If you knew then what you know now...

[dubliner]

I'm looking at receiving my new machine (60 x 120) in about 6 weeks and & making plans to be ready. I have a few questions if you would indulge me ;
1 - Does anyone have a Vacuum BOM for pipe parts/valves
2 - I'd like to put control box on wall instead of under machine - anyone have pics.
3 - pros/cons of cable link instead of boom?
any other advice would be welcomed

[billp]

Neville,
I have some pix of the control box as wall mounted, and also a shot of the wiring, and dust collection hose being run overhead on my web page, under the "Shopbot" section - (scroll ALL the way down to the bottom of the page...)http://www.baycraftdesigns.com/Shopbot.html
The vacuum issue is still a work of art in progress as you saw out in San Mateo, no such thing as the "right" way to get there,so if it works, it's good..

[harryball]

Let's see, some general off the cuff advice...

Make sure you can walk all the way around your machine to clean, service and pick up parts.

Don't wait on the vac table, there are lots of designs but go ahead and do something, you'll never look back.

Start practice cutting with foam and cheap bits. Give yourself time to learn. When you think you've figured it out and have your confidence SLOW DOWN and think things through.

When getting started zero your files on the top of the material OR the table top and get use to it. I began mixing techniques too early and just created grief for myself. Now that I've gained some experience I zero to the top of the material when depth of cut is important and I zero to the table top only when cutting through.

Check out Vcarve Pro at Vectric.com, it's well worth the price.

Never forget to factor everything into your price including design time, bits, wear and tear on the machine, loading and unloading time etc... It may only take 10 minutes to cut the product but a lot goes behind it. This is a general business sense comment but I think it's worth a reminder.

On this same theme, your friends and family will probably line up. Make sure you include/clue them in on the entire process not just the 5 minutes of magic at the machine. It's these friends and family that will refer people to you and the phrase "Oh, that wouldn't take him a couple of minutes on his machine..." should not be included in the referal.

I could go on but that should give you a few things to ponder.

Robert

[myxpykalix]

The best advice i can give is, get used to holding the emergency stop button in your hand for the first few days, I guarantee you will use it.

[jamesgilliam]

Neville, Can't offer pics as my PTR, while is is running, has not been hard wired in yet, still on the cords for the time being. I'm only an hour or so away, so let me know if you want an extra pair of hands. James

[Brady Watson]

There are many...but-

-DO NOT screw down your spoilboard to the support board that gets bolted to the steel supports. Use a generous amount of glue and be done with it. If you screw it, you'll be gluing it down the next time.

-Start out SLOW with the machine...meaning limit your cutting speeds to under 3 IPS for the 1st month. This will keep you out trouble and help you to understand how material likes to move on you when it isn't held down correctly.

-Calibrate your Zzero plate in the software in the my_variable file. Use a digital caliper to check it accurately.

-Measure ALL of your materials with a digital caliper, BEFORE you start calculating toolpaths.

-Don't be afraid to eat into that spoilboard a little...It's going to happen! You're 1st year will be full of gouges and surfacings, but it will help you to gauge when to surface and how much to take off each time.

-Don't get RIPPED OFF by buying 'upcut spiral' bits from router manufacturers. Buy end mills. They are much cheaper, solid carbide, same grind and are ALWAYS exactly the size they say they are. If you buy cheap bits, use the calipers to make sure they are the diameter advertised.

-DON'T resharpen bits or have them resharpened. Unless you do very high volume work to justify doing so & excellent organization, keeping them seperate from the on-spec ones. The day will come when you have an irreplacable item furnished by a customer when you use the resharpened bit, but program for a regular one, and ruin the part.

-After you've flattened your spoilboard, take a few strips of carpet tape, and some pink/blue insulation foam and stick it to the spoilboard. You can start cutting right away without fear of 'getting the right speed' or breaking anything. It's all I cut for the 1st month.

-Avoid using clamps for the 1st 2 months until you've trained yourself to program for them.

-If you are going to use screws, avoid drywall screws since they lift the material, dimple the spoilboard and break. Use self-tapping Kreg COARSE pocket-hole screws with the BIG an head on them. I haven't broken one yet and they pull the board down tight with no dimple.

-Designing, programming and cutting parts is EASY! ~ Holding them down while they are being cut IS THE ENTIRE JOB IN CNC!

-DEVOTE time in your day to research. How to hold things down, cutting things, programming and designing. The more you DO the more you will begin to THINK in CNC & you will see the world in an entirely new way...being able to break down everything your eye sees to SOMEHOW fit it on the CNC and duplicate it!


-B

[paco]

quote:Designing, programming and cutting parts is EASY! ~ Holding them down while they are being cut IS THE ENTIRE JOB IN CNC!
I especially like (agree) with this one... make me wonder just how much time I can sometime waste not thinking enough of the hold down issue in some projects or doing all over again my CAD/CAM work.

If you do use clamps in the first months, set your safe Z to more than the clamps height; say 1-1/2 to 2" could save many dollars.

[rookie432]

HMMM I have had my machine for 7 years and I learned a few things from this thread. Especially andmills and pocket hole screws.

Thanks Brady

oh and I agree with Robert's business sense comment.

[wcsg]

I agree with all Brady's thoughts except the endmill thing. It's going to depend on your application.

[weslambe]

Learn to do other things while your machine is running. Don't just stand there slackjawed for the first year like I did.

Get used to the sound of your machine cutting properly.