Cabinet Pro has arrived

[thewoodcrafter]

I got my copy of Cabinet Pro today just as Frank promised.
It seemed to load just fine. I have not had a chance to start using it yet. Most likely tohight will be to first try.
Thank you Frank.

[bluegoose]

Received my copy yesterday. Did not get a chance to check out any of the program then. Today Frank personally spent over an hour on the phone with me -one on one- showing me around the program. It seems to do anything a person would ever want to do with a cabinet. I have loaded the program tonight and everything seems to be working correctly. I'm sure I will run into problems (might be the user not the program) but Frank said to give him an email or phone call if I do. I have not had this offer from any other companies and have definitely never had this type of service from any company I have dealt with.
Thanks also, Frank. Will see you in Atlanta in August and thank you in person.

[dhunt]

Could someone supply a URL to CabinetPro?
Thanks.

[jhicks]

I am moving my shop into a freinds High end cabinet shop next month and we have been discussing the potential for us to run cabinet parts on my PRT120 with a 5HP spindle, no large vacuum table yet, just using pucks or screw hold downs for our sign and arch work so far.
He uses Cabinet Vision but doesn't have the CNC converter so we are thinking of doing some testing to see where the issues and effeciencies lie by laying out some drawings from CAD to several sheets for cutting and drilling.
For those of you who are using the Bot for cabinetry, regardless of software, can you enlighten me on the types of parts that you run in a conventional manner vs those you find more beneficial on the bot and why?
Also I see the air saw subject has been mentioned but have also heard folks use an air saw then edge with the router anyway for clean edges?
Whatever you can offer as far as tips or areas to avoid would be appreciated as well as typical operating methods, speeds, feeds, cut depths, and bit styles would be greatly appreciated.
Most of his work is face frame cabinets in 13 ply,veneers both pre finished and unfinished, or baltic birch. He also uses a material that's basically a plywood core with a thin MDF surface on one or both sides but I can't remember what its called.
Anyone using Cabinet Vision on the BOT? Can I assume they convert to sb code vs G code?
Thanks

[patricktoomey]

Jerry, I use Cabinet Vision 4 but I do not have the CNC module. They charge so much for that, I wrote my own. I don't really like Cabinet Vision so it's not worth the additional investment for me. What I do is cut all case parts on the bot using my own box cutter software.

I do dado type construction with faceframes using 3/4" prefinished chinese birch ply. I drill the shelf holes, cut all the dados, rabbets and cutout the parts on a PRT96. I use 1/4" compression spirals from Amana tool that are designed for dados so they have a very short up spiral section on the bottom of the bit.
http://www.toolstoday.com/pc-5174-405-solid-carbide-compression-spirals-for-mortising-work.aspx
I run at 10,000 RPM with a feed rate of 4.5 IPS using 2 passes leaving a skin of .015. A 3rd pass takes off this skin at 6 IPS. I can run at 6IPS cutting but due to gantry flex I get bad edges.

One thing I would say is a virtual requirement is a vacuum holddown system. I don't see how you could cut lots of cab parts efficiently without it. I use 2 shopvacs with an 8 zone system and it works really well. I only have to resort to edge clamps on a few sheets that come really warped. Usually if the sheet is too warped for the vacs to hold then chances are the parts that would come out of it are too warped to use in a cabinet anyway.

I have on occasion used plywood similar to what you described with the MDF plys just under the veneer. It provides a more stable sheet and lessens the chances of warping. It also seems to cut really well. In my area (Central Florida) it's available from Quality Plywood.http://www.qualityplywoodspec.com/ I dont' know if that's available elsewhere or not.

On the issue of the Cabinet Vision CNC module, I saw a demo and they spit out GCode which should be convertible using the SB converter with no problems. Just be prepared for some major sticker shock and plenty of bugs and inconsitencies. I just got a copy of CabinetPro that I'm going to play with over the next few months to see if it could replace Cabinet Vision and the software I wrote.

[paco]

Yes, plan on a vacuum hold down. The bigger the better... still depends on your needs. One or two Fein Turbo III is good for med. to large parts but for small, you'll need either your hands on the parts or a much bigger machine pump. I use one F T III with side/end clamping with success but need to be wise on the toolpath planning...

Any program that export DXF, EPS or AI will be "toolpath-able" in V Carve PRO or PW. For more control on toolpath such as ordering, tabs, nesting and so on, you'll need to look for ArtCAM product$, TurboCAD/CAM, Enroute and such or better yet, send request to VETRIC team!

That's a very short up cut Patrick! Unfortunately, my dados are 1/8" deep... still, the price is very fair!