Thanks Mark. I’m so glad to have found you on your site. You are an Exceptional Educator! Thank you for that. I am a first time user of CNC. I have invested Excess of $14K CDN in a New Yeti Precision Pro+ last April and am Still struggling to make it work At All. You have been a Great help in learning this( new to me) Micro soft Technology. I have used Apple most of my Life. It is a Huge Vertical Learning curve for me. But with your videos I hope to succeed someday soon I hope. Ps. There are others that just try to upsell, not you. You just stay with being devoted to the learning process. Thank you Mark. Dave B.
Thank you for your generosity and your kind words. I would highly recommend you go to Yeti's website and look for their support community/forum. They know your machine best. If you're using Vectric software, my channel is loaded with videos that'll help you learn the basics, then progressively more advanced topics. My primary focus has always been to help folks see that there's nothing secret or mystical about this. If I can learn it, so can you.
Thanks Mark I have Vetric V Carve Pro now. I will say I Now know I wish I never Bought this Machine. It is Over valued given what I have learned to date. Many bother others are much lower in cost such as infinity and Shapkoe. I was looking for a 48x96 inch table. So I went with these guys. Having learned the difficulties with dealing with a UK Co. I would have never done this. Now probably a garage sale and buy something better.
This is very helpful Mark. Thank you. I just set up my Avid CNC machine and I used all of your videos on how to calibrate. It is dead nuts calibrated. Now I get to try the Offsets. I will home first!! 🙂. Also, I love my dust boot from One Guy... I have been in contact with Keith. His is great to work with. I do not have a blast gate attached to the dust boot. So I created a crude block for the dust boot. I take the brushes off and then the cover attaches to the bottom of the boot with magnets. It works just okay. I have been in contact with Keith and he might make a 3D version of this that will fit better. Maybe I need to get a 3D printer. 🙂 Thanks again!
Thank you, Jay. You might want to check out the second fixture offset video I posted. I got a little deeper into it, and created 2 locations instead of just 1. ua-cam.com/video/NpQ5Fgwqaqk/v-deo.html
As always your patient, detailed explanation of the process is well recieved when it comes to the how and why. One thing I like to do is have various lengths of machined dowels so I don't have to remove them and eliminate the potential for interference.
Well done. I'm amazed when I watch UA-cam vids where creators time and time again, keep using the "auto XYZ" fixture repeatedly in the same place. It seems to be a veritable crutch for some. You've given people more powerful tools to up their game, not only in productivity, but repeatability.
Thank you! I don't see it as a crutch, per se, but more like that's what everyone has been told to do. I did it that way for years, because I didn't know or understand any other way. I mean, you don't know what you don't know. And if everyone (including me) does it that way, I can see where folks would reason that "that's just how it's done." As I dig deeper into the subject (mainly because I switched over to Mach4 from Mach3,) I'm finding all kinds of different topics to get into that will increase productivity and accuracy. More to come!
Hi. Again a good video making me a little more clever. I have a question though. I’m using Vcarve pro, and would like to use these preconfigured positions. Is it possible to tell Vcarve that I would like to work in G59, ore one of the other pre configured positions. Without telling the exact distance and only using the G-command? It vould be easier than remembering the numbers! Thanks again for the excellent video
Great video, thanks! A question on the touch plate. I also use the same AvidCNC touch plate. Can you tell me where you purchased the plastic holder for it? I don’t see it on Avid’s site and mine didn’t come with a holder. Thanks!!
Thank you, Kevin. I didn't get the holder from Avid. A friend with a 3D printer made it and sent it to me. I think you can find the files on Thingaverse, but I'm not 100% certain. You can also check with my friend Russ over at Blueline Wood Flags. He made one for his Avid CNC as well. ua-cam.com/video/s2zWUY5ibK0/v-deo.html
I have the Longmill MK2 at home without homing switches. I kinda have a manual homing system where I jog my X and Y manually until it almost hits the metal frame (the physical mounting plates of the Y rails and X gantry) for both axis and turn the lead screw by hand (to prevent the motors and anti-backlash block from taking too much forces and possibly damaging them) until X and Y are both against the metal frame. I also do this after moving my machine by hand to get it squared again just in case I pushed the left or right Y-axis harder than the other, forcing it out of square. Then I set my XY0. In the console, I can then type X10Y10 (I'm using millimeters) or some other offset and it goes to that location, where I set XY0 again. This way I also have some kind of work-offset without the need to home the machine. Surely it does involve a bit more manual control but it's almost identical in how it works. I rarely use this anyways as usually, I just power up my machine, mount my material, use a 6mm endmill and set XYZ0 on the front-left corner of my material using my touchplate. Then I swap bits if needed and zero the Z again and I'm good to go. Someday I may install these limit switches but with such low amounts of projects (did only about 10-15 projects in 8 months), it's not really required yet. Nice video, I'll certainly watch it again when I have my homing switches installed.
Hi Mark, if one were to take a piece on and off the table to do epoxy pours would you need to set-up work offsets or can you just manually re-establish the xy coordinates? Thanks!
Strictly speaking, you can do this without work offsets. You just have to be very precise when you set your X, Y, and Z zero. The work offset just makes that process a lot easier. Once you've established the work offset and save it, you should be able to go back to that work offset repeatedly. The epoxy inlay of the cartoon pirate I did videos on is the perfect example. It was 15 colors, poured over the course of 6 days. I took the project off the table and poured the epoxy in my house, as it's climate controlled. Each day, I took the project back outside, homed my CNC, remounted the project, then went back to that work offset. I never set my X Y zero a single time. I only had to set my Z zero for each bit I used on that day's carve. The project came out perfect. Here's a link to the final video in that mini-series, in which I carved and poured the inlays, then surfaced and finished the project. ua-cam.com/video/u2A9L4b7VWU/v-deo.html Again - I never set my X Y zero a single time. I just homed the machine, went to that work offset, set my Z zero, then started carving.
@@MarkLindsayCNC Thanks Mark! I did watch all the videos in the pirate series, I'm new to CNCing and do not have the homing switches for my CNC. Thanks again! I have also watched a number of your other videos and for a beginner not familiar with all the terminology and concepts yet, you delivery style and and explanations are great and much appreciated
Reach out to Legacy for info on a touch plate. I don't know Legacy's control system at all, and I'd hate to send you in the wrong direction due to a guess on my part.
Great video Mark, I would like to add two things: 1) The ability to define multiple work offsets alows you to set up multiple places on your table where you could run the same gcode and have the machine cut in different regions. thust with good design if you want to you can setup a new work piece in the near left area when the machine is working in the top right and vice versa. or just setup multiple work pieces and move between them running the same gcode each time. 2) when you set up your g59 you didn't realy need to go through the touch plate phase. as your vertical fixturing holes share a their X and the horizontal ones share their Y, Your g59 should be exactly at (X+r,Y+r) were r is the hole radius... so after drilling you could have moved there and set it up.
Yes! To add to this, you could also set a template in Vetric with predefined G-offsets. The template would match the entire work surface of your Avid. You could then customize different size work pieces/projects to each offset and run all of them at once.
Thank you, Eyal. You're absolutely right. 1) You certainly could set up multiple areas of the spoilboard with identical location dowel holes, then change between them by applying a different fixture offset (G57 and G58, for example.) I considered doing just that in this video, but decided to make a separate video demonstrating it, as I think that topic warrants it's own video. I did allude to it when I said that we can create more complex fixtures, but I decided not to go any further just yet as this video is just an introduction to the concept. 2) I went through the touch plate phase because it doesn't take very long to do, and it eliminates any possible human error in the calculation. Much like measuring a space between 2 points vs. relying on mathematics to calculate the theoretical distance between them. Using the touch plate eliminates most of the variables that could throw that calculation off.
@@MarkLindsayCNC Using the touch plate assumes that the work piece your are using is exactly square. That is the reason I use Eyal's method. Also I drill the location hole centers so the top of the circumference for the Y and right side of the circumference for the X are at even inch marks, for example X=2, Y=1. That makes it very easy to set and remember the offset. In fact I have drilled a grid of location holes over the entire spoil board which align with even inch marks in machine coordinates. When I place a work piece down anywhere in the grid I know exactly where the bottom left corner is in machine coordinates allowing me to set the offset without referencing the offset table.
@Stephen Hastings I will address this further during today's live Q&A, but briefly, I used the touch plate 1 time - to set the X Y zero of that fixture to create the G59 offset. The piece I used the touch plate on WAS perfectly square - that's why I used it. After that initial setup, I no longer need to use the touch plate to get my X Y zero in work coordinates. I will show an example of the work I've done with this setup during the Live Q&A to show the accuracy of such a system. I think you and Eyal are missing the purpose of this video. I still have the option of doing everything you mentioned in your comment - you're using the default G54 offset and changing the work origin location every time you use it. That's fine - it's what just about everyone does. Creating the G59 offset hasn't changed my ability to do that in any way. What it HAS done is given me a known location I can go to every time I want to use it, and do so accurately.
Hi Mark thanks for the video, very informative as always. When will you be giving us an in depth review of Mach4 and your settings with the new machine. I know Mach4 came packaged but haven't seen you do any vids on it yet. Thanks in advance.
Thank you! I'm still learning Mach4 myself, so it'll be a while before I feel comfortable with giving any kind of review. I'm still used to using Mach3, and Mach4 is just different enough to matter. As far as settings are concerned, they were set by a setup wizard when I connected the machine. I simply told the setup wizard which size machine and which electronics package I had, and it did it all. So, basically, even I don't know what the settings are.
Great video. This helps me a lot for setting an offset for two sided cutting. So can the offset be saved within any of those offset rows under the tab? Why in G59 and not G54? Did I miss something in the explanation?
When you start Mach4, it sets the G54 offset by default. If you want Mach4 to always use a certain position by default, you can certainly save that offset as a G54. I don't want to do that. I want Mach4 to start with a clean slate by default, then I can choose to use my G59 offset if I want to use it. I don't automatically mount material there. I like options. Also, I chose to save my work offset under G59 just to eliminate any confusion on my part - that was strictly for me. You're free to save it under any of those work offsets G54-G59 that you'd like. As an aside, you're better off using locating dowels for 2-sided machining if it's at all possible. Otherwise, you'll need to make absolutely certain that your material measurements and material placement on the machine table are perfect.
@@MarkLindsayCNC Excellent. This is very helpful. I watched this video and was going to try this method but not quite sure this is more reliable than locating pins. He uses incremental coordinates instead of using absolute coordinates for lining up on one axis. Locating dowels seem the way to go for accuracy. ua-cam.com/video/vxPG0sOf2gQ/v-deo.html
If you listen to what he's saying, he's developed that system after several years of working to develop it. (That video was posted 2 years ago, and in a comment he says his CNC is 7 years old at that point, so he's been at it for quite a while.) If he teaches his method in later videos, that's great - do check it out. Also remember that he uses Fusion 360, which is a completely different CAD/CAM program than what I use. I like the fact the he keeps saying (although not in so many words) that these are his techniques - yours will probably be different. There is almost always more than 1 way to skin the proverbial cat. He's found his, and that's how it should be.
Mark ... I can't find up to date 'getting started' type info for Mach 3 or Mach 4. Would you consider doing an explanation on what it is, where it fits into my workflow (I use vectrics), and its basic function(s), like using it to change the CNC feed rate on the fly? Thanks!
Thank you! I'm still learning Mach4, so I'm just starting to get used to it myself. With that in mind, I'm really not in any position to try to explain it. I can do a brief overview of changing Feed Rates etc. on the fly this Sunday during the regular Live Q&A. Mach3 and Mach4 are similar enough to allow me to do this, so it won't be a problem.
Your best bet is to get in touch with Onefinity and ask them. That or get into some of the Onefinity Facebook groups, or tech support forum and ask over there. I've never used their controller or controller software.
Also called the work origin where your material is. I can set 9 different work origins for repeat jobs or different fixtures you may have dowels to locate them
So what about the design stage of a work piece? (eg Vectric), do you set the XY zero (lower left) as usual and that would be applied to the machine's offset?
As I explained in the video - you set the X Y zero in your CAD/CAM software (eg Vectric) as usual. The Work Offset and Fixture Offset (if used) are applied by the controller software on the machine - not in Vectric.
You have explained things perfectly forever. But Iafter watching this I am still confused 1) when you home the machine do you zero the software? I home very time I turn on the machine. It is never at Zero since I don't use offsets. 2) Next time I start the machine I will zero at “home”. When I move to the work offset that is a permanent place I can’t use the plate. That would create a new zero. Thus negating the home as zero. If we can get through this part I think my brain will me to go ahead. PS: feel free to drill holes in your spoil board Alan
Thank you, Alan. I think I know what is confusing you, as it was hard for me to wrap my head around at first as well. The thing to remember is that just about all controller software uses 2 coordinate systems: Machine Coordinates and Work Coordinates. Your controller software almost always defaults to display Work Coordinates when you start it. You have to set your display to see Machine Coordinates if you want to - and it's not important that you do see them. When you Home the machine, you're setting the Machine X Y and Z zeros in Machine Coordinates. All that does is give the controller software a reference point to base all of its movements from, and lets the software know where the center of your tool is in reference to the entire machine working area. Your readouts are most likely displaying Work Coordinates, which is why they don't read 0.0000 after you finish Homing. That's fine - there's nothing wrong with that. Think of it this way: Machine Coordinates tell the machine where the center of your spindle/router bit is in relation to the entire CNC table. Work Coordinates tell the machine where the center of your spindle/router bit is in relation to the piece of material you're carving. Using an offset doesn't negate the Home as zero. The offset tells the machine how far away from that Home zero your Workpiece Zero is. Do this experiment. Get into your software's User's Guide and find out how to view your Machine Coordinates. Set your display to Machine Coordinates, and Home the machine. The display should read zero for X Y and Z. Now move the gantry out of the way and mount a piece of material anywhere on the table. Go back into Work Coordinates, and set the X and Y zero to the bottom left corner of that piece of material. Don't move the gantry or spindle from that point. Now go back into Machine coordinates and look at the display. The numbers displayed at that position show you how far away from the Home X and Y zero that current spindle/router position is. THAT is the Work Offset. Does this help?
Looked like leopard wood. Nice explanation of work offsets. Laguna’s handheld controllers store up to 9 work offsets. A tool used often.
Thank you, Rob! Good eye! It's leopard wood.
Excellent job, as always, Mark! Thank you!
Thanks Mark. I’m so glad to have found you on your site. You are an Exceptional Educator! Thank you for that. I am a first time user of CNC. I have invested Excess of $14K CDN in a New Yeti Precision Pro+ last April and am Still struggling to make it work At All. You have been a Great help in learning this( new to me) Micro soft Technology. I have used Apple most of my Life. It is a Huge Vertical Learning curve for me. But with your videos I hope to succeed someday soon I hope. Ps. There are others that just try to upsell, not you. You just stay with being devoted to the learning process. Thank you Mark. Dave B.
Thank you for your generosity and your kind words. I would highly recommend you go to Yeti's website and look for their support community/forum. They know your machine best. If you're using Vectric software, my channel is loaded with videos that'll help you learn the basics, then progressively more advanced topics. My primary focus has always been to help folks see that there's nothing secret or mystical about this. If I can learn it, so can you.
Thanks Mark I have Vetric V Carve Pro now. I will say I Now know I wish I never Bought this Machine. It is Over valued given what I have learned to date. Many bother others are much lower in cost such as infinity and Shapkoe. I was looking for a 48x96 inch table. So I went with these guys. Having learned the difficulties with dealing with a UK Co. I would have never done this. Now probably a garage sale and buy something better.
This is very helpful Mark. Thank you. I just set up my Avid CNC machine and I used all of your videos on how to calibrate. It is dead nuts calibrated. Now I get to try the Offsets. I will home first!! 🙂. Also, I love my dust boot from One Guy... I have been in contact with Keith. His is great to work with. I do not have a blast gate attached to the dust boot. So I created a crude block for the dust boot. I take the brushes off and then the cover attaches to the bottom of the boot with magnets. It works just okay. I have been in contact with Keith and he might make a 3D version of this that will fit better. Maybe I need to get a 3D printer. 🙂 Thanks again!
Thank you, Jay. You might want to check out the second fixture offset video I posted. I got a little deeper into it, and created 2 locations instead of just 1. ua-cam.com/video/NpQ5Fgwqaqk/v-deo.html
nice video again Mark. Very productive for me as always. Thank you again
As always your patient, detailed explanation of the process is well recieved when it comes to the how and why. One thing I like to do is have various lengths of machined dowels so I don't have to remove them and eliminate the potential for interference.
Well done. I'm amazed when I watch UA-cam vids where creators time and time again, keep using the "auto XYZ" fixture repeatedly in the same place. It seems to be a veritable crutch for some. You've given people more powerful tools to up their game, not only in productivity, but repeatability.
Thank you! I don't see it as a crutch, per se, but more like that's what everyone has been told to do. I did it that way for years, because I didn't know or understand any other way. I mean, you don't know what you don't know. And if everyone (including me) does it that way, I can see where folks would reason that "that's just how it's done." As I dig deeper into the subject (mainly because I switched over to Mach4 from Mach3,) I'm finding all kinds of different topics to get into that will increase productivity and accuracy. More to come!
That's a great explanation, Mark! I always home my machine, but didn't really know why. This will be very useful.
Hi.
Again a good video making me a little more clever.
I have a question though.
I’m using Vcarve pro, and would like to use these preconfigured positions. Is it possible to tell Vcarve that I would like to work in G59, ore one of the other pre configured positions. Without telling the exact distance and only using the G-command?
It vould be easier than remembering the numbers!
Thanks again for the excellent video
Awesome video. Once one learns this system it opens many doors on the options of using your cnc
Great video, thanks! A question on the touch plate. I also use the same AvidCNC touch plate. Can you tell me where you purchased the plastic holder for it? I don’t see it on Avid’s site and mine didn’t come with a holder. Thanks!!
Thank you, Kevin. I didn't get the holder from Avid. A friend with a 3D printer made it and sent it to me. I think you can find the files on Thingaverse, but I'm not 100% certain. You can also check with my friend Russ over at Blueline Wood Flags. He made one for his Avid CNC as well. ua-cam.com/video/s2zWUY5ibK0/v-deo.html
Dobra robota Mark, super materiał
I have the Longmill MK2 at home without homing switches. I kinda have a manual homing system where I jog my X and Y manually until it almost hits the metal frame (the physical mounting plates of the Y rails and X gantry) for both axis and turn the lead screw by hand (to prevent the motors and anti-backlash block from taking too much forces and possibly damaging them) until X and Y are both against the metal frame. I also do this after moving my machine by hand to get it squared again just in case I pushed the left or right Y-axis harder than the other, forcing it out of square. Then I set my XY0. In the console, I can then type X10Y10 (I'm using millimeters) or some other offset and it goes to that location, where I set XY0 again. This way I also have some kind of work-offset without the need to home the machine. Surely it does involve a bit more manual control but it's almost identical in how it works. I rarely use this anyways as usually, I just power up my machine, mount my material, use a 6mm endmill and set XYZ0 on the front-left corner of my material using my touchplate. Then I swap bits if needed and zero the Z again and I'm good to go. Someday I may install these limit switches but with such low amounts of projects (did only about 10-15 projects in 8 months), it's not really required yet. Nice video, I'll certainly watch it again when I have my homing switches installed.
Hi Mark, if one were to take a piece on and off the table to do epoxy pours would you need to set-up work offsets or can you just manually re-establish the xy coordinates? Thanks!
Strictly speaking, you can do this without work offsets. You just have to be very precise when you set your X, Y, and Z zero. The work offset just makes that process a lot easier. Once you've established the work offset and save it, you should be able to go back to that work offset repeatedly. The epoxy inlay of the cartoon pirate I did videos on is the perfect example. It was 15 colors, poured over the course of 6 days. I took the project off the table and poured the epoxy in my house, as it's climate controlled. Each day, I took the project back outside, homed my CNC, remounted the project, then went back to that work offset. I never set my X Y zero a single time. I only had to set my Z zero for each bit I used on that day's carve. The project came out perfect. Here's a link to the final video in that mini-series, in which I carved and poured the inlays, then surfaced and finished the project. ua-cam.com/video/u2A9L4b7VWU/v-deo.html Again - I never set my X Y zero a single time. I just homed the machine, went to that work offset, set my Z zero, then started carving.
@@MarkLindsayCNC Thanks Mark! I did watch all the videos in the pirate series, I'm new to CNCing and do not have the homing switches for my CNC. Thanks again! I have also watched a number of your other videos and for a beginner not familiar with all the terminology and concepts yet, you delivery style and and explanations are great and much appreciated
Is there a source for the 3-axis touch plate? I run a Legacy Maveric with Mach 3. Thank you, truly enjoy and appreciate your informative videos.
Reach out to Legacy for info on a touch plate. I don't know Legacy's control system at all, and I'd hate to send you in the wrong direction due to a guess on my part.
Great video Mark, I would like to add two things:
1) The ability to define multiple work offsets alows you to set up multiple places on your table where you could run the same gcode and have the machine cut in different regions. thust with good design if you want to you can setup a new work piece in the near left area when the machine is working in the top right and vice versa. or just setup multiple work pieces and move between them running the same gcode each time.
2) when you set up your g59 you didn't realy need to go through the touch plate phase. as your vertical fixturing holes share a their X and the horizontal ones share their Y, Your g59 should be exactly at (X+r,Y+r) were r is the hole radius... so after drilling you could have moved there and set it up.
Yes! To add to this, you could also set a template in Vetric with predefined G-offsets. The template would match the entire work surface of your Avid. You could then customize different size work pieces/projects to each offset and run all of them at once.
Thank you, Eyal. You're absolutely right. 1) You certainly could set up multiple areas of the spoilboard with identical location dowel holes, then change between them by applying a different fixture offset (G57 and G58, for example.) I considered doing just that in this video, but decided to make a separate video demonstrating it, as I think that topic warrants it's own video. I did allude to it when I said that we can create more complex fixtures, but I decided not to go any further just yet as this video is just an introduction to the concept. 2) I went through the touch plate phase because it doesn't take very long to do, and it eliminates any possible human error in the calculation. Much like measuring a space between 2 points vs. relying on mathematics to calculate the theoretical distance between them. Using the touch plate eliminates most of the variables that could throw that calculation off.
@Craig Lafferty Hey! Don't get ahead of me! :) Okay, go ahead and get ahead of me - see if I care... :)
@@MarkLindsayCNC Using the touch plate assumes that the work piece your are using is exactly square. That is the reason I use Eyal's method. Also I drill the location hole centers so the top of the circumference for the Y and right side of the circumference for the X are at even inch marks, for example X=2, Y=1. That makes it very easy to set and remember the offset. In fact I have drilled a grid of location holes over the entire spoil board which align with even inch marks in machine coordinates. When I place a work piece down anywhere in the grid I know exactly where the bottom left corner is in machine coordinates allowing me to set the offset without referencing the offset table.
@Stephen Hastings I will address this further during today's live Q&A, but briefly, I used the touch plate 1 time - to set the X Y zero of that fixture to create the G59 offset. The piece I used the touch plate on WAS perfectly square - that's why I used it. After that initial setup, I no longer need to use the touch plate to get my X Y zero in work coordinates. I will show an example of the work I've done with this setup during the Live Q&A to show the accuracy of such a system. I think you and Eyal are missing the purpose of this video. I still have the option of doing everything you mentioned in your comment - you're using the default G54 offset and changing the work origin location every time you use it. That's fine - it's what just about everyone does. Creating the G59 offset hasn't changed my ability to do that in any way. What it HAS done is given me a known location I can go to every time I want to use it, and do so accurately.
Hi Mark thanks for the video, very informative as always. When will you be giving us an in depth review of Mach4 and your settings with the new machine. I know Mach4 came packaged but haven't seen you do any vids on it yet. Thanks in advance.
Thank you! I'm still learning Mach4 myself, so it'll be a while before I feel comfortable with giving any kind of review. I'm still used to using Mach3, and Mach4 is just different enough to matter. As far as settings are concerned, they were set by a setup wizard when I connected the machine. I simply told the setup wizard which size machine and which electronics package I had, and it did it all. So, basically, even I don't know what the settings are.
Great video. This helps me a lot for setting an offset for two sided cutting. So can the offset be saved within any of those offset rows under the tab? Why in G59 and not G54? Did I miss something in the explanation?
When you start Mach4, it sets the G54 offset by default. If you want Mach4 to always use a certain position by default, you can certainly save that offset as a G54. I don't want to do that. I want Mach4 to start with a clean slate by default, then I can choose to use my G59 offset if I want to use it. I don't automatically mount material there. I like options. Also, I chose to save my work offset under G59 just to eliminate any confusion on my part - that was strictly for me. You're free to save it under any of those work offsets G54-G59 that you'd like.
As an aside, you're better off using locating dowels for 2-sided machining if it's at all possible. Otherwise, you'll need to make absolutely certain that your material measurements and material placement on the machine table are perfect.
@@MarkLindsayCNC Excellent. This is very helpful. I watched this video and was going to try this method but not quite sure this is more reliable than locating pins. He uses incremental coordinates instead of using absolute coordinates for lining up on one axis. Locating dowels seem the way to go for accuracy.
ua-cam.com/video/vxPG0sOf2gQ/v-deo.html
If you listen to what he's saying, he's developed that system after several years of working to develop it. (That video was posted 2 years ago, and in a comment he says his CNC is 7 years old at that point, so he's been at it for quite a while.) If he teaches his method in later videos, that's great - do check it out. Also remember that he uses Fusion 360, which is a completely different CAD/CAM program than what I use. I like the fact the he keeps saying (although not in so many words) that these are his techniques - yours will probably be different. There is almost always more than 1 way to skin the proverbial cat. He's found his, and that's how it should be.
Thank you Mark. Keep up the great work.
Mark ... I can't find up to date 'getting started' type info for Mach 3 or Mach 4. Would you consider doing an explanation on what it is, where it fits into my workflow (I use vectrics), and its basic function(s), like using it to change the CNC feed rate on the fly? Thanks!
Thank you! I'm still learning Mach4, so I'm just starting to get used to it myself. With that in mind, I'm really not in any position to try to explain it. I can do a brief overview of changing Feed Rates etc. on the fly this Sunday during the regular Live Q&A. Mach3 and Mach4 are similar enough to allow me to do this, so it won't be a problem.
@@MarkLindsayCNC excellent, thank you!
I'm sorry, but things got very busy today, and unfortunately I couldn't get to this question. I will certainly make a point of it next Sunday.
@@MarkLindsayCNC No worries ... thanks for keeping it on the agenda!
Do you know if the Onefinity controller has the G59, etc., offsets?
Your best bet is to get in touch with Onefinity and ask them. That or get into some of the Onefinity Facebook groups, or tech support forum and ask over there. I've never used their controller or controller software.
Also called the work origin where your material is. I can set 9 different work origins for repeat jobs or different fixtures you may have dowels to locate them
What are you doing with the tape?
That's my favorite method for mounting material to the CNC bed. Painter's tape and CA glue. ua-cam.com/video/3uTsQ3dYRrk/v-deo.html
So what about the design stage of a work piece? (eg Vectric), do you set the XY zero (lower left) as usual and that would be applied to the machine's offset?
As I explained in the video - you set the X Y zero in your CAD/CAM software (eg Vectric) as usual. The Work Offset and Fixture Offset (if used) are applied by the controller software on the machine - not in Vectric.
@@MarkLindsayCNC Got it... Thank you Mark
You have explained things perfectly forever. But Iafter watching this I am still confused
1) when you home the machine do you zero the software? I home very time I turn on the machine. It is never at Zero since I don't use offsets.
2) Next time I start the machine I will zero at “home”. When I move to the work offset that is a permanent place I can’t use the plate. That would create a new zero. Thus negating the home as zero.
If we can get through this part I think my brain will me to go ahead.
PS: feel free to drill holes in your spoil board
Alan
Thank you, Alan. I think I know what is confusing you, as it was hard for me to wrap my head around at first as well. The thing to remember is that just about all controller software uses 2 coordinate systems: Machine Coordinates and Work Coordinates. Your controller software almost always defaults to display Work Coordinates when you start it. You have to set your display to see Machine Coordinates if you want to - and it's not important that you do see them.
When you Home the machine, you're setting the Machine X Y and Z zeros in Machine Coordinates. All that does is give the controller software a reference point to base all of its movements from, and lets the software know where the center of your tool is in reference to the entire machine working area. Your readouts are most likely displaying Work Coordinates, which is why they don't read 0.0000 after you finish Homing. That's fine - there's nothing wrong with that.
Think of it this way: Machine Coordinates tell the machine where the center of your spindle/router bit is in relation to the entire CNC table. Work Coordinates tell the machine where the center of your spindle/router bit is in relation to the piece of material you're carving.
Using an offset doesn't negate the Home as zero. The offset tells the machine how far away from that Home zero your Workpiece Zero is.
Do this experiment. Get into your software's User's Guide and find out how to view your Machine Coordinates. Set your display to Machine Coordinates, and Home the machine. The display should read zero for X Y and Z. Now move the gantry out of the way and mount a piece of material anywhere on the table. Go back into Work Coordinates, and set the X and Y zero to the bottom left corner of that piece of material. Don't move the gantry or spindle from that point. Now go back into Machine coordinates and look at the display. The numbers displayed at that position show you how far away from the Home X and Y zero that current spindle/router position is. THAT is the Work Offset.
Does this help?
There’s no place like G54…. There’s no place like G54……
But G53 rules absolutely …..