Hey everybody,

My name is Josh, I'm new to machining and Mach. I'm currently working on building a gantry-type machine to make stuff, as I am always making stuff. Unfortunately, It's always with junk equipment like a drill press and a harbor freight cross slide vise. Money doesn't allow much right now. I make due though and have made a few things that didn't look like they came off of a crappy drill press.

Anyway, I've collected a fair amount of scrap material and electronics and I am working the details of my motor drives right now. I have an Ice Station that I am using to house the drives, interlocks, power supplies, etc. I have a rack mount PC case that will hopefully be running Mach 2/3 in the near future. My only real hurdle is how to achieve precise linear motion on a budget. That's tough.

I work for Goodrich in R&D building specialized test equipment. I was previously at Thermo Fisher, building neutron generators, and before that I was an Avionics Tech/ Flight Mechanic for the Coast Guard.
That's me in a nutshell.

Hi to the group... my name is Tony. I purchased a Romaxx HS-1 and a Mach licence several months ago but i'm way down on the learning curve. I have a small woodworking business and will be using the HS-1 to produce small parts for a commercial customer that produces high end stereo equipment. I hope to use this and other CNC forums to get myself over the learning hump.

Hello,
  I'm still a little shaky on the posting procedures.  I'm a sculptor.  This summer I purchased a Digirout 1000 cnc machine.  I create 3d models using Zbrush.  The G code is made using Cut 3d, and Mach 3 runs the machine.  I usually finish things in wood using the traditional tools.  I'm still very new to all this and since I have found answers to some of my questions in this forum I want to thank everyone.
neilson.

Hi, I'm John Bovinich, El Paso, TX. Just finished building my router, hope to do a trial cut this weekend and that's where I need help. I'm new to Mach3/LazyCam and need help!

I have made my drawing in TurboCad 12 in DXF format and loaded into LazyCam. Now what? I don't know what I'm supposed to do in LazyCam to get to Mach3. I see the the post code button to Mach3, then what. If someone could give me the sequence I should use I would appreciate the help.

Thanks,

John

I am a mechanic by trade. I now teach mechanics at my work our policies and procedures. Air Brake, Hydraulic Brale, A/C, Electrical, Tires & Wheels, and our Preventive maintance program. I got my first lathe 30 years ago a Craftsman 6 inch. Because I needed a Mill to do some brackets I bought one of the Harbor freight Green machines. I was then given a 12 inch Craftsman lathe. Learned a lot by reading books and am still learning. I am into SCUBA and make underwater light housings and battery housings. I recently started making underwater scooters. To date have 6 in the water.

I was in need of something I could do CNC, so without doing as much research as I should olf done I bought a Shopmaster Patriot. I have spent several months of taking apart cleaning, adjusting. I have not had much problem with the disign of the machine. The workmanship is another story.

I have now purchased a CNC kit form Keling. It came with Mach 3 software, I have everything put together. Now it is how do I make it all work. I know nothing about CNC except the theory of how it works.

Have a GREAT day
Craig

Hi,

I work at University. I want to organize a course about CNC and would like to use MACH3 for it. I have an issue though, but will post about it some other place.

Cheers

Hello everyone I posted here one time before but it must not have taken as I still can't post on other groups,Scott Nichols wrote me a note to tell me to do this post so here I am. My forum name is57phillip and phil will be fine also. I am retired from the autobody mechanical business. I owned my own bodyshop for the last thirteen years I was able to work. I am not to healthy but I do this CNC machine if I ever get it working right or else I am not capable of learning it I don't know but I like it so far it is just not doing what I want it to. A man on this list rewired it from the old DOS system and everything is getting better but I can't get the limit switches and I don't know how the make it go home yet. But I have time I guess. I am into watches and this CNC machine is to do engraving on them. nice to meet you all.

Hello all,
          Thank you for letting me join this knowledgeable site. I am a former cnc setter programmer who has also done fixture design as well as estimating and purchasing and I now make fishing floats for a living in the UK. I am building a machine that will grind the various shapes and sizes of float body from balsa dowel and also put the hole through the centre for the glass fibre stems. I can handle the machine building bit fine but am sure I will need help getting it to run from the Mach 3 software which will come with the router machine when I purchase it. At the moment I have got the spare PC to run it but need to build my balsa dowel holding  "4th axis" before I can finalise the required build dimensions of the modified router and place an order.

Regards - Neil.

Hello,
My name is John. I have worked as a machinist for over twenty years and ran CNC machines first. Seems kind of backwards as learning manual machines is what seems to give you a good idea of how things work. Crashes are less dramatic though ;>)
Now I have a really small CNC router that I am trying to get running. I'm a newbee at programing and that aspect of things. Hope to learn how to get my new toy making parts for a while and then upgrade to a larger machine as the skills needed to make it work would be similar and it will be a little cheaper way to get started. I'm hoping it won't take too long. It seems as I get older some tricks are harder to learn.
I am looking forward to the experience.
Thanks for this forum.
John

Hello,
I've just joined the forum!
I'm interested in anything thats got wheels or an engine from a clock to a an F1 car. particularly Stirling cycle engines. I teach engineering skills to the 14 to 21+ age group including fitting, turning, milling electrical and electronics to "A" level standard (UK qualification) I have a small home workshop with all the usual hand tools and measuring equipment, plus a bench drill, small lathe and a CNC milling machine.

The milling machine is the main reason for me joining this forum as it is now getting a bit long in the tooth in the electronics department, the mechanical bits are fine, very accurate and stable but the MTBF for most of the components is approaching fast. Having replaced several of the major assemblies and a multitude of individual components over the past couple of years.

I am looking to upgrade, particularly the computer hardware (currently Z80 based) and the software looking at MACH3 as a potential replacement.

So any thoughts or ideas would be much appreciated.