Congrats Mark! :)

A quick way is to figure the price per square foot. I have talked to a lot of people that do it this way. If 3D is including that is another added price per sq ft. Remember you are making something custom and not a production run. Runs have different prices as first time development cost then cost per part. Everything Sean said is pertinent also. Do not be afraid to charge enough for the product. Make sure you have included all applicable charges including tooling wear cost and electricity usage. If you make a great product, people will pay even if it is a little high.

Thanks Heath!
Thanks Sean and Pete...that gives me a good place to start, and that's what I was looking for. I am sure there is a bit of a learning curve there as well, but I will get it figured out.
Thanks again for weighing in.
Mark

There are plenty of opportunities to do things that can help build experience. I made a little plaque for a departing coworker a few weeks ago. I wish it could have turned out better, but she was quite thrilled and moved by it. It was a great way to start getting familiar with my new machine.

3D...Pete....that reminds me.
I did some statues a few years ago on the modified #5....I charged about 80 hrs to cut those.

Thanks Sean, I knew that 3D would have an upcharge on it.
And DB, I can assure you that everyone that I know will be getting some kind of sign. Those that don't want one, will be getting one that says "here is the sign you didn't want" :D
Mark

To be fair on the statues.
Client provided NURBS based modeling scans in 3 formats to me.

16 hours was drafting, 3d model manipulation and input into RHINO and Cut3d. Amazingly, Cut3d did a better job handling the models that Rhino with 4th axis module.
8 hours set up on the machine
8 hours of test cuts
4 hours of cleaning
~36 hours of continuous cutting with 600$ worth of cutters.
...and A LOT of coffee :)

Were the cutters special or basic carbide?

The first round of cutters were from:

http://www.3dcutting.com/solutions/frogtools.html

the 12" cutter is about 280.00 US.
I had 3 other specialty tapered ones for this project.

I did find out that with a little bit of experimenting on the bench grinder, I was able to make my own bullnose and 45"/60" degree point long cutters from off-the-shelf 1/2" drill bits at home depot. The trick was grinding them so they were balanced.

I used the drill bits in a Large drill press, hand grinder in a machinist vise and radiused them while in rotation at slow speed. Then resharpened afterwards. Perfect for foam cutting at 13K RPM.

Good luck.

I was looking into to some HDU and found some 15lb, 4x8- 0.75 for about $200 delivered.
Is that about what you guys are used to?
Mark

Sounds about right, but I wouldn't get it unless you need it specifically......
I use Azek PVC from Home Depot at $100 for a 4x8 1/2" sheet for exterior stuff.

1/2 the price and on the up hill side of the learning curve...I am in!
Thanks
Mark

Extra benefit from Big Blue. In a 1-man shop, it has always been a PITA to crosscut long wide sheets on the table saw (my rip-fence is 52" max). I had a part I needed to cut crosscut at 61", I clamped it down on BB and she did the job ...much safer too! Just saying, yet another reason no shop should be without a MM :)
Mark

Just FYI, these are on sale on ePay...10 round nose 1/8" for $16.79 shipped. No idea if they are total crap, but for $1.67 a bit ...thought I would try them out. Auction number, 201104409861.

Mark

Those look like they'd be worth a shot.
Please report back with your observations.

I agree on the MM....I sometimes need to make long tapered pieces, very easy on the MM.....not so easy on a table saw...

Yes, Darren ...I will certainly post some feedback. I have been mostly working on the learning curve for the Mach3 and CAD. Just some very small and simple projects to get my feet wet, but lots of fun. I actually am just going to surface the whole machine for the first time (until now, small projects have been done on a temp sacrificial board).
I am curious how others have done that? I still have my router set up (the spindle is planned for the near future). So my PC router is limited to a low end RPM of 10,000.
I have Grizzly Fly cutter set (for my mill) but I am sure that even at 10K that is too fast for them? Is my best option just a 1/2" end mill? And if so, what is the fastest feedrate I could use? My spoilboard is 1/2" MDF (over 3/4" MDF support board, table size is 5x10).
Thanks for any input!
Mark

150-200 IPM should be fine. The biggest end mill at about 80% stepover would be good.
Obviously you want to remove as little as possible, so a little time finding the low point on the table and going a few thousandths below that is a good plan of attack.

I ran a 1 1/2" double flute to surface mine at 80ipm at 12k rpm.

Do very light cuts. start with 1～1.5mm & increase if you think your router can handle it.

Thanks for the input, biggest endmill that I have that will fit the 1/2" collet is a 1/2". With the 80 stepover /200 ipm on a 5x10 table, that is just over 3 hours. That is like watching paint dry! (At least compared to the short runs I have been doing). Pete, when you say 1 1/2" double flute, is that the length or width? The Fly cutters that I have are like this;
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Fly-...its-1-2-/H5935

I would think with the off-balance design, at 10K that would be too fast? If not, even the small one would cut my time by triple.
Mark

You are looking for something like this: https://www.magnate.net/ProductDetai...ductCode=PG136
available from 3/4 diam to 2 3/4 diam.
That fly cutter is NOT suitable for use in the router, it's meant to be used on a milling machine.

and another one from Amana tool: http://www.amanatool.com/cncroutingdetails/rc-2252.html

Alan...that is what I thought...I didn't think the Fly cutter could handle those RPM's.
Thanks too for the links....big price difference! But I will give one of the Magnate products a try.
Thanks
Mark

Thanks Heath...those are very nice...but they are in the "other" price category ....
I am starting with the $30 ones :)
Mark

Yes I hear you on that one. You might be suprised at how fast those
$30 cutters dull on mdf though. :)

Oh I know I am getting a $30 bit, at least it is carbide. And I can certainly see (I hope) at time when I am running enough jobs and profit that one with insert cutters will be the way to go. Until that time, this will be a big step up from a 1/2" HSS endmill :)
Mark

Any cheap router bits will do the job.
Also, nothing stay sharp forever when cutting MDF.

I can atest to that Ken. I bought one of these off ebay: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/131088061...84.m1423.l2649 and the last time I used it to surface my old machine machine it left burn marks all over the place. I had maybe used it 3 or 4 times on a 1200x1200 spoilboard.

With a 1-1/2", 2 flute carbide tipped router bit, try removing .01"-.03" per pass, at about 14,000 rpm and 300 ipm, with a stepover of about 1-1/4".