Another Newbie

[ginger]

Morning All

I’ve been “guesting” on this forum for a few weeks and thought it better to signup.
Seems like a good place for advice, tips and guidance for upgrading machines and general usage.
I worked in the oil industry for 30+ years designing plants and rigs however I was made redundant at the end of 2020 and I’ve taken a bit of a break to work on my kitcar and try and think of a new career path.

Cheers Andy

[JAZZCNC]

Morning Andy.

My first advice is to run away now before the bug bites because if you think Kit cars are expensive playthings then CNC machines can match them pound for pound and the CNC bug infects you faster than Covid...

That said it's a great thing to get into and can take you down paths you never even thought about, I have dozens of customers who are testimony to this where they buy a machine with this or that intention in mind, and very quickly after using the machine they start to realize just what a CNC machine can do and next thing it's taken them off at complete tangents and down paths they never expected.
Many of whom have built up very healthy businesses doing things they love doing.

Last advice is if planning on building, or buying a machine for that matter, DONT BUY ANYTHING without asking advice or until you 100% are sure it's correct for the application. Rushing out and buying kit or machines in the excitement or after a few two many cans is the #1 mistake new users make.

If you stay enjoy the ride and hang on because it can get bumpy, but fun and very rewarding.

[ginger]

Thanks Dean

I’ve always been interested in cnc but never really thought of it as something for the hobbiest.
Given the work situation I found myself in I occurred to me that I could use my cad skills in some way.
I was thinking of starting with a relatively small cnc mill on Mach 3. Favourite is a Triac because they seem like a good home workshop sized machine. Assuming you can get a good quality finish out of them.

Cheers Andy

[dazp1976]

Ah. Go on.....
Go and treat yourself to a Tormach 1100MX!!!!

[ginger]

Hahaha I have enquired about pricing. But size wise it won’t fit in my workshop.

[Kitwn]

If you can design an oil rig, you can probably design a reasonable CNC router for the shed. You might know someone competent enough to weld it together for you as well. Welcome to the forum!

Kit

[ginger]

Thanks Kit. I’ve got the welding covered. Hmmm
So what sort of finish quality do you get on aluminium with a router type mill compared to a traditional mill.

[JAZZCNC]

Thanks Kit. I’ve got the welding covered. Hmmm
So what sort of finish quality do you get on aluminium with a router type mill compared to a traditional mill.

To be honest, if it's done right you actually get a better finish on aluminum because of the higher spindle speeds which suit cutting aluminum, conventional mills very often don't have the RPM to cut aluminum properly.

[ginger]

Ahh ok thanks yeah that makes sense
I was kinda concerned with the routers that they wouldn’t be up to the job compared with the massive heavy motors you get on a big machine. But I guess they’re cheaper and easier to replace. Also lighter for the machine to move around.
Cheers
Andy