Well I suppose 23 is better than 32 ....or was it 35 that your wife suggested some time ago.

On the 0,0 issue...Before you switch off for the night, make sure Mach3 show x=0 and y=0...z so that you can zero the next day. Leave your gantry where it stopped on the 0,0 position.
The next day switch everything on and Zero x and y on Mach3 or do as I usually do...drill a little hole with the router where your 0,0 point is. The next time you start ride your machine (jog) to this point......To get to the exact point I then change my motor tuning down to 50 steps...if you now jog with the arrow keys, you will move the gantry VERY slowly to reach your 0,0 mark....just remember to go back to your motor tuning and restore your NORMAL steps. Zero Mach3 on this point and you are ready to cut from the original0,0 point. Hope this helps

Discussion on setting the 0,0 moved here:
http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1456

Hennie,

Congratulations on Serial #23. It's a beauty!:)

The updated Builder's Log is here.

What size is your MechMate? I would like to add this information to the Builder's Log. Also, do you have any Comments you would like to add?

Regards,
John

Hennie,
Congratulations! A new number is born. :)

Geluk met #23!
The machine looks ready for business. You will have to run it 24 hours to catch up with all the orders waiting! :)

Thanks you all !! thanks Gerald for the advice and all the long phone calls.Johan have got some projects for the machine but need to go on a crash course to work it!

John my table size is for a 9X6 (2750x1830 )board.

Thanks to the MechMate I have just placed my business one step higher then my competition.I do have one big advantage over them and at the end it is paid for and it is already generating an income.It saves time on processing boards and up to now have had no problems in cutting what I wanted it to do.
I can proudly say that I have joined the Mechmate Club.

Welcome to the crash course club...that is what I tell the people that come around to look at my machine. Building it is easy with what Gerald gave us on this forum and all the help from the members. Once it is running it is another learning curve to get to grips with the operational side. To learn all the tricks like what you can do with different cutters at different depth's is another story.

Well done Hennie, it looks good.
I saw you cutting MDF there. Do you have any idea what cutter to use on marine ply? It just chews up the two flute tungsten carbite bits.

I have not tried cutting ply I think Geralds son can give more advice on that .I will be cutting mostly mdf and melamine and the od solid project

He uses the 2 flute solid carbide spiral cutters the metal workers use (slot drills).

Gerald,
What speed and feed does he use generally on the ply stuff. I used the same cutter and it was burned in minutes.

6mm cutter, 12 000rpm, 1 800mm/min, cutter life a shift or two.

Those cutters are also sold as HSS (high speed steel) instead of carbide - that only lasts a few minutes. (they look the same)

Some more pic`s with the slots that I cut.Now that the grub screws were fixed it took about 1:30 seconds to cut 3 of the 15 mm deep ones and some nesting.

nesting pic`s
 

nice!
The only thing now is to get some good cutters,got a price for some diamond tip cutters R2500.00 a pop.ouch!!:(

I am also busy with a dust extraction build.I could not take all the dust and the cleaning ladies wen`t on strike:D
Gerald how about a new heading,not collecting dust anymore but making a lot of it.

Hennie, that yellow cutter looks like it is not designed to plunge straight down? (It doesn't have a sharp edge all the way to the center of the cutter - only cuts around the edges of the the bit?)

It has about 2 mm but it did the job, ordered some proper bits.I did not go al the way down did it in a couple of passes

The trick is to dive the cutter in at a shallow angle (make sure x/y is moving while z comes down). Your CAM software (Cut2D?) should handle this for you - it might talked of a "ramped entry". Cut2D quotes on their site: "Profile Machining-running the cutter around the outside, inside or on the selected geometry, with the option to ramp the cutter into the material."

Hennie,
I burned about R1200 worth of bits this week only discover today that the cheap yellow bits does the job just fine and they last.
Gerald, some of the bits I used was just that. They looked like the real thing but cutting one mould out of foam destroyed them. I cut some MDF moulds today and the little yellow tools still is good as new:confused:

Lookin good Hennie...I also use those cheap yellow cutters and on my 6mm one
I have some hours on it, and it is still going...little bit of FLUFF on MDF, but at least my lines are clean. This weekend at the Hobby-X show I bought a packet with 2 x 2.3mm cutters. Tried them on some 3mm mdf...WOW what a cut...now I will get into those small coners without a problem. They were R38.00 for both at the show.

Attachment 3949

Hennie,
Those slat holes look really good. Maybe you could post a pic of the finished doors?

Heath I will do that soon the only thing is that because of the weight of the timber we have to assemble them on site so that is lined up for later in the week.
Marius those el cheepo`s do the job but if you cut a lot of mdf the cost of sharpening compared to the cost of a proper cutter is more.I have ordered some 1/2 inch spiral down and up cut cutters for cutting melamine.I would like to drill/cut the groove for the backing and cut gooves for the shelving to sit in and cut out the component all in one process.Saves me a morning just to prepare for a job.
I did notice the other day that while the MM was cutting I did something else and my workers were assembling cabinets, life is good:)
Now I just need to build a machine to install my work on site.

Hennie.

Welgedaan - nou beter ek myne aan die gang kry .

Cheers

Nico

Hennie,
I gathered from your reponse that you have similar problems to mine. If only we could everything with machines.
Hennie were did you order your cutters from?

Marius ,I ordered it from one of the company`s that sharpens blades Would probably be from leuco .
Nico ek dink om nog een te bou,kom maak `n draai as jy in Knysna is.

Forgot to mention, cut MDF on Fryday, told the one helper to put a g-clamp on the one side of the board, didn`t check it and as the law of Murphy predicted one cutter .oer toe and one g-clamp with round cutting marks.

Slow down, get rid of all the helpers and save money...sorry to hear of your loss...RIP little cutter..;)

Hennie only one cutter sofar? You are doing well. I say that it is easier to build the machine than to operate it correctly consistantly.

I agree Marius...you have to be awake all the time..think, think, think, check, check, check before pushing that GO button

One thing I find very usefull is the single step and rewind function in Mach. I single step every program until I am happy that all is correct. My biggest challenge all the time is to get the tool offset correct.

Ja, lucky it was on its way out that cutter.
Seems wee are going to experience some load shedding again.

Load Shedding...never...I am back at work..:D

Where are the pictures of that finished louver doors/panel or whatever it was you were cutting into that hardwood?

when I have some time to put them up.
Have a lot to show

Tonight is the night. Hennie has a new service provider and PROMISED to put lot's and lot's of pictures on for us tonight.

Kan nie wag nie. Can't wait.:)

Hi Johan what about you...what is your progress....it must be cooling down on the North Coast by now

My progress came to a full stop the last two months. I am nearly finished with the MM workshop. There will be no excuses after that! I will have the space to work on the table. The worse of the humidity is gone. Nice weather. When it was hot, we couldn't figure out why we live here. Now.. we know why!:)

Kobus here is something just for you my first door on my MM.

Ok that is a start, now for the pictures on the louvre door thing you did on the hardwood.

Making doors like this must save you a lot of assembly time from previous methods of cutting pieces and glue them together. How long and what bits did you use...or is this a trade secret ? ;)

Nothing is glued together one piece of mdf 1 min 20 sec and ready for the press with a little sanding.