Any Instructors Out There?

[vince mastrosimone]

I’m interested in getting into CNC as a hobby. I’ve watched quite a few videos on V carve and Shapeoko and it looks interesting. I’ve never been in the same room with a CNC machine. Before I drop $2500 or $3000 on equipment and software I’m not very familiar with, I would like see it in person, if possible, and maybe get some in-person or zoom help with the software and hardware.

I live San Dimas CA. Is anyone interested in helping me out? I’d really appreciate it.

[Bruce King]

You will have better luck when the pandemic is over.

[vince mastrosimone]

Thanks for the reply. I have decided not to participate in the pandemic.:D

[Frederick Skelly]

A thought just in case no one near you replies ......

The Friends of the Creek list shows that Gary Campbell does CNC service and training. LINK (https://sawmillcreek.org/friends.php?cp=238&lp=0&t=0&q=)
He builds machines too and sometimes posts them on SMC for sale. (I don't have any connection with Mr. Campbell.) Unfortunately, he is in Michigan and you are in CA. But perhaps you could call him and see if he does anything virtually that could help you get started, or if you could buy an hour of his time to answer questions, get tips for newbies, etc. Maybe he even knows someone in your area that you could work with after the restrictions are lifted.

Good luck. Stay safe.
Fred

[Jim Becker]

Vectric has very good tutorial videos for their software available online and you can also download the trial versions of the software to "play along". That's the best way to get a feel for the process of designing and creating toolpaths for a CNC machine to cut.

[vince mastrosimone]

Thank you all very much for your responses. I do watch quite a few Vectric tutorials online. When you’re trying to design a project it’s hard to find the right tutorial to watch to answer the question you have at that time. That’s why I thought it would be better off with being able to speak to someone to get more immediate feedback.

[Mark Bolton]

No idea about the machine you reference but most machine manufacturers will offer local contact references for machines in your are to at the least speak with about your perspective purchase or even better swing into their shop to physically see the machine or even see it in action. If you manufacturer doesnt offer it you may poke a few others to at least get to see a machine first hand or preferably running.

I dont know what there is to gain there in that manufacturer is only going to point you to positive owners but I guess all information is good information. I would think the only place your going to find cautionary information with regards to a specific machine will be the interweb and even that may be tricky.

[Jim Becker]

Thank you all very much for your responses. I do watch quite a few Vectric tutorials online. When you’re trying to design a project it’s hard to find the right tutorial to watch to answer the question you have at that time. That’s why I thought it would be better off with being able to speak to someone to get more immediate feedback.

Honestly, you should really work through the tutorials before you try to design some particular project that isn't basic. The whole idea is that you build your understanding from the basics first. Talking to someone for a real project isn't a bad idea, but it's not going to be very fruitful until you understand the process, flow and terminology.

[bobby milam]

The best way is to pay your dues and go thru every tutorial a few times to learn. No really easy way out to learn software. You should not expect to get the machine in and be creating files and cutting right away other than very simple files. For me it took about 6 months of using vcarve pro before I was just fairly competent in it then I went back and watched the videos again because I had enough knowledge to pick up on what they were really talking about. To run the machine it is going to take time and lots of scrap material to learn the settings really well. It was probably a year before I really felt confident in making and carving intricate files.

[Rob Damon]

Our local Woodcraft store does some CNC training. Basic stuff. You could see if you are close to one and if they do classes.
They use Vcarve at our local store at it looks like it is a $75 class

Intro To CNC

Working With VCarve, Session 1: Beginner

Working With VCarve, Session 2: Beginner/Intermediate

I have not taken any of them, I just bit the bullet and went the self learn route.

[Anthony Fry]

To the OP I went through what you are having just completed a DIY CNC build last year. The DIY was purely for cost reasons.

I feel there are three basic parts to CNC, and full disclosure my recommendations are biased. If you want to get a feel for CNC I would suggest this work flow for learning purposes. Downloading some form of simulator to play with.

Part 1 (CAD/CAM)
The Fussion360 CAD/CAM package for Hobby/Edu is a good choice (free). You can layout and create parts and patterns in CAD. Then define tool paths in CAM. And finally create the G-code to load into a machine simulator. Plenty of YouTube tutorials.

Part 2 (Simulator)
In Fusion360 you can simulate the tool path. Or for Machine based simulation you can load LinuxCNC (free). LinuxCNC is the machine control. You can create a machine and simulate running the G-code you created. If you prefer MS Windows I'm sure other control software (Mach3/4, etc.) packages out there have simulation capability. I'm just not sure which ones are free to try.

Part 3 (CNC Machine)
When considering a purchase you would normally start here first selecting a machine that best suits your needs. But simply for for learning CNC you can ignore the machine IMO.

The turnkey packages chosen will likely have one or more options for the control software. If the package or control software does not have CAD/CAM capability you need to purchase a compatible option separate.

[mark gaylo]

Two possible options:
I took machining classes at a local Votech college. I learned a lot about CNC-ing in general and GCodes. Machining best practices etc.

A cheaper solution is to look for a local Maker- Space. A lot of them have CNC machines and offer classes on how to run them. They may not be experts, but it would a least let you touch a machine and get some training. Some charge you for memberships and some don’t.

[vince mastrosimone]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. I’m still trying to figure out whether I’m going to dive into the CNC pool. It’s not like I have a lot of projects I want to make, it’s more of a situation where I just want to see if I can do it.

[Brad Shipton]

Most of the "can I," boils down to your ability to learn new software. A CNC is not overly complex, but it only does exactly what it is told. To tell it how to do things correctly you have to learn all about fixtures, tooling, toolpaths and many other variables. If you are up for the learning and have ever used a CAD program it is very likely you can do it. If you have only used an Ipad and like it that way, then it might be a challenge as it takes patience to figure out all the different parts of the software. When it comes to the software you need to pick a package that has good online tutorials. The entry level crowd is very cost conscious, so the training options are largely online. If you buy a $100k machine they send someone to your site to setup the machine and train you to use the software.

[Alex Zeller]

I don't think the software portion of it is too hard. Sure there's going to be some challenges but unless you are a quitter who will sell their equipment at a loss you're going to work through them. So the two questions, in my eyes, are #1 how much money are you willing to spend and how well can you get what's in your head onto the computer? I'm not sure how easy it would be to see a picture on the internet you like, down load the file, and turn it into something that is accurate enough to turn out nice.

I'm still in the learning phase but from what I understand turning a raster file (a picture made up of a bunch of dots) into a vector file (a picture made up of lines that a router needs to follow) is the hard part. JPEG files are everywhere and are usually not great resolution. Of course if money is no object there's software that'll do it for you. The free versions will work but they require you to do your share. A high resolution file will require less touching up. Once in vector format the rest shouldn't be too hard.

A simple thing to do to get your feet wet, as Jim said, is read the tutorials. Start with turning image files into vector files. That's something you can do for free. Start off with some basic pictures, I've been practicing with team logos since they usually only have a couple of colors. From there you can move to more complex images and colors.

[Jim Becker]

Brad and Alex are spot on.

CNC comes down to two things...the ability to visualize what you want to make and then draw it -- followed by the ability to visualize how the machine should cut it efficiently and then create the toolpaths that spell that out. There's a little more, such as understanding tooling things like speeds and feeds, but those first two things are the crux of embracing CNC to make stuff. I happen to love both of those things and find them mentally stimulating. A lot of it has become second nature to me after two and a half years and my CNC is "just another tool in the shop" ... one that I more and more turn to first. Why? Because I actually enjoy it.