Well that looks cool! What's in the very center?
Will that program tell you how long it will take to cut at set speeds and feeds?
Printable View
yes it will tell you time based on feeds and speeds it is a lot more accurate in 2d than 3d, the center is what i read on the drawing as a 82 degree beveled hole (counter sink) in the drawing, i am a cabinetmaker not a machinist so i may have read it wrong
jim
Bryan,
I use a O flute up cut .25". To cut the holes the .25" is fine I would set it up as a tap drill comand so the bit will go down and come back out at a set interval. This is on the thicker stuff on the .125" should not be a problem.
On the O-Flute you can go down to the .125" but you do have to slow down and test your speeds. All my cuts need .25" I do have some tap drill comands we use the .125" on.
Joey
here is the other part I will run now in .5" as a test should take about 20 min for set up and all
Joey
I found some 1/8" aluminum be back soon
Joey
looking at these parts. I don't see a need for a cnc but to save effort. these parts could be cut on a tablesaw then drilled with a lot of choices how they were done.
spent a few minutes with the file, need to note that there is not an x cordinate for the 4 holes off center in the middle, in the future bryan could get the dxf from the person who drafted the part and this would be absolute within the software, by the way bryan i did this in aspire but one could use vcarve pro at 600.00 for this, as for all 2d work along with a lot of other functions this is the base program of aspire, they have another ( Cut 2d) at 150 that would be basic but would do the trick!!
jim
oh an just for the fun of it here is a vid of my latest project!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCrEJ2Ud5YU
dang joey you beat me to it!! i will say i am glad we are having this disscussion as i am learning a lot about aluminum machining!!
jim
steve, i get the impression you do not want bryan to have a cnc, i hope i am wrong about this, a cnc can be a miracle in time, effienciency and accuraccy. shopbotters are generally very welcoming and helpful with this. we have several shopbotters who participate with us in cnc and i work with one as well.
jim
Here is the pic of the part I just milled on one of our shop routers.
here is a link to the you tube video of the part.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxpgtBMe_Tw
Bryan I had the presets of only milling down .10" in my program you will be able to do this in one pass saving you time. also you can see i held it down with screws, we do this all the time. cut all your holes with one file then the profiles with the other after you add the screws for hold down.
I hope this helps.
Joey Jarrard
Bryan et al,
I have sent Bryan some PM's on this thread. Most people know that I will not sign off on one particular piece of equipment or software, however, the proof is in the photo Bryan.
Joey made the same part that you have been cutting on a bandsaw and drilling by hand. He did this while posting threads and taken photos to put on those threads. He was also probably doing 10 other things in his normal course of duties at CAMaster.
Bryan, the proof is there. He did one very quickly. Now imagine that same piece nested on a 24 by 24 inch piece of aluminum, and you standing there as you watch your CAMaster do in an hour, what used to take you all day.
Jim knows me. He will tell you I shoot straight from the hip and do not care about hurting your feelings. That being said, That small CAMaster that Joey has and the V-Carve software that Jim mentioned are in my eyes your best bet.
I know what you are making, I have seen the retail price. If I were you, I would be getting a CAMaster and V-Carve yesterday.
One last thing, in compliance with the new laws that the FTC is enacting, my full disclosure is that I have not recieved or do I recieve compensation in anyway from CAMaster or Vectric. Polhemus is the only company that pays me anything, A referral fee for any laser scanner they sell to a customer that I refer.
Joey, after seeing you do this aluminum, I am more then ready to make my gantry uprights for my hobby CNC build! You da man Joey! You da man!
Oh, Joey made the video also and uploaded it to Youtube.
Again, You da man Joey!!!!!!:cool:
Thanks for the help. I will post the bits I use in the am. The thing with aluminum is to get a good chip load. this saves the bit & keeps from stressing the spindle.
Joey Jarrard
yea Joey, looks good. please give exact bit brand/type and what type aluminum that is.. I have had a terrible time any time I have tried aluminum. Also, what kind of cooler is that?