3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

After cutting, I coated the stone with FrogJuice. A clear coating out
of a rattle can.

http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o...hthousecnc.flv

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/Detail-1.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o.../FrogJuice.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...lativesize.jpg

On Nov 9, 12:15*am, Robatoy wrote:
3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

After cutting, I coated the stone with FrogJuice. A clear coating out
of a rattle can.

http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o...=view&current=....

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/Detail-1.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o.../FrogJuice.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...lativesize.jpg

....you start with stone as a prelude to wood? I thought the idea was
to start easy and work up to hard.

Nice looking stuff, though. Why did you put that button in the
picture? No one knows how big that is - put a dime or quarter in the
picture. ~

R

On Nov 9, 12:41*am, RicodJour wrote:
On Nov 9, 12:15*am, Robatoy wrote:





3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

After cutting, I coated the stone with FrogJuice. A clear coating out
of a rattle can.

http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o...=view&current=...

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/Detail-1.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o.../FrogJuice.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...lativesize.jpg

...you start with stone as a prelude to wood? *I thought the idea was
to start easy and work up to hard.

Nice looking stuff, though. *Why did you put that button in the
picture? *No one knows how big that is - put a dime or quarter in the
picture. *~

R

That's a quarter, smartypants.

Oh, and the wood for a finely detailed carving is to be ebony, which
costs a lot more than soapstone.
I'm thinking about introducing soapstone countertops to my area, so I
am getting the feel of it.
Still looking for a propane forklift with all-weather tires though....

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

After cutting, I coated the stone with FrogJuice. A clear coating out
of a rattle can.

http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o...hthousecnc.flv

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/Detail-1.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o.../FrogJuice.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...lativesize.jpg


That is impressive. And you can increase the detail? Amazing. My wife would
love it. .......... now ...... will I show her or not? ........... : )

A question; I have no idea what size the coin in the last photo would be, -
could you post the diameter as a reference?

diggerop

On Nov 9, 11:16*am, "diggerop" toobusy@themoment wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message

...





3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

After cutting, I coated the stone with FrogJuice. A clear coating out
of a rattle can.

http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o...=view&current=...

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/Detail-1.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o.../FrogJuice.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...lativesize.jpg

That is impressive. And you can increase the detail? Amazing. *My wife would
love it. .......... now ...... will I show her or not? ........... *: )

A question; I have no idea what size the coin in the last photo would be, -
could you post the diameter as a reference?

diggerop

It is a quarter. 0.94" or 23.88 mm if you're so inclined. *S* I
haven't worked it out in microcubits because my calculator ran out of
yak oil....and without yak oil, my yak won't work the treadmill.

I just sold a couple of desk name plates to be carved out of soapstone
for two executives. (I didn't really want to do this for those pompous
*******s, but when I said the price, they said..ohh..okay.)

Robatoy wrote:
3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

Looks pretty decent. What spindle speed went along with the 2"/sec feed?
How long did it take, and did you do it _all_ with the same 1/16" bit?
(I think I'd have been tempted to hog away the material around the
lighthouse with a 1/2" square-end bit.)

A second pass with a 1/64" bit might allow finer detail, and a third
pass with a V-bit would allow signing each brick

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Nov 9, 10:44*am, Larry Jaques
wrote:
On Sun, 8 Nov 2009 21:15:10 -0800 (PST), the infamous Robatoy
scrawled the following:

3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

After cutting, I coated the stone with FrogJuice. A clear coating out
of a rattle can.

http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o...=view&current=...

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/Detail-1.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o.../FrogJuice.jpg

Cool!

Thankee, kind sir. I am trying very hard to steer away from those #$%#@
%^ countertops and do something more creative with my time. I turned
60 last April and I'm really worried that I won't get to complete my
bucket list in the next 25+ years.

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...lativesize.jpg

Saaay, is that a real-live Canuckistani Ducat I see there?

For a mint version of the Royal Canuckistani Quarter, see if you can
pry open some visiting Dutch guy's change purse.

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
On Nov 9, 11:16 am, "diggerop" toobusy@themoment wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message

...





3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

After cutting, I coated the stone with FrogJuice. A clear coating out
of a rattle can.

http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o...=view&current=...

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/Detail-1.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o.../FrogJuice.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...lativesize.jpg

That is impressive. And you can increase the detail? Amazing. My wife
would
love it. .......... now ...... will I show her or not? ........... : )

A question; I have no idea what size the coin in the last photo would
be, -
could you post the diameter as a reference?

diggerop

It is a quarter. 0.94" or 23.88 mm if you're so inclined. *S* I
haven't worked it out in microcubits because my calculator ran out of
yak oil....and without yak oil, my yak won't work the treadmill.

I just sold a couple of desk name plates to be carved out of soapstone
for two executives. (I didn't really want to do this for those pompous
*******s, but when I said the price, they said..ohh..okay.)

Good on yer. : ) ....and thank you

diggerop

On Nov 9, 11:28*am, Morris Dovey wrote:
Robatoy wrote:
3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

Looks pretty decent. What spindle speed went along with the 2"/sec feed?

18,000 rpm. I took the 1/2 hogging endmill down to 12,000
How long did it take, and did you do it _all_ with the same 1/16" bit?

Less than hour including changing the bits. 3 bits.

(I think I'd have been tempted to hog away the material around the
lighthouse with a 1/2" square-end bit.)

3 toolpaths. One 1/2" hog, one 1/4" cleanup hog and then the rest with
the .0625 ball nose. The 1/4" end mill created most of the shape so
the ballnose didn't have to cut much deeper than 1/8"

A second pass with a 1/64" bit might allow finer detail, and a third
pass with a V-bit would allow signing each brick

Indeed. The V-bit inserts, both the 90 and 60 degree ones go to a
'real' point. The stepper resolution would limit detail at that point.
The run-out on the spindle doesn't wiggle the indicator needle..
Period.

The software allows me to set the detail resolution normal, 3x the
data and 7 x the data. This was done at 3x. Stepover set at 40%

You know what a Canuckistani quarter looks like, eh? LOL
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USAhttp://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

diggerop wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
On Nov 9, 11:16 am, "diggerop" toobusy@themoment wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message

...





3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

After cutting, I coated the stone with FrogJuice. A clear coating out
of a rattle can.

http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o...=view&current=...

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/Detail-1.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o.../FrogJuice.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...lativesize.jpg

That is impressive. And you can increase the detail? Amazing. My wife
would
love it. .......... now ...... will I show her or not? ........... : )

A question; I have no idea what size the coin in the last photo would
be, -
could you post the diameter as a reference?

diggerop

It is a quarter. 0.94" or 23.88 mm if you're so inclined. *S* I
haven't worked it out in microcubits because my calculator ran out of
yak oil....and without yak oil, my yak won't work the treadmill.

I just sold a couple of desk name plates to be carved out of soapstone
for two executives. (I didn't really want to do this for those pompous
*******s, but when I said the price, they said..ohh..okay.)

Good on yer. : ) ....and thank you

[ two! two! two! ...]

If you think this might be fun, you might be interested in

http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/JBot/

[ three! three! three! ...]

:-D

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Robatoy wrote:
On Nov 9, 11:28 am, Morris Dovey wrote:
Robatoy wrote:
3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.
Looks pretty decent. What spindle speed went along with the 2"/sec feed?

18,000 rpm. I took the 1/2 hogging endmill down to 12,000
How long did it take, and did you do it _all_ with the same 1/16" bit?

Less than hour including changing the bits. 3 bits.

That's pretty good. I suspect the 40% stepover helped a /lot/ with the
runtime.

(I think I'd have been tempted to hog away the material around the
lighthouse with a 1/2" square-end bit.)

3 toolpaths. One 1/2" hog, one 1/4" cleanup hog and then the rest with
the .0625 ball nose. The 1/4" end mill created most of the shape so
the ballnose didn't have to cut much deeper than 1/8"
A second pass with a 1/64" bit might allow finer detail, and a third
pass with a V-bit would allow signing each brick

Indeed. The V-bit inserts, both the 90 and 60 degree ones go to a
'real' point. The stepper resolution would limit detail at that point.

Hmm - ready to build a machine with a bit more resolution yet?

The run-out on the spindle doesn't wiggle the indicator needle..
Period.

The software allows me to set the detail resolution normal, 3x the
data and 7 x the data. This was done at 3x. Stepover set at 40%

You know what a Canuckistani quarter looks like, eh? LOL

As a matter of fact, I /do/. Have a bright shiny one right here. I still
like the bi-metal (center hasn't fallen out of this one), but my
favorite is still the $50 maple leaf.

Methinks you might be a bad influence on diggerop - by this time next
year we may be looking at the Sydney Opera House in soapstone.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Nov 9, 12:00*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:

Hmm - ready to build a machine with a bit more resolution yet?

I can just change out the steppers. The drivers and all that are up to
that. I'm basically pushing the envelope to see if any of that would
make sense.

[snipped for brevity]

You know what a Canuckistani quarter looks like, eh? *LOL

As a matter of fact, I /do/. Have a bright shiny one right here. I still
like the bi-metal (center hasn't fallen out of this one), but my
favorite is still the $50 maple leaf.

You haven't bought anything with that 50-dollar coin yet? It'd make a
nice tip after a big fancy meal, wouldn't it?


Methinks you might be a bad influence on diggerop - by this time next
year we may be looking at the Sydney Opera House in soapstone.

Yea... just a matter of time. He's asking questions already. I find
that whole technology very challenging and rewarding. Just wish I had
bought a bigger/better/3-head machine..yadda yadda yadda...smirk

r

"Morris Dovey" wrote in message
...
diggerop wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
On Nov 9, 11:16 am, "diggerop" toobusy@themoment wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message

...





3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

After cutting, I coated the stone with FrogJuice. A clear coating out
of a rattle can.

http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o...=view&current=...

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/Detail-1.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o.../FrogJuice.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...lativesize.jpg

That is impressive. And you can increase the detail? Amazing. My wife
would
love it. .......... now ...... will I show her or not? ........... : )

A question; I have no idea what size the coin in the last photo would
be, -
could you post the diameter as a reference?

diggerop

It is a quarter. 0.94" or 23.88 mm if you're so inclined. *S* I
haven't worked it out in microcubits because my calculator ran out of
yak oil....and without yak oil, my yak won't work the treadmill.

I just sold a couple of desk name plates to be carved out of soapstone
for two executives. (I didn't really want to do this for those pompous
*******s, but when I said the price, they said..ohh..okay.)

Good on yer. : ) ....and thank you

[ two! two! two! ...]

If you think this might be fun, you might be interested in

http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/JBot/

[ three! three! three! ...]

:-D

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/


Oh so tempting. ...... so very very tempting. : )

I've read your website many times and continue to follow your progress with
great interest and even greater admiration. Not only for what I see as your
genius and determination, but also for the philosphy you espouse. The world
will undoubtably be a better place for you having lived in it. Not so many
of us that can say the same.
You Sir, are what us Aussies would call, "a really good bloke."
I wish you every success.

diggerop

Morris Dovey said:

Robatoy wrote:
3HP spindle on a 1/16" ball nose bit. 2"/second feed rate. That gets
kind of hairy as soapstone can have some hard veins in it.
The goal of this experiment was to get acceptable detail at fast
cutting/feed rates. Detail can be increased by smaller step-over
rates.
I'm reasonably satisfied.

Looks pretty decent. What spindle speed went along with the 2"/sec feed?
How long did it take, and did you do it _all_ with the same 1/16" bit?
(I think I'd have been tempted to hog away the material around the
lighthouse with a 1/2" square-end bit.)

A second pass with a 1/64" bit might allow finer detail, and a third
pass with a V-bit would allow signing each brick

Looked good to me, even with that counterfeit quarter/Canuck slug.
As for signing each brick, that's a lot of G-code to write.
I'm still working, slowly, on a DIY mill, but cash flow has become an
impediment to its completion. Perhaps one day I'll carve some fugly
face in a block of aluminum or ebonized walnut.

I have a question - do customers actually want details of this sort
engraved into their countertops or was this an experiment to test the
limits of what could be done? Are you using a canned mill/software
combo, or is this DIY?


Greg G.

Robatoy wrote:
On Nov 9, 12:00 pm, Morris Dovey wrote:

Hmm - ready to build a machine with a bit more resolution yet?

I can just change out the steppers. The drivers and all that are up to
that. I'm basically pushing the envelope to see if any of that would
make sense.

I predict it will...

You haven't bought anything with that 50-dollar coin yet? It'd make a
nice tip after a big fancy meal, wouldn't it?

It would, but it'll stay in the little plaque on my desk. I'm not a
collector or hoarder, but it's one of the three prettiest coins I have
(the others are a Saudi sovereign and a Dutch 2-1/2 Gulden coin).

Methinks you might be a bad influence on diggerop - by this time next
year we may be looking at the Sydney Opera House in soapstone.

Yea... just a matter of time. He's asking questions already. I find
that whole technology very challenging and rewarding. Just wish I had
bought a bigger/better/3-head machine..yadda yadda yadda...smirk

I've been looking for exc^h^h^hreasons for needing a 7-axis machine...

....and wondering if it could be built on the cheap.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Greg G. wrote:
Morris Dovey said:

A second pass with a 1/64" bit might allow finer detail, and a third
pass with a V-bit would allow signing each brick

Looked good to me, even with that counterfeit quarter/Canuck slug.
As for signing each brick, that's a lot of G-code to write.

Nyet - a moderately simple subroutine could handle it (including scaling
to left and right vanishing points). I was being a smartass because to
do it robatoy would have to upgrade at least his steppers - and you'd
need a loupe to read the sig.

I'm still working, slowly, on a DIY mill, but cash flow has become an
impediment to its completion. Perhaps one day I'll carve some fugly
face in a block of aluminum or ebonized walnut.

Stay with it! You'll have even more fun with it than you could ever expect.

I have a question - do customers actually want details of this sort
engraved into their countertops or was this an experiment to test the
limits of what could be done? Are you using a canned mill/software
combo, or is this DIY?

Robatoy has done some pretty spiffy stuff with countertops, but I think
he's looking for more challenging/artful projects.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Morris Dovey said:

[ two! two! two! ...]

If you think this might be fun, you might be interested in

http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/JBot/

[ three! three! three! ...]

I totally don't understand the reference to the numerical sequences of
two and three?

I also missed the links to the JBot page; and here I thought I had
perused your site in its entirety. Guess that answers the question of
whether you can build a mill from plywood and junk parts. Did you use
bronze bushings on the guide rails or do they ride in nylon or wood?
What kind of accuracy do you get out of this? And is that TurboCNC?

I planned to make the guide rail supports out of wood as well since I
don't have a machine shop and certainly can't afford to pay for the
machine work. Rails out of hardened drill stock and sintered bronze
bushing slides. Class 2C ACME rod, 10 TPI. Damned those 2C nuts are
expensive, so was going to use cheap 2G nuts. A Dremel at first, and
probably a Bosch laminate trimmer when I can look at various models to
determine their bearing play - and can find one on sale or at a pawn
shop. Wanted accuracy approaching one thou but won't get there with
wooden and generic parts.


Greg G.

Morris Dovey said:

Robatoy wrote:
Indeed. The V-bit inserts, both the 90 and 60 degree ones go to a
'real' point. The stepper resolution would limit detail at that point.

Hmm - ready to build a machine with a bit more resolution yet?

Does your software support half or quarter stepping?
Not perfect, but it might attain more detail.

The software allows me to set the detail resolution normal, 3x the
data and 7 x the data. This was done at 3x. Stepover set at 40%

What kind of mill do you have? Or did I already ask that... D'oh!

You know what a Canuckistani quarter looks like, eh? LOL

As a matter of fact, I /do/. Have a bright shiny one right here. I still
like the bi-metal (center hasn't fallen out of this one), but my
favorite is still the $50 maple leaf.

Got a box full of coins from various countries, including the bimetal
coin referenced. I imagine that was an expensive coin to mint and
didn't know they fell apart! Figures those drunken Canuckistanians
would come up with a coin that literally lost value in your pocket.
Oh, wait, that's the US.

Methinks you might be a bad influence on diggerop - by this time next
year we may be looking at the Sydney Opera House in soapstone.

And that would be So Cool.


Greg G.

"Greg G." wrote in message
...
Morris Dovey said:

[ two! two! two! ...]

If you think this might be fun, you might be interested in

http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/JBot/

[ three! three! three! ...]

I totally don't understand the reference to the numerical sequences of
two and three?


Heh. Morris and Robatoy each have a CNC bot. [ two! two! two! ...]
Morris provided the link to his and suggested it might interest me
Hence [ three! three! three! ...]
: )

Greg G. wrote:
Morris Dovey said:

[ two! two! two! ...]

If you think this might be fun, you might be interested in

http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/JBot/

[ three! three! three! ...]

I totally don't understand the reference to the numerical sequences of
two and three?

See Lew's post "O/T: How I Learned To Mind My Own Business"

I also missed the links to the JBot page; and here I thought I had
perused your site in its entirety. Guess that answers the question of
whether you can build a mill from plywood and junk parts. Did you use
bronze bushings on the guide rails or do they ride in nylon or wood?
What kind of accuracy do you get out of this? And is that TurboCNC?

Hey! No junk parts in /that/ machine (except maybe the HF router). I
don't even dream of calling it a mill - it's just a router.

All of the slides (and the Acme-threaded lead screw followers) are cut
from a 3" Delrin rod.

I can't honestly say anything about the accuracy because I don't have
any equipment capable of measuring it. The step size is approximately
0.0002083" (probably much less than the runout on the HF router).

Yuppers - what you see on the screen is TurboCNC. It's easy to set up,
reliable, and the support is good. The bad news is that it runs in an
MS-DOS environment.

I planned to make the guide rail supports out of wood as well since I
don't have a machine shop and certainly can't afford to pay for the
machine work. Rails out of hardened drill stock and sintered bronze
bushing slides. Class 2C ACME rod, 10 TPI. Damned those 2C nuts are
expensive, so was going to use cheap 2G nuts. A Dremel at first, and
probably a Bosch laminate trimmer when I can look at various models to
determine their bearing play - and can find one on sale or at a pawn
shop. Wanted accuracy approaching one thou but won't get there with
wooden and generic parts.

I think you can, but you end up making more of your own parts to get
there. The interesting part of the design process for me was to work to
minimize the number of 'critical' measurements needed for the complete
machine to have maximum accuracy.

[ I found Lew's story:

I was walking past the mental hospital the other day,
And all the patients were shouting, '13....13....13.'

The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the
planks, so I looked through to see what was going on.....

Some idiot poked me in the eye with a stick!

Then they all started shouting '14....14....14'...
]

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Nov 9, 12:27*pm, Greg wrote:


I have a question - do customers actually want details of this sort
engraved into their countertops or was this an experiment to test the
limits of what could be done?

Both. So far I have been lucky to get paid for the challenges I have
wrestled to the ground.


http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...offeLodge2.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...toy/CLtop2.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...toy/ClTop3.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/BDayCard.jpg


The lighthouse is experimental, trying to find out where the practical
(not ultimate) limits on my machine are.


Are you using a canned mill/software
combo, or is this DIY?

I use a combo of Vectric Aspire V2 and FlashCut.

diggerop said:

"Greg G." wrote in message
.. .
Morris Dovey said:

[ two! two! two! ...]

If you think this might be fun, you might be interested in

http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/JBot/

[ three! three! three! ...]

I totally don't understand the reference to the numerical sequences of
two and three?


Heh. Morris and Robatoy each have a CNC bot. [ two! two! two! ...]
Morris provided the link to his and suggested it might interest me
Hence [ three! three! three! ...]

OK- then it's [four! four! four!...]
(Don't mind the short bus parked over here.)

Or perhaps 3.5 would be more appropriate at this time.
The controllers are still breadboarded and the firmware for the micros
is still beta, but given the inspiration provided today...

Planned to do it back in the late 80s, but nasty things like lawyers
and survival got in the way. Sure has gotten a lot simple to DIY one
in the interim, however. There's a whole bunch of software I don't
have to write available now.


Greg G.

On Nov 9, 1:24*pm, Greg wrote:
Morris Dovey said:

Robatoy wrote:
Indeed. The V-bit inserts, both the 90 and 60 degree ones go to a
'real' point. The stepper resolution would limit detail at that point.

Hmm - ready to build a machine with a bit more resolution yet?

Does your software support half or quarter stepping?
Not perfect, but it might attain more detail.

The software allows me to set the detail resolution normal, 3x the
data and 7 x the data. This was done at 3x. Stepover set at 40%

What kind of mill do you have? Or did I already ask that... D'oh!

General 40-996. (Mine doesn't wear that funny green hat. Some farking
clown thought it would increase safety...as if...)

http://www.general.ca/site_gorilla/g...obrochuree.pdf

Morris Dovey said:

Greg G. wrote:

I totally don't understand the reference to the numerical sequences of
two and three?

See Lew's post "O/T: How I Learned To Mind My Own Business"

Hey, I've been told to do that before, mister.

Yuppers - what you see on the screen is TurboCNC. It's easy to set up,
reliable, and the support is good. The bad news is that it runs in an
MS-DOS environment.

Well, at least that avoids the erratic LPT port timing issues under
Windoze. I've got a copy here somewhere, along with some other stuff
from years ago. Yeager I think. Never used any of them yet, so can't
comment on use.

Wanted accuracy approaching one thou but won't get there with
wooden and generic parts.

I think you can, but you end up making more of your own parts to get
there. The interesting part of the design process for me was to work to
minimize the number of 'critical' measurements needed for the complete
machine to have maximum accuracy.

With machinery, the next version will be better than the last because
you have machinery to make more accurate parts for the next version.
I take it this becomes an obsession and one is never enough. ;-)
My problem is not having a metal working lathe - only a wood lathe.

I found Lew's story:

I was walking past the mental hospital the other day,
And all the patients were shouting, '13....13....13.'

The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the
planks, so I looked through to see what was going on.....

Some idiot poked me in the eye with a stick!

Then they all started shouting '14....14....14'...
]

Funny! I missed it the first time around.

Thanks for the info.


Greg G.

Robatoy said:

On Nov 9, 12:27*pm, Greg wrote:

I have a question - do customers actually want details of this sort
engraved into their countertops or was this an experiment to test the
limits of what could be done?

Both. So far I have been lucky to get paid for the challenges I have
wrestled to the ground.

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...offeLodge2.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...toy/CLtop2.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...toy/ClTop3.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/BDayCard.jpg

Well done and very custom - I'm sure they both loved it.

Thanks for the inut.


Greg G.

Robatoy said:

On Nov 9, 1:24*pm, Greg wrote:

What kind of mill do you have? Or did I already ask that... D'oh!

General 40-996. (Mine doesn't wear that funny green hat. Some farking
clown thought it would increase safety...as if...)

Cripes - that is some serious machinery. I assumed you had DIY'd
something together. My lowly Unisaw bowed in reverence to this
behemoth and slunk away into the parts room.
48x96 - grumble... Has anyone told you that you suck yet?
As for the hat, hope it's not fluorescent orange/yellow/anything.
It just isn't a General if it ain't Green with red maple leaf.

The local dealer carried General as well, and I leaned that way on the
saw, but the deal on the Delta was too good to pass up. One of the
last to come from Tupelo, MS. Then to China, then back to TN.
The blowback from the import must have been significant.

Thanks for sharing.
The brochure was interesting reading; pseudo geek that I am.


Greg G.

Greg G. wrote:
48x96 - grumble... Has anyone told you that you suck yet?

Heh. Heh heh. I think he gave up counting a long time ago. :-)

--
See Nad. See Nad go. Go Nad!
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

On Nov 9, 3:14*pm, Steve Turner
wrote:
Greg G. wrote:
48x96 - grumble... Has anyone told you that you suck yet?

Heh. *Heh heh. *I think he gave up counting a long time ago. *:-)

--
See Nad. *See Nad go. *Go Nad!
To reply, eat the taco.http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

HEY!!! Morris's has more horsepower!!

On Nov 9, 2:51*pm, Greg wrote:
Robatoy said:

On Nov 9, 1:24*pm, Greg wrote:
What kind of mill do you have? Or did I already ask that... D'oh!

General 40-996. (Mine doesn't wear that funny green hat. Some farking
clown thought it would increase safety...as if...)

Cripes - that is some serious machinery. I assumed you had DIY'd
something together. My lowly Unisaw bowed in reverence to this
behemoth and slunk away into the parts room.
48x96 - grumble... Has anyone told you that you suck yet?
As for the hat, hope it's not fluorescent orange/yellow/anything.
It just isn't a General if it ain't Green with red maple leaf.

The local dealer carried General as well, and I leaned that way on the
saw, but the deal on the Delta was too good to pass up. One of the
last to come from Tupelo, MS. Then to China, then back to TN.
The blowback from the import must have been significant.

Thanks for sharing.
The brochure was interesting reading; pseudo geek that I am.

Greg G.

welll.*coughs* it's /really/ 50 x 100 but what's another 2.72 sq ft?
(Handy for those 49x97 sheets of MDF and melamine though.)

Robatoy said:

welll.*coughs* it's /really/ 50 x 100 but what's another 2.72 sq ft?
(Handy for those 49x97 sheets of MDF and melamine though.)

OK - you suck 2.72 sq ft more than you did. Happy now? ;-)


Greg G.

Robatoy wrote:
On Nov 9, 12:27 pm, Greg wrote:

I have a question - do customers actually want details of this sort
engraved into their countertops or was this an experiment to test the
limits of what could be done?

Both. So far I have been lucky to get paid for the challenges I have
wrestled to the ground.

You're being improperly modest. Do you still have the photos of your
backlit inlay work? Would you post a link, please?

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 08:24:54 -0800 (PST), Robatoy
wrote:

Hey Robatoy,
I was at a Games Show/Hobby Show yesterday at the international centre
yesterday and one booth was flogging a CNC machine about 3'x6' in
table size.

Parts and plans for the machine is supposed to cost something along
the lines of $500. The one they had there was made out of mdf, but
they apparently have plans to make housings and superstructure out of
metal, if that's how one wants to go.

Considering your experience with these things, likely much more
sophisticated that this one, would you say I'm headed down the right
beginner's track if something like this is what I started off with?
http://www.rockcliffcnc.com/
http://www.rockcliffcnc.com/ProductD...ductCode=RCPNP

said:

On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 08:24:54 -0800 (PST), Robatoy
wrote:

Hey Robatoy,
I was at a Games Show/Hobby Show yesterday at the international centre
yesterday and one booth was flogging a CNC machine about 3'x6' in
table size.

Parts and plans for the machine is supposed to cost something along
the lines of $500. The one they had there was made out of mdf, but
they apparently have plans to make housings and superstructure out of
metal, if that's how one wants to go.

Considering your experience with these things, likely much more
sophisticated that this one, would you say I'm headed down the right
beginner's track if something like this is what I started off with?
http://www.rockcliffcnc.com/
http://www.rockcliffcnc.com/ProductD...ductCode=RCPNP


I'm not Robatoy, but note that the listed $520 price does not include
many relatively expensive parts such as the ACME drive shafts, zero
backlash compensating drive nuts and mount, shaft couplers, guide
rails, slide bushings, rail blocks and the basic structure (even if
DIY of MDF). You also need an appropriate spindle motor, bits, and
CNC software for driving the unit and another for generating the
G-Code. (Simple designs can be coded by hand, however.)


Greg G.

wrote:
On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 08:24:54 -0800 (PST), Robatoy
wrote:

Hey Robatoy,
I was at a Games Show/Hobby Show yesterday at the international centre
yesterday and one booth was flogging a CNC machine about 3'x6' in
table size.

Parts and plans for the machine is supposed to cost something along
the lines of $500. The one they had there was made out of mdf, but
they apparently have plans to make housings and superstructure out of
metal, if that's how one wants to go.

Considering your experience with these things, likely much more
sophisticated that this one, would you say I'm headed down the right
beginner's track if something like this is what I started off with?
http://www.rockcliffcnc.com/
http://www.rockcliffcnc.com/ProductD...ductCode=RCPNP

WTF? The rendering at the top of the page shows two x-axis steppers and
a z-axis stepper and right below it is a 3-motor kit. How about a y-axis
stepper?

What Greg said, and I've had good experiences with

http://www.hobbycnc.com/products/hob...oard-packages/

I have their 4-axis package with their 23-205-DS8 steppers and like it.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Nov 9, 4:47*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:
Robatoy wrote:
On Nov 9, 12:27 pm, Greg wrote:

I have a question - do customers actually want details of this sort
engraved into their countertops or was this an experiment to test the
limits of what could be done?

Both. So far I have been lucky to get paid for the challenges I have
wrestled to the ground.

You're being improperly modest. Do you still have the photos of your
backlit inlay work? Would you post a link, please?

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USAhttp://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

You mean this ol' thing?
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...oy/Backlit.jpg

Robatoy wrote:
On Nov 9, 4:47 pm, Morris Dovey wrote:
Robatoy wrote:
On Nov 9, 12:27 pm, Greg wrote:
I have a question - do customers actually want details of this sort
engraved into their countertops or was this an experiment to test the
limits of what could be done?
Both. So far I have been lucky to get paid for the challenges I have
wrestled to the ground.
You're being improperly modest. Do you still have the photos of your
backlit inlay work? Would you post a link, please?

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USAhttp://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

You mean this ol' thing?
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...oy/Backlit.jpg

Wow! No. ;-) I was speaking of v-grooved and filled piece with LED
backlighting.

That lithophane looks pretty good, tho - and I think you snuck in a
sawhorse drive-by.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:35:58 -0500, Greg wrote:

said:
I'm not Robatoy, but note that the listed $520 price does not include
many relatively expensive parts such as the ACME drive shafts, zero
backlash compensating drive nuts and mount, shaft couplers, guide

Understood and knew all that. What I showed may have only covered
25%-50% needed parts list. What I really want to know is if the type
of stuff I did link too were of sufficient quality to begin build what
one would consider to be an above average CNC machine. Guess the
question should have been do these parts qualify as a really decent
starting point or should I be aiming higher?

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:21:45 -0600, Morris Dovey
wrote:

WTF? The rendering at the top of the page shows two x-axis steppers and
a z-axis stepper and right below it is a 3-motor kit. How about a y-axis
stepper?

What Greg said, and I've had good experiences with

http://www.hobbycnc.com/products/hob...oard-packages/

I have their 4-axis package with their 23-205-DS8 steppers and like it.

Hey Morris, don't chew me out. I barely know what a 2-axis stepper
does. I'm guessing a 4-axis model adds a few more directions to that
equation.

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

By the way Morris (and Robatory and anyone else who wants to take
part), I'm going to be picking your brains while I build a list of
what to buy. And then, you can tell me what to add or subtract. That's
after some considerable discussion.

said:

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:35:58 -0500, Greg wrote:

said:
I'm not Robatoy, but note that the listed $520 price does not include
many relatively expensive parts such as the ACME drive shafts, zero
backlash compensating drive nuts and mount, shaft couplers, guide

Understood and knew all that. What I showed may have only covered
25%-50% needed parts list. What I really want to know is if the type
of stuff I did link too were of sufficient quality to begin build what
one would consider to be an above average CNC machine. Guess the
question should have been do these parts qualify as a really decent
starting point or should I be aiming higher?

Oops - Sorry about that. The link you provided seems a bit pricey but
I didn't look up the impedance/torque/brand of the stepper motors.
One of the more popular vendors among the CNC groups is:
http://www.hobbycnc.com/

MSC and McMaster-Carr are also reasonable sources for ACME lead screws
and nuts, either solid or ball, and machined steel drill shafts and
bushings of every description. Carbon steel lead screws wear fast but
are acceptable for experimenters:
http://www.mscdirect.com/

http://www.mcmaster.com/

Selection of the stepper motors, controllers and power supply, along
with the purely mechanical components, are dependant on what speeds,
loads, and accuracy you require out of the machine. Planning is
essential. I'd check out the CNC groups such as CNCZone for hints and
tricks on DIYing a CNC machine.

There is tons of software available. As for controller software,
TurboCNC is sort of free for non-commercial use but runs under DOS.
Master5 is another and runs under Windoze and includes a device driver
that supposedly deals with the Win API exclusive port access issue
which causes inconsistent timing. (Steppers are a bit jerky.) Yeager
Automation used to offer controller software but the link I have is
dead.

Then you have ArtCam, GibbsCAM, DelCAM, MasterCAM, NCPlot and a few
other G-Code generators that plug into popular CAD programs such as
SolidWorks. Other programs will display your g-code and toolpaths in
visual 3D form so that you can check for tool interference and such.

FWIW,

Greg G.

On Nov 9, 5:16*pm, wrote:
On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 08:24:54 -0800 (PST), Robatoy

wrote:

Hey Robatoy,
I was at a Games Show/Hobby Show yesterday at the international centre
yesterday and one booth was flogging a CNC machine about 3'x6' in
table size.

Parts and plans for the machine is supposed to cost something along
the lines of $500. The one they had there was made out of mdf, but
they apparently have plans to make housings and superstructure out of
metal, if that's how one wants to go.

Considering your experience with these things, likely much more
sophisticated that this one, would you say I'm headed down the right
beginner's track if something like this is what I started off with?http://www.rockcliffcnc.com/http://w...ductCode=RCPNP

For openers, it is a lightweight project, but all the rules are the
same,
Whether you're throwing around a 10HP across a 10-ft table or a 1 hp
minirouter on a table-top.
Up, down, sideways. back and forth pretty much sums it up.
Small table-top devices can be a hoot to work/play with and can come
up with some pretty cool results.
It is obvious that duty and project size determine your needs.

If there is one thing that I read, consistently, is that brushed
router motors (aside from being noisy) are not really designed to run
for long periods of time. The duty cycle is ...what.. 1/2 hour max, in
a router table? Spindles will run for weeks on end and are designed to
do so. But... would you hang an expensive spindle on a MDF frame, and
then try to push it around with 240 oz/in steppers?
It seems that the whole CNC thing goes up in doubles. You can have a
lot of fun for about a g-note. To notice a markedly better
performance, 2K. Then 4, 8, 16, 32... you get the picture.

You can have a lot of fun for $3K US.. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...ource=googleps.
Comes with Vectric V-Carve Pro (Aspire's kid brother)
As Greg pointed out, you're nowhere near done by buying that kit. The
rest really adds up in a hurry.