Old Man Learning CNC (OMLCNC)

[Ger21]

You don't have to -

http://www.tailmaker.net/

- Nick

But those aren't "real" dovetails.

[magicniner]

But those aren't "real" dovetails.

In the strictest sense possibly not, but you don't need special software for conventional dovetails with a dovetail cutter, just decent CAM ;-)

- Nick

[Neale]

Horses for courses, I guess. Fusion 360 has a very powerful CAM package that knows about dovetail tools, and lets you define your own if there isn't something in the library to match what you have. So F360 could do the job. I might do it that way (my machine is built to take vertical panels at the end of the machine, although couldn't quite manage 8' panels...) if I were just doing a one-off, but I could understand why someone might want a better package optimised for this specific job if they were doing it at all often. I could do V engraving CAM with F360, but it's a whole lot easier with vCarve. At a price, of course. I have tried to use F360 for some relatively complex slot-together tab-and-slot panels but it was hard work, even with a special plug-in, to add dog-bone fillets in the internal corners. I ended up designing the tab-and-slot panels in F360, then writing out the DXF designs, importing into vCarve, and using that for the fillets.

Powerful-but-complex, specialised-but-straightforward? I think you have to try the options and see what works for you. Especially if this is going to be part of a money-making process. A friend who runs a small sign-making business cheerfully bought vCarve; the £400 or so it cost will pay for itself in saved time in just a few jobs compared to "free" software. Gerry's software looks quite good against that. Ho hum - we all have to choose our own ways forward.

The Leigh jig has templates for some really strange-looking "dovetail" interlocking joints. Not sure how many of them are possible with CNC...

[magicniner]

If you have basic CAM and a clue you can generate the required paths for dovetail cutters to cut dovetails, at it's simplest you can tell your CAM that the cutter is the largest OD of the dovetail cutter, use the geometry at the base of the cutouts and fudge it a little to ensure that the Z moves take place off the part.

Taper cuts with taper cutters don't always need 3D CAM that can use the cutter shapes, just someone making intelligent use of the tools available to him,

- Nick

[Ger21]

In the strictest sense possibly not,

In any sense. Real dovetails create a mechanical joint. You can put a dovetail box together without glue.
The joints made with Tailmaker are totally reliant on the glue joint.

The whole purpose of software is to save time. Yes, you can model and CAM any type of joint in any CAD and CAM program.
But if you want to create an infinite variety of joints, then specialized software has huge advantages.

With JointCAM, enter a few numbers and click a button to see what it will look like. In less than ten minutes, you could look at 20 or more different variations. Once you're ready to cut, you click one button.

Also note that the Tailmaker joints are done using 3D carving, with a small ballnose tool, and take a long time. If you have a good, rigid machine, a dovetail joint done in JointCAM takes less than a minute.

The Leigh jig has templates for some really strange-looking "dovetail" interlocking joints. Not sure how many of them are possible with CNC...

All of them, if you want to spend the time to program them.

[magicniner]

Real dovetails create a mechanical joint.

But only in one direction, and you can knock them apart fairly easily, understanding the geometry of the "Half blind Dovetail Joint" would show that this joint is as mechanical in one direction as a conventional dovetail joint ;-)

Also note that the Tailmaker joints are done using 3D carving, with a small ballnose tool.

Erm, that is not correct,
And I quote - "All G-Code is to be executed with a 30-degree engraving or V-bit." ;-)

- Nick

[OMLCNC]

The Leigh jig has templates for some really strange-looking "dovetail" interlocking joints. Not sure how many of them are possible with CNC...

This is true, but they are expensive £564.96, I think (But they were made on a "Precision CNC Machine" in aluminium alloy according to the catalogue), so what could I do with my machine when its built? (Naughty)

No I won't do that I will be designing and programming my own or using someone else programme, its this infinite possibility idea of CNC that I like.

[Ger21]

Erm, that is not correct,
And I quote - "All G-Code is to be executed with a 30-degree engraving or V-bit." ;-)

My mistake, I was thinking of Fingermaker.
But the principle is the same. Lots of passes with a small bit, and no other option.

Bottom line, as with any CAM software, use whatever you like best.

[magicniner]

Lots of passes with a small bit, and no other option.

You can use as big a cutter as you like as it's the angle that matters, watching the video it's not particularly slow or limited to tiny cuts either.
The main feature is all the things it cuts only require the material to be mounted at 15 degrees from horizontal meaning ordinary routers can cut joints on the end of long boards.