Trust me Heath it is. I am so glad I went with the Vectric software. Remember in the beginning I was downloading all the available CAM programs, but just could not start making things. When I tried Vectric Cut - 2D I did something in 5 minutes. Upgrading to V-Carve pro was another good move and with the latest release ..FOR FREE... I am very happy with the product. These things are so easy to make with this, even I can do it.:D

Now where is that Aspire package ? ;)

Kobus,
With Aspire, you can wrap 3D around it.

I need to get an indexer built.

The way I see it is that it won`t be long before Kobus upgrades to Aspire.It seems that he has some sort of sickness, he just can`t stop playing with BBB and the best of it all is that there is no medication for that.:D

Hi Kobus, Nice job, i've made an indexer too but i haven't found an issue to make it work properly, my problem il to correctly set the Z zero on the job, i've got aspire 2.5, indexer wizard and CNC Wrapper, just a question for you, how did you set the Z zero on the job with mach 3 ?

Hi Mickey,

In V-Carve / Aspire I use the Z- 0 on top op the wood. When setting up Mach, I manually jog my cutter to the startpoint. Bring the cutter to touch the wood and REF All in Mach. I don't know or want to rely on offsets etc when the machine is in IT's home position. All my work I bring my cutter manually to my 0,0,0 point. Start the router and make a small mark at the point so that if I have to restore after a power failure etc I can see where to zero it again.

No hard and fast rules about this but there are distinct advantages to setting your Z zero at the centre of the rotary axis rotation.

First and foremost it remains constant and never changes. No matter what material has been cut away, power loss or interruption etc.

Find a spot on your headstock or some other fixed point and set Z to this point. The point will allways be a known offset from centre of rotation. Unchanging. This offset can be programed into Mach.

At tool change or any other reason you need to reset Z zero just go to this point and set Z.

No need to find some point on the job you last zeroed to, Have I cut it away? Where was it? OH Sh#*t it is not there any more, now what do I do?

Second reason is that you do not have to enter the new Z zero offset into "Rotation Radius" DRO each time for the rotary axis feedrate compensation to work.

The value of the Z axis DRO is correct value of the working radius, which is what Mach uses for the compensation value.

Third reason is the same but different. The toolpath view will show to the correct scale without changing the "Rotation Radius" DRO value.

Greg

Hi Greg, dis sounds complicated to me. If you can do a DUMMY's guide on ....This offset can be programed into Mach.... for me...step by step ...I will try it. Never used offsets before, but always willing to follow clear instruction. I am bad with manuals..Monkey see monkey do work best for me. :)

Thank you Mike. Good tip :cool:.

Not really an offset in the Mach sense. Just a way to set Z zero. And not complicated.

You need a point on your rotary axis that never changes and is always accessible. I usually suggest some point on the headstock.

This where you zero your Z axis. It is always the same no matter what material is in the rotary. And it is a known distance above the centre of rotation.

You enter that known distance ( say 75mm) in the "Gage Block Height" See pic. You only do this once. Mach will remember it.

So you are setting up a job or half way though a job and need to change tool and reset Z zero. You jog over the headstock and find your height. Then just press the "Set Z" button and Z axis will be set to the centre of rotation.

Greg

Hi there, thank's Greg and Kobbus, i've tried Offset in Mach one year ago but not with indexer, i try, but at this time i've got 180 wood Awards to finish for this week, after i try Mach Offset with my indexer, I think if Gerald is Ok we can open a Thread with Indexing feature on the MM, I've got some picture's too on my indexer.

I've found a Website But i don't if anyone of you got it, i post it :

http://www.222artisans.com/Rotary/RotaryTutorial.HTML

I search Now for 3D indexing, really 4 axis cheap software or tutorial, i think that can interest other Indexer User.

Michel

Thanks Greg, will give it a try this afternoon when I am at home.

Gerald what is the difference between the EN8 End Drawn and the other one I think he mentioned spit and polish or something.

Got a quote from the place in Malvern for 25mm x 450mm long piece of EN8 drawn bar...price R 83.00 + vat.

This morning I had to pick something up in Wadeville. Rode past the other place called Turn Bar. Same thing EN8 end drawn bar...R 21.58 per 450 mm length.

How can 2 places 20 km from each other differ by such a big margin.

Drawn bar has slight surface marks because the bar has been pulled (drawn) through a hole in a hard plate to get it down to final size.

Peeled and polished bar has been through a peel/polish process to remove the surface marks. About 20% more expensive than drawn.

My local supplier for 25mm EN8 quotes about R40/meter drawn and R48/meter peeled.....if purchased in 6m lengths.

For short pieces, they add a cutting/handling charge. For off-cuts, some guys charge less to clear stock, other guys charge more to make up handling and cutting. If you wear a dirty blue overall you pay less than a guy wearing a collar and tie. :)

Probably true at the metalshop but not at a restaurant. :)

Hi Kobus nice work

can you tell me wich company you used for laser cutting and bending when building your mechmate
and do they still have the plans and stuff to do it
looking forward in building a mechmate

Hi Jannie, welcome and good luck with your build.

I used Metals Centre in Johannesburg. The guy I dealt with there was shot in an armed robbery. They are capable to work straight from the DXF files that you download from here.

They did my bending as well.

Jannie, you can try Laserfox (012) 6669629 as well. They were a R1000 cheaper than our local guys. You will have to send them the latest dxfs.

Jannie remember to go with your overall maybe you can get some discount ,welkom en sterkte.

kobus I just got a set of gears like yourselves (aluminum though) - I have a extra motor and driver which I will hook on soon.

but I still dont have a wooden lathe :)

I am seriously looking for a PROPER lathe now. This thing I have is really rubbish with the 2 bars holding the tailstock in place. The amount of flex is too much and I don't like it. If I can pick up an old metal lathe with a proper cast iron bed, I will re-do my indexer, but in the meantime I will have to work with it as it is.
Tomorrow I might go and turn my new shaft if my friend is available. This is the shaft that will have the original 3 step pulley and my 120 tooth module 1 gear.

Today went to a friend's house and he made me the new shaft....modified my big gear and drilled a 27 tooth pinion.

Attachment 8256

As luck would have it the old motor fitted in underneath the table.
Now busy making the bracket for the stepper.

Attachment 8257

Kobus, I believe that you are the first to have a lathe & indexer in one. The gear for cutting, and the belts for polishing - very novel I think. Even the open spur drive for a DIY indexer is the first I've seen, and I believe it will work very well - better and cheaper than SB's offering of Oriental Motors with torque-limited gearboxes from $2000 to $6000.

For "non-metrics" wanting to emulate Kobus and use a big gear to mate onto your 20DP pinion gears, have a look at http://bostongear.com/litportal/pdfs...BG_pg05-50.pdf, bottom of page 30, cast iron gears. (YA80 to YA200).

Gerald, do you think the Z axis would be strong enough to hold a lathe cutting tool? So you could remove the router and add a tool post . Then you could have CNC turning,when you needed it. If not you could add a removable tool rest bar to it to take some of the side load off of the Z axis.

Gerald,

You link is bad.... fixed

Definitely strong enough, unless you are going take really deep cuts in hardwood with a blunt cutter. There always comes a point when something is not "strong enough" :)

Edit: I have to add that the cutting tool must not be further than 200mm [8"] from the bottom roller on the z-slide.

It's UGLY but it works
 

Finished my DUAL PURPOSE INDEXER.....should patent it. ;)

Still ugly but it works. I can now spin the wood with the electric motor and with the JOG keys in Mach 3 turn a piece of OAK in under 2 minutes to be round.

Running in this mode it is now also possible to sand the piece to a smooth finish. Overall a happy chappie.:D

Attachment 8264

Attachment 8265

Some Video of rounding the wood and cutting a TAPER leg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5JyS6MG6vM

Nice going Kobus, I have to agree with you about the lathe, those are really horrible units, we have got three that my Dad bought many years ago, but they get the job done at least (as my Grandfather always said - it harder when there's none :))

Where do you have the Y0, near the headstock or tailstock? I assume you disconnect the stepper motor when running the AC motor?

Thanks Alan, yes Y-0 is at the tailstock. One thing however with the software I use...the TOP of the leg must also be at this point. I did the taper and could not find a way to TURN the direction in the sotware around, so I turned the leg around to start the taper at the tailstock and cut deeper towards the endstock.

I presume if you forget to dis-engage the stepper motor you fry the drive and/or make smoke in the electricals, even if that side switched off. The stepper motor is a good generator.

O yes sorry I did not answer that Alan. The stepper plate from the original Gerald design was used and with a springwasher on the bolt it is taken away and locked so as not to be turned by the electrical motor.