Messages

721

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Skeleton Clock

« on: December 16, 2008, 10:38:51 PM »

Big 'lump 'o coal' goes in your stocking.

722

Tangent Corner / interesting article-Alu. guitars

« on: December 13, 2008, 03:11:30 PM »

Figured I'd pass it along for the fellow guitar freaks out there.
http://machinedesign.com/ContentItem/73356/ManufacturingisaHighNoteforAluminumGuitarMaker.aspx
http://www.normandyguitars.com/news/index.htm

723

General Mach Discussion / Re: Greetings Mach3 Users-- I am about to tear all of my hair out.

« on: December 13, 2008, 01:01:22 PM »

Saying your machine is missing steps is akin to saying your car is not running correctly. It could be a multitude of things. Hate to see ya rip apart 4K in 1 day of trouble-shooting. What are the specs on your motors? You say you installed a G540. Are you POSITIVE the motors are correctly wired and your 540 is compatible, correctly wired, and setup? I'm assuming a sufficient power supply was included in the mill purchase. A website with the machine specs might help a bit. Hoods pretty slick on the troubleshooting. Given enough time, he could probably have it making sandwiches for you at lunch.

724

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Skeleton Clock

« on: December 13, 2008, 03:17:42 AM »

BUMP.
Looks like Davids been making projects without showing and telling us here at Mach land. Shameful!
Good looking stuff there David. I especially like the engine turned stuff.

725

General Mach Discussion / Re: Which post to use with mastercam X3 for cnc router using Mach3

« on: December 10, 2008, 11:26:11 PM »

Generic Fanuc 3 axis should get you started.

726

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: These guys copied my "MechMate" . . . . . .

« on: December 08, 2008, 07:42:01 PM »

I looked at these some time ago. Looks to be a nice machine. There may be a few odds and ends that may not satisfy some people, but it should be very simple to mod to your liking. You sure as heck can't beat the price for a proven system, either! Thanks for just throwing it out there for everybody to use, Gerald!

727

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Another Turner's Cube.

« on: December 06, 2008, 03:23:19 PM »

Good stuff Tweak (as always). How did you polish it?

CNC programing skills will replace the traditional trade skills for almost all manufactured items. Is that a good thing or a bad thing ?

RC summed it up nicely. You can also think of it as a "new set" of skills, and not a replacement. You will still have to have machinist capabilities/mindset. The machines may be like a mindless robot, but the instructor sure has to have a good diverse skill set to instruct it. You better keep up with technology, or it will leave you sitting by the side of the road. Any advancement in technology in my eyes is definitely a good thing.

728

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Citation Steve's Race Car

« on: December 03, 2008, 08:18:12 PM »

I would love to take a Formula1 car through Charlotte.

Might as well swing by Bristol, too. I mean.... while were dreaming and all. 
How many cars you have on-hand, Steve? I'm sure we can clear our calender for a week to go racing. 

Sounds like you have really had a great time racing. 200+ cars and 15 championships. Wow. That's definitely something to be proud of.

729

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: ViaCad

« on: December 03, 2008, 07:59:42 PM »

I think almost every software has it's own methods of madness. Some give options for exporting methods to different formats, while others may not. If you can convert your splines into nurbs, that might be of help. Exporting as an .IGES, .STL, 3dm, or solidworks file, might work. Usually when I find a method that works, I write it down, so as not to go through the madness to find the method again.

730

General Mach Discussion / Re: how to skip ahead on tool path? newb need's help

« on: December 03, 2008, 07:35:23 PM »

With subs, I believe you have to skip ahead to the sub call, and run from there. That's how I done it, but there's more ways than one to make/run subs, so my method may or may not work for you.