More Fun With CNC
Another carving done with a V bit on the CNC machine. It looks like the very old newspaper pictures that were screened before being printed. It is actually a very similar process. The Vectric software scans the picture for light and dark areas and that in turn sets the depth of the carving. Everything is adjustable by the user (me) so it takes some work to make it look just right.
That is only the computer part. The board is a piece of red oak and that needs some prep before carving. I sanded and applied two coats of shellac and sanded again. The board looks horrible after carving, so it takes more sanding and paint filling to get what you see here. Then a clear finish coat over everything.
The point is that I didn’t just push “GO” and out popped this print. There is a lot of work involved. But it is also a lot of fun to have a unique finished product at the end.
Long Weekend
Thanks Presidents and TAC. I have an extra long weekend ahead. More time to pla… er, work in the shop. 🙂 I have a couple of mods to make to the old CNC power supply/controller and am considering hooking it up to the HB1 machine. I have some new Dremel sized router bits ordered but may pick up one more at Lowe’s if they don’t show up today. Then I can give the HB1 machine a workout this weekend.
The new PS/Controller won’t be ready for awhile and I am anxious to see the little HB1 in operation again with the new Dremel mount. I may even get motivated to add the limit switches. A dilemma many of us hobby machinist face. Is it more fun to constantly modify the tools or use them? ~ Dan’l
New Update in THMShop
I just posted an update to my Home-brew CNC machine in The Hobbyist’s Machine Shop. Go to the Site Tools menu and click on What’s New for a direct link. ~Dan’l
Projects Not Quite on the Bench
I am getting enthused with my many design sketches for the next CNC machine. It has been hard for me to scale back on size with my design schemes. It all relates to my own advice that I must have a product I want to produce and size the machine to accomplish the task. What I really must do is to keep it within a size constraint that will fit into my residential shop area. It still looks like ~ 25 x 25 or so working area with larger overall dimensions.
There have been lessons learned on the first machine I built both good and bad, which in a way makes the bad discoveries a good learning experience. Boy is it ever true; the bigger you want to go the much more it is going to cost!
On the first machine I found out how critical perfect alignment is for a machine just to be able to move. I am planning for that on the new design. Linear slides do not tolerate poor alignments and deflection.
It is too soon to release my machine design thoughts. I don’t have all the details worked out as I like to design/build. I am considering doing some drawings this time. It will be a more serious design than the first machine and that may gather interest from other hobbyists. I am definitely aiming at the hobbyist user (me) but the design will be able do serious work. A small machine shop is definitely required to build this one. I plan to make some of the more costly parts. (Mmm… maybe a kit design?)
I am currently working on the new CNC controller and I will grab some pix of that as it goes together. Electrically it will be very… Continue reading
Good Day
Any day is a great day when you are doing something you enjoy. For me it was today and putting in many hours in my workshop. The bench top in the first picture was clean before I started. So to make this much mess you know it just had to be good. I am not finished yet, so this is how it is going to look for awhile. Why spoil the fun? Well… some of the stuff will be put away.
I am making a very solid mounting bracket to attach a Dremel to the home brew CNC engraving machine. The engraving machine is the aluminum looking device on the left side of the picture. The Dremel mount is on the bench right if front of it. I am using some stout aluminum because the Dremel has a good bit of high frequency vibration (noise) and I am attempting to absorb some of that energy in the mount. Also the mount needs to be very rigid.
This second picture is a close up of the Dremel in the mount. It’s only about 1/2 done so it hasn’t been cleaned up. It is all bolted together and holding the Dremel very well. I’ll probably reduce or remove the corners from the nose bracket as they serve no purpose sticking out that far.
The Dremel mount will get the Home Brew back into operating condition. This will be the best motor mount it ever had. I ran it for quite awhile with the Dremel just strapped to a metal bracket and it worked OK but not great. There was some flex, but there will be none now!
Hmmm… Wasn’t there some sort of football game or something today? 😉