Re: new pics, sherline stuff

Tass,

The cutter comp idea sounds interesting, let us know how it turns out!
I can understand the "desire" to do a project! I have a steam engine
project that started perhaps 20 years ago when I made the cylinder block
on a lathe aboard a submarine. I finally got some brass, and a few more
"tools" such that I can now build it the way I envisioned it! Maybe a
digital camera for Christmas, so I hope to build up a set of
photographs. I also want to show the Sherline motor mounts.

Alan KM6VV

tauseef wrote:

>
> hey alan!
> thanks for the nice comments! I hope to put up another of a head
> button (later today) I made for my radio control heli before all of
> this cnc stuff got started :) Its my first real part that I made on
> the lathe and mill. I think its great for all of us to share what can
> be made on cnc. The fan was made out of a 10 year dream of mine to
> make a "fan" as my FIRST CNC project. I had to make it before moving
> on! It was QUITE a project (and probably not the best for a
> "beginner")- just trying to figure out how to use CAD, the cnc
> software, setting up and mounting pieces took sometime! Not to
> mention, cutting speeds, how deep to cut, and so forth! Its been
> around 3 months now, many late nights (inbetween school), lots of
> reading, and MUCH experimenting but I finally feel as I have some idea
> of what I am doing. The fan is made "just for fun". It took me 3 tries
> as you can see from one of the pics to cut it out right...its still
> not perfect but heck its done!! I used DeskNC to cut it out and ace
> converter...I did not use the "close enough value" at that time so
> there where many extra useless Z steps (use the close enough value).
> Well after about 6 hours of cutting (all 3 fans) and 1.5 cans of WD-40
> I have learned a lot!!! :) From drawing better in CAD (since I do not
> have cutter compensation) to setting up the machine, getting the chips
> away better, using shorter endmills, learning G-Code, to using less
> WD-40 heheheeee! The first fan came out to thin and cut through. With
> the second fan (and since I only had a 15 min demo version of DeskNC)
> I would go back into the .txt file and count the number of lines the
> machine had run and then delete them...I would then rerun the program
> and reload the remainder of the file (not a fun way to do all of this
> stuff)..so as anything would have it, I messed up one line and the
> cutter when off course...lesson learned! Don't mess with the G-code
> unless you really know what your doing! The third fan was cut the same
> way but I did not add and deleted only lines I knew of. I have figured
> out a way to simulating "cutter compensation" in my CAD by drawing a
> drawing and then scaling it either up or down by the cutter diameter
> used..I have not tired it yet but it works on paper. Thanks again, I
> hope to see some of your pictures also!
>
> taus