Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 56

Thread: CNC Ordered...(now ready to ship!)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,676

    CNC Ordered...(now ready to ship!)

    I'm happy to say that my order for a Camaster Stinger II SR-44 with "most of the trimmings" is now placed, pending my check arriving at Camaster world headquarters. As has been echoed by others previously..."the wait begins".

    As soon as it warms up a bit, I can let our 100K+ honeybees know they will have a new, yellow neighbor.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Norfolk, UK
    Posts
    94
    Awesome, that's super exciting!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Bucks County, PA
    Posts
    198
    Nice! Can’t wait to see it!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Titusville, FL
    Posts
    99
    Congrats, we are both waiting in line... Was told about 2 months, hopefully it is sooner.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Deep South
    Posts
    3,970
    Two hives?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,676
    Quote Originally Posted by Art Mann View Post
    Two hives?
    Four over-wintered...will go to six likely in the Spring plus several NUCs for "maintenance" throughout the season to provide brood and queens when necessary.
    ----

    Anthony, it sure would be nice if it's less than two months, but they are selling like hotcakes and production is what it is.

    Robert, definitely will be worth a nice little celebration.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #7
    Congrats on the order - gonna be a nice machine! But two months will give you time to get everything ready for its arrival. When I ordered our Saturn 2x4 Nate was building the prototype, which we ended up getting, and the wait was 6 months.

    David
    David
    CurlyWoodShop on Etsy, David Falkner on YouTube, difalkner on Instagram

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,676
    David, yes, time for prep is nice, but it's still a long wait! All I really need to do is run the circuit(s) (4-wire 30amp 240v plus a dedicated computer circuit), extend the air line from the ceiling and move a wall cabinet. DC is already done since there was already an overhead drop in that location and it just needed to be adjusted slightly. But I may take care of a few other small improvements while the floor space is completely free, such as finally insulating the ceiling as I need to get a handle on energy costs being in the shop every day at this point. I just had to slip Professor Dr. SWMBO a couple hundred bucks for the extra electricity I've been using for heat. LOL
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 01-25-2018 at 9:25 AM.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Marquette, MI USA
    Posts
    519
    Unless you already have, and are proficient with a CAD/CAM application you will need 3-400 hours to gain the skills needed to provide proper designs and toolpaths. Very few users spend their wait time productively.

    If you plan on using the VCarve Pro CAD/CAM software that comes with the machine, you can download the trial, make, remake and preview any and all of your designs and then once you receive the install thumbdrive any/all of those trial versions can actually be cut.

    That will get you ready to find out how many toolpathing errors you can make!
    Gary Campbell
    CNC Replacement & Upgrade Controllers
    Custom 9012 Centroid ATC

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,676
    I've been playing with VCarve Pro for a few weeks now, both hands-on and watching the plethora of videos that Vectric and others have for training and beyond. Even videos with other software are instructive when it comes to toolpathing. And yes, it's really easy to screw things up...forgetting to close what needs closed and open what need opened, etc. One thing is clear to me, too...there are a lot of folks that seem to forget (or ignore) the power that comes from working in layers, both permanent ones and temporary ones when it comes to drawing and creating the means for the subsequent toolpaths. I'm trying to embrace that right from the get-go. I watched a very long video recently by a blogger that completely ignored the power of the software to replicate via array, etc., and it was mentally frustrating! If it were not for the fact that I wanted to see how the story ended, I would have bagged that video early in the game...skipping ahead did help.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Marquette, MI USA
    Posts
    519
    Jim...
    I'm glad you are off to a good start. It will all come to fruition when to take your designs from screen to machine. Well, fruition or frustration that is.

    Depending on what your end goals and level of expectations are remember that CAMaster offers training a few times a year, as most good CNC OEM's do. If possible, I suggest that you attend one. If asked, I would say in most cases that having the machine for a few months is close to perfect timing. That few months allows you time to develop an idea of the work flow and determine your areas of
    difficulty
    and is not so long that you build in too many bad habits.

    Having the factory guys show you what the machine does and how it does it right at a live machine is an invaluable resource to ensure your success. The same goes for the design software. Proper terminology, order and numerous explanations, tips and tricks that few users ever figure out on their own. Remember: the self taught never know how much they don't know.

    disclaimer: I teach the Vectric portion of the CAMaster class. I am compensated, but attendance, high or low, does not have an impact on my fee.
    Gary Campbell
    CNC Replacement & Upgrade Controllers
    Custom 9012 Centroid ATC

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Hayes, Virginia
    Posts
    14,760
    Congratulations Jim,

    Now would be a good time to consider some hold down strategies. There is a very large number of clamps and other goodies that you can purchase or make your own that will come in handy when your new machine is delivered. Everyone ends up designing custom jigs and fixtures over the years that are a must to have on the shelf.
    I have an assortment of screws, washers and other fasteners in a plastic box that I keep on the top of my table on the back end that I use daily, its nice to have them close by. I have several drawers of hold downs and clamps in my roll around tool box and my computer sits on top of the box. My favorite hold down pieces I make from 3/4" PVC, cut them on my band saw and I keep a pile of them in a variety of sizes. If the router bit hits one of them its not a big deal as soft as PVC is it cuts like butter. There are times when I sacrifice a PVC clamp knowing that its going to be hit by the router bit but I need to hold scrap pieces in crazy locations so I can use up the material. I use the metal step block hold downs that are used on milling machines a lot, Grizzly sells them in a kit with all the bolts and parts you need. I have a couple of heavy wall aluminum angle pieces that I use to hold down large projects like a 4 by 6, theres a picture here of my machining setup for some candle holders I made a couple years ago. I scrapped the table top on my machine the first day and installed a traditional spoil board, the aluminum tracks don't work for me.

    Learning to fasten material to the bed of your router is almost an art. When I watch other peoples videos that first thing I notice is how they are holding material to the table. At some point you will need to use tabs on your projects, use a multi-tool to cut the tabs on the table so you can remove the parts especially if your cutting solid surface material.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,676
    Keith, I've been paying a lot of attention to hold-down strategies and it's clear that there needs to be "a whole lot of options" ready to go because every project is a little different. I like that PVC idea and will explore it further with you. I still do want to speak with you about a few things...and will do so when my head is in the game. I need to get the "commission from hell" completed over the next week ('have to fix a boo-boo that's unfortunately glued with TB-III) and then I can be more attentive. Aside from the hold-downs you mention, there are some materials you've mentioned from time to time that interest me for some potential "products" that are bouncing around in my brain. My order will be "official" in a few days...'just waiting for the money transfer to hit my checking account so I can overnight a check down to them. Sales-dude said 6-8 weeks is the current lead time.

    Gary, I do like the idea of attending a live training and will probably try to do that, as you state, after having the yellow beast in my shop for a few months. I'm sure I'll get a lot out of the gathering in Columbia SC end-of-April and I'm all booked for that already.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  14. #14
    I took the same route while I waited on delivery, Jim, working with the software I planned to use. I use Fusion 360 and by the time our machine arrived and I finished building it I thought I was ready. It took all of 5 seconds to snap the first bit - LOL! But the time I invested in learning what I could on F360 was invaluable. Once I got up and running a whole lot more of F360 began making much more sense to me, especially the CAM part.

    David
    David
    CurlyWoodShop on Etsy, David Falkner on YouTube, difalkner on Instagram

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Dawson Creek, BC
    Posts
    1,033
    Good decision. These machines are great fun, but sure can challenge you at times.

    Keith and Gary know more than myself. Each machine is unique and what each person wants to do is as well. The vast majority of things are learned by trial and error. Fixturing is a bit of an art form if you do not want to be making custom fixtures all the time. There are many great examples on the camheads forum, one guy in particular is awesome at posting comments and pictures of his setups. I do not recall if you bought a vacuum or not. If not, Gary and Brady Watson documented how to build your own on the shopbot forum. It is pretty easy, but the new Hurricane vacuum is quite a bit nicer to look at. I built my own, and it makes a huge difference to your cut quality for many parts.

    If you are using screws and a 1/4" bit for cutting you will find the 3/16" miniature trim bits very useful. It took me a while to discover these when I was using tabs, so that is the only reason I mention it. These fit in the cut path very nicely and make it a snap to cut out the part and clean up the stock at the same time.
    https://www.toolstoday.com/mini-flus...ing-guide.html

    When I first started looking for a machine I never thought that much about all the different cutters. Now I have learned all about single flute, double flute, upcut vs. downcut, compression bits, mortise bits, and on and on. Great fun.

    If you do have a vacuum and you want gasket material, Mike Murphy from All Star Adhesives is incredibly helpful. They have tons of different materials that most re-sellers do not carry. I always order direct from him and they are quick to get the order in the mail.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •