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Post by activereality on Feb 7, 2020 4:50:50 GMT
Hmm, I think I am onto something. Found a sneaky 'toolpath' window in the top right-hand corner. I have selected the smaller hole and made it .75" deep (I'll put a secondary board underneath it, so as to not hit the bed, but this way, I do not need to pull it off to finish it up or anything - hopefully) The larger diameter hole, I gave a 1/4" deep cut - can reduce this some if needed. I think this should work. You guys mind taking a look at my files? 16x16.crv (52.5 KB) I got to this point and realized I was not able to save the tool pathes (assuming a .nc file?) since i have the trial version of the software. So this is a useless tool to me, guess i will be using fusion after all - or might look for other free softwares. I am still trying to figure out how to get the holes to work correctly in Fusion - the larger diameter is going all the way through (after placing them correctly and sizing, and then extruding the board to .75" ) and not finding how to'extrude' the larger diameter back into the material yet. Just ignorance. time will corect tired, more tomorrow
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jms
Full Member
Posts: 168
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Post by jms on Feb 7, 2020 11:53:10 GMT
You don't need to have a 3d view in vcarve, open up the 2d drawing then in menu on right in pocket tool path you set the depth for outer circle. I mic'd my t-nut (bottom) and made it that depth plus a hair more. Also set depth for thru hole in pocket toolpath for thickness plus a hair. Then when it generates toolpath you will see the 3d view. Just keep playing and you'll learn it, its not a difficult program..and mistakes will be made, but thats how you learn, pay attention to EVERY little detail. missing 1 little step will screw things up. Look up Mark Lindsay on youtube, has great videos and goes into great detail in his tutorials.
Joe
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Post by activereality on Feb 7, 2020 14:53:34 GMT
Well, got the board pretty much put together in F360. Will fine tune the depth of the larger diameter cuts once i have the t-nuts in hand and can measure. Now have to figure out how to create some tool paths for it in the manufacture tab. Thanks again Joe! Super helpful to have a model to go off of as a template. f360 file: 16x16 Spoil Board v1.dxf (497.15 KB)
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Post by activereality on Feb 8, 2020 5:35:27 GMT
Ok, figured out how to select the different faces of the holes and get fusion to cut them. It 'looks' good to me, (since i am an expert as you know) but i am uncertain on speeds (that are not listed in the millright tool- although i can't complain cause that tool is very nice (coming from a fellow dev haha)) I am wondering, should i do a rough once over on this program? I mean a dry run where i do not put in a tool in the spindle and just run the program from what would be the zero position? I'll just get it close, but leave the Z high enough not to be in any danger. I have attached the file here if anyone wants to take a look at it - especially if you want to judge the work and call me out ! Spoil_board_16x16.nc (23.46 KB) I have also started to put some thought into making an enclosure. I live in an apartment with no garage. Thinking a 2x4 frame, MDF exterior, maybe mdf or plywood interior, with some sort of insulation/sound proofing in the 'walls'. I am thinking the internal dimensions to be 30wx30dx25(ish) tall. I think this would give good internal clearance, but not be 'too big'. Also need at least one dimension to be under 29" overall, as that is the width of the door to the office haha. I would also plan on moving my electronics outside of the enclosure, as other have done. Mount some internal lights in the infernal box this would also allow for an easier vac-hose installation - using an attachment adapter to the box- the box will have it's own internal hose Biggest thing.Windows in doors. I am not a carpenter, so that seems like it would present a challenge. easiest way i can think of (in 20 seconds or less): cut large rectangular hole in whatever locations (not too many- as i don't know the 'dampening' effect of plexi). Cut glass to oversize by an inch on all dimensions, then pre-drill and drill holes and attach from inside with screws and sealant of some sort. with the window inset like that, i could easily add a "Lazer" shield later on - if it comes to that. Yeah, think the hardest part would be the doors - getting them aligned correctly and ensuring that they actually deaden sound without gaps or loose fitting.
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Post by activereality on Feb 10, 2020 2:34:58 GMT
Alright! Swung by the big box of choice (the choice being what was most convenient to go to at the time ) and picked up the 16"x48" 3/4" mdf. Was able to have them cut it to 16"/sq. I also grabbed a threaded rod and some wing-nuts so I can cut it down and use it as hold down screws for the work clamps. I was not able to find any rail bolts (like on page 2 of this thread) to slide into the rail, then thread a bolt/screw into it (as this will be how I attach the spoil board to the bed). So I will be looking online for those tonight. While there, I also grabbed some tape and super glue - to use the suggestions from a few on here. Current plan: - Glue 2 'bed' sections together - Glue these to the bed - Machine one side - Break off the glue and flip - Machine another side - Break the 2 spoil boards apart If figure, this way, I do not have to worry about going through the board and into the bed, plus I can practice the G54 coordinate system by setting that zero, then flipping and getting the second done right away. Today I also ran a quick test run on the G-code for this spoil board cut. I found two problems (there are probably many more that I know nothing about). 1. I did not set start to lower left corner, It is set to center - doesn't matter much, until I hit start and it crashes from too little space in an axis. 2. I think i selected the through holes incorrectly - as it just seemed to drill straight through the material- vice a plunge with clearing swirls as it descended. ( noted as the bit is 0.12" and the cut is supposed to be .292"). So I'll be noting the first for future reference to ensure it is cut correctly and the second will be addressed by looking back at that path and more than likely editing it to ensure proper ID of those holes. Getting more excited over here, but also very glad I am taking my time. Side note (but related in a fashion): How robust is the CK to crashing? As is, if I give it a bad command and it hits a hard limit before i can stop it, can it survive? Am I replacing a bunch of components, or is it more of a - 'not that big of a deal, but don;t do it often' kind of thing? This line of questions is making me think of getting some limit switches as well - for all axis (wonder if i can just tie into the home switches to re-use them). Hmm upgrades?
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Post by activereality on Feb 10, 2020 2:37:52 GMT
Second set of questions to this: My couplers... some are spread pretty far, and some are not spread that much. Is that an installation issue? or Have I already broken them somehow (I'm a Marine - its a super power at this point)? pics: (the worst)
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Post by Derek the Admin on Feb 10, 2020 4:51:27 GMT
Couple things I'll throw in: You likely would not hurt the CK with a crash. The motors will stall long before things actually break. The coupler thing is probably fine as well. If you have it captured at the other end with the idler bearing then it's likely just fine. You could loosen that set screw at the idler bearing side and squeeze the coupler closer together than tighten the set screw again, but I'm not seeing a problem from what you posted.
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Post by activereality on Feb 10, 2020 12:00:07 GMT
Couple things I'll throw in: You likely would not hurt the CK with a crash. The motors will stall long before things actually break. The coupler thing is probably fine as well. If you have it captured at the other end with the idler bearing then it's likely just fine. You could loosen that set screw at the idler bearing side and squeeze the coupler closer together than tighten the set screw again, but I'm not seeing a problem from what you posted. Woot! Thank you Derek. Yeah, this is a well built system, with many more considerations than I could come up with at this point. So figured, if something was _needed_, then you would be build it into the kit. Great to hear on the couplers. I'll loosen them, squeeze and retighten this evening. Coming along to the first cut soon. So getting excited. I ran into some UGS or F360 probs last night. I altered that tool path to a bore - I had it on drill cause I have no clue what I'm doing yet haha. When I generated .nc and then hit Post to create the new file, it was created. But when I imported it into UGS, it is very much incorrect. I assume this either a : default error output by F360 cause i messed up someplace or UGS has some bug, that I might have induced somehow. I think this because I then went to another project in F360 and output that with the same results. Pic below.
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Post by activereality on Feb 11, 2020 1:29:50 GMT
This thing cuts!? was able to get the issue with F360 figured out - forgot to select grbl in vendor selection. I used the tape method and it worked like a charm! I put two pieces between the two boards and then 2 pieces to the bed. Super glue sandwiched in between the tape from each plate/bed ps: i did have the vacuum running the hole time. Started to use the shop vac and remembered i did not have a filter in it yet.. should probably grab one. Couldn't be happier for the outcome! Then it was time to get out the hammer and start putting in the t-nuts (no pic) but i could not get them to sit below the surface, even though there was clearance. so... This worked very well to bring them under the bottom surface so there will be mdf to bed contact. Finished result I am waiting for some counter sunk screws and rails nuts to arrive tomorrow. I'll probably attach the spoil board to bed in 6 places. I did not plan very well, as a 16x16 bed, only reaches two tracks. So there will be 3 bolts on each track to spoilboard. If this shows to be less than optimal, I'll get a larger cut of mdf and get that installed and run the same program on it. So not too worried! This was the first cut, so I am very excited it worked out so well. It's very simple, but a great step in the right direction i think! Next: A tip i received recently (hint page 2 i think) time to make some bolt pieces so i can screw a rod into a t nut, then throw a wing nut on it for a clamp. I threaded these on so I can cut a piece and then run the wing over the damaged threads. This should keep from having any issue with very messed up threads. I do not have a real shop tools, so will be stuck with a file and maybe a tap if they get very bad. Great progress! Next up is surfacing the board and then tramming the spindle.This still worries me a bit as there are a lot of factors in that. It is not just the mount and Z plate. but the X Plate and rails, Y rails and even the bed. So I am hoping I can get it kind of tight: .... Hmm, so what would be considered a good runout on the CK (for an idiot with a wrench at least)? I think I am closing in on making my first 'project-cuts'. After that, I'll finish wrapping and settling all the wires and give everything a quick snug. Then the build will be officially over (for now) and then I can start to figure out what all i want to make for this thing! Thanks all! Oh btw: before running this today, i did check my grbl settings (cause of the age of this board) and they were all correct except the max travels, they were set to 200. So set them to the values in the Build Instructions and went to town! I checked them, as I was getting an error when homing from the front of the bed - was using that to help check for binding or too much movement.
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Post by Derek the Admin on Feb 11, 2020 23:28:09 GMT
Congrats on the cuts!
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Post by activereality on Feb 12, 2020 1:05:23 GMT
Thanks! It has been a long time coming, but worth every second!!
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Post by activereality on Feb 12, 2020 1:15:18 GMT
Well, I think i need a different way to build my 'traming' tool. I threw one together, but cannot seem to get a squarely drilled hole into the surfaces. But thinking of this more: do the bit and screw have to be the square into the material? I am certain it looks better, but the bit in the router and the bit in the end of wood are always in the same position - not comparing side to side of the length of material, just position of the spoild board in relation to the bit poking down... wonder if that makes sense? What I was able to get makes me smile quite a bit. While I have not surfaces this board yet, and I am pretty sure there are some inconsistencies in thickness, check these out: last pic is the worst, but still not crazy bad - and like I said, material is still in original thickness dimensions. So looking forward to making a surfacing program for the board, strapping in the 1" surfacing bit, and going to town on the top. I plan on doing a different test - but think this might introduce some other things as well- Run the machine to ~6-9 places at the same Z-Zero height (near the spoil board), then measure (jogging) the distance off of Zero the readings are. This would introduce movement based variances as well - like Y and X axis inconsistencies. I think this would help me adjust and make sure the rest of the machine is square as well. more to come!
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jms
Full Member
Posts: 168
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Post by jms on Feb 12, 2020 11:26:18 GMT
The bit you have in router and in wood has to be perfectly square or plumb. otherwise the board will be on an angle. The best way to drill that hole is on a drill press, even that is sketchy, I would only do that on my milling machine. You can get a cheap articulating arm and dial indicator from harbor frieght.Even from amazon, but I prefer the NOGA.
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Post by activereality on Feb 12, 2020 12:04:52 GMT
The bit you have in router and in wood has to be perfectly square or plumb. otherwise the board will be on an angle. The best way to drill that hole is on a drill press, even that is sketchy, I would only do that on my milling machine. You can get a cheap articulating arm and dial indicator from harbor frieght.Even from amazon, but I prefer the NOGA. Hmm, that sounds like a possible solution then, Idk how much more up travel I have on the Z though. I might have to find a different piece of wood, in order to fit the gantry above it and then drill down. I'll play with that. You mention an articulating arm - would a 6" arm with a dial indicator be adequate to attach to the spindle bit and then run this test? This would still cover most of my surface area. I am already regretting the small surface area of the spoil board- at least for this instance. I am going to look for a file for the 'swinging' clamps (the ones that pivot to tighten against the work material). I think I might need to cut these out before I can really hold a piece from side to side - I do have 3 of the 4 mdf rectangular clamps (one was broken in package - but pretty sure it was not from shipping haha). These do not require a high level of precision and I believe the existing set up is more than adequate to cut those (after the results of cutting the board itself). Oh, Joe, I was also able to move the spoil board forward just a bit and get 9 bolts through it. I still have full access to the entire bed (to the bit) so did not lose a bunch of space. I might prep some strips to attach on edges of the bed and just tie to the bed rails - if I need a bit more surface area. If I do, i'll make sure to strap them down and surface them as well, so they'l be ready for some work in the future. thanks!
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jms
Full Member
Posts: 168
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Post by jms on Feb 12, 2020 12:34:24 GMT
I've seen people put a piece of glass down on spoil board also to help tramming. 6" should do it, I don't think mine is much bigger that that, maybe its 9" with the 2 arms. But my spindle can take a 3/8" rod that I attach the arm to. Not sure of your capacity.
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