RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Novice Newbie

Mike,

It is very doable and you have found the right place to ask. But you
need to dig into the FAQ and the archives along with visting losts of
the sites to get yourself a background. What the groupis best at is
asking specific questions. If you look in the file section of the group
there is a .pdf of CNC for beginners that was just posted. It will give
you a good overview. To be honest there are lots of sites and references
that was to tech this to death and give you all the engineering and
calculations behind it. Great way to never get started in my mind. I am
much more a proponent of the dive in and get going method. If you are
willing to follow a recipie approach this is actually very simple stuff.
Breaks down to part mechanical (figure out how to mount the motors to
the screws and adjusting your machine for lowest backlash and smoothest
running), part electrical (connect wires from the drives to the motors,
power supply, and computer), and part computer (load a proven software
package and set the configurations as needed). That is all there is to
it. No need to turn it into rocket science.

As far as your ultimate dream, you will need to add some steps. While
you can scan and convert things to toolpaths it tends to be more suited
to artistic items. If you need the item to match actual dimension you
are generally better drawing it in a CAD program. But the over all ideal
is achievable and once you have a CNC machine you will never want to
turn the cranks. Nothing like watching a machine with a 1/4" mill bit
cut a perfect 1" hole in a part.

Hope this helps. Dive in, be a little overwhelmed, don't let the
technical scare you as you can get by without it if you can just follow
proven paths. One of the best things that you can do in my mind is start
with a single drive and motor and get so you can control it from your
computer. Once you have that working it is a short step to converting a
machine. Buy one of the Xylotex 1 axis drives for $32.50 or so, add a
cheap motor (Jeff is now offering some) and download a couple of the
controller programs. Add in an olt AT computer power supply and you can
now do some serious learning.

Tim
[Denver, CO]
Sherline products at Deep Discount
Mach1 & DeskCNC with credit card ordering
www.KTMarketing.com/Sherline

> -----Original Message-----
> Hi guys!
>
> I'm very, very new to CNC; just the only thing I know about it is
> what the letters stand for. My experience in machining is limited to
> the type of work needed for clockmaking and restoration. I have a
> small knee mill (Myford VM-C) which I would like to convert to cnc to
> do things such as cutting out the plates for a skeleton clocks, the
> crossings on wheels (gears) and pallets for escapements. I'm sure
> once I got a taste of it, the applications would expand.
>
> My ultimate dream would be to either design or scan something on my
> pc, put the stock on the mill, and watch it go! Ultimate finishing
> for traditional sharp corners and angles would be done by hand.
>
> I've read through the series that appeared in the Home Shop Machinist
> in the mid-90's and orded (and not yet received) the back issues for
> the seires that appeared over this past summer.
>
> Are there other references? The sites on the web are way above my
> head (and I wonder if they are really in English). What do I need to
> get a system going? Will it cost me as much as the mill is worth?
>
> Sorry for such a rudimentry question, but I just can't figure out
> whether my expectations are realistic and how to take the first step.
> By the way, this is for hobbiest level activity and fun; not a
> commercial venture.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Addresses:
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jobshophomeshop I consider this to be a
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