Topics

11

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Trident

« on: April 12, 2010, 11:00:05 PM »

It's been a while since I posted anything that I am working on, (actually, it's been a while since I HAVE worked on anything!) so I figured I'd share this, even if it is kinda "not extremely fascinating".
First, I started off with the need of making a door frame for my bathroom. I conquered that easily enough. I wasn't happy with the seam showing between the top and sides, so I needed some sort of decorative piece to hide it. I'm sure they have a technical name, but I don't know what the heck they're called. Being as it's part of the bathroom, I wanted something depicting a water theme. Poseidon's trident seemed fitting enough. Anyhow, with a bit of time searching for a good reference picture, and some time modeling in solidworks, I came up with a design. Now armed with some G-code, and getting more impatient by the minute, I trudged out to the shop to cut some wood. By this time, the *fun* part was starting to take it's toll. I just wanted to see some results before the end of the day. Next, I slap a piece of wood in the vice and turn the feed rate up to warp 7.2. Just as I figured, that weak Z axis motor lost a few steps along the way. Interestingly enough, it made some neat looking designs, and I decided to build upon those screw-ups for the next piece, for the next day. A sea-shell in the middle, and some decorative pockets, done the trick nicely. As luck would have it, I ended up spending more time trying to clear the hostile air space (my garage) from a bogey (Japanese hornet), than I spent actually working on my project. These damn predators must LOVE florescent lighting, because they seem to invade whenever I try to work. Those bugs are no joke! You know how most bees sound like a small propeller *bzzzzz*, these sound more like a freakin' fully loaded B-52 jet engine. I think I even seen some heat trails from the tail end of it. With my trusty can of Raid wasp killer, I won this fight, even if I did have to perform a 'tactical retreat' a few times. The pic does not do it justice, as it's curled up into a fetal position, making it look smaller.

12

*****VIDEOS***** / Gable trim

« on: December 29, 2009, 06:54:48 PM »

I was going through some files and ran across a project I done for a 1920'ish home. It is a test design for a roof gable trim piece. Thought I would share.
VIDEO (3.2 MB)
Maybe the audio won't deafen you, I lowered the volume to 10%. Video was taken with a phone, so it's not the best.

13

Tangent Corner / medication

« on: December 23, 2009, 01:10:58 PM »

 

14

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Dixie Duke - A machine in the making.

« on: December 21, 2009, 11:05:06 PM »

Well, I suppose I'm going to build a mill this time. Might finish it, might not. Who knows. I'm not really that fond of commitments, since about '95.  
I'm not the best web page builder either, but it gets the job done. HERES the link.

The original designers name is 'gmduke', and he graciously gave out his design, complete with prints and mcmaster part numbers for purchased items. Without his hard work, I would not be attempting this. Hence the machines name...Dixie Duke, in his honor. A post with his machine is HERE

HERE is his gallery on the zone.

Looks like his website is no more.

15

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Down 'n Dirty Laser Locator

« on: September 16, 2009, 07:44:47 PM »

So I was wanting to go make some parts in the shop today, and was dreading just getting everything indicated and zeroed in. So I finally decided to do something about it. I have a small camera. Its wireless, and I suppose I could make it work. Naaa...to much work involved making brackets, troubleshooting, and other stuff....and I'm just way to lazy. I have a laser pointer, but the beam is way to big. Probably over .25" (6+mm) in length and .07-.10" (2mm) in width. It's also very fuzzy. Not at all what anyone would want for locating anything other than a bullet into a target. Who am I trying to fool...it wasn't even good for that. It did make a wonderful cat toy, though, and making him spin in tight circles until he's so drunk he would fail a Kentucky DUI test, proved to be wholesome entertaininment for the entire family. I suppose I need a locating laser more than a drunk cat, so that settles that dilemma. I could order one with a better beam, but even then It would most likely be unacceptable to me. Besides, I wanted it now, not later. I had thought of solutions before, and determined that making a cap for the laser tube, and drilling a small hole in it would work just great. I don't have any bits that small here, so I need to hillbilly/MacGyver this thing somehow. I need something with a very small hole in it. I have one of those ink refill syringes. I could shoot the beam down that...Na, that's just crazy. How bout if I use the end of a ball point pen? Na, the opening is way to big. Then I discovered a mechanical pencil. Eureka! This had potential. So I dis-assembled the pencil (without any detailed drawings to guide me, I might add) put the pencil end up to the laser tube, and instantly knew I was on to something. I also noticed that if I offset the pencil from the center, I could dim the dot, allowing better focus for the eyes. MacGyver would surly be proud. So off to the shop I go.

Step 1.   Go to shop. It's raining, and the shop is 250' away. GRRRRRRR!!!
Step 2.   Return to house to get the super glue...in the rain.
Step 3.   Return to shop....in the rain. 
Step 4.   Glue pencil end on laser tube. Can't get that stupid MacGyver tune outta my head. 
Step 5.   Dis-assemble my spindle bracket, drill and tap a 1/4-20 hole for the laser tube to screw into.
Step 6.   Screw laser into 1/4-20 hole.
Step 6.1  Run a 6mm tap through a 1/4-20 hole.    (like you haven't done it before!!)
Step 7.   Re-assemble everything and admire.

I have to admit, it works pretty darn good. I will have to make a solid attachment to take the place of the pencil one day, but for a quick, down and dirty locator, I couldn't be more pleased. So for anybody that doesn't like the size or crispness of their pointer....try shooting it through a small hole, and you might be nicely surprised. The beam on the tape looks to be about 3/64" (1.19mm). I think with a sharp eye, you could center that dot up nicely on a fine line or center point, if it's on the right surface. It's no replacement for an indicator of course, but it gets you in the neighborhood when "good enough" works just fine.

16

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Tool setter

« on: September 13, 2009, 11:51:41 PM »

Still needs wired.

17

General Mach Discussion / Tool probe strange behavior.

« on: September 10, 2009, 09:09:25 PM »

So, I finally got around to making me one of those nifty tool setters. Dunno how I got along without it for so long now. It's kinda like indoor plumbing. Anyhow, I have some strange behavior with it. I have the feed set way up in the macro (using Scott and Gregs code) , say 50 or 75 ipm. When I first start up Mach, it works flawlessly. Then I open up a file, run the file, and then, somehow, the probing routine takes the acceleration settings from the X axis to drive the Z axis. This results in a massive over-travel, and a tool crunch. After a lengthy period of trying to troubleshoot, I decide to delete everything and re-install Mach. So I get all the pins set, axis set, screens installed, script modified, ready to rock 'n roll. As soon as I hit the zero button, it once again took the X axis accel. So I load up a file, run it, and low and behold the probe function works as its supposed to. That's exactly the OPPOSITE of the way it didn't work before the re-install. Strange indeed. So, I mucked around with a gazillion different things, and it appears that some times it works one way, and other times it works another way. One thing did remain constant, however....A probe command from a fresh start-up is different from a probe command after a g-code file has been ran. Obviously, if the feed rate is set to something very slow, it works, or at least it appears to work, as the accel is really not an issue. Any ideas??

18

Share Your GCode / He's just a Wile and crazy guy!

« on: July 23, 2009, 06:59:21 PM »

So I was thinking......How can you have the Roadrunner, without Wile E.? It's like cookies without milk. It just don't make any sense. Never did like that damn bird, anyhow. Wile E. always had the cool James Bond gadgets!! So, anyhow, I made up a Wile E. Coyote. It has lots of arcs and corners, so it should be a good one to learn about the CV options for your machine.

19

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / ATV part

« on: March 30, 2009, 11:55:51 PM »

Here's one of the parts I have made for my ATV. Made from 7075. Buffing had to be the worst part of it. Those micro scratches from the compound are a real pain to eliminate when your a novice polisher and don't understand what your doing wrong. I think I've finally developed a technique that works good for me, but I still hate doin it. I tried a vibratory tumbler to take out most of the manual labor, but I haven't found that magical formula yet. I've anodized a few 7075 parts with pretty descent results, but don't have any pics of 'em. Next batch I do, I'll snap some.

20

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Peter, the cedar lion.

« on: March 28, 2009, 07:41:22 PM »

Here's a lion I am experimenting with. My intentions are to place the lion in the corners of a window trim that my cat always lays in. Will most likely be made in black cherry or hickory. I'm not a big fan of cedar. A pen is placed for size reference. Used a .125 carbide endmill for roughing, and a .0781 (5/64) carbide ballnose with .008 stepover for the finish.