[zerodegreec]

As the title asks. What do you do with your Benchtop CNC?

Seems that I am about 50/50 right now as my machine has only been converted since the end of Feb. Seems I spend an equal amount of time making the machine better or easier to use as with parts.

[Dr.Fiero]

You mean... You can make actual stuff with these???!

Pffftttt... News to me man! Only things I've ever made are for itself, or my other machine! :rofl:

[LacL]

I originally built the CNC for other hobbies, but its become a hobby onto itself.

[zerodegreec]

Its funny now that I look back on the purchase of the machine, I always knew it would be a CNC one day. For 3 years I turned the handles and made some things I am very proud of. To be honest some of the things I used it for made the machine just a really good drill press. Tooling has been hard to swallow as I have spend allot of money on it but it feels like I have NOTHING. But now that its a CNC, I just keep spending time making part for the machine! Love it though. Many people spend time sitting on a couch, for me once the kids are in bed, the wife is reading or doing her thing. I am out in the shop. Next thing I know its midnight. Such a satisfying hobby. Just need a Lathe!

[zerodegreec]

My Machine
BF20 CNC shop setup - YouTube

[jid2]

I'm done building things for my machine. It took about 2 years to do the full conversion. But if it needs more stuff it will simply turn into a Haas Super Mini Mill, because I want to focus on parts not for the machine.

[Memran]

I've made a few parts for my mountain bikes, and models. But mostly, I don't have any ideas or a specific need.

[acannell]

i totally get making machining tools and etc..using the tools you have..

but i havent made any, and i didnt want to fall into this just being a hobby in itself.

there are so many forums and social networks now, that if you want ideas for things to machine, its all there for the asking. the first part i made on my mill i sold on an automotive forum for $35, it was someone elses idea. ive made a few dozen of them now, and it really helped me focus on machining skills and get alot better. i would recommend that path versus making more and more tools (unless you really like that, which i get)

[bjones]

I don't see ripping off the idea of someone else as one of the categories. booooo

[acannell]

I don't see ripping off the idea of someone else as one of the categories. booooo

i didnt rip anyone off. i made a thread where i made it clear that i was looking for ideas to machine and that if i made someones idea, they would have to be with okay with me selling it, but they would get the first one free. they were thrilled. lots of people who arent machinists and dont have a way to design parts or cant afford to have them professionally machined have great ideas, and are very happy when they see their idea made into a reality.

[adelabarra]

Hello to every body:
I decided to buil the CNC to make every project that comes to my mind.
The problem I had was that every time the miller was in the bottle-neck.
And if you have only one part to make he says:
-Just only one part? - I don't even have time to quotate you.
That is my experience.
Now I am just buying the parts: Three step motors, the bars, the roller guides, the supports, etc.
It is a lot of money.
I´ve received your complain: Hey! Do you want to unsuscribe? It is six months since you've been here!
I am buying the parts!

Regards!

Alejandro

[thatotherguy]

My Machine
BF20 CNC shop setup - YouTube

Question with the safety area you built for your machine. Does the door have a sensor if opened that makes the machine shut down?

[aarggh]

I don't see ripping off the idea of someone else as one of the categories. booooo

Very hard to create unique products these days, almost everything that can be done, in one form or another has already been done. All you really see now is usually just cosmetic variations of existing designs. I saw a kickstarter campaign recently where a guy came up with a metal fishbone for securing cables without having to tie knots in them, he was going through the process of patenting the design, I couldn't work out how he could do that given these things have been around for decades, and even Leonardo daVince had similar designs hundreds of years ago. Just maybe not made out of titanium though.

I recall a similar argument here a year or two back, a guy had built a particularly pretty 3 axis machine, and another guy was accused of copying his design. Well, there's only so many ways you can build a 3 axis moving gantry machine, and they will all just end up variations of the same mechanical design in the end.

cheers, Ian

[thatotherguy]

Very hard to create unique products these days, almost everything that can be done, in one form or another has already been done. All you really see now is usually just cosmetic variations of existing designs. I saw a kickstarter campaign recently where a guy came up with a metal fishbone for securing cables without having to tie knots in them, he was going through the process of patenting the design, I couldn't work out how he could do that given these things have been around for decades, and even Leonardo daVince had similar designs hundreds of years ago. Just maybe not made out of titanium though.

I recall a similar argument here a year or two back, a guy had built a particularly pretty 3 axis machine, and another guy was accused of copying his design. Well, there's only so many ways you can build a 3 axis moving gantry machine, and they will all just end up variations of the same mechanical design in the end.

cheers, Ian

What you stated is very true.

Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk 2

[Fastest1]

I am on the river of denial!

[slashmaster]

This is fascinating that most people do mostly upgrades to the machine itself! I'll admit that's the way it use to be for me, but now that I'm at the level where I have a reliable 3 axis machine, I spend most of my time trying to figure out cam software. I'm content without a tool changer or power drawbar.

[Fastest1]

This is most likely due to the fact that many of us are hobbyists. We have other jobs and less time to dedicate solely to machining. Not being machinists brings its other issues. We dont really have mentors to ask on the job. Though the internet is a wonderful medium and does provide answers it does take time.

There are so many aspects, set up of the machine and the stock, indexing if flipping the part, fixturing and hold down techniques. Then there is, as you know the tools, feed rates, rpm's, chip evacuation & chip welding welding issues, metals and their properties when being machined, the list goes on and on. CAD/CAM is a whole other world too.

Quite a bit for a person from another field with little machine shop experience, most likely hand tool experience and desire. Getting any 1 of the above wrong just makes the process start all over. It damn sure is educational! Frustrating too. But when it does all come together and you watch your robot make something you can use, does it get any better? No matter how simple that part might look to others, to the maker it is an accomplishment.

This is fascinating that most people do mostly upgrades to the machine itself! I'll admit that's the way it use to be for me, but now that I'm at the level where I have a reliable 3 axis machine, I spend most of my time trying to figure out cam software. I'm content without a tool changer or power drawbar.

[BrassBuilder]

If I can buy what I need for my machine at a reasonable price, I am not going to take time and material away from my model building to make the item. While I admire and respect the work that some people put into their machines, my goal was to build parts for models and not parts for the machine.

[691175002]

The trick is just accepting that the machine is done.

There will always be ways to improve it, but even a very simplistic machine can be useful. My first conversion was just steppers on the handles, mounted with laser cut acrylic. Took about two days and I still use the machine years later.

There are a lot of shortcomings (No home switches, ACME screws, toolchanges suck, etc...) but when set up properly it has done its fair share of work.