I have recently completed the CNC router which was in the WoodSmith magazine. I am new to the CNC world, so please be patient with me. I have the all the motors wired and the all three axis move. I have tuned the motors (velocity, accelration, etc.). Now, I'm kind of stuck. What would be the next items I need to set-up before I actually try cutting something? I am not using limit switches at this time, I was planning on using soft limits until I get a little more familiar with things. Does anyone know of a tutorial than provides the chain of events you need to go through?
the next step would be to have control over the spindle (or you turn it manualy on/off ?)
for the first cut i allways do a simple circle, Sounds easy, but a circle tell's you everything about your machine.
why will be the next question?
-on a circle you will see, if you have, backslash by watching the four quadrants (you will see steps a 12 o clock, 3 o clock, 6 o clock or 9 o clock)
-checking the Diameter of a circle with a gauge on a couple of angles, will tell you everything about your X/Y geometry, because
if X and Y are not 100% in angle you will get different Diameters.
to get a simple perfect circle can be a hard road.