Hi guys,

Thought I'd post an update, although this is becoming more of a "learning machining" thread than a build log as such.....

I've still not found the climb vs. conventional setting in Cut3D, so have been persevering with the alternating raster strategy that get's output. This has been OK and in fact after running over the whole machine and torqueing everything down, it seems to be making less of a noise about it.

Roughing passes seem to be OK, but I'm not too impressed with the Vectric Cut3D finishing passes, which when using a ball nose cutter are not coming out very smooth (i.e. I have ridge lines), so I probably have a setting wrong somewhere. In the meantime I think I'll be using Jonathan's advise and leaving 0.1mm+ clearance and then run another pass to finish (both using the roughing strategy).

I've also tried my first 2 sided part, which cut fine apart from my bolts must have moved a few tenths of a mm, as I had an nice offset step in it.....doh. Anyway I also then tried the same part using the precision vice from ArcEuro, which is a great bit of kit. I also had some "fun" here, when my z axis zero to touch plate worked great and then I got cocky and tried the zero wizard (I'm using the 2010 screenset). This resulted in the tool sailing through my touch plate and leaving half of it lying on the bed when it hit the workpiece and continued on....at least I can use the shank as a new touch tool I guess (need to watch the tutorial video again to see what I did wrong there).

I think it was one of Dean's posts where he reckons more time is spent working out work holding than actual milling and I think I'm finding that to be very true.

Also I have been using APT for my 2 flute cutters, but I am need of some 3mm end mills which have a 3mm shank rather than APT's normal fatter shanked variant. Any suggestions for suppliers are more than welcome (also need to try 1 flute cutters).

Still on my to do list are wire up my limit switches, wire up and get the MACH3 spindle control plugin working and also look into a better misting solution than my airbrush, as that's not very elegant (anyone know where you can get misting nozzles and the rest of the stuff required).

I did however, manage to use some spare sheet Perspex/plexi-glass with some case making extrusions and build a bit of a "fish tank" affair for the machine a. to keep some of the swarf at bay and b. retain the excess "misting coolant".

I'll try and get some video up again soon, but I will likely be busy with a new lathe this week if all goes well.

Later


Chris