Training Question?

[wardsa]

I have a used PRT Alpha that I've had set up for about a month now and have not done anything with. Time is the biggest issue, but also I'm just not sure where to start. I have turned the machine on and moved it around, but haven't cut anything yet. 95% of my business is cabinets, but I bought it with the idea to get into signs at some point. Parts Wizard is my main concern. Is the training DVD going to help me, or do I just need to start cutting things to understand? I am in Ann Arbor, MI and have posted, looking for someone local, but nothing. I know my way around computers. I don't think I need alot of training, maybe just a kick in the butt to get me started. I'm dying to us this thing. Any suggestions?

[kfitz]

You might try contacting Bob Standard xbobstand@myrural.comx (mailto:xbobstand@myrural.comx)
(remove the x's) He is in Three Rivers.

[jsfrost]

Some do well with training videos and the like. I don't. Unless I have a useful goal, I can't get motivated. If Your head works like mine, start with a very simple sign. Maybe just a V carve in allowed font house number sign. Once that works, try another project with more detail and complexity. When posible add something new, and you will quickly gain some basic skills.

After a few months of that, there will be a lot of things you can do easily. And no matter how good you get, there will always be challenges.

Jim Frost

[Towersonline]

Terry, Welcome to the ShopBot Forum, This is probably one of the best sources for information. By all means veiw the videos they will get you going. Brady did a great job producing them.

Get a sheet or two of pink or blue insulating foam at your local big box building supply center. Its cheap and easy to cut. Stick it to your table with double sided carpet tape. I cut up several sheets of the stuff when I first started. A great practice medium.

[dewey_dog]

You have mail

[myxpykalix]

If you want, I could make you a couple files in parts wizard and send you, for you to open up and look at various settings and such, then cut and you can see what makes it do what. I find that teaches me more than anything else. Email me if you want me to help.

[dray]

CUT, then go CUT. When you are done Cut some more.

After that ask some questions, then cut.
Ask more questions then cut, cut, cut.

ETC
Well thats what I do anyways =)

[hines]

Getting a program like Vectric's V-carve Pro helped me tons. You can create tons of stuff with it and you should be able to cover the cost of it after a couple of projects.

[Brady Watson]

Terry,
Watch the PW video that came with the tool. It was designed for your exact situation in mind. What do you have to lose?

-B

[gabriel_mckeagney]

Terry,
Watch the PW video over and over, bit by bit. It has all the basics you need to get you started.
Also go visit anyone close running a SB to see it and get a sence of how they work.

Gabriel

[wardsa]

Thanks to everyone for their response. This is way I choose a SB. Tim Sarver has offered to allow me to spend some time with him, very generous. He uses V-Carve pro I believe. Brady and Gabriel, I bought my machine used and it didn't come with a video. I guess that was part of my question, should I buy the video? Although I am very much looking forward to learning V-Carve from Tim, will it work for cabinet parts? As I explained to Tim, I have been reading this forum for months before I even got my machine, now I feel I am paralized with info. Software is my biggest concern at this point. Danny, you do alot of cabinets don't you? Do you just use PW? I think your advice, "cut, cut,cut" is probably right on.
Thanks again,
Terry

[Brady Watson]

Terry,
Regardless of whether you use PartWizard or VCarve Pro, you really need to sit down and get comfortable with the software. If you are starting out again...it would be very much worth your while to invest in VCarve Pro. The important part to understand is that while a mentor is nice (and recommended), they cannot just hand you drawing skills...you have to learn them. There is no shortcut for getting skills into your brain...it just takes time & playing in the software.

In terms of drawing cabinet parts, setting up your drill holes, dados, rabbets etc, this is pretty easy to do. Both PW & VCP have interfaces that allow you to sketch your shapes 'freehand' on the screen and then specify exactly what size they are and precise placement of features on the part. VCP has the added benefit of being able to place components on separate layers, helping you to keep things organized while you are working. Either one will help you draw and cut your parts.

We're a few months out, but CNCVideos will be offering a VCarvePro instructional video that goes through the program with plenty of examples & typical drawing & toolpathing case studies, in several areas of interest. In the meantime, it would not be a waste of time & resources to go through some of the PW examples available on the ShopBot Tutorial Page (http://www.shopbottools.com/tutorials.htm) since you already own PW. You can also read through the PartWizard Manual (http://www.shopbottools.com/files/pwmanual.pdf) and go through the examples there. The PW training video is also available through ShopBot directly & is approximately 4hrs long, covering every drawing tool & toolpath strategy, plus practical applications of them. Drawing styles & basic workflow of both PW & VCP are very similar. You can learn how to do basic functions in PW, and apply the skills you learned there to VCP. Either way, drawing cabinet parts is doable in either program.

-B

[wardsa]

Brady,
I am brand new to SB. I just bought it used and just got it set up. I am very familiar with design software, just not CNC software. Right now I use KCDw for design and Cutlist Plus for optimizing. At this point I can't justify spending the money for KCDw CNC, or.... should I? That's what is so confussing to me. Now I'm so use to designing a whole project, pushing a button and having the whole thing layed out, optimized and ready to cut. Am I correct to think that with PW, each part has to be drawn and optimized or nested manually? I knew going into this I probably had multiple months before I was proficent with the Bot. I guess after working with it I will learn faster ways of doing things. I know that everything worth learning takes time. This will be worth it.
Terry

[Brady Watson]

Terry,
You are correct. You have to manually draw your parts in either program. If you already own KCDW, then you may be able to use ArtCAM Insignia with CabinetMaker. This will pull in your cut lists from KCDW and 'Do it all' (literally) with 2 clicks of the mouse, including automatic toolpath generation. All you need to do is select a post processor for your machine, save the SBP files & go cut parts.

ShopBot is a dealer for DelCAM products & can help you to make the right software decision in regards to KCDW integration. It would be well worth your while to speak to someone at ShopBot to help you make the right decision for your business. Mentioning KCDW certainly changes the entire direction & workflow if you are already accustomed to it's interface. Keep in mind that investing in good software from the beginning will pay in spades in workflow efficiency and get you cutting parts instead of pulling out your hair trying to work around limitations with cheap software. I know that Ryan at ShopBot is one of the resident 'cabinet experts' and he has personally developed some software for cabinets as a stand alone program.

You also might want to contact the Vectric team as well since I thought that somewhere along the line they had an interface for cabinet makers. I could be wrong, but it is always good to get ALL of the information up front so that you can make an educated decision in regards to YOUR needs.

-B