This should be required watching for those getting into the hobby. As the owner of a 95% functional 3D printer, I can say that some of these "basic" lessons are hard-learned without the big picture.
You said CNC machines do exactly what you tell them. Mine does if I sit there watching it, If I go make a cup of tea while its running, it usually messes up the work or tries to burn my garage down.
I popped out for 5 mins, came back to find the cutter broken and the spindle motor filling the garage with smoke, so glad it didn't actually catch fire lol Sit watching it and it's as good as gold!
Unless it weirds out...... Mine almost never weirds out. I take a close at the G-code first 2 ways, the simulator in V-carve and again in mach 3 cutting air. If those prove out, the G-code is good and I just run it from the first good run on. Any weridnes is due to a computer failure or some rare power problem. I am usually out in the shop doing other things and I dont actually watch, but I DO listen. If I'm in the house with it running I keep an eyeball on it via a cheap ass web cam on a cell phone.. :)
Another great video thanks Tony, made me chuckle. I made my 1st CNC machine about 10 years ago and have been building and improving them ever since, bootstrapping my way up. It's a very addictive hobby. My wife commented the other day that I'd not made anything for ages - just new machines, metal parts and upgrades and what we really needed were some wooden things for the Christmas fair (not pig shaped chopping boards luckily). She was right and I knew it . . .
Really enjoyed the basic approach in this video, extremely useful for me as i am heading into cnc:ing things spring 2017 and do not have my machine yet! THANKS!
Wow, I'm actually really surprised nobody has noticed your comment here. I have been loving your MMX videos and I'm glad watching This Old Tony has helped your process!
ive just got a raspberry pi and fancy trying a home built router, engraver miller thingy. watching this has answered a lot of questions i haven't even asked yet about what happens after I put my spanners away. Thanks Tony, im slowly working my way through all your older films.
There may be thousands of CNC videos on UA-cam supposedly for beginners... But this has to be the best. Easy to understand and easily explained (and comical!). For any beginners in to this great hobby, it's a steep learning curve and often difficult to get to grips with all the technical terms. This video does a fantastic job. Thanks to This Old Tony and I've hit that subscribe button immediately.
Your videos helped me alot while i was scratching my head thinking where to start!! I finally managed to cut some metal with my cnc plasma table built from scratch! Thank you for your videos. Your comments are more than welcome. 🙏
I've watched this a dozen times. For simply cuts like this, its better than the Fusion 360 courses; and you go through the CAM steps just as fast as they do.
I just started my collage accreditation in CNC lathe manufacturing technician because I've been very interested in it and you pushed me to do it thanks Tony!
Your awesome old tony !!!my learning skills tend wonder at a confusing matter or it could be just over explanation ...but the way you explained everything was super easy to fallow and understood right away in one shot ...no going back it all made since one and done ...you the best old tony!!!!!
Cons of a manual Lathe / mill : You need someone skilled machinist. Else pieces get ruined and someone gets hurt. Cons of a CNC lathe/ mill : You need a skilled operator. Else everything gets ruined and someone's wallet gets hurt.
Wow, I've watched a boatload of CNC videos trying to figure out how everything ties together . Wish I'd found this one (and #2) in the very beginning. It would have saved me a lot of head scratching. Well done!
I took a community college class on writing G-Code for CNC mills and I don’t regret it at all and it has helped me use my CNC mill so much better. The class literally just consisted of getting handed a print and having to write a program to make the part on the print. Knowing how to write a program like that has made doing some projects so much easier because I’ve realized I can write a program by hand way faster than I can go through CAM to make the program. Anyway, point is it’s definitely worth learning g-code especially just the basics as it does make editing programs way easier and you will actually realize that sometimes if you want to do something simple, it’s way faster to write the program by hand then to use CAM.
Tony I am in awe of your skills, knowledge, ability to teach with humour and film making skills. Keep it up big dog! I'm an accountant, I have no idea what you're saying 70% of the time, but it's so cathartic for me... One day I will have a man-shop
Very funny and high quality videos. Honestly, you never give too much info or too little and the entire video is engaging. "What you just witnessed is technically called a trainwreck-"
Thanks for the great video, perfect explanation of the process from CAD to CNC. I've always been curious about how the CAM process fitted into the whole thing and this video really helped clear it up.
I'd like to go into CNC router stuff, creating things. I do not yet a cnc router yet. I'm glad to have found this video. It's straight forward, perfect for dummies or newbies. Thanks for sharing. I'd like to build a CNC router thing myself. A small one. For a start 12 by 12 inches X,Y would be totally sufficient for me, and a Z of max 3 inches (2 inches might or even less might by sufficient as well). I'm looking for a channel which shows the building step by step in literally mini-steps (every screw, wiring, etc. because I do not have a technical background. Total costs for all materials (except the spindle/router itself) should not exceed 200-250 USD. Ideally when every part necessary for the build has an (affiliate) link (preferable in Europe because of shipping and import duties). The construction should be suitable for routers and Dremel (like) rotary-tools. Do you know (or anyone else who is reading this) if such a channel/video already exists? And if it does not can somebody take the challenge to make a video like this? I think many people will be interested in something like this and the maker of it can earn money through the affiliate links.
Good job with the video"! Much needed basic information for all who are interested tied neatly together with the trade mark "This Old Tony"humor and style- You have a strong talent for making these videos- look forward to seeing more from you in the future, keep up the good work :)
I'm a member of a maker space where we have a CNC router, mini mill, lathe, 3D printers and laser. I strongly feel this video should be the first thing you see when you start and of the class. And it will be when we teach a class. I'll will certainly share this video with everyone. Thank you.
Well, it's a rainy day here in NH and I just finished a This Old Tony binge-watch extravaganza. Thanks This Old Tony! Maybe someday I'll return the favor and you can waste time not finishing your projects while watching me screw around with my stone toys. You're an inspiration! All my best and thanks. BTW, anyone ever mention you sound very much like Alan Alda? There's $$$ in narration too you know...
I don't have a machine, but hope to some day get one, mainly, to cut out shapes. Mostly chip board, about 1/4 in thick. At age 65, this gal is doubtful I can figure things out, but this gave me a little incentive. Thanks for the lesson and the humor.
I get youtube notifications when someone thinks that. Then I scramble to make a video. You ever notice sometimes youtube takes a little longer to load up? Thats me stalling. ;)
Hey Tony, DMG is the big daddy in the digital tent all platform although this reductive process is being challenged by 3D printing and laser technology. Nothing stands still!!! Another great video, full of subtle gems, god know how long they take to make, but one thing is for sure, greatly appreciated out here in UA-cam land. Kindest regards. Joe.
Sometimes you will modify code for: 1. Time reduction. A. Retract heights (z) and other unnecessary moves can be minimized making only seconds of difference on each part but when you run thousands of those parts that can add up to hours each week depending on how many you make. B. Surface finish adjustments. Those who work on molds like the scallops (steps) to be very specific sizes so that the surface finish will match what the print is calling for. 2. Machine Specifications. A. Say you have 100 machines in your CNC cell and they are 10 different makes and models, you will still program on the same software, When you “post” the program there will be a configuration for each model of machine. Sometimes the “post” has to be configured with the headers and footers for your specific machine, in other words the codes your machine needs to initiate and cancel commands. B. Now companies try to buy similar makes and models as it takes money for a programmer to adjust your “post” (compiler you might say) for each different machine. If your company can’t pay for the “post” configurations then yeah the CNC programmer makes the changes to the code. 3. Collision prevention. A. Older programmers remember the days when you did not have simulation software all we had was black screens with green text, sometimes orange. Before intelligent machining became common you would have to reduce velocity approaching a corner to prevent gouging. We didn’t have all the visuals back then all you had was numbers to look at, in fact on the EDMs we ran programs were loaded by punch tape. B. When you tested the program at maybe 25% feed you just had to be diligent to watch for clamps, a vice edge, or on the lathe the back of the boring bar hitting the housing. There is so much more. I like this new technology so easy! However it’s difficult to forget how it was and to trust these new Software driven simulators. We didn’t even have swarf (chip) conveyors.
Thanks for the videoTony. I just bought a small Arduino powered CNC to play with (Genmitsu CNC Router 3018), and needed a refresher course from my CNC training on 'real' machines about 20 years ago. Times have sure changed ... but the basics haven't.
Get out of my head! I just started thinking about building a CNC router again, and now this video pops up. I'll take that as a sign... Great video as usual.
Thanks Tony for this great basic CNC video. I have been doing CNC but seen also that there is a lack of good basic CNC videos that puts all the basic parts to gather. It would be awesome if you could continue doing these videos where you tell about CNC milling from a beginner aspect.
Excellent video. I've learned so much from all of your videos. I'm hoping to get my small shop equipped with some CAM software soon. We currently write all of our g-code on the controller. It's not terribly hard and the 3 of us programmers got pretty good at telling the machine what we want it to do. I guess the point of this comment is that there might be more people that write their own g-code on the fly that you might think. Depending on the complexity of the parts you're making, CAM software isn't always necessary. I hope this didn't come off in the typical youtube commenter tone. I really appreciate your videos and hope you make more.
Tony, Here's an example of when a ME has to create G-Code the old way. I had to create a process grinding a Curvic coupling on a horizontal 5 axis grinder. This grinder traditionally manufactures parts in a entirely different way than they way in which a Curvic coupling is generated. Our CAM software's post processor is custom tuned to the explicit way in which we create programs for a non-Curvic process. The code itself only contained three actual machine moves, G0... G1... and G0... The other 400 some odd lines were heavily parameterized calculations for the machine moves, dressing, position calculations, etc. It's rare I have to create my own G-Code, but it does pop up from time to time.
i love watching your channel ! i run a a few machines at work .. couple matsuuras and a robodrill .. its so much fun it barely feels like work at all !
umm.. picking the right tool is sort of well, fundamentally crucially important. The CNC won't care but your part will. Choose carefully. Don't use the eye liner, makes a mess and if over done just looks slutty.
This was a huge help! Super simple (mykinda funny) and great suggestions. I just picked up a 6090 cnc router used with a pc that has mach 3. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing until now. Thanks. I still need a lot of help.
I love you so much ! Seriously you made me so happy thank you for all the knowledge with just the perfect blend of humour to keep us alert you are brilliant!
Hi Tony! First let me say that your Content is both entertaining and factual. But can I just point out something small! Please don't hate me for this! With the chapter 3 CNC. You have to define where 0,0 is! Your sample code of L1 x2 L2 y2 L3 x-2 L4 y-2 Will result in unconnected line. With a line two inches at the bottom , 2 inches going up on the right hand side. 4 inches going from the right hand of the shape to the left hand side on the top and then a line that ends up 4 inches below the start line! What's needed is this code to make a square. Let's set 0,0 to the bottom left hand corner. So L1 x2 L2 y-2 L3 x0 L4 y0 That would make a square!
Hello, I am developing a CNC addon for Blender. You can review the links. Blender nCNC Addon; www.github.com/manahter/nCNC nCNC - Simply Engrave Text in 5 minutes ua-cam.com/video/CYr4NhJMGCA/v-deo.html
I enjoyed that. Didn't learn anything I didn't already know, but as far as entertainment goes it was a winner. Might give Fusion a look one day, but for now SketchUp is hard to go past for quick simple drawings.
I noticed you traced the outline of your pig to put it in Autodesk fusion, you most likely already know this, but take something like Inkscape put the pig in and have it trace the bit map of the big which will be converted into paths, save as SVG and there ya go or if you want to do more stuff you can import the svg into Autodesk and it already have the lines needed in this case an outline. Like I said you may already know, just throwing out what little advice I have, maybe you know something more about it where you dont do it that way or why it shouldn't be.
good video Tony - you really have a good way of telling things, i enjoyed it, i work with CAD professionally and build 2 .. (and a half) 3d printer in the past, but i never tried CAM ... im going for it now, -Kenneth
Solid schooling going on in this video! I plan on doing a similar video for casting. Then doing a cast aluminum cnc mill. Hope I can match your teacher skills. Keep it up. Best Matt
Very helpful! Im currently planning my cnc build and while thats in the planning stages, Im obsessively trying to learn how to use it before it's built. I have a 3D printer that i built myself as a kit. I always seem to dive into massive projects with wicked learning curves. Anyways, thank you for a great video!
Tony Baby... Where were you and your helpful vids ten years ago when I needed you? I hired on as a manual machinist in a medium sized machine shop, and was told shortly afterward that I would have to learn to run programs on a CNC machining center. Even when I told them that I couldn't even spell CNC, they wouldn't listen, and now I am one... go figure. peace-out.. Tc
Another great video thanks Tony! I'm getting my head around torch height control for the cnc plasma I'm building, I believe Mach 3 will be able to handle that as well
Lots of CNC machines will take X2 as go to X.0002in It is best to always tell it what units you are using (mm or inches) and always use decimal points. (some parameters never use decimal points, but the error would probably be safe)
Do it.. nearly anyone with a bit above average sawdust creating experience can make one with accurcery in the range of say 15 thou, a bit smaller than a 64th using most any table saw a bit better than one of the $150 throw aways. Even these will do it but you will have to fiddle around with it some. Plans are all over the net. Even with one of those $3000 buck fancy cabinet saws most of the accuracy is in the operator and working within at least a 64th tolerance. The tighter tolerances you can work to will always make a better CNC. All the electronics needed, 3 medium sized steppers, the power supply for them and the interface board that will run using Mach 3 and a typical 10 to 15 year old desktop using a parallel port will set you back around 200 bux or so. Mach 4 that is out now is usb based. Add about $100 to go USB as it requires a smarter interface board than the 20 buck breakout board for parallel. You can do one on the cheap side using one of the Audrino based controllers around but these are a tad above junk in my opinion. I have used both, Mach 3 on my TOTAL home brew, and one of the Invetables that uses the audrino setup. The $150 cost of Mach 3 is worth EVERY penny. To be fair the adurino based ones do work but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! The real difference in cost between the Adriano setup and Mach 3 running parallel is around say $75 and you need to find an old PC somewhere. I see them all the time in hock shops for around a hundred including the monitor and often many people have one stashed somewhere you can get for FAR less. Ma ch 3 will run on windows 2000 and XP and windows 7 (32 bit only) just fine. serial numbers for W2k and Xp can be found on the net.. I DO NOT recommend hooking the PC to the net if you use it for the controller. It could cause all sorts of weird problems when its cutting wood. Just trot your G-code to it with a thumb drive. If you are thinking about CNC I STRONGLY suggest you download the demo version of V-carve destop and play with it. It is FULLY functional with no time limits and one exception. It has only a demo post processor to generate a g-code file to look at. Fusion 360 Is FAR more complex and has a very steep learning curve. Most people with only the basic info in this video will hav it well understood in an afternoon. If you cant figgure out V-cave then DONT EVEN consider a CNC. My setup is a 2 by 3 feet TOTAL home brew with a cutting envelope of X-25 inches Y-18.5 and Z-6 inches ( depend on the bit Length) Running Mach 3 on a 16 year old PC I stashed away a number of years back running a bootleg copy of XP. Same serial number of the not so old XP box I still use once in a while. So basically the computer was free. And it still runs faster than My win7 (64 bit) laptop.. The electronics in my controller is a 36 volt power supply, a cheap breakout box, 3 stepper drivers and 3 nena 23 450 oz/in steppers. The driver Under the adurino in that setup wont handle steppers of that strength but it will handle the 120 or so oz/in ones any of the nema 17s. I got right at $900 total in it including Mach 3. That does not include any software beyond Mach 3. This is almost identical to my electronics except all 3 axis are the 450 oz/in steppers. buildyourcnc.com/electronicscombo.aspx The software, Mach 3, Vcarve desktop, C- as V-carve replaced it cambam ( only rarey as V-carve replaced it. Fusion 360, Sketchup ( sometimes), Autocad Inventor ( really old version), Soliidworks, and tinkering with few of the open source CAD and CAM related ones. Inventer and Solidworks are in the 2 to 3 THOUSAND price range but I got them either free or for under a hundred due to my connection with a local college before I retired. Fusion 360 has a lot of the same features as either of these. So GO FOR IT! Just one warning --- A CNC can be very addicting.. :)
John Ware how do you figure Mach 3 is worth $150? LinuxCNC is free, and LinuxCNC, and Mach 3 are both forks of the same NIST EMC project. So essentially the exact same thing. Except Mach 3 is no longer developed, and it costs money, while LinuxCNC is free, and is still being actively developed.
First off let me say this--- Mach 3 is based on using a computer with a parallel port in its navigate mode. There is what looks like a parallel to USB converter available to use it with any USB based controller. BE aware a real Parallel to USB converter WILL NOT work. It IS an older controller but still a viable option. $150 Mach 4 is the new version. Its based on using USB as the navitave mode. There is also a parallel port driver available to run it on the same box you may have running Mach 3. $50 bux for the driver. It looks different based on the screen shots and I do NOT have any info on it that cant be found at artsoft. I havent used it but I would gues it is very close to Mach 3 in functionality. Goes for $200 ( I think) Let me put it to you this way.. EVERY thing is opinions and "free" Is never really free. You wind up paying in some way. That being said I AM FULLY capable of taking any PC or Mac around, removing the BIOS chip and go from there and write my own dedicated controller using any of a number of compilers available. In fact I could do it starting with just a bunch of chips. Did that for a living for a number of years. I started dealing with computers BEFORE the first CPU chip even existed. Why I don't is the time it would take. I would rather stick some "off the shelf" stuff together and spend time chewing on wood. That is to inform you I have a background of dealing with computer stuff going back around 50 years so I DO know whats under the hood so to say. Stacking some sort of controller on top of. any os is not the most reliable way of doing it but the cost to do it would be astronomical for some company to do it. Besides a failure somewhere wont kill anyone. Less running code interactions reduces the failure modes. Bit bangers these days almost always relay on some os to handle the low level stuff. Its simpler and cheaper to do. This is ONE place the adurino based controllers have it over any PC but even those dont start with the real internals of the chip. It has a sort of OS that basically translates the what the C compiler usually used feeds the on-board compiler in a line by line interpreter mode. If you can deal with the chip in its native instruction set like a true compiler that chip is capable of some amazing things. I might mess with one some day if I get bored. G- code is NOT universal in nature the way you would think.. How it acts on the material your cutting is heavily dependent on the controller. For instance when Mach 3 makes say a circle It actually calculates a TRUE circle then sends the steppers the required steps to reduce the curve error to the lowest possible error thats actually determined by the resulion of the drive system. In essence its the same but where it differs the curve is not broken down to some set number of straight lines. Gerbil DOES NOT do this. It calculate a curve as a set number of straight lines. As above the resolution is also determined by your hardware as above. The curve may look the same by eyeball but its not. Wether the end result is an issue or not depends on your requirements. In addition many controllers out there DO NOT support the full G-code command set. That being said Mach 3 has the closest compliance to a true universal G-code action ive seen in a NON-Commercial dedicated controller. To be fair I haven't looked very seriously in to how close LinuxCNC deals with the complete G-code list. Also Mach 3 is fully supported by almost every CAD/CAM post processor out there. Cant say in Linux CNC is or is not as I dont use it Mach 3 is also super easy to modify in all sorts of ways such as adding an tool change feature to it among other add on features. On example, a "stock" mach 3 dosnt have a tool zero touch off in it. All it takes to add one is a few lines of code thats basically a modified version of C++ SOURCE! If you want to get real serious you can do stuff like having all your tooling in some sort of collit where the tool length is already in a table INSIDE mach 3. With that, a tool changer, and a zero reference plate ALL tool changes will take automatically and will all automatically be referenced to your specified Z zero point. In other words, FULL automation for serious production work. I use a manual tool change, so I don't have to have a separate tool path file or every tool used in a project. Grbel controllers MUST have a separate file for each tool. Cant say about Linux CNC. I just make ONE file with everything in it. Mach 3 just pulls clear of Z and pauses on a tool change command. I jog where ever its convent to do a bit change, change the bit and zero it with a touch plate and back up off some amount then hit cycle start. Mach 3 continues at the exact point it stopped and starts cutting. That feature ALONE is worth the $150 to me.. So assuming LinuxCNC cannot do that then ive "PAID" for free right there. Another thing I like about Mach 3 is sorta intangible. By the license agreement you can have it on as many computers as you want with ONE license fee but only one copy on a real CNC. I have a copy on my CNC running on a 17 year old PC out in the shop, one on ny old desktop, another on an old laptop and one on my new laptop. I use those to check the G-code running BEFORE I head out to the shop. Best G-code checker ive found for free (Note I paid for it so truly free don't exist there either ) Mach 3 is almost as simple as it gets to tailor for any thing using up to 4 axis. Plasma cutters, mills, 3d printers and 2 video motion control systems I know of run on it. Calibration to make what you want to what you get in movement is also super easy. No sort of cryptic commands, or screwing around guessing at some number to put in any sort of table either. It even has a built in distance traveled routine capable of resolving town to around .00005 in. Same goes for setting the ramp up and down rates and maximen G0 speeds to. I have done this for a couple of Inventabes and a home brew using the same controller and its a royal pain in the ass compared to Mach 3. The above is why IN my opinion and for my needs and ease of use mach 3 wins hands down. You do have the right to disagree and it dont bother me at all if you do. Your needs and budget are not the same as mine either. The bottom line ------- For any one you should take an in depth study of your needs and any programs you are looking at for possible use. Goes for controllers and CAD/CAM anything esle CNC related you may be looking at. DO the same for those. Money spent up front for a good CAM/CAD is often a better choice than all the hassle with what can be involved using a bunch of opensource single function programs to get the same results as a good CAD/CAM doing all you need in one place.
John Ware The bottom line is you've never used LinuxCNC so absolutely everything you say is pure speculation. Having used LinuxCNC myself I'd have to say you're way off base too. If you are even a tenth as technically savvy as you think your are then trying LinuxCNC out for yourself should be a trivial exercise. less effort than the last comment you made. Here big guru, I'll even get you the link to the instructions linuxcnc.org/docs/html/getting-started/getting-linuxcnc.html There's a whole 4 steps, and after step 3 you'll already be running LinuxCNC. Think you can handle it?
A friend of mine bought a 3 axis Haas CNC machine about 15 years ago. My friend had no computer experience, I had no machining experience. Together we didn't figure out to use the machine, but we did have some really terrifying moments breaking some tools.
I took cad in college 7 + years ago and play with the 3d printer every day. Since then I haven't either one and was wondering of any good books to get caught backup on.
This should be required watching for those getting into the hobby. As the owner of a 95% functional 3D printer, I can say that some of these "basic" lessons are hard-learned without the big picture.
Based on this video and your comment, I tried cutting a piece of wood with my 3D printer.
Now my nozzle is broken. Did I do something wrong?
Did you use a .2mm nozzle? those break really easily. Try changing your nozzle size to 40mm
yep should have used an eye liner brush instead of an nozzle.
Tilobida Toothbrushes work too
Agreed!
Best Matt
"Because I have an illness." 😂 Tony, these videos are outstanding. Hilarious, informative, just incredible well done.
Crafted Workshop. 😆
You said CNC machines do exactly what you tell them. Mine does if I sit there watching it, If I go make a cup of tea while its running, it usually messes up the work or tries to burn my garage down.
WhitwellMike B yeah mine too, sometimes it just has a mind of its own. A bit like my dog, faithful and obedient...... most of the time
WhitwellMike B yah, I had the same problem with my laser cutter, nearly had to tap into the home owners insurance...
I popped out for 5 mins, came back to find the cutter broken and the spindle motor filling the garage with smoke, so glad it didn't actually catch fire lol Sit watching it and it's as good as gold!
Lock the door. Murphy is getting in.
Unless it weirds out...... Mine almost never weirds out. I take a close at the G-code first 2 ways, the simulator in V-carve and again in mach 3 cutting air. If those prove out, the G-code is good and I just run it from the first good run on. Any weridnes is due to a computer failure or some rare power problem. I am usually out in the shop doing other things and I dont actually watch, but I DO listen. If I'm in the house with it running I keep an eyeball on it via a cheap ass web cam on a cell phone.. :)
Another great video thanks Tony, made me chuckle. I made my 1st CNC machine about 10 years ago and have been building and improving them ever since, bootstrapping my way up. It's a very addictive hobby. My wife commented the other day that I'd not made anything for ages - just new machines, metal parts and upgrades and what we really needed were some wooden things for the Christmas fair (not pig shaped chopping boards luckily). She was right and I knew it . . .
Really enjoyed the basic approach in this video, extremely useful for me as i am heading into cnc:ing things spring 2017 and do not have my machine yet! THANKS!
Wow, I'm actually really surprised nobody has noticed your comment here. I have been loving your MMX videos and I'm glad watching This Old Tony has helped your process!
Summer 2020 : I think we can safely say you got the hang of it, Martin. 😂😂😂
@@devincastellucci4627 and
I thought G-code was the rules that rappers lived by. Great vid.
Greg's Garage I think that's OG-Code Dawg
Thanks... My street cred is LOW.
I'm always here to help. Haha
hahaha
Sounds about right
These are the types of videos that no one makes, and what makes the whole hobby so overwhelming to get into! Thanks Tony!
ive just got a raspberry pi and fancy trying a home built router, engraver miller thingy. watching this has answered a lot of questions i haven't even asked yet about what happens after I put my spanners away. Thanks Tony, im slowly working my way through all your older films.
There may be thousands of CNC videos on UA-cam supposedly for beginners... But this has to be the best. Easy to understand and easily explained (and comical!). For any beginners in to this great hobby, it's a steep learning curve and often difficult to get to grips with all the technical terms. This video does a fantastic job. Thanks to This Old Tony and I've hit that subscribe button immediately.
Your videos helped me alot while i was scratching my head thinking where to start!!
I finally managed to cut some metal with my cnc plasma table built from scratch!
Thank you for your videos.
Your comments are more than welcome.
🙏
I've watched this a dozen times.
For simply cuts like this, its better than the Fusion 360 courses; and you go through the CAM steps just as fast as they do.
Cant find the eyeliner brush in the fusion360 tool library :-(
You sure you have the latest Fusion update?
FOUND IT!, @Pete did you check the makeup table dropdown tab? it's about "45min late for dinner" down the list
Im gonna create a custom tool, do you know what the bristle length and bristle pitch and bristle density should be? Thanks.
Also check out my shredder, it strikes me as a This Old Tony type of project ;-) haha
You can make a custom tool in Fusion, but you might want to machine something to put your face in the right place if you are attached to your eyes.
I just started my collage accreditation in CNC lathe manufacturing technician because I've been very interested in it and you pushed me to do it thanks Tony!
Your awesome old tony !!!my learning skills tend wonder at a confusing matter or it could be just over explanation ...but the way you explained everything was super easy to fallow and understood right away in one shot ...no going back it all made since one and done ...you the best old tony!!!!!
Cons of a manual Lathe / mill : You need someone skilled machinist. Else pieces get ruined and someone gets hurt.
Cons of a CNC lathe/ mill : You need a skilled operator. Else everything gets ruined and someone's wallet gets hurt.
Tony says, *" because I have an illness"* that's why we're all here........lol.
As an Applications Engineer for DMG Mori and a fan of your channel, it's nice to see you showing some love :)
Wow, I've watched a boatload of CNC videos trying to figure out how everything ties together . Wish I'd found this one (and #2) in the very beginning. It would have saved me a lot of head scratching. Well done!
I took a community college class on writing G-Code for CNC mills and I don’t regret it at all and it has helped me use my CNC mill so much better. The class literally just consisted of getting handed a print and having to write a program to make the part on the print. Knowing how to write a program like that has made doing some projects so much easier because I’ve realized I can write a program by hand way faster than I can go through CAM to make the program. Anyway, point is it’s definitely worth learning g-code especially just the basics as it does make editing programs way easier and you will actually realize that sometimes if you want to do something simple, it’s way faster to write the program by hand then to use CAM.
T.O.T. - Just found your channel not all that long ago and I have to say... Very nicely done! Thanks for all the tips, tricks, and everything elses.
Tony I am in awe of your skills, knowledge, ability to teach with humour and film making skills.
Keep it up big dog!
I'm an accountant, I have no idea what you're saying 70% of the time, but it's so cathartic for me...
One day I will have a man-shop
Thanks David!
Very funny and high quality videos. Honestly, you never give too much info or too little and the entire video is engaging.
"What you just witnessed is technically called a trainwreck-"
Thanks for the great video, perfect explanation of the process from CAD to CNC. I've always been curious about how the CAM process fitted into the whole thing and this video really helped clear it up.
Glad it helped, thanks MrCranky!
I'd like to go into CNC router stuff, creating things. I do not yet a cnc router yet. I'm glad to have found this video. It's straight forward, perfect for dummies or newbies.
Thanks for sharing.
I'd like to build a CNC router thing myself. A small one. For a start 12 by 12 inches X,Y would be totally sufficient for me, and a Z of max 3 inches (2 inches might or even less might
by sufficient as well). I'm looking for a channel which shows the building step by step in literally mini-steps (every screw, wiring, etc. because I do not have a technical background.
Total costs for all materials (except the spindle/router itself) should not exceed 200-250 USD.
Ideally when every part necessary for the build has an (affiliate) link (preferable in Europe because of shipping and import duties).
The construction should be suitable for routers and Dremel (like) rotary-tools.
Do you know (or anyone else who is reading this) if such a channel/video already exists?
And if it does not can somebody take the challenge to make a video like this?
I think many people will be interested in something like this and the maker of it can earn money through the affiliate links.
I really really wish I had found this video 6 months ago. Thank you for producing such an enjoyable and informative video!
Phenomenal! Very comprehensive overview. Great presentation, I especially appreciated the humor.
Lol great video. I've been a CNC machinist for 18 years and I found this video entertaining and informative.
I just love your sens of humour, you would be a great teacher Mr. Tony!
Just got my CNC and this video was a great intro vid for me. Appreciate your time on this. Helped me a bunch
Tony you make the best instructional videos i learned how to make springs with my lathe now this. Keep up the GREAT WORK.
A gem in video excellence once again, Tony. Really enjoy your work, Sir. Continued success!
I can't express how much I appreciate this f'n channel. If I come into some money soon I'll certainly try tho.
You really bring this all together and allowed me to make sense of a topic I know next to fighting about. Love this video and thank you!
Good job with the video"! Much needed basic information for all who are interested tied neatly together with the trade mark "This Old Tony"humor and style- You have a strong talent for making these videos- look forward to seeing more from you in the future, keep up the good work :)
Great overview video for us ‘newbies.’ Thanks Tony...you rock brother!!!
I'm a member of a maker space where we have a CNC router, mini mill, lathe, 3D printers and laser. I strongly feel this video should be the first thing you see when you start and of the class. And it will be when we teach a class. I'll will certainly share this video with everyone.
Thank you.
Great intro to CNC. Thanks for taking the time to make it. You're a good teacher.
Well, it's a rainy day here in NH and I just finished a This Old Tony binge-watch extravaganza. Thanks This Old Tony! Maybe someday I'll return the favor and you can waste time not finishing your projects while watching me screw around with my stone toys.
You're an inspiration! All my best and thanks.
BTW, anyone ever mention you sound very much like Alan Alda? There's $$$ in narration too you know...
I don't have a machine, but hope to some day get one, mainly, to cut out shapes. Mostly chip board, about 1/4 in thick. At age 65, this gal is doubtful I can figure things out, but this gave me a little incentive. Thanks for the lesson and the humor.
That was clearly illustrated and you shared plenty of valuable advices here. Thank you sir
You sir, have earned my subscription. These are the type of tutorials I need!
I have been watching design and CNC videos all day... and this video was the funniest. Hilarious! Also great video. But also hilarious.
I just logged onto youtube and I said to myself "I hope This Old Tony made a video", what a pleasant surprise!
I get youtube notifications when someone thinks that. Then I scramble to make a video. You ever notice sometimes youtube takes a little longer to load up? Thats me stalling. ;)
To be perfectly honest, what I thought was "I hope either Tony or Stefan made a video. Stefan let me down.
@@tuscanland Stefan from CNC Kitchen?
Hey Tony, DMG is the big daddy in the digital tent all platform although this reductive process is being challenged by 3D printing and laser technology. Nothing stands still!!! Another great video, full of subtle gems, god know how long they take to make, but one thing is for sure, greatly appreciated out here in UA-cam land. Kindest regards. Joe.
‘If you can’t explain it simply, then you don’t know it well enough’ ~ Albert Jefferson 1784BC. You Tony, explained it perfectly simply ;) Good man.
This was the best short explanation of how cnc work.! thank you
Don't even know who this guy is, but... I think I love him! He is probably the best explainer alive.
Sometimes you will modify code for:
1. Time reduction.
A. Retract heights (z) and other unnecessary moves can be minimized making only seconds of difference on each part but when you run thousands of those parts that can add up to hours each week depending on how many you make.
B. Surface finish adjustments.
Those who work on molds like the scallops (steps) to be very specific sizes so that the surface finish will match what the print is calling for.
2. Machine Specifications.
A. Say you have 100 machines in your CNC cell and they are 10 different makes and models, you will still program on the same software,
When you “post” the program there will be a configuration for each model of machine.
Sometimes the “post” has to be configured with the headers and footers for your specific machine, in other words the codes your machine needs to initiate and cancel commands.
B. Now companies try to buy similar makes and models as it takes money for a programmer to adjust your “post” (compiler you might say) for each different machine. If your company can’t pay for the “post” configurations then yeah the CNC programmer makes the changes to the code.
3. Collision prevention.
A. Older programmers remember the days when you did not have simulation software all we had was black screens with green text, sometimes orange. Before intelligent machining became common you would have to reduce velocity approaching a corner to prevent gouging.
We didn’t have all the visuals back then all you had was numbers to look at, in fact on the EDMs we ran programs were loaded by punch tape.
B. When you tested the program at maybe 25% feed you just had to be diligent to watch for clamps, a vice edge, or on the lathe the back of the boring bar hitting the housing.
There is so much more.
I like this new technology so easy! However it’s difficult to forget how it was and to trust these new Software driven simulators.
We didn’t even have swarf (chip) conveyors.
delicious crt fanuc displays
Thanks for the videoTony. I just bought a small Arduino powered CNC to play with (Genmitsu CNC Router 3018), and needed a refresher course from my CNC training on 'real' machines about 20 years ago. Times have sure changed ... but the basics haven't.
Get out of my head! I just started thinking about building a CNC router again, and now this video pops up. I'll take that as a sign... Great video as usual.
Thanks Tony for this great basic CNC video. I have been doing CNC but seen also that there is a lack of good basic CNC videos that puts all the basic parts to gather. It would be awesome if you could continue doing these videos where you tell about CNC milling from a beginner aspect.
Thanks Tony you are the only one to explain the Mach 3 function
I LOVE the new upload schedule. Love the videos, Tony.
You mean totally random? :) Thanks Joel!
Exactly!
Excellent video. I've learned so much from all of your videos. I'm hoping to get my small shop equipped with some CAM software soon. We currently write all of our g-code on the controller. It's not terribly hard and the 3 of us programmers got pretty good at telling the machine what we want it to do. I guess the point of this comment is that there might be more people that write their own g-code on the fly that you might think. Depending on the complexity of the parts you're making, CAM software isn't always necessary.
I hope this didn't come off in the typical youtube commenter tone. I really appreciate your videos and hope you make more.
Tony,
Here's an example of when a ME has to create G-Code the old way. I had to create a process grinding a Curvic coupling on a horizontal 5 axis grinder. This grinder traditionally manufactures parts in a entirely different way than they way in which a Curvic coupling is generated. Our CAM software's post processor is custom tuned to the explicit way in which we create programs for a non-Curvic process. The code itself only contained three actual machine moves, G0... G1... and G0... The other 400 some odd lines were heavily parameterized calculations for the machine moves, dressing, position calculations, etc. It's rare I have to create my own G-Code, but it does pop up from time to time.
Interesting! Thanks Supa.
What an excellent and witty primer to hobby CNC.
Best tutorial ever on basic CNC operations.
i love watching your channel !
i run a a few machines at work .. couple matsuuras and a robodrill .. its so much fun it barely feels like work at all !
Another great video....sure is a tease for this old dog to learn new tricks/tools
Tease? C'mon.. never too late!
This video tells more in 15 minutes than teachers taught me in my first two weeks of my second year in a machinist class. Nice!
umm.. picking the right tool is sort of well, fundamentally crucially important. The CNC won't care but your part will. Choose carefully. Don't use the eye liner, makes a mess and if over done just looks slutty.
hah!
I lie to my Vcarve all the time!!
what a tangled web we weave... ;)
I read that to the tune of Eddie Murphy's greatest hit...
This was a huge help! Super simple (mykinda funny) and great suggestions. I just picked up a 6090 cnc router used with a pc that has mach 3. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing until now. Thanks. I still need a lot of help.
I love you so much ! Seriously you made me so happy thank you for all the knowledge with just the perfect blend of humour to keep us alert you are brilliant!
Sincerely, Thank you very much. Retired and closer to my goal, bless you.
Good job :P I really love your humour, it's second to none when it comes to videos on engineering. Keep going, we love you :3
Hi Tony!
First let me say that your Content is both entertaining and factual.
But can I just point out something small!
Please don't hate me for this!
With the chapter 3 CNC.
You have to define where 0,0 is!
Your sample code of
L1 x2
L2 y2
L3 x-2
L4 y-2
Will result in unconnected line. With a line two inches at the bottom , 2 inches going up on the right hand side. 4 inches going from the right hand of the shape to the left hand side on the top and then a line that ends up 4 inches below the start line!
What's needed is this code to make a square.
Let's set 0,0 to the bottom left hand corner.
So
L1 x2
L2 y-2
L3 x0
L4 y0
That would make a square!
It might've been hard to see because i used black text on a black background, but I switched a lot between relative and absolute coordinates. ;)
Great intro for the basics. Wish I had a machine to inflict my newly gained confidence.
Thank you very much! I found this very helpful and I understand the CNC cutting process so much better now!
Hello,
I am developing a CNC addon for Blender. You can review the links.
Blender nCNC Addon;
www.github.com/manahter/nCNC
nCNC - Simply Engrave Text in 5 minutes
ua-cam.com/video/CYr4NhJMGCA/v-deo.html
I enjoyed that. Didn't learn anything I didn't already know, but as far as entertainment goes it was a winner. Might give Fusion a look one day, but for now SketchUp is hard to go past for quick simple drawings.
Where's the Abom BBQ cutting board??
Out by the BBQ of course. ;)
Its getting new control rods in the barbecue reactor after a trifling overload of a couple of dozen megawatts.
Thanks OT, I’ll use your info to get my CAD to get my stl to CAM so it become GC so I can CNC. You a true CNCG
Wow, great presentation, and CNC demystified! Great talent.
As usual very goon info in most entertaining way Tony. Thank you so much!
Very well done!!
Thanks!
I noticed you traced the outline of your pig to put it in Autodesk fusion, you most likely already know this, but take something like Inkscape put the pig in and have it trace the bit map of the big which will be converted into paths, save as SVG and there ya go or if you want to do more stuff you can import the svg into Autodesk and it already have the lines needed in this case an outline. Like I said you may already know, just throwing out what little advice I have, maybe you know something more about it where you dont do it that way or why it shouldn't be.
Thanks, I'll have to look into inkscape. To be honest, I don't do this sort of thing much, and I couldn't find a free Pig.svg :)
TheSteamPunkDevil Adobe illustrator also traces objects and converts them to vectors although Inkscape is free and does it also efficiently.
redlightson yea ive wanted to try ink scape but not even sure I would use it that much to justify it.
Q.
Will it realy go to top right x2, y2?
Or will it go to (x2y2)/1.414?
If programmed on 1 line is it polar or rectangular co-ordinates.
Simple, concise and great explanations for beginners
good video Tony - you really have a good way of telling things, i enjoyed it, i work with CAD professionally and build 2 .. (and a half) 3d printer in the past, but i never tried CAM ... im going for it now,
-Kenneth
Solid schooling going on in this video! I plan on doing a similar video for casting. Then doing a cast aluminum cnc mill. Hope I can match your teacher skills. Keep it up. Best Matt
Thanks Matt!
Centurial Inc I'd love to see a cast ally CNC. I've subbed you in anticipation.
Now don't let me down....😉
thermmaloverload
I got you thermmaloverload. I'll reward your sub in the coming months... :) Best Matt
Centurial Inc thanks Matt I'll look forward to it.
home cast components would be a nice upgrade to my current "beast" home built CNC.
I'm going to do the project as DIY as i can. Do you have anything posted about your "beast"?
Very helpful! Im currently planning my cnc build and while thats in the planning stages, Im obsessively trying to learn how to use it before it's built. I have a 3D printer that i built myself as a kit. I always seem to dive into massive projects with wicked learning curves. Anyways, thank you for a great video!
I love this video, as I am trying to learn CNC basics. I need more like this
Thank you for taking the time to make this! This video has been very helpful.
1:32 _"CAD, CAM, CNC, only backwards."_
I had to sub, just for your style.
SUCH an informative introduction! once again, sir. bravo!
Love the commentary, nice to see a bit of good humor added in. 😂😂
Well done as always, good overview of the process.
Tony Baby... Where were you and your helpful vids ten years ago when I needed you? I hired on as a manual machinist in a medium sized machine shop, and was told shortly afterward that I would have to learn to run programs on a CNC machining center. Even when I told them that I couldn't even spell CNC, they wouldn't listen, and now I am one... go figure.
peace-out.. Tc
hah
Great video going over the process from a distance, almost makes it look easy! Gasp!
Another great video thanks Tony! I'm getting my head around torch height control for the cnc plasma I'm building, I believe Mach 3 will be able to handle that as well
Lots of CNC machines will take X2 as go to X.0002in
It is best to always tell it what units you are using (mm or inches) and always use decimal points. (some parameters never use decimal points, but the error would probably be safe)
Awesome stuff as always, Tony! Heck, you've got me pretty tempted to make my own small CNC router...
Do it. I made a CNC machine for about $200.
Do it.. nearly anyone with a bit above average sawdust creating experience can make one with accurcery in the range of say 15 thou, a bit smaller than a 64th using most any table saw a bit better than one of the $150 throw aways. Even these will do it but you will have to fiddle around with it some. Plans are all over the net. Even with one of those $3000 buck fancy cabinet saws most of the accuracy is in the operator and working within at least a 64th tolerance. The tighter tolerances you can work to will always make a better CNC.
All the electronics needed, 3 medium sized steppers, the power supply for them and the interface board that will run using Mach 3 and a typical 10 to 15 year old desktop using a parallel port will set you back around 200 bux or so. Mach 4 that is out now is usb based. Add about $100 to go USB as it requires a smarter interface board than the 20 buck breakout board for parallel. You can do one on the cheap side using one of the Audrino based controllers around but these are a tad above junk in my opinion. I have used both, Mach 3 on my TOTAL home brew, and one of the Invetables that uses the audrino setup. The $150 cost of Mach 3 is worth EVERY penny. To be fair the adurino based ones do work but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! The real difference in cost between the Adriano setup and Mach 3 running parallel is around say $75 and you need to find an old PC somewhere. I see them all the time in hock shops for around a hundred including the monitor and often many people have one stashed somewhere you can get for FAR less. Ma ch 3 will run on windows 2000 and XP and windows 7 (32 bit only) just fine. serial numbers for W2k and Xp can be found on the net.. I DO NOT recommend hooking the PC to the net if you use it for the controller. It could cause all sorts of weird problems when its cutting wood. Just trot your G-code to it with a thumb drive.
If you are thinking about CNC I STRONGLY suggest you download the demo version of V-carve destop and play with it. It is FULLY functional with no time limits and one exception. It has only a demo post processor to generate a g-code file to look at. Fusion 360 Is FAR more complex and has a very steep learning curve. Most people with only the basic info in this video will hav it well understood in an afternoon. If you cant figgure out V-cave then DONT EVEN consider a CNC.
My setup is a 2 by 3 feet TOTAL home brew with a cutting envelope of X-25 inches Y-18.5 and Z-6 inches ( depend on the bit Length) Running Mach 3 on a 16 year old PC I stashed away a number of years back running a bootleg copy of XP. Same serial number of the not so old XP box I still use once in a while. So basically the computer was free. And it still runs faster than My win7 (64 bit) laptop.. The electronics in my controller is a 36 volt power supply, a cheap breakout box, 3 stepper drivers and 3 nena 23 450 oz/in steppers. The driver Under the adurino in that setup wont handle steppers of that strength but it will handle the 120 or so oz/in ones any of the nema 17s. I got right at $900 total in it including Mach 3. That does not include any software beyond Mach 3. This is almost identical to my electronics except all 3 axis are the 450 oz/in steppers. buildyourcnc.com/electronicscombo.aspx
The software, Mach 3, Vcarve desktop, C- as V-carve replaced it cambam ( only rarey as V-carve replaced it. Fusion 360, Sketchup ( sometimes), Autocad Inventor ( really old version), Soliidworks, and tinkering with few of the open source CAD and CAM related ones. Inventer and Solidworks are in the 2 to 3 THOUSAND price range but I got them either free or for under a hundred due to my connection with a local college before I retired. Fusion 360 has a lot of the same features as either of these.
So GO FOR IT! Just one warning --- A CNC can be very addicting.. :)
John Ware
how do you figure Mach 3 is worth $150? LinuxCNC is free, and LinuxCNC, and Mach 3 are both forks of the same NIST EMC project. So essentially the exact same thing. Except Mach 3 is no longer developed, and it costs money, while LinuxCNC is free, and is still being actively developed.
First off let me say this---
Mach 3 is based on using a computer with a parallel port in its navigate mode. There is what looks like a parallel to USB converter available to use it with any USB based controller. BE aware a real Parallel to USB converter WILL NOT work. It IS an older controller but still a viable option. $150
Mach 4 is the new version. Its based on using USB as the navitave mode. There is also a parallel port driver available to run it on the same box you may have running Mach 3. $50 bux for the driver. It looks different based on the screen shots and I do NOT have any info on it that cant be found at artsoft. I havent used it but I would gues it is very close to Mach 3 in functionality. Goes for $200 ( I think)
Let me put it to you this way.. EVERY thing is opinions and "free" Is never really free. You wind up paying in some way. That being said I AM FULLY capable of taking any PC or Mac around, removing the BIOS chip and go from there and write my own dedicated controller using any of a number of compilers available. In fact I could do it starting with just a bunch of chips. Did that for a living for a number of years. I started dealing with computers BEFORE the first CPU chip even existed. Why I don't is the time it would take. I would rather stick some "off the shelf" stuff together and spend time chewing on wood. That is to inform you I have a background of dealing with computer stuff going back around 50 years so I DO know whats under the hood so to say.
Stacking some sort of controller on top of. any os is not the most reliable way of doing it but the cost to do it would be astronomical for some company to do it. Besides a failure somewhere wont kill anyone. Less running code interactions reduces the failure modes. Bit bangers these days almost always relay on some os to handle the low level stuff. Its simpler and cheaper to do. This is ONE place the adurino based controllers have it over any PC but even those dont start with the real internals of the chip. It has a sort of OS that basically translates the what the C compiler usually used feeds the on-board compiler in a line by line interpreter mode. If you can deal with the chip in its native instruction set like a true compiler that chip is capable of some amazing things. I might mess with one some day if I get bored.
G- code is NOT universal in nature the way you would think.. How it acts on the material your cutting is heavily dependent on the controller. For instance when Mach 3 makes say a circle It actually calculates a TRUE circle then sends the steppers the required steps to reduce the curve error to the lowest possible error thats actually determined by the resulion of the drive system. In essence its the same but where it differs the curve is not broken down to some set number of straight lines. Gerbil DOES NOT do this. It calculate a curve as a set number of straight lines. As above the resolution is also determined by your hardware as above. The curve may look the same by eyeball but its not. Wether the end result is an issue or not depends on your requirements. In addition many controllers out there DO NOT support the full G-code command set. That being said Mach 3 has the closest compliance to a true universal G-code action ive seen in a NON-Commercial dedicated controller. To be fair I haven't looked very seriously in to how close LinuxCNC deals with the complete G-code list. Also Mach 3 is fully supported by almost every CAD/CAM post processor out there. Cant say in Linux CNC is or is not as I dont use it
Mach 3 is also super easy to modify in all sorts of ways such as adding an tool change feature to it among other add on features. On example, a "stock" mach 3 dosnt have a tool zero touch off in it. All it takes to add one is a few lines of code thats basically a modified version of C++ SOURCE! If you want to get real serious you can do stuff like having all your tooling in some sort of collit where the tool length is already in a table INSIDE mach 3. With that, a tool changer, and a zero reference plate ALL tool changes will take automatically and will all automatically be referenced to your specified Z zero point. In other words, FULL automation for serious production work.
I use a manual tool change, so I don't have to have a separate tool path file or every tool used in a project. Grbel controllers MUST have a separate file for each tool. Cant say about Linux CNC. I just make ONE file with everything in it. Mach 3 just pulls clear of Z and pauses on a tool change command. I jog where ever its convent to do a bit change, change the bit and zero it with a touch plate and back up off some amount then hit cycle start. Mach 3 continues at the exact point it stopped and starts cutting. That feature ALONE is worth the $150 to me.. So assuming LinuxCNC cannot do that then ive "PAID" for free right there. Another thing I like about Mach 3 is sorta intangible. By the license agreement you can have it on as many computers as you want with ONE license fee but only one copy on a real CNC. I have a copy on my CNC running on a 17 year old PC out in the shop, one on ny old desktop, another on an old laptop and one on my new laptop. I use those to check the G-code running BEFORE I head out to the shop. Best G-code checker ive found for free (Note I paid for it so truly free don't exist there either )
Mach 3 is almost as simple as it gets to tailor for any thing using up to 4 axis. Plasma cutters, mills, 3d printers and 2 video motion control systems I know of run on it. Calibration to make what you want to what you get in movement is also super easy. No sort of cryptic commands, or screwing around guessing at some number to put in any sort of table either. It even has a built in distance traveled routine capable of resolving town to around .00005 in. Same goes for setting the ramp up and down rates and maximen G0 speeds to. I have done this for a couple of Inventabes and a home brew using the same controller and its a royal pain in the ass compared to Mach 3.
The above is why IN my opinion and for my needs and ease of use mach 3 wins hands down. You do have the right to disagree and it dont bother me at all if you do. Your needs and budget are not the same as mine either.
The bottom line -------
For any one you should take an in depth study of your needs and any programs you are looking at for possible use. Goes for controllers and CAD/CAM anything esle CNC related you may be looking at. DO the same for those. Money spent up front for a good CAM/CAD is often a better choice than all the hassle with what can be involved using a bunch of opensource single function programs to get the same results as a good CAD/CAM doing all you need in one place.
John Ware
The bottom line is you've never used LinuxCNC so absolutely everything you say is pure speculation. Having used LinuxCNC myself I'd have to say you're way off base too.
If you are even a tenth as technically savvy as you think your are then trying LinuxCNC out for yourself should be a trivial exercise. less effort than the last comment you made.
Here big guru, I'll even get you the link to the instructions linuxcnc.org/docs/html/getting-started/getting-linuxcnc.html
There's a whole 4 steps, and after step 3 you'll already be running LinuxCNC. Think you can handle it?
I enjoyed that you used an radioshack TRS-80 color home computer for the Mach3 set up in the artwork lol.. I had one back in 1981 lol..
I just learned a GOB of new stuff! Thank you.
And my Mom had a Pig cutting board her Dad, my Granddad made. By hand!
This is such an incredible video!! Thanks so much. So much info and great tips.
Thanks for making the content you make. I've learned a ton watching your channel
A friend of mine bought a 3 axis Haas CNC machine about 15 years ago. My friend had no computer experience, I had no machining experience. Together we didn't figure out to use the machine, but we did have some really terrifying moments breaking some tools.
this was a fantastic video, thankyou. You have the right type of comedy lol
I forgot to reverse the steps, wooden pig is now lodged in my head, what is the undo procedure?
Maybe if you got some wooden carrots...
I took cad in college 7 + years ago and play with the 3d printer every day. Since then I haven't either one and was wondering of any good books to get caught backup on.
Thank you for this video. It's a great starting point for me.