Johan's G203 drives could give a cooler result than your G202's....also, he doesn't seem to be doing lengthy 3D cuts....

You loose low-speed torque by dropping the current setting and you will loose high-speed torque by dropping the voltage setting. (I would prefer to loose the low-speed torque).

47k tong tippie toets.
68k 3D long cuts....hard boiled eggs.:D

Johan I have the same transformer and I also had the hottish problem.I started reducing my resistance to a point that I allowed only 2 amps.Although my motors ran cool so much that I can work the whole day without even feeling some heat.At a fast speed I lost steps so I increased it to just under 3 amps.Up to now no lost steps and the heat is under control.

Attachment 9465

I did this sign for my niece.

Nice, VIVA...is that the horses name?

Yes it is Kobus.
How do you like my crackle finish? I made a mistake by spraying clear laquer over varnish.:(
I was also to excited to start cutting before facing the table. The leg detail was cut deeper because of that.

A belt sander will fix the leg detail issue . . . . and the crackle paint.

Gerald, I am starting to see that the finishing is a business on it's own with it's own set of problems. Took me maybe 15 minutes to draw, 6 minutes to cut and to finish it, over 2 days between sanding and painting.
You said it before, it will be more profitable to look for the customers that need the cutting done only. Otherwise my little business will end up as a finishing business with cnc cutting on the side! :)

Son Sean started his business on pine signs for horse stable doors. All the same font and height (Lucida, 60mm), and all were finished with one brushed coat of Rubbol. (Equivalent Sikkens). It was an easy, foolproof "varnish", but fairly expensive.

Hoe ver is Balito van jou af?

Bietjie meer as 'n uur se ry. Hoekom? Ek hoop jy kom vir my kuier. Laat weet.

I had a spectacular bit failure with my first paying job.
I used a 19mm straight bit but I think it was not the correct choice if one look at the bad finish.
Any suggestion which bit will be the correct one?
Because I only had one 19mm straight bit I had to start cutting the rings and the bottom piece seperately out of 6mm Supawood.
Tonight I will have to start glueing the pieces together.
Which glue is the best to use on Supawood.?
Wood glue or epoxy?

Attachment 10113

Attachment 10114

Johan ,any white wood glue would do.get the quick set one.What did you want to do with the circle?

Johan het jy pockets probeer in die sirkel.Verminder jou step over na 10 % as jy pockets doen. dit vat langer maar daar is nie die merke in die middel.verander jou diepte wat die cutter sny ook na .5 mm of .8 dan sal dit dalk werk.( ek weet nie watter cutter jy gebruik het nie maar as jy onseker is vat laner en stadiger)

Johan, that also looks like the MDF is not firmly on the table.
What I do is to cut a very light OUTSIDE cut ( say 0.1mm) of each piece.
I can then see where the cutter will not cut and in these places I nail or screw the
sheet firmly to the table.
After it is fixed properly, I do the insides and then eventually cutting it loose on the outside.

Thanks for the advice Hennie en Kobus.
I did notice that the MDF was not firmly down. I will do what you suggest on the next job.

Johan, for us that don`t have vacume hold down it is nearly impossable to get a good cut if you do thin sheets of mdf.Rater cut your full sheet into smaller sections and cut 2 at a time.It takes longer but less hassles and your sheet doesn`t warp that much when you cut.

Thanks Hennie. Big learning curve for me on the full sheets.
The client was not happy with the finish so I suggest to cut the the rings and the bottom sepperately and then glue them together.
On the MechMate I only clamped it on the edges at four places. The code was set to cut 1mm into the sacrificial board and it actually did not cut through - short of 1mm. I never realised that it will lift by that much! - 2mm!

Johan set your z-0 on top of your sacrificial board and not the top of your board that you cut as some times the boards are not the same thickness all over.

Wat het van jou geword?

Wow, can't believe that I have posted that long ago!

Attachment 13604


I worked on this little project with Bell Equipment for a show in Durban In September. I didn't make a lot of money but I had a lot of fun!

I hope there is a grandchild that got a chance to play with that! :)

Gerald, Johan said he had a lot of fun so that means he played with it himself.:)

No grandchildren yet, but I am prepared!
I always like to make toys. The look in any child's eyes are more rewarding than any well finished sign delivered to the grateful owner.
And .. one have to play with it a bit to test the strength of all the glue joints. :)

In my experience, setting the Z₀ on the sacrificial board—not the workpiece—combined with a light preliminary outside cut for clamping, is key to preventing lift and ensuring consistent depth, while precise current and voltage adjustments maintain optimal low- and high-speed torque.