My X-Carve first project

Well not my first ( I used the 2d drawings from inventables for the clamps to make a couple of clamps) but the most in-depth and coolest one to date.

I designed a hat and mitten rack for a friends children in SolidWorks, it provides 10 hangers per child for gloves, mittens, boots, or hats. It was designed around the constraints that it must all be machined from one 31" x 31" piece of wood. This includes the two halves and the base or feet. The two halves interlock to form what looks like a tree and that allows it to be small while having plenty of space for all of the drying needs of two small children.

V Carve Pro 7.0 is used for creating the code for my x carve to run in Mach4

I spaced out all the pieces in Solid Works by 7.5 mm to insure a 1/4 end mill could pass between all the parts without nicking and damaging any of the parts. I then used 1/4 Yonico end mill at 30ipm with a step down of 1.0 mm and a 40% step over to profile all of the pieces. I also used the Tabs function in V Carve to add a 1 inch tab that is 1.5 mm thick evenly spaced around the project every 4 inches, so that it would allow me to break these off and sand them smooth after the cutting was complete.

I also added the kids names to be machined into the halves so that I could paint in the pocket before sealing the project for water proofing.

The total run time was about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Comments

OPT laser - personalized notebook

One of the few OPT laser projects I have completed on my X-carve. 10mm/sec 45% power. Made for a friend of mine for his company so that he has a nicer notepad to use at customer facilities. I hope to have my ornament 2017 post and the installation of the laser posts up soon.

X-Carve calibration

I followed these steps: for the X and Y using the same shinwa machinist rule and an engraving bit: I used a dial indicator to calibrate my Z axis as in this video I then calculated the change from the measured vs actual that I came up with from the initial setup and changed my settings in Mach4. I have not had to re-calibrate since I originally setup my X-Carve but I have also not pushed it too hard as of this point.

Poly, Cut, and Paint also Suckit Dust boot

I received my kickstarter backed Suckit Dust Boot and installed that before cutting out this sign. The installation was easy ( besides my non inventables stepper being a touch longer then expected), I had to remove my Z axis stepper and insert the pieces unlike teh directions which stated you should be able to get it in there without disassembly. But that was the hardest part. Everything else worked great and it functions great. Way less dust to contend with with the boot and vacuum going. With the new addition in place I cut my first practice poly, cut and paint sign for a local business www.quinnwoodbats.com they harvest and manufacture all their bats here in Maine. I sanded the whole thing smooth and cut the bracket pocket on the back so it will sit flush on the wall. Liberally added a few coats of poly as I knew I would be profile cutting the final shape and drips did not matter Carved a v-carve program with Mach4, 60 degree engrave bit for th...

PTO X-Carve

Search This Blog