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Private member DiscussionTools and Jigs

Non-CNC cauls for Stew-Mac sound hole clamps

I don’t have CNC capabilities so I could not duplicate Dave Slimmer’s version ( https://loothgroup.com/loothprint/bridge-clamping-cauls/). Got a 12x18x1/2 inch HDPE cutting board on Amazon for under $10 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D3LQVA), drilled a row of 1/2 holes about 5/16” deep with a Forstner, cut the HDPE into 5 sided chunks so I could orient by touch, and free handed the brace grooves on the band saw. The clamp swivel pads are 1…

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Yeah, I think the current concerns with microplastics is impacting cutting board prices.
Private member Discussion3D Printing

Printed Vacuum Puck

Found this, will print later, saves a little design time. https://makerworld.com/models/1835300?appSharePlatform=copy Having made 3D printed Vacuum fixtures for CNC previously, I’d recommend printing as close to 100% theoretical density as possible, as any voids can and likely will lead to suction loss. Finer dimensional stability and layer adhesion with something with Glass Fibres will probably help. I’d avoid materials with additives th…

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Private member DiscussionCNC

New Makera entry level CNC?

Anyone Else looking at the Makera Z1? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/makera-inc/makera-z1-entry-level-cnc-pro-level-power? Earlybird price is $799. Looks like it might be good for a newbie like me?

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yeah, cool machine but what would you use it for? For me the leading machine for a small shop right now is the Altmill 2x4'. I think I could do everything on that and the footprint is small enough f…
Private member DiscussionShop Organisation

Traditional woodworker's bench

I've been building up my "2 car garage shop" for about 10 years preparing for retirement from health care. This spring I finally quit punching the time clock. Over the same time I've build 13 mandolins and 4 guitars. Now I pretty much have all my tools in place and enough wood stored to build for quite some time. My work benches are built with a heavy door for a top and base cabinets I scavenged from work. Lately I have toyed with the i…

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That's impressive! I found a Sjoberg's Elite in very good condition on FBMP and offered the seller a ridiculous price. They bit, so that's what I ended up with. I hurt for 2 days after tearing apart t…
Private member DiscussionCAD/CAM

F5 Modeling attempt.

This is a repost from the main feed so it is in the correct forum. The recent F5 CAD modeling video inspired me to take a stab at it. I use Fusion 360 and have already completed a full A5 model that I’m using to prepare a lot of parts for my CNC. The F5 top seems intimidating. I focused on modeling the scroll alone for now. I didn’t pay attention to following a plan, or having perfect dimensions, or getting the curves to look perfect th…

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This is looking really great. If you'd like to come on 3d club and talk about it, let me know. The next meeting is this coming Monday and we'll be talking more about the top modeling.
Private member DiscussionCNC

Cutting circles with CNC

Should a CNC be able to cut a perfect looking circle? I'm trying to make solid wood rosette rings. I made the tool path a profile cut. The top and bottom of both Y positions come out uneven in width than the rest of the ring. I've tried slowing down the feed and plunge rate, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. I have an old second generation Nextwave CNC shark and use Aspire for CAD and CAM. Linear cuts seem to be accurat…

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Thanks Michael, It may be a mechanical issue. My machine is about 12 years old and has seen a lot of use. I've only recently started making my own wood rosette rings. I used to buy them premade fro…
Private member DiscussionCNC

CNC errors

I'm fairly new to CNC and am attempting to set up for a fretboard carve. I'm using a one year old ShopBot Desktop Max. This is the first I've found a problem like this. I made some practice blanks and thought I had everything the way I wanted it until I measured me fret distances. Using calipers from the nut to the center for the first fret slot I get 1.399" and I'm expecting 1.4346. I brought up the file and used the measuring too…

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9 times out of ten these issues aren’t the software it’s the CNC itself or order of operations. Something might be binding on your machine causing one of the 3 axis to be out of whack. Im assuming you…
Private member Discussion3D Printing

3D scanner

Anyone use a 3D scanner to make models for printing, or CNC? I've noticed a number of inexpensive scanners on the market that appear to be an able to scan with fine detail and accuracy. I've wondered if they could be used to scan a guitar neck, or arch top mandolin plate to then cut on a CNC after tweaking in a CAD program.

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That's kind of what I thought. The scan comes out dirty and needs more manipulation in software which can be more work than drawing it in the first place. I was curious as there are now numerous ads…