CNC thread

[JimmyBuckets]

Hey guys one of my other favorite things beside audio is wood working on the CNC. Just got a new flattening bit and wanted to share. From a small company in TX called RIP precision tools. Made a short vid.

New video by Erik Francey

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[restorer-john]

RIP precision tools.

It will be RIP if that piece of wood you taped down flies sideways at you!

 

[JimmyBuckets]

You would be amazed at how well painters tape and CA glue can be used as a hold down method. Tape goes on both the table and the work piece. CA glue in between. No clamps, and no screws.

 

[restorer-john]

I just think it's totally awesome you have a CNC in your garage.

 

[JimmyBuckets]

I just think it's totally awesome you have a CNC in your garage.

Yes it is pretty awesome. It's 5'x5' which is big enough for sheets of Baltic birch ply. Long term goal is perhaps a small run of speakers. It would be great and terrifying to have them tested here! Also maybe doing some custom cutting for other DIY speaker builders. Currently side work is the name of the game. Reach out if I can ever help with anything.

 

[Mr. Widget]

You would be amazed at how well painters tape and CA glue can be used as a hold down method. Tape goes on both the table and the work piece. CA glue in between. No clamps, and no screws.

Interesting technique.

Years ago I had a 3 axis CNC router for my prototyping business... lots of fun!
Here is a picture of a chunk of stacked MDF that I was shaping for a personal speaker project and a couple of pics of the results. I used industrial double sided tape to hold this down. Ethanol works well to release the tape when you are done.

My working area was much smaller than yours so I had to stack three sections for each speaker side, but it worked out well. I made them over 15 years ago and they are still going strong.

 

[restorer-john]

They are gorgeous looking cabinets!

 

[Mr. Widget]

They are gorgeous looking cabinets!

Thanks, I scored when I found the veneer.

 

[JimmyBuckets]

They look amazing and very efficient!

 

[somebodyelse]

You would be amazed at how well painters tape and CA glue can be used as a hold down method. Tape goes on both the table and the work piece. CA glue in between. No clamps, and no screws.

I've seen people using the same technique for milling aluminium but hadn't thought to apply it to wood. It takes away the risk of the tool hitting mechanical fixings like clamps or screws. Less work than making a vacuum bed, and probably holds better for small pieces.

 

[JimmyBuckets]

I use it for hold down almost exclusively, unless you the work is not flat enough. The only time I have had something come loose was trying to get away with it on something to twisted.

 

[Mr. Widget]

Back to the original topic.

How well does that cutter do planing difficult pieces of wood? When I run some species of highly figured wood through my planer I get tear out. Will this cutter allow you to surface difficult grain patterns?

 

[JimmyBuckets]

I actually just got the cutter and have only done that one project with it, but that being said...it is designed to handle end grain and epoxy with no tear out. From what I have seen so far I would think this to be corrected. This link is for the manufacturer and a video of a guy using a manual router sled.

RIP Precision Tools on Instagram: "Matt knows whats up! Let er eat Sir!"

78 likes, 1 comments - ripprecisiontoolsNovember 18, 2022 on : "Matt knows whats up! Let er eat Sir!"

www.instagram.com

 

[jhenderson0107]

Here's an image of my CNC w/ 36"x60" bed, purchased in 2010. This modest size is sufficient for the largest panels I've ever needed when building flatwork furniture. I affix an ultralite MDF spoilboard via vacuum into which I drive short screws when securing the work. It's the least-used tool in the shop but when needed, it is indispensible - custom jigs and interface plates, speaker baffles & grills, etc. Easily programmed using Vectric Aspire.

 

[JimmyBuckets]

I am running an AVID cnc. They are out of Washington. I would have loved to get a Camaster. They are great machines. I see you have the rotary axis as well. Quite a nice set up. I use V-Carve Pro by Vectric. I have thought about upgrading to Aspire more than once but most of the projects I run would benefit little form all the extra sculpting features. It is a very nice luxury to own one... especially as nice as your set-up!

 

[deadwood83]

You would be amazed at how well painters tape and CA glue can be used as a hold down method. Tape goes on both the table and the work piece. CA glue in between. No clamps, and no screws.

CA as a fixturing method is amazingly robust. I use it when milling all kinds of metal. I'm still all manual though. I have ball screws, fixtures, DRO, etc but still haven't taken the plunge to order motors and a control board.

 

[JimmyBuckets]

CA as a fixturing method is amazingly robust. I use it when milling all kinds of metal. I'm still all manual though. I have ball screws, fixtures, DRO, etc but still haven't taken the plunge to order motors and a control board.

The CA glue and painters tape has been a game changer for me. Makes setting up and running files a ton easier when not having to worry about screws and clamps. What kind of mill are you running? I have always been interested in trying metal milling but I just don't have a space I feel comfortable creating all the shavings. I have built a few machines and cobbled together a few controllers if you ever want some help. Check about the MASSO controller. It's very easy to set up and seems to be pretty mature now in gen 3. I have used the gen 2 and it was very easy to set up.

 

[deadwood83]

The CA glue and painters tape has been a game changer for me. Makes setting up and running files a ton easier when not having to worry about screws and clamps. What kind of mill are you running? I have always been interested in trying metal milling but I just don't have a space I feel comfortable creating all the shavings. I have built a few machines and cobbled together a few controllers if you ever want some help. Check about the MASSO controller. It's very easy to set up and seems to be pretty mature now in gen 3. I have used the gen 2 and it was very easy to set up.

My mill is just a lil' guy. A Precision Matthews PM-25MV. 750mm on the X, ~180 on the Y and I think 200ish on the Z? 1hp belt drive. Just a benchtop unit. I had to move it alone so that influenced my choices a bit.

I actually believe the shavings are easier to deal with than wood dust. They tend to fall so you don't find little bits of alu/steel/stainless on top of things higher than the machine. I use my mill and lathe in a spare bedroom carpeted machine shop and the worst I have ever had was just from negligence (wool socks without shoes will find shavings in carpet). There are some advantages to being a bachelor. I first used it to build whole new interiors for some custom PCs and it more than paid for itself compared to having someone make the bits. Fun, too.

Now tooling costs? Well you know how it is. We don't talk about tooling costs.

I was torn between UCCNC and Acorn partly because Arturo over at CNC4PC offers those in his lovely pre-drilled boxes. Even with a mill and DROs there are few things I hate more than chassis fab. I was thinking some closed loop steppers with a compatible board would make things a little easier. Hit the endstops, index the tool, work within a closed coordinate system. I am intimately familiar with 3d printing and setting up gcode in slicers which has both helped and hurt. Don't need to designate where the stock is on a 3d printer. My use of SolidWorks makes Acorn appealing, but the Acorn model of upcharging for software at a constant rate really rubs me the wrong way. Workpiece probing? Upcharge. Tool height probe? Upcharge. Oh you got a spindexer? THat's an upcharge. I don't mind something PC-tethered as I have a mini 1L HP ryzen pc set aside just for it.

I think metalworking and TIG welding are things that can easily be done indoors. Though maybe don't TIG below ground level.

 

[JimmyBuckets]

PM25 is a great little machine from what I have read. I think PM now offer conversation kits direct. Sounds like you already have a pretty good idea of what you are doing : ) I have heard good things about both control softwares. I have seen ALOT of guys really on the Acorn train. There is a fella named Gary Campbell who makes some sick controllers using Acorn. My Avid cnc runs Mach4. Here is a link for Gary Campbell's YouTube channel.

https://youtube.com/@Islaww1