Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Complete Beginner (sherline cnc)

> I'm thinking of dropping some $$ on a Sherline
> CNC mill and lathe so I can start creating some more advanced parts
> out of better materials (i.e. aluminum). The reason I'd like to go
> with a CNC setup is because I'd like to create a number of the same
> part and then sell them to other R/C hobbyists.

Very do-able, I assume you have found there's a demand at a local club or
what not as well as your own? That'd be an excellent place to look for jobs
to do on your mill if you don't already attend one.

> Is it very difficult for a beginner to get into home machining?
> (I've very mechanically and technically skilled - I'm a software
> engineer by trade)

No, definitly not. Sherline even say in the back of their booklets that the
machines are designed to work perfectly under a total beginner's hands. They
say the expirience most machinists have on big machines means they try to
push the Sherlines a little too much.

> Is going with the Sherline CNC Mill and Lathe a good choice?

Sherline mills and lathes are practically built for what you're talking,
hobbyists and hobbyist's parts. If you ask Sherline to send you their
catalog you can see some of the things done in there, tiny steam engines
smaller than you finger nail and incredibly well made scale replica models.
Model helicopters are fairly big but the parts that they're built from would
easily go under a Sherline.

There are numerous options but I think the Sherline desktop idea would be
excellent if all your really into is 'small' RC bits. The next step up from
the desktop machines are the mill/drill combination things, they're desktop
as well but they're not really movable and are a fair bit heavier. Then you
have dedicated mills which weigh a bit more and have a set of ways on the Z
axis not an innacurate cylinderial column, then knee mills which weigh a
lot, lot more than a desktop machine but can mill really big parts like
parts for other bits of machinery. I am considering a knee mill, you can
find them on occasion cheaper than Sherline tools. But they have many hidden
costs like delivery, the fairly hu-mongo footprint they have, tooling,
electricity etc. You can see a picture of the kind of thing I'm talking
about if you go to the groups "Photos" section, it's the Beaver VBRP.
Anything bigger than that is going well beyond something you can put in your
garage. Perhaps if you find lots of people want to buy the bits you're
making you could buy another Sherline or trade it in for a knee mill that
would do a set of parts in a go.

> Am I crazy with this idea?

Isn't everyone a little mad? Once you buy the mill though you're going to
need your own anodising kit to make those parts shiney! `.^)

> Thanks in advance for you help.
>
> Rob