We're running a Back to School sale on the G-Wizard until the end of this month.  When you order the 3 year subscription, use the coupon code "BACK2SCHOOL" and get a 20% discount. 

That puts it at $103.20.

You can try G-Wizard for 30 days by signing up here:  http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCGWizard.html

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While visiting CNCCookbook, be sure to check out our new G-Code Tutorial:

http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCCNCGCodeCourse.htm

It's free and has a lot of modules, with more to come over time.

Best Regards,

Bob Warfield
www.cnccookbook.com

Bob

You might want to take another look at your explanation of the Right Hand Rule in the Gcode course.

Greg

Greg, it's accurate.  Like the caption and text says though, it is the direction of the spindle, which is reversed if the table moves.  Easy to get confused on that!

I have similar responses to the depiction of climb vs conventional in the speeds and feeds section.

In the end, you just need a way to remember what YOUR machine does, and be aware of the possibilities other machines may have.

Cheers,

BW

No big deal Bob.  We can agree to disagree.   

Quote from your first paragraph,

Hold up your right hand with the index finger extended and the thumb up, like you're simulating a gun.
Now extend your second finger at right angles to the index finger.
Those three fingers are now pointing in the directions of positive X (second finger), Y (index finger) and Z (thumb).

Great work on the tutorial by the way.

Greg

Greg, no need to disagree, understanding is better. 

The passage you quote is accurate, but you must also apply the part I mention about the spindle to have the whole story.  The handedness of a CNC coordinate system is always relative to the spindle, not the table which is assumed to be stationary by convention.  So the diagram in the article shows the table motions we're more familiar with, precisely to make the point that it doesn't look much like a right handed system.  In fact it looks very much like a left handed system.  Looking at it from the spindle perspective is therefore key.  Whatever the table is doing, the direction is reversed when you think about it from the spindle's perspective.  So reverse those arrows and you'll find it is indeed a right handed system after all.

I added that discussion after doing a lot of research to understand why so many were saying CNC prefers a right handed system even though everything I looked at appeared to be left handed.

Here is anothe article that explains the importance of viewing the handedness from a workpiece stationary perspective:

http://www.cncexpo.com/Cartesian.aspx

Cheers,

BW

Sorry Bob but the reference that you gave supports the fact that you made an error.

I'm afraid I do need to disagree, and my understanding is sound. 

For some years I have operated both a CNC three axis router (moving spindle) and a CNC three axis milling machine (moving table), so I do understand the difference.

I quote from the text in the CNCexpo.com,

The thumb represents X axis, the index finger Y axis, and the middle finger Z axis.

As opposed to your article,

Those three fingers are now pointing in the directions of positive X (second finger), Y (index finger) and Z (thumb).

As I said not a big deal but I thought you might like to have it read correctly.

Greg

PS here is a clip of the supporting picture on the CNCexpo page,