites but I haven't looked yet.

CarveOne

[Arbo]

Some nice projects CarveOne... I am unfortunately in a slump, and want to make money with mine, but after struggling for so long with silly lithos and stuff, am actually at the point of considering selling my machine since it get's used so infrequently.

[CarveOne]

Some nice projects CarveOne... I am unfortunately in a slump, and want to make money with mine, but after struggling for so long with silly lithos and stuff, am actually at the point of considering selling my machine since it get's used so infrequently.

I've been through those myself. There were some setbacks recently that caused me to cancel the trip to Jim McGrew's Aspire Camp recently. I still want to go though. Maybe next year. It's a half day trip one way.

My interest in this will eventually fade also. Probably due to the cost and time to make anything for sale isn't worth what I can get for it. So I can't justify give it away as gifts for very long. I never seemed to have the gift/ability to sell anything for a profit.

I just consider this a hobby and learn what I can. It beats having an order backlog I can't keep up with.

CarveOne

[Arbo]

Selling is the problem for sure. I have had literally thousands of people check out the lithos, show interest and excitement, then never hear from them again.

Maybe I'll give it one last push and see how it goes.

[CarveOne]

One of my interests for the CNC was to make R/C foamy parts for my own uses. I saved some free files I found but haven't cut any due to the costs going up so much.

I do occasionally make some parts for Jeff Foley's business and personal interests though. He and his son Brad are going to Top Gun this spring with Jeff's completely rebuilt ME109 and Brad's P-38 Lightning. The ME109 will have a gas engine this time instead of the Moki he has used for many years.

CarveOne

[cd_edwards]

I was looking at your video and found another of your video's from a first cut attempt. Any chance of getting that cool looking optical illusion as a vector or even jpg?

[CarveOne]

I was looking at your video and found another of your video's from a first cut attempt. Any chance of getting that cool looking optical illusion as a vector or even jpg?

Ok, I split the files into separate .zip folders and the DXF uploaded, but the CRV keeps failing.

CarveOne

[cd_edwards]

Thanks, I'll have to attempt that later this week. Here's a couple of things I've been working on this week and weekend.

[TOTALLYRC]

Nice work C1.

When I get back into the shop I hope to do a few nice thing for my Wife.

Mike

[CarveOne]

Thanks, I'll have to attempt that later this week. Here's a couple of things I've been working on this week and weekend.

You're getting better definition in your projects than I am. Maybe the MDF where you live is a much better grade than what is available here, or you are using a fine grain wood?

Not even pink foam is available from local sources here. On my last trip to the local waste convenience dump there were two half sheets of 1" thick pink insulation foam in the dumpster that the attendant let me retrieve. After hosing it off it is in mostly good shape. I'll probably try cutting a 3D shape of some kind into it. I would like to have some denser sign foam to play with though.

CarveOne

[cd_edwards]

Just standard MDF for the calendar's. Oak for the house signs. On the last calendar I pre-coated the wood with clearcoat and let it dry for a few hours before cutting it out. I then used walnut danish oil and painted it onto the cutting. Wiped that off and you see what I get. One thing that might be differant is where I'm cutting. Tonight, I'm going to try a differant version of the calendar where I'm cutting the reverse of what I cut right now. I also used a 1/4" 60 degree whiteside bit for all of these. My max DOC is 0.25 as well.

The mayan, I'm not entirely happy with but it looks good anyway. Shows some router marks and my edges are not as rounded as your's are. I have to cut these slow for now as my x axis motor slips if I speed up too much. I had to make a sleeve for the pulley/motor. I've got a proper 1/4" shaft motor coming. Should be here this week.

[CarveOne]

Just standard MDF for the calendar's. Oak for the house signs. On the last calendar I pre-coated the wood with clearcoat and let it dry for a few hours before cutting it out. I then used walnut danish oil and painted it onto the cutting. Wiped that off and you see what I get. One thing that might be differant is where I'm cutting. Tonight, I'm going to try a differant version of the calendar where I'm cutting the reverse of what I cut right now. I also used a 1/4" 60 degree whiteside bit for all of these. My max DOC is 0.25 as well.

The mayan, I'm not entirely happy with but it looks good anyway. Shows some router marks and my edges are not as rounded as your's are. I have to cut these slow for now as my x axis motor slips if I speed up too much. I had to make a sleeve for the pulley/motor. I've got a proper 1/4" shaft motor coming. Should be here this week.

When I created the 3D model in Aspire I knew not what I was doing and stumbled through it. I assume that it is adjustable in height on the same menu that lets you select flat, round, or triangular height shapes. If I had the simulation visible at the time it was supposed to have updated shortly after I changed the setting and I could have set it up in near real-time. Found out about that afterwards.

Which software are you using to model it?

CarveOne

[cd_edwards]

Actually you goto z-height menu afterwards. So far I've only been using aspire. I just discovered that I can import all those STL files I've been downloading from various places. More things to play with.

[CarveOne]

Actually you goto z-height menu afterwards. So far I've only been using aspire. I just discovered that I can import all those STL files I've been downloading from various places. More things to play with.

Very good. I need to start my own collection of STL files and other types of files that work with Aspire. I want to create another couple of projects for my gunsmith friend. One will be a 1911A semi-auto grip set with some checkering, the other will be a Colt revolver grip set.

I have gcode files for the 1911A grips that Khalid made for me when I built my first machine. They fit well and have no checkering, but that was my request at the time.

I think the revolver grips are going to be educational since the bottom has a flat angle, the height is different at the top and bottom ends, and there is a curve in the middle.

CarveOne

[Khalid]

Hi CarveOne.. I can do beautiful Scroll work on the design for that grips in Artcam..

[CarveOne]

Hi CarveOne.. I can do beautiful Scroll work on the design for that grips in Artcam..

I have no doubt that you can Khalid. You are far ahead of me with this kind of thing - but I will gain the knowledge eventually. By the time I reach your level you will be the grand master of 3D. I can be a bit slow sometimes.

Artcam is another one that I should certainly investigate.

In Aspire, I expect that the two rail sweep operation can be used to recreate the outline seen when looking at an edge view of the revolver grip. This would be for the center line curves needed to define the height map shape.

I can create an outline of the grip shape by tracing around the grip to create a drawing file for the major outline and the screw hole.

Would it be easier to just photograph the black plastic grips I have available and create a model from that?

CarveOne

[CarveOne]

I'm not expecting high water.

The work table quivers a lot while cutting projects, so I looked at ways to prevent the CPU and monitor from rocking. Not good for the hard drive or my eyes. I had put them on a piece of 1/2" foam interlocking anti-fatigue floor mats from Harbor Freight, but it only had softening effect on the shaking.

Yesterday I came up with a hair brained idea (can I even do that while being mostly bald on top?).

I have no room for a cart next to this work table as I do for the big machine, so I decided to hang it all from the ceiling. I proceeded to make a 19" x 36" shelf and installed four eye screws in the shelf yesterday evening.

This morning I located the correct places on the ceiling to install the four eye screws for that end. I cut a couple pieces of 10awg electrical wiring to length and stripped the outer sheath off. The black and the white wires were used to support the shelf. While doing this the 1/2" foam was keeping the shelf off the work table. Once everything was installed on the shelf there is about 5/16" clearance under the shelf. Now the G540, CPU, and the monitor remain steady while the CNC machine is doing its thing. If a wire should break (very unlikely except for a notable tremor) the shelf won't drop enough before hitting the work table top to matter.

CarveOne