Messing about with the CNC router

[Rob Young]

Recently branched out from using the Shaper Origin to add a small gantry style CNC router (Shapeoko 3). Not terribly expensive to acquire, but it did put an even larger hole in my tool budget. Only money after all and I've already picked up a few small jobs which have paid for some tooling and miscellaneous stuff. 

Anyway, Carbide 3D has their own software, "Carbide Create" to do 2D and 2.5D stuff. And they are beta testing some stuff to do 3D carving stuff along the lines of what Vectric has. Started experimenting with the software and decided on a couple of test files. One is the standard "carve a dragon" sort of nonsense and the other was to experiment with making rosettes. 

The dragon was from an image I found on the Internet. Carved it at about 4" x 6" and it took just a bit more than 1.5 hours in poplar. Not bad. Could use some fine sanding and a stiff bristle brush. Might try sealing it with some shellac and then hit it with the brush.

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And for the rosette cut it in a 3" square. This took about 40 minutes. Hit the pine with a stiff bristle brush (same one I use to clean the router bits) and it looks like a couple coats of paint would fill it in just fine.

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Certainly I could buy rosettes more cheaply or even a set of the cutters to use on the drill press but with this method I can make some custom ones.

I've got some more ideas for rosettes that I'd like to try.

[Woodenfish]

God Bless the ears of everyone around you while that router motor runs for an hour and a half straight. It does look like it worked quite well.

[Rob Young]

God Bless the ears of everyone around you while that router motor runs for an hour and a half straight. It does look like it worked quite well.

I'll have to put the meter back on it but it wasn't terrible. Fortunately I can walk to the other side of the shop and keep my hearing protection on.

If I ever upgrade to a proper spindle, those are quiet. And if you hear a screaming cutter, you're doing something wrong.

[Rob Young]

Did a bit more tramming of the router. It was decent before but borrowed a pair of 1-2-3 blocks to make the shimming process a bit easier. With the power off and several screws loose (on the router, not me) I can align it to the blocks as they rest on a spoil board. Shim, tighten and skim the spoil board again. Then re-test. After two tries everything is pretty darn good.

After that I decided to try making the little CNC router boxes you see at craft shows. While this is an oval box, for my own use I'd probably work out a rectangular size that I can use to sort screws and bits that normally just roll around the bottom of the tool chest. Make some custom organizers that way.

But just for giggles, did this an an oval and experimented with a simple single-line engraving on the lid. To center up the engraving requires making a simple jig to hold the box centered. Didn't go to any great lengths to make this version of the jig indexable to the spoil board though. Just scrap of MDF anyway.

I think it did pretty well. Also used a brand new Whiteside spiral downcut (don't have the catalog number handy) and it cut very cleanly in poplar. Plenty of other scrap to test it in later.

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[Dumb_Polack]

You know, I know the CNC makes quick work of it and you probably can't tell the difference between the CNC vs. hand carved, but I'd rather pay the guy who hand carves something....more skill/time involved. 

it's like modern art where someone put 3 boxes on a sheet of paper and connected it with a couple of lines.  Where's the skill in that vs. a Rembrandt??

But again, it's just me.

(and I guess I'm not one to complain....I cut my DTs with a router and the PC jig, so I guess I don't have a leg to stand on here, but it is how I feel).

[Rob Young]

You know, I know the CNC makes quick work of it and you probably can't tell the difference between the CNC vs. hand carved, but I'd rather pay the guy who hand carves something....more skill/time involved. 

it's like modern art where someone put 3 boxes on a sheet of paper and connected it with a couple of lines.  Where's the skill in that vs. a Rembrandt??

But again, it's just me.

(and I guess I'm not one to complain....I cut my DTs with a router and the PC jig, so I guess I don't have a leg to stand on here, but it is how I feel).

Oh, you can tell the difference. At least until you go back and touch up any carving with tools. Not unlike being able to tell the difference between something out of the planer vs. hitting the surface with a #4. After that, does it matter? Philosophy, meh.

Anywho, I'm looking at the use of CNCs (and 3d printers) more and more at work for small custom parts that would be impractical any other way. One- and two-off production runs. While the guys down in the Physics dept machine shop have some tremendous capabilities with their Haas 5 axis machines and can CAD circles around me I still feel I need to better understand how the process works and be able to at least design a respectable mechanical assembly in 3D so I can better describe to them what we need fabricated.

And at home, well I see the CNC and the Shaper Origin as extensions of the my other tailed tools like bandsaws, router tables, planer, etc. Nothing more than a tool. While this little box is a physical, semi-finished object in its own right it isn't my goal with the CNC. Primarily I'm thinking of jig and fixtures so that the CNC can be productive while I do things that just require hand skills.

The tribal dragon carvings and other nonsense aren't my style but they make good test cases for me to understand how the software is supposed to work and what sort of settings product the most efficient output. The rosette, while this design isn't my style, I have on my list to replace the trim in the house and it would be fun to say I made (yeah, programmed, whatever) the rosettes. Same for the boxes. Ones with lids like this I really don't care about. But as I mentioned above, if I can set up to rough out parts for 5-sided boxes to organize miscellaneous parts, that would be great.

I've done plenty of projects 100% from rough sawn to French Polished all by hand. And enjoy it. And I enjoy thinking about other ways to do things.

[Halfathumb]

 Not terribly expensive to acquire, but it did put an even larger hole in my tool budget. Only money after all .

Denzel Washington said at a graduation ceremony 'there aren't any hauls following a hearse. You can't take it with you'