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Well, you fellows have given me the bug! :surprise:
I am not sure if I will be able to justify $4000 for a CNC ready to run out of the box but I guess time will tell.
In the mean time, I realized that before cutting anything, I would need to figure out how to design and prepare the data for the machine. So, with that in mind, I downloaded the trial version of VCarve Desktop.
And here we go! :grin:
I have been watching video tutorials and they were helpful. After clicking around for awhile, some things are starting to sink in.
Today I created my first project - a license plate for my sweetie. My idea is to make a few for the kids/grandkids etc. That is if I have a machine before Christmas rolls around.
The license plate would have the persons name, year born, state and city they were born in. I think that could be quiet useful, and may sell by the tens!:frown:
I have most of the details worked out except for the smaller letters. Even the 1/8th inch bit can't clear out the material in the letters that are enclosed (a, o, etc). I guess I have two choices - 1) make the letters larger, which I don't want to, or 2) switch to a smaller cutter such as a 1/16th end mill.
With that said, I have a question...How do I make the text look better? I used a 1/8th inch end mill for the tedious work and a 1/4 inch end mill to bore the mounting holes, clear out the pocket trash, and cut out the frame.
Note the text is "raised" because I removed everything around the letters and numbers by 3/64th. Total cutting time is about 20 minutes.
So, there you have it. My first foray into the CNC world, at least on the computer. :surprise:
This might turn out to be fun. Computer stuff is right down my alley!
Here is a screen shot of my project and some real plates I found on the internet.
Mike
I am not sure if I will be able to justify $4000 for a CNC ready to run out of the box but I guess time will tell.
In the mean time, I realized that before cutting anything, I would need to figure out how to design and prepare the data for the machine. So, with that in mind, I downloaded the trial version of VCarve Desktop.
And here we go! :grin:
I have been watching video tutorials and they were helpful. After clicking around for awhile, some things are starting to sink in.
Today I created my first project - a license plate for my sweetie. My idea is to make a few for the kids/grandkids etc. That is if I have a machine before Christmas rolls around.
The license plate would have the persons name, year born, state and city they were born in. I think that could be quiet useful, and may sell by the tens!:frown:
I have most of the details worked out except for the smaller letters. Even the 1/8th inch bit can't clear out the material in the letters that are enclosed (a, o, etc). I guess I have two choices - 1) make the letters larger, which I don't want to, or 2) switch to a smaller cutter such as a 1/16th end mill.
With that said, I have a question...How do I make the text look better? I used a 1/8th inch end mill for the tedious work and a 1/4 inch end mill to bore the mounting holes, clear out the pocket trash, and cut out the frame.
Note the text is "raised" because I removed everything around the letters and numbers by 3/64th. Total cutting time is about 20 minutes.
So, there you have it. My first foray into the CNC world, at least on the computer. :surprise:
This might turn out to be fun. Computer stuff is right down my alley!
Here is a screen shot of my project and some real plates I found on the internet.
Mike
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