Cutting a bit for my junk-box CNC router.

Doing some minor upgrades on my home-build junker CNC router and wondered what I'd do while it took 60 minutes to cut a part. Answer: take lots of short videos on my phone and stitch them together. :-)

For the record target cutting speed is 175mm/min in 19mm MDF using a 3mm carbide end mill. 1mm step down.

The machine can jog at 600mm/min but cutting any faster than about 200 is not practical as the machine flexs so much the tool chatters and makes a horrid cut. That's why I'm cutting this new bit, to try and make it slightly more rigid, to allow me to cut more accurate parts for a better overall machine.

That's pretty much the normal evolution for CNC hobby setups. Build a machine to make better parts to make another machine that can make better parts.. You can see where that goes.

I use libreCAD under Linux to draw my parts, and NCplot to create the g-code from the saved DXF. I'm thinking I might get one of vectrics tools once I've got a better machine, but I like the nuts and bolts feeling of NCplot for 2.5D stuff.

Check out http://www.cnczone.com for lots of info on home-made CNC machines. Many of them much tidier than mine! I'm pretty realistic about how slow/weak this machine is. :-)

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• CNC
• Router
• Tool
• Power
• Machine
• cutting
• mdf

[rvantwisk]

hello,

best is to visit the main websites, apparently I cannot post URL's here because google is erroring on doing so :s

Ries

[kiwichrish]

@rvantwisk OK. Be interesting to see what you're working on CAM / backplotting is a gap in he Linux space. Since the video above was posted I've bought Vectric Cut2D. A bit over-simplified in some areas, but nice software for the price IMHO.

[rvantwisk]

it wasn't ment negative :)

And you are right, you can make a machine to build a larger machine!

Today I finished my configuration dialogs for the CAM portion of LibreCAD, next endeavor is making proper previous, selecting the entities and LibreCAD and generate a preview. When that is done g-code generation!

[kiwichrish]

@rvantwisk Be interesting to see something for librecad.. I've now bought Vectric Cut2D for complex stuff, but for small one off jobs it'd be nice to generate the g-gode in place. do you have a website for your project?

[rvantwisk]

Hey,

I am working on a GCode generate for LibreCAD at the moment so hopefully you don't need NCplot soon :)

Nice work you have going there, but in wood you need to cut faster.

[kiwichrish]

@rvantwisk ROFL... 'need to cut faster' is why I was making this part... The X and Y axis' are unsupported 8 and 10mm rods respectively. Cutting any faster the cutter 'bounces' and makes a terrible mess.

I'm in the process of collecting parts for a much larger, and more rigid machine. Which will swing a larger spindle... I just need this machine slightly better to cut some Derlin/Acetyl bearing blocks for the new one and then it's going to be stripped for parts.

[rvantwisk]

Hello,

I am currently working on 2D profiling, this is used a lot in the wood industry which is my main interest.

For this to work 'correctly' We are modifying some of the architecture of LibreCAD and adding support for plugins into LibreCAD, this is still in alpha stage and API's keep changing when new ideas come along.

When profiling is proofed to work I will add support for drilling and pocketing.

There is heekscad that allows you to import a DXF and generate g-code for EMC2 also.

Ries

[rvantwisk]

Hello,

I am currently working on 2D profiling, this is used a lot in the wood industry which is my main interest.

For this to work 'correctly' We are modifying some of the architecture of LibreCAD and adding support for plugins into LibreCAD, this is still in alpha stage and API's keep changing when new ideas come along.

When profiling is proofed to work I will add support for drilling and pocketing.

Ries