The Lists
I used to post blog type thoughts and comments in The Hobbyist’s Machine Shop web site under the tab names “Shop Notes.” I was scanning that menu just a little while ago when I was reviewing the web site. The effort to publish those notes has been superseded by this site. The “Shop Notes” has become what is this blog today.
I kind of miss seeing all the topics listed in one simple list. So I thought the blog site (here) needs to have a list like that. I just made some changes in the right column that makes the posts and pages a lot more visible.
I think it looks good so it will stay… until I make another change. <g>
New Store Blog
I have just added a new blog as part of The Hobbyist Machine Store.
I have been posting store info here in this blog for some time. There is a category for THMStore. but now with the new blog connected directly to the Store, I have a better place to post when I am talking about something commercial in my store. My intent is to keep this blog more on topic with what I do just for myself in my personal projects.
I will reference between the two blogs as necessary, but the Store blog will be more customer/product oriented. You will notice the Store Blog enjoys the security of the SSL certificate with the actual store website. Not really useful for a blog, but the SSL is there and you will know no one can track your password to log in.
The new site is totally undeveloped at this point as far as entries, but I am making some changes in the business and I plan to have a lot of the changes documented in the blog as I move forward.
An Open Letter on Taig CNC
The Issue
Taig Mill #2
I am considering offering steppers and a controller for the Taig CNC Mill in my The Hobbyist Machine Store. A concern I have is there will certainly be some customers who will require more support and understanding about using CNC than I can personally provide as an available live resource. I simply don’t have the time as sole proprietor.
A customer with no CNC experience could be unaware of what is required to be fully successful in CNC machining. It may appear that when purchasing a complete system, it’s just “plug_and_play” with CNC operation from that point on.
This assumption could be made because there are some factory built very high cost single purpose small CNC systems (such as for dental and jewelry use) where this is almost true. But with the Taig mill there is a very large learning curve and endless options and variables to understand and consider when setting up an omnibus hobby machine.
It’s this endless selection of options and variables that makes hobby CNC and CAM so versatile for any user’s needs.
One Solution
Many vocational high schools and Jr. Colleges offer full time students and night courses on introductory CNC machine operation. I have been contacted by a few in years past who looked at the Taig CNC Mill as good low cost training machine. They can afford multiple small machines and reduce the wait time compared to students running their programs on a large and expensive VMC. I highly recommend anyone just getting started with CNC to seek this structured training with whatever machine is used for the course.
Why Taig?
As a Taig Tools dealer and a long time CNC user, I have a complete understanding of what the Taig mill can and cannot do. There are… Continue reading
Gearing Down
I am driven to make some changes in my “The Hobbyist Machine Store” e-Commerce business. If you are not new to my postings, you know I have been running that business for about seven years as a fairly low key sideline to my real profession as an energy management engineer.
Life changes and so does business in that period of time. I sold a lot of replacement gears for the Asian mini-mill and mini lathe. There was and is a sort of cult following for those machines. I was in on it too. I never broke any gears on my machines but there is a significant number of owners who have.
I hooked up with a supplier that could afford to make the large investment in a large purchase (actually several) of steel gears to replace the plastic ones used in the design. The new gears are not made by the machine manufacturers but an independent gear maker. To keep the unit manufacturing and shipping cost down, large orders are required. The last big order took nearly a year to be made and delivered. There was some moisture in the packing boxes from storing and shipping that length of time and the surface finish process had changed on the gears. The gears were fine, but my supplier didn’t like the low priority service from the maker and how long he had his money tied up in the order.
Replacement gear sales have always been slow and somewhat inconsistent. They sell in short bursts, perhaps because a mention in a machinist forum from time to time. About mid way we started supplying the gears to another retail source. Also multiple quantity overseas sales help move inventory. The problem has been that as my main sales item, the turnover of the… Continue reading
Take Your Best Shot
There is a HUGE amount of BS on the internet forums about proper size CNC hobbyist machines. Internet opinion forums and blogs, because they are unregulated, have become impossible for a newbie to determine fact from reading someone’s personal agenda. Don’t trust anything you read including what I have to say. Just take what you read for what it may be worth to you.
Every brand, design, size and cost of a machine has it reasons. Unfortunately, what amounts to urban legend has driven the uninformed hobbyist to believe there is always better quality available for a lower cost; the best for the less. This is while some bloggers preach that only bigger is better.
There are products designed primarily for a low cost reason. There are products that are produced primarily for a quality reason. Then there are products produced that look at both those factors and are made and sized to do a particular job and do it without failure with the correct level of quality.
Many hobbyists are restrained by budget. Therein lays the problem. There are poorly designed machines sold at very low hobbyist prices because it is a well defined market with newbie’s that have limited money to spend. I have written about it for many years. Some hobbyist choose price over quality and undersize the machine capabilities (because of price) for the purpose (work) they want the machine to perform.
First step is to clearly understand your intentions of use.
I personally own several sizes of hobby grade machines. They are excellent for my purpose and how I use them. I know their limitations and don’t kid myself into thinking those limitations don’t exist.
I have (and sell) Taig machine tools. I have many-many hundreds of hours of operation on my Taig CNC milling… Continue reading