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Does SheetCam TNG have the ability to estimate tool path time for a cut operation?

Captain's log, star date 2016-03-15:

I've experimented with cutting using a 2:1 water/alcohol mixture. It seems to offer the accelerated evaporation and lubricating properties of alcohol while...

The advice I found when researching spindles was that typically it would be advisable to run at or close to the maximum RPM it's capable of and adjusting other work parameters accordingly such as...

I'm not sure that would explain my particular case since running the same gcode twice will cause it to happen sometimes and not others. I'm sure it's something repeatable, some sequence of doing...

Pippin88, I took your advice and tried shallower angles from 1 to 3 degrees. It seems to help quite a bit.

I also tested dry cutting, wet cutting with isopropyl alcohol, and wet cutting with...

Two spindle stalls today while attempting to ramp in to 0.5 mm DOC at 15 degrees and 75 mm/min plunge rate. It was disappointing. The calculator suggests my spindle should be more than capable, but...

I've ordered a set of ten ball nose end mills. The flat end mills I ordered this week came in last night and are supposedly capable of plunging, but they look ever so slightly fish tailed. I'm...

For anyone who has used a speed/feed calculator like the one posted on page 1, how often is it that it is wrong in your experience? Some of the parameters I've tried produce very high feed rates...

I managed to get a bracket cut out tonight thanks to you guys. I continue to have difficulty with material vibration, but it did work. I'm thinking maybe I should secure some wood to the table and...

@charliex: I'll try a faster feed rate as suggested by the speeds and feeds calculator page. It's saying I should be doing something more like 700 mm/min. I had started at 50 or 100 but even that...

I currently lack a tachometer so I don't have a visual readout of spindle RPM. I've had to make many determinations based on sound instead which is less than ideal. How does one add a tach?

Greetings--long time since my last post. I've recently acquired a desktop milling machine with what appears to be a small 12k RPM, 200 watt DC spindle motor.

I've not had much luck doing some...

That is a really cool looking tool, Dylwad. I'll have to pick one up.

For anyone interested, the holes turned out well:
http://content.quadninja.com/image/misc/temp/2013-02-03b_sm.jpg

The...

The holes appear to gone well. They all fit quite easily. Tomorrow will see the holes being sunk at the top for the flat head bolts to fit into, too. This is all quite exciting.

Victor, people learn by gaining advice and gaining experience. I ask questions on a forum attended by those more experienced and capable than myself to gain that advice. Then, I go and get...

You guys are trying to read between the lines. I never said that the holes on the test templates I've done don't fit the bolts. They fit. I'm just picky and want it to be closer. When I say I'm...

Would it be more advisable to scribe instead of punch through my 1:1 paper printout? If the trick is to tap lightly and then rework the punch toward center before doing the main dent, I think I'll...

How do you do an accurate pilot hole in that case? That is the part I'm having trouble with--I can't seem to position holes right in the correct spot.

I could use some pointers for how to accurately position holes in metal. I'm trying to drill some precise holes in metal (by position; size isn't critical) but can't seem to get the holes placed...

It's official. I'm in love with DraftSight. It's a near-clone of the version of AutoCAD I remember. Most of the same commands work, too.

Thanks to you both.

DraftSight looks very promising! Thank you very much.

I'm hoping some of you might have a suggestion for a free or low-cost (~$100 or less) CAD package for doing basic 2D drawing. I cut my teeth on AutoCAD 2000 over a decade ago and am just not picking...

Prototyping at home isn't always about saving money. I often have an idea that I would like to try without waiting a week or more to get started. I imagine some others are similar. Personally, I...

Would using a dry lubricant like tungsten disulfide be suitable for the ball nuts? I was planning to use it for the linear rails anyway and it would be nice if I could use the same stuff.

Walky: Excellent information. That really answers a lot of questions that I wasn't sure about. I am however concerned by how freely you suggest the ball nuts should rotate. They're actually quite...

Question/Help Request Time:

As an aside, I do have an assembly question regarding the screws. I'm not sure how the blocks are supposed to attach exactly. There is a wide block and a thin block. ...

Preface, Motivation, and Goal
Hello, folks. Last summer I finally became confident that I might be able to build a basic CNC machine. My desire has always been to be able to mill my circuit boards...

I don't know if it is, but it certainly looks like the same VFD driver and spindle that Keling sells. If it is, it should be of respectable quality even if not regarded as top of the line. I've got...

How much runout is considered to be "pretty good"? The Keling comes with one that's rated for 0.2 mils.

I have four quick questions regarding collets on spindle motors. I've recently purchased the 2.2 KW spindle from Keling which comes with an ER20 collet. I chose this because as I understand it the...