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Pete C.

Bill wrote:

I'm going to be building a simple and small cnc machine based off the
design located at

http://www.instructables.com/id/EG9RXG6F54HJ7SL/

It looks fairly easy and cheap and I've been wanting to play with CNC for a
long time now. My question is can anyone recommend software to use to
create the solid models I'll need to use this. The designer uses Kcam to
interface with the unit itself and I'm hoping that I can use LinuxCNC which
is free but I'm not sure what I need to make the models to start with.

One of my goals for this is to use it to create pinewood derby cars with my
kids. We've done the cars a couple of years now and what normally happens
is that the kids come up with a design idea, Dad winds up cutting it out
and then they sand and finish them. I'm thinking that I can get them to do
the entire thing in software and let the CNC machine mill out the basic
shape that they can finish.

I figure once we get over the learning curve of the software then banging
out a car to test a design with will be a piece of cake, but what software
to start with?? For the sake of simplicity consider money no object so
anything from open source up to industrial packages are open to
consideration.

Later on I plan on more complex items but right now I think simple is what
I'm going to shoot for so if you want to recommend a simple one and then
one for the really complex stuff be my guest. I'm not sure where this will
take me but getting the learning curve of a 3d cad program behind be will
get me much closer.

Thanks

Bill

http://www.cnczone.com