Work shop and cold weather

[cowboy1296]

my work shop is my driveway. that way nature can take care of the dust. i can assure you that i will not be working during the rain or snow but sometimes at 8600 ft elevation it might be around the freezing mark. can working in the cold temperature be a problem?

question 2
what length of electrical cord comes on the buddy 32 standard.

[t_vandemark]

Rick, not to sure about the cold but i bought a new buddy 48 last fall and was surprised to find that it showed up with no power cord. I called shopbot and they informed me that they do not ship them with power cords installed in the unit and it is up to the purchaser to install their own. But they instructed me on how and where to place the wires so it wasn't a big deal. So i guess it comes with as long of cord as you want to put on it.
Have fun.

[cowboy1296]

thanks for the response. mine is a 32 standard. i am still new at this and easily could make mistakes since my buddy is not due for delivery for another four weeks but if you have the alpha then apparently it has to be hard wired in where i just have to plug mine in. does that seem to make sense

[mikeacg]

Rick,

I have a 48" Alpha and my electrician gave me enough wire to allow me to move it around but I just open the door and let it run outside. I would be concerned about leveling/surfacing it if you moved it in and out of the building unless your work didn't require that kind of accuracy.

Mike


3615

[dana_swift]

My BT-32 alpha is wired as an appliance plugged into a 220v 30A welder socket. I almost never unplug it, I do roll it around the shop occasionally.

Putting the plug on them is part of getting it set up for that first very nervous power up! It helps a lot to have an experienced botter around to give you a hand.

I helped with a new bot arrival about three months ago, we went from out of the crate to power on in just a few hours. Then I have been using my BT-32 for 2 1/2 years now, that experience is gold when things are new. I recognized what I was seeing, and the new owner was just in amazement.

Ask around and see if there is someone in your area who can be of assistance. You will be glad you did, and probably make a good friend in the deal!

D

[cowboy1296]

i had to start at a beginning level and may never rise above a hoby. mine will be a buddy 32 standard. every thing i have read is that you just plug it into the appropriate socket, in my case a 20 amp circuit 120 volt plug. i have researched the plugs and should be buying my extension cord from the electrical supply place next week.

i have read the instruction manuel a couple of times and some of it is starting to stick but without the equipment in hand i am still a little confused on some points.

[chiloquinruss]

Rick - In addition to the manuals you can also download the software and run the bot in virtual mode until your machine arrives. I ran it that way for several weeks and I'm glad I did. I think the tasks of unloading, unpacking, setting up and then trying to get it to move all at the same time would have been too much!
Russ

http://www.shopbottools.com/controlsoftware.htm

[cowboy1296]

already have it on my computer but thanks. using partworks and designing in a 2.5 (i guess thats right) mode seems simple enough. just getting the machine to agree with me will be my next task.

[erik_f]

Rick you are going to need a circuit ftr the control box and computer another for your router and at least one more for dust collection. I'm thinking moving your machine and leveling it every time you want to use it will get old fast. Best bet to find a dedicated spot for it indoors.

[cowboy1296]

in life i have learned by my mistakes and trust me there has been more then one. the way i understand it the shop bot buddy 32 standard comes with a 10 ft electrical cord that will be pluged (not hardwired) into a 20 amp plug. since i do not have a work shop it will be stored in the garage maybe 10 feet from my desired work area. the computer will be a laptop. plus i have other 15 amp circuits abvailable.

now if it turns out that cleaning the garage is easier then moving it i will certainly do that. mine will be a hobby, maybe a sell every now and then.

now since i do not have my equipment in front of me to look at just yet and if you still think i might be making a mistake please let me know.

thanks for taking care of the rookie.

[erik_f]

If you are buying the srandard everything will just plug into a standard wall outlet. As long as you have other breakers available you will be fine. Once you learn how to use the software you will be amazed at how fast you will be able to draw your design and be cutting it. Literally I have got an idea, drawn it, and had it cut in less than an hour. Sometimes this has hqppened a couple times in a day.

[rb99]

I agree that moving it is not desirable, but if you have to, mark the spots where the wheels park and it will be fairly level, or at least in the ball park.

RIB

[cowboy1296]

yup that is already planned. question is with the brakes on on the casters, will it be stable enough to work. i have seen others on here that give me the feeling that it is not.

[erik_f]

The wheels are more for transport...not so much something you would want the machine to sit on all the time. These machines seem pretty stout, but you would be amazed at how little it takes to make them flex. I'm sure you could run the machine without leveling it every time, but I would think it would put greater wear and tear on the moving parts as well as decrease your accuracy. As you work with your machine you will get to know it better. You will design with certain flaws in mind and compensate for them. Keeping the machine in one spot just makes it easier to keep one more variable out of the picture. I suppose I may be making this sound more complex than it really is...but I am thinking about when I was new...things are much easier now...or at least it seems to be. When I started the learning curve was much bigger...or at least it seems that way. Like you said...you will learn by making your own mistakes. Everyone does. These are a ton of fun and I still stand and watch and say to my self, "this thing is F-in awesome!".

[cowboy1296]

THANKS I APPRECIATE THE FEED BACK. EVEN THOUGH I DO NOT HAVE THE BUDDY HERE YET YOUR INPUT MAY HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON MY CUSTOM EXTENSION CORD THAT I GET TUESDAY.

[mrps]

As for the cold, no problem. I live in CO. and have used my standard buddy when my garage is around 0. I get cold but the machine dose just fine.

[bigboxkurt]

Cold doesn't seem to be a problem, but you will need to think about humidity and condensation. I wiped down pretty much everything steel with a thin layer of oil and there has been little to no rust. I did not however remember my bits, a few of those got a bit rusty...particularly my Onsrud V bit.

When I went for my training I asked about the cold and they told me one client uses their's in a freezer to do ice carving. Just a thought.

[cowboy1296]

well you guys did good in conviencing me to not put my buddy in the drive and level it each time. its inside permanently mounted in the corner of my garage.

its level

i ran a table top surfacing correctly.

now here comes one that i am sure is a rookie mistake. i am trying to run my first part file. all three motors run and move the axis, but the router is not coming on. naturally yjr switch is on. what am i doing wrong.

[erik_f]

If I'm understanding you. Your router motor does not spin when you turn it on? If it is not a spindle you should be able to just plug the router into an regular wall outlet. The cord is somewhat short on mine so I had to use an extension cord. It should be as simple as plugging in a regular hand router...cause that is actually what it is. You might want to check the brushes...

[cowboy1296]

You guys did good convencing me to put the buddy in one permenant position. It is now in a corner of the garage.

I have surfaced the table with no problems and the bot is level.

Tried my first personal part file today. Everything seems to work fine ( x,y,z motors were working) but one small detail. The router does not turn on and yes the switch is on. I know it is right in front of me but what could i be doing wrong since i cant find it myself.

[ken_rychlik]

With your machine powered up type in SO 1,1

This is switch output 1 to on and should start the router if it is hooked up correctlly.

then typing so 1,0 and that should turn it off.

If this does not work, plug the router straight into an extension cord and see if it actually works. lol

Then modifying your post processor to add those commands at the start and end of each file you make will be in order.

Get past making it run this way first though.

Kenneth

[ken_rychlik]

Rick,

You can take the file you created and add the lines at the top and bottom to turn the router on and off with the file. That should make that file run for you.

Modifying the post processor will get it to add these commands to every file you create.

Then you will start thinking about letting it turn on the dust collector and that too can be done.

[curtiss]

I would think you would want your bot and dust vacuum on two separate circuits.

If you use the great outdoors as a vacuum that may work for a while also. A Sears leaf blower might come in handy for moving dust... hang the e-stop around your neck which would leave both hands free. :)

Most of the time it would be difficult for the router to pull much more than 8-10 amps when it is cutting under a heavy load.

[cowboy1296]

The 60 extension cord works out just fine.
The buddy is permanantly mounted in the garage, wit a leaf blower i am able to keep the garage clean.

Next question. I like the simplicity of using a can of enamel paint to spray my letters with. Naturally i get a lot of over spray that needs to be planed off later. But the paint tends to bleed to far into the board so when i planed down far enough to remove the paint i also remove part of the letters. My next venture would be to buy a can of paint and an artist paint brush but knowing me i will still need to plane the board. Any suggestions..

[Gary Campbell]

Rick....
Spray the areas of the letters with clear lacquer. You can get it in a rattle can. (Deft) Then spray your letters. The lacquer as a sealer will prevent most of the bleed