Machsupport Forum

General CNC Chat => Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) => Topic started by: Greolt on November 05, 2009, 04:44:36 AM

Title: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: Greolt on November 05, 2009, 04:44:36 AM
Been playing around with my rotary axis lately.

Thought I would go one step further and try something extra today.

Along the lines of a coffee table leg.

Clip art set into the square section. Done in the rotary in indexer mode.  Modelled in Aspire.

Not perfect, but not too bad for a first try.  :)

Greg
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: Overloaded on November 05, 2009, 06:49:35 AM
Not bad at all !
Your first tries look better than my last tries..lol
Nice work Greg.
 
Russ
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: RICH on November 05, 2009, 07:39:21 AM
Looks darn good to me. A whole lot better than doing it by hand with chisels and a mallet.  ;)
Too bad if the woodworking  purists wouldn't agree!  ;D
RICH
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: Tweakie.CNC on November 05, 2009, 09:45:20 AM
Looks very good to me too. Excellent work Greg.

Tweakie.
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: BarryB on November 05, 2009, 12:49:02 PM
Very nice Greg.  I'd like to hit you up for tips on that later on.  You are doing great!
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: SteinarN on November 05, 2009, 02:55:12 PM
Looks VERY professional. I'm impressed!
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: Greolt on November 05, 2009, 03:13:19 PM
Thanks all, but don't be too impressed.

I mucked up the fluting altogether and the hole pattern is not aligned properly.

But it will make the next try easier.  :)

Greg
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: Chaoticone on November 05, 2009, 06:48:49 PM
Very nice Greg. I love it!

Brett
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: Sam on November 05, 2009, 11:14:02 PM
Looks very nice. I like it.
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: BobWarfield on November 16, 2009, 10:46:09 AM
Wow!  Those legs are cool.  Chippendale, here we come.

My brother is the woodworker.  He's been after me to help him build a CNC router.  If he checks those out the pressure will be intolerable!

Cheers,

BW
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: RICH on December 31, 2009, 02:37:17 PM
Greg,
If you didn't have Aspire then what would you do? I assume that Aspire generates the Gcode?
I got a rotary indexer setup on the lathe and for modeling will do fluting, flutes wraped around the
cyclinder, cut a profile, who knows what. I will probably start a new thread but if you can shed some light
from your experience on the pitfalls when using the rotary table it would be helpfull.

Just trying to shorten my learning curve.
I need to play some with doing the code manualy.
 
RICH
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: Chaoticone on December 31, 2009, 03:14:28 PM
Glad you bumped this one Rcih. Man I love those legs. That is just great work.

Brett
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: Greolt on January 03, 2010, 12:32:32 AM
Greg,
If you didn't have Aspire then what would you do?

My first recommendation would be to get some CAM with 4th axis capability.  Like VisualMill  or Mastercam.  :o

If, like me, you can't justify the cost and you have some 2D or 3D CAM already, then look at wrapping. CNCWrapper is great value.

And of course you don't need software to wrap XYZ toolpaths.  A reasonable grasp of geometry and a calculator will do it.  CNCWrapper just makes it easier.

Wrapping XYZ toolpaths is quite limiting but still there is a lot of potential to work within those limits.

The advantage of a program like Aspire is the 3D modelling.  Most particularly the two rail sweep to easily build the shape, like in the table leg.

Also the ability to project a 2D or vee carve toolpath onto a 3D model, like with the fluting on the table leg.

For barley twists and spiral fluting etc, some clever code writing should be OK.  

There is available Rich's "Indexer Wizards" which will automate these.  Worth noting Aspire also has this capability.

As I said, real 4 axis CAM is the way to go.  Any one want to sponsor me with some??  :)

Greg
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: Chaoticone on January 03, 2010, 12:36:38 AM
Well Greg, with a set of legs like that you should be able to get anything you want.  ;D

Brett
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: ger21 on January 03, 2010, 08:33:20 AM
If you didn't have Aspire then what would you do?

If you have the ability to create the 3D models, then MeshCAM can do indexed 4th axis for under $200. www.meshcam.com
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: RICH on January 03, 2010, 11:40:46 AM
Thanks Gerry,
I can probably live within the constraints of Wrapper and some hand coding. Like many, i have a problem justifying
an expensive CAM program. So whoever sponsors you, maybe, they can add me to the list.  ;)

Think what I'm after is just adding some  "decrative" cuts to lathe turnings without having to do additional
setup / keeping it on the same machine.

"There is available Rich's "Indexer Wizards" which will automate these."
Have a link to where they are located?  If you mean me, well maybe in the future, but don't hold you breathe waiting for them. ;D
 
RICH

Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: ger21 on January 03, 2010, 11:50:48 AM
http://www.wizardsbyrich.embarqspace.com/#
Title: Re: Experimenting with my rotary axis
Post by: RICH on January 03, 2010, 12:17:39 PM
Thanks for the link....lot of options out there if you look in the right place.
RICH