Just FYI. I deleted a comment from someone that "Asked" or should I say accused me of stealing a copy written image on this video. I should have left the comment there and responded directly, but I can't stand those kind of people. First of all I own the license to the bear image in the video. I have extended licensing rights to it. Secondly what kind of asshole responds to a video like this with an accusation that I am stealing shit. If you are that worried about it as a concerned citizen send a private message and ask. To the person who commented thanks for the lecture, but no thanks I'm a big boy I know how to conduct my business.
@@hyperhektor7733 you have to look at it from my standpoint. I made about $300 making several plaques for teachers. I also made over $1000 on this video. It was worth the investment.
This was very kind of you to share so much of the process that you followed to create this piece. If you only priced this at $30 your customer got a real good price!
I just came across your channel upon looking up Shapeoko. I have to say I think it was a great video. No fluff, the right info and details along with some great pointers. Liked and subscribed. Thanks for sharing.
Nice sign. I found that the process that works the best for me on a colored v-carve is to plane the board to thickness first - primarily to pre-set the planer thickness for later. Carve the project, but set the Z-zero height to be ~30 thousandths below the surface of the wood. Paint, then plane again with the plane thickness lowered 1/32" (the 30 thousandths you went below the wood surface) instead of sanding off the paint. Seems to do a great job at eliminating the pores of the wood having hints of paint left in it, and no more sanding disks bogged down with paint.
That's a great idea to plane off the paint... I like it. I'm just curious if the paint would dull the high speed steel knives in the planer. I don't yet have a helical head with carbide inserts.
@@ronmisiura9169 I haven't noticed any additional wear, but I've only done this a couple dozen times. My planer uses the traditional HSS blades too, looking forward to a helical upgrade someday.
Bought my Shapeoko XL over a year ago and have yet to cut anything on it. Just too much other pressing stuff to do. But I finally cleared the debris off it, and after watching this video, I think its time to cut something. Thanks for the nudge. great work!
You have created some of the most helpful videos on using the CNC and Vcarve that I have seen on TH-cam. Thank you so much for being thorough and helpful to those of us, who are just getting started, in using the CNC. Outstanding work. I also, love the way you include the misques to let us know that the things will happen and there may be ways to recover. All is very good. Thanks again.
I really like this project. Great job. Also the way you teach/ explain things is very clear and easy to follow and understand. Thank you for your time!
Thanks buddy. I'm just starting out doing stuff like this myself and it's really helpful to see how more experienced people do things (along with the little mistakes).
Nice video, I have not weeded through all the comments to see if someone else suggested this. Since oak is bad to splinter, especially when two tool paths come close to each other, try tightly applying adhesive backed vinyl on the board first. Also if you apply stickon vinyl you won't have to mask off for painting. Just cover the letters you dont want that color. The major advantage of masking like this is - NO sanding paint off.
$30 for a sign for a friend is fine. But by the time you figure in design time, routing time, finishing, electricity, replacing worn out bits, paint, sandpaper, and clear coat, doubling the price would still be on the low side. (In fact my pricing guide for a sign that size in the grid for lowest overhead, aka home business, shows a price of $62.44. Most dedicated sign shops would sell that for $75 to $100) Even if it's a hobby business, you don't have to undercut the pros by a ton of money. If you are way too cheap, you'll get so busy you'll start to hate doing the projects. If you are pricing right you'll make decent money and not burn yourself out. Too many people underestimate what people will pay for the kind of stuff made on a CNC. After all, they're coming to you because they can't do it themselves. Actually you should put at least 5 to 10 % of every job's profit away. Someday that machine is going to wear out and need replacing. All the jobs that wore out your machine should be paying for the new one.
@NW3D You don't get the point. When enough people cheapen a product by not knowing how to charge, the whole industry suffers. In the sign industry, sign shops are getting about the same amount of money to letter up 2 doors on a truck as sign painters received in the 1950's, about $150 which would be equal to over $1500 in today's money. Technology made it possible for anyone to buy a machine and a computer and become a sign maker. These new sign "artists" had no idea about proper design layout and no knowledge of how to price. Cutting prices to get work is all they knew about marketing. BTW, the steppers on my router are $200 a piece and my spindle was $5000. The stepper you quoted is for toy cnc's.
Exactly, over saturation of the market along with undercut pricing leads to everyone suffering. I'm a cabinet maker and have to compete against handyman with a portable tablesaw from home cheapo and face nailed face frames. Luckily I have great clients who appreciate craftsmanship.
Is someone with a "toy" CNC really cutting into your market share that much? Yes, the market is a crap shoot now, but things should balance out in time. Low cost "toy" machines are widely available and cheap. These people will realize that they can't make a living for the prices they are charging, get bored and move on, or up the ante. People who want quality will buy quality, and people who are cheap will go to the "toy" machine operators. You professionals have three choices. Ride it out, adapt, or go out of business. It is the unfortunate reality of the free market. The question is, do you add value? What do you do that sets you apart from the "toy" CNC operators? Other than the fact that you hate that you paid the price of a car for your machines. Basically, it comes down to quality and experience. If you can't beat out an amateur, then what are you doing? Find a part of the market that will value you. Or buy a bunch of "toy" machines that you can use for your cheap customers, and use your expensive machine for the customers that care about quality. Create cool things that the "toy" operators can't.
That's like telling an artist to give up, your work can be mass produced for pennies. Be kind to the artist. Programming skills are still where it has always been. In demand. Design skills will always make to a great living-till some one copies your stuff and signs your name.
A couple things you can do to speed up setups is screw down a straight edge in X & Y to bump parts. My corner location is Origin 1 and then origins 2 thru 4 every inch in X. I cut a line every inch in the straight edge to show the origin locations so now, depending on the size of work and where the hold down t tracks are I just locate the part on the table and pick my origin in the control I want to move to. I use a cheat stick that is cut in a U shape to bump the parts consistently. I rarely set X & Y because they are already defined. I program everything from the bottom left corner for repeatability. If I need to add a feature or re run something my parts go right back where they were originally.
I can't tell you how many time I have forgotten to zero my Z after a bit change. Loved the video and really loved the music, I'm a die hard blues fan. "Bonamassa Rules" LOL
Wish I had the space and money for this CNC stuff. Would be fun. One trick I heard about for setting the z axis is to get the spindle close to the piece, then loosen the bit so it touches, then tighten the collet.
Very nice work. I use shellac for my first sealer coat. I made my own touch plate for a piece of aluminum. With that you can do a point cloud and some auto height correction to make all the lines perfect.
Great job on both your project and your honesty.. Your video style is true and real and as newbie to cnc it's appreciated. 2 comments.. 1. I use a dremel with fine tools for the detail clean up (mini sanders and deburring tips). That might help you. And 2. Charge more for your projects. Its a craft and that takes valuable time away from your family and there are expenses that you'll need to recoup. You are an expert in your field regardless of how comfortable you feel with your progress. Keep the videos coming and thank you for doing it. Great job!
Awesome video. Thank you for not just explaining the title of the video. You really opened my eyes to a lot more about cnc routers and I appreciate it. I have subscribed to your channel for that reason and look forward to everything else you do. Hoping there is an in-depth look at the Shapeoko and accessories and some tips and tricks. Keep up the great work.
This is more or less how I used to do this. Now I sand the wood with 220 grit, then put shelf paper on it and then do my v-carving. Note: DO THE V-CARVING FIRST! Do the flat area clearance next. If you do the flat area clearance first, it'll rip up your shelf paper. The V-bit will cut cleanly, leaving the v-carve exposed and the top surface covered. I usually remove the shelf paper from the wood to be cleared by the flat area bit after the v-carve (doesn't help any and the clearance bit will just chew it up anyway). Remove from machine, paint, then remove the shelf paper. It's not perfect, but at least 80% of the time, there's no sanding involved afterward, saving a ton of time.
Really nice work. I like the sealer step. That made all the difference. It stabilized the work surface. I like the "now I hope this will all come off" talking about the paint on the sanding step. That's how it feels doesn't it? If you had some cracks that had paint in them where you did not want it, you could come back with a dark paint over that, and sand again.
I have watched 10 of your videos so far and subscribed. I admire your transparency. I appreciate your format, the fact that you go from idea to completion through all steps of a project. Please continue with your style.
It's a couple of years late, but the stopping when jogging is normal when using the mouse on the axis, it's the program taking a second to recognize additional clicks/ movements
Just a suggestion. When doing V-Carved color filled plaques I use vinyl self-stick shelf paper (from the big box store) as a mask before I cut the plaque. Also, I apply a coat of shellac to seal the wood before applying the vinyl self-stick and a coat of shellac in the carving before spraying the colors on the plaque. That way the paint won't bleed into the grain of the wood. Using the mask there is very little sanding after spraying the colors in the carving and you stand less chance of sanding some of the shallow carving away. The vinyl shelf liner that is left on the plaque is very easy to remove. Using this method I can spray color on the whole plaque before applying the mask, cut the carving, spray color in the carving, remove the mask and have the whole plaque a solid color and the carving a different color. One more pointer, I use Marsh spray stencil ink, it will not bleed into the grain of the wood as bad as most rattle can paints will. The Marsh comes in 7 or 8 colors.
Thanks for the pointers Gene. I have since started using the vinyl masking. I did a video a little while back. I didn't use the shellac, and quickly learned I needed to. I also use marsh inks on some projects. I tend to not use it as much because I can't buy it local and it is pretty pricey.
I've made a lot of plaques using the vinyl shelf paper, never have problems as long as I put a coat of shellac on first, and lightly sand before putting on the vinyl. I know the Marsh cost more than rattle can paint, but I use a lot of knotty pine, the Marsh does not bleed into the grain. So my carvings always have a nice crisp edge even on very fine detail carvings.
Great videos. I decided to buy my shapeoko XXL because I enjoyed your videos so much. Thanks for being a great inspiration. I too miss working in my garage in Kansas when it's so damn cold lately lol
Thanks for the reply. One of these days I plan on getting a waste oil heater so I can actually get motivated in the winter to get out there and work more often.
The best way to make lots of new friends is still to have a trailer. And a close second is to have a welder ... but there is a good argument for a CNC router being right up there too.
Well Done, I use the similar technique to make a huge plaque for a good friend. I was not sure how you keep the paint from penetrating the wood and having to sand like crazy. Well Done.
Thank you very much. I've heard of Bit Map Tracing so that helps me a lot. I googled BMT and there's enough there to bring me up to speed. Thanks agsin Great video. Jim
Fantastic job, the sign looks great! Love your work. I do quite a lot with a laser but would love to get into the CNC stuff more, and this is just another dimension in timber instead of acrylic.Hadn't heard of Shapeoko until I found your video, will investigate further as it does a great job. Thank you for taking the time to do the video, much appreciated! Subscribed...
Enjoyed your video. I'm looking into buying my own router for personal use, but I need a way to make a couple bucks with it just to offset the cost of the software. Making signs seems like a good place to start. Thanks. I like that you provided a little more thought even in the beginning than other videos I've watched that are essentially "watch my machine make ....".
I understand the convenience of running over to a Big Box Store to grab onsie-twosie pieces of wood. However, if you are in the business of using wood for quality projects; your local lumberyard, saw-mill, or forest are a much better option. Great Video, and Thanks for the Upload!
well i must say i watch some videos but iv watched a few of yours now and learn a bit that idea masking of to make things look different colors i would never have thought of that
@stufftokeepyouentertained I realize this is an old thread, and I just found your channel. I have 0 CNC experience, but a fair amount with robotics. I assume the stutter you see is from some sort of step count in the g-code. It seems more like it moves (for example) a 100 counts, minor pause, then another 100 counts. That is pure speculation though on my part. Hopefully you eventually found out the real answer to this! Thanks for your channel, your helping this newbie out with all of my questions.
Your lines our not as deep at the top because your table surface in uneven - need to resurface. Also, try using Oramask 813 paint mask - it'll save you a ton of elbow grease. Lastly, coat both sides with equal number of clear coats to prevent warping. Thanks for sharing
If you do not have a touch plate just build yourself a bit holder that will set it self against the collect the same everytime. Then set the bit in the holder. Insert the bit into the collect until your mini "jig" contacts the collet or whatever you can get it to repeat to every time and the bits will all be the same distance from the collet. Sometimes you gotta use your head for more than a hat-rack.
People are talking about using a vinyl mask and I think it depends on the design and the thickness of the paint. For complex designs and thin paint, I think sanding is easier than vinyl.
I loved the video. I must apologize for all the trolls that have high jacked the comments. I get it -- its a video on how to create a sign, not a video on how to price your work. Please don't let the trolls discourage you from creating videos like this.
I've only just discovered this video... The jog function moves x number of stops based on configs. The fast jog seems like it stutters because it executed the command of x steps then waits for its next command. If you look at the gcode export of the jog command, you'll see it send "move (x steps) in (direction) at (speed)". There may be extra code that'll increase the wait time, but you can send direct code for each of your anchor locations if you take the time to grid them.
SUGGESTION: There are cnc videos that show how to do wood inlays for your bear and medical symbol. The plaque will hold up better over time. Seeing what you made in your garage gives me great hope for success. Thanks.
Thank you, I like this idea and am looking into getting a CNC to do this, I think it would be a good hobby / pocket change kind of a deal. It would be fun to go to flee markets on weekends and cut some signs or anything, meet new people and just have a nice day and if you make a buck or two thats a plus. thanks again, I like that the machine can be doing something while I can BS with people or be doing other things.. I still have the templates when we did this stuff with a router ( Not the computer type) Thanks again
13:22 "nurse symbol" It's called Caduceus and it's not only the symbol of nurses, but the symbol of medicine as a whole. Great work. I'm sure the school nurse will be very proud to display this plaque in the aid station.
If you don't want to use a touch plate, use a 1-2-3 block. You'll have to subtract whatever the dimension is, but it sets a constant reference from whatever face you;re touching your tools off from and makes sure you have the distances exactly right.
For a touch off block check out MSC for a digital height touch block in the milling section . It is approx. 2" tall that you set on your work piece and touch off your tool in z. They are all metal and some have a digital led scale battery operated. Also you could change your process by sanding your board first, coat with 2 coats of shellac, let each coat dry sand, then cover your sign with adhesive backed clear shelf paper, cut the sign, paint then peal off the paper. Walla finished sign!!!
This technique works even better if you make a coat of clear paint first, maybe even two, before the color spray. This prevents the color from seeping into the wood.
I found that when working with oak you should spray the the surface with a light coar of water. When dry ( just a few minutes ) then do your sanding. Now you will find the surface of the oak to be very rough. This process is called grain raising. Now you can sand it smooth again. You on,y have to do this once Later, when you start painting, the surface should stay smooth, thus eliminating a lot of sanding when you apply your finish. If you don’t do this and you apply a finish (especially if it is water based) your surface will be very rough even if you had sanded it smooth prior to applying the finish. Also, water is cheap.
I find my Shapeoko stutters when jogging sometimes, but only when using the mouse. I *think* I've also experienced it when using my laptop's touchpad. I also find that if you don't keep the cursor over the icon of the button the whole time the machine is moving it will almost certainly stutter. I've also had two occasions where the machine has continued moving after I've taken my finger off the mouse/trackpad. Not just a bit of run on, either: the machine ploughed on to the end stops. Try using the keyboard arrows for X and Y, and the +/- keys for Z+ and Z- and see if the stuttering goes away.
Was half expecting you to say, "First thing we are going to do is get all of our bits out of focus here", when you opened that drawer lol But focus was for when things were closer.
Your work is impeccable. The symbol is called a caduceus. It’s actually a symbol from Greek mythology that dates back over 3,000 years, and it has no association with nurses or the medical field in general. It’s often confused with the Rod of Asclepius, which is the symbol for medicine. How do you tell the difference? The Rod of Asclepius has only one snake wrapped around the staff, and it’s never depicted with wings. The only time wings are associated with nurses or docs is when they work on medical/EMS aircraft.
@@mightress Never heard that, but you may be right too. I looked up what little I know about it on Wikipedia right after I finished nursing school. I had several things with the same symbol he carved on the sign at the time.
That pausing is most likely related to the controller/usb connection or the computer doing something in he background.... Its not an issue as long as there is no steps lost. That being said thats a good simple demo there. Try doing the name stuff using a V-bit AND area cleaning with a 1/8 bit. You will get a neat look with the slope on the name text sides.. :) I use a totally different setup with my total home brew CNC. I use an automatic Z plate setup with Mach 3 and I always use the same spot in the project. Almost always a board is NOT truly flat so doing stuff where its needed I face off the board doing a pocket operation for the entire cutting area taking off say 5 or 10 thou at a time untill I get it level. Dont take long using a 3/4 bit using an offset of say 60 to 75% running at a 300IPM feedrate. If I need several passes all but the last are run cross grain. The ideal run time for a project is a combination of bit sizes used, the feeds and speed settings. Most of the time with woods Im running somewhere around 100 or so IPM on feeds. All bits have wnats known as chip load. Most of he time with woods that will be somewhere around .004 for 1/8 bits and .006 for quarter inch ones. Whoever made the bit will have the exact values but these are in the ballpark. This along with the number of flutes and the router/spindle rev that is used to set the feed rates. In essence for a givin bit the faster the router or spindle is turning the faster you can go to maintain the chip load. The closer you can get to the ideal chip load, the better the finish will be and the longer the bit will last. A typical router will be running somewhere around 10 to 12 thousand rpm on the lowest setting . That means for a 2 flute quarter inch bit a feed rate around 80 or 90 IPM will be close to ideal. More info on this can be found on the net using "feeds and speeds" for the search term. Cant say for some specific small CNC but for some thats about as fast as one can go. That speed is a function of many things but the bottom line its as fast as you can go without loosing steps. My home brew tops out at around 400IPM but I keep it set at 350IPM max. Also avoid cheap bits like the plague. A cheap bit will almost always wind up costing far more than good quality ones in a bad finish appearance, short lifetimes and just basically dull to start with. HSS bits are cheaper than carbide and will last a long time, but a good grade carbide will last far longer and that could make one a better buy than HSS. Have fun and enjoy your electric termites.. :)
Could you router threw masking tape or Frisket film so that once the routing is done you just paint as you did but then pull the tape or film off and you wouldn't have to sand as much? You could even do colored epoxy in the grooves which you could sand and clear coat to give a cool depth effect.
That pause doesn't look random to me. It pauses about every 3 seconds both in the x and y. My guess is a specific distance each time. I have the cheapest CNC machine and new to this type of device. My cnc routers controller jogs a specific distance set as 0.01/0.1/1/5 and 10. I haven't set up the homing yet. I think this pause is built into it by design. I don't think the computer has anything to do with the pause but it is from the controller.
What advantage does a straight flute bit have over a spiral flute bit? I never thought of using one. Just thinking about the geometry of it I would think it would be more prone to tearing out smaller detailed pieces than a spiral bit. I may be wrong, but I'll have to give one a try sometime.
Would you find masking and painting a little easier if you pre-masked the blank and routed through it, peeling the mask after the color application? We use a mask with an adhesive that resists paint crawling under it.
The stuttering: Your machine is commanded by strings of movement commands, sent to the machine in series. You might jog your machine 10cm at a time, which is actually sending an accelerate->full speed->decelerate command each click, so you get accel->speed->decel->accel->speed->decel->accel->speed->decel, if you clicked it three times.
Just did a video a couple weeks ago about using oramask. Took me a while to actually try it, and when I did I made a couple mistakes, but you are right it is easier and produces better results.
The Stutter has to do with the pulses going to the motors. If the resolution iv high, say 16 miny steps per step, the computer sends a very high pulse rate in high speeds. The motors at that frequency rate enter a resonance mode and do the things you were pointing..............If you carve at that speed you will notice that steps are being lost. try to 1 lower the resolution or slow down the max speed a bit.
Maybe the stutter is within the x y of the controller. Should have a ramp to set acceleration,if too steep it overreacts to overspeed and has to overcompensate. Very apparent at higher accelerations. Of course at lower proscess speeds and loading influence the trouble is minimal to non existent.
Just FYI. I deleted a comment from someone that "Asked" or should I say accused me of stealing a copy written image on this video. I should have left the comment there and responded directly, but I can't stand those kind of people. First of all I own the license to the bear image in the video. I have extended licensing rights to it. Secondly what kind of asshole responds to a video like this with an accusation that I am stealing shit. If you are that worried about it as a concerned citizen send a private message and ask. To the person who commented thanks for the lecture, but no thanks I'm a big boy I know how to conduct my business.
how much did the bear cost? where to buy it?
Came to the comments expecting to see something like this.
@@hyperhektor7733 I payed $89 for the full rights to it.
@@stufftokeepyouentertained2168 really? then wow
@@hyperhektor7733 you have to look at it from my standpoint. I made about $300 making several plaques for teachers. I also made over $1000 on this video. It was worth the investment.
This was very kind of you to share so much of the process that you followed to create this piece. If you only priced this at $30 your customer got a real good price!
Never comment on videos but I am ordering my Shapepoko after a year of saving and wanted to thank you for your amazing videos.
Thank you for showing even the parts that went wrong, that's how we learn. Great video.
Agree, great video! I also enjoyed seeing the good and bad!
I just came across your channel upon looking up Shapeoko. I have to say I think it was a great video. No fluff, the right info and details along with some great pointers. Liked and subscribed. Thanks for sharing.
Nice sign. I found that the process that works the best for me on a colored v-carve is to plane the board to thickness first - primarily to pre-set the planer thickness for later. Carve the project, but set the Z-zero height to be ~30 thousandths below the surface of the wood. Paint, then plane again with the plane thickness lowered 1/32" (the 30 thousandths you went below the wood surface) instead of sanding off the paint. Seems to do a great job at eliminating the pores of the wood having hints of paint left in it, and no more sanding disks bogged down with paint.
That's a great idea to plane off the paint... I like it. I'm just curious if the paint would dull the high speed steel knives in the planer. I don't yet have a helical head with carbide inserts.
@@ronmisiura9169 I haven't noticed any additional wear, but I've only done this a couple dozen times. My planer uses the traditional HSS blades too, looking forward to a helical upgrade someday.
Bought my Shapeoko XL over a year ago and have yet to cut anything on it. Just too much other pressing stuff to do. But I finally cleared the debris off it, and after watching this video, I think its time to cut something. Thanks for the nudge. great work!
You have created some of the most helpful videos on using the CNC and Vcarve that I have seen on TH-cam. Thank you so much for being thorough and helpful to those of us, who are just getting started, in using the CNC. Outstanding work. I also, love the way you include the misques to let us know that the things will happen and there may be ways to recover. All is very good. Thanks again.
I really like this project. Great job. Also the way you teach/ explain things is very clear and easy to follow and understand. Thank you for your time!
Just came upon your channel. I am about to purchase a shapeoko xxl and your videos are among the best I've watched.. I am now a new subscriber. Thanks
Thanks buddy. I'm just starting out doing stuff like this myself and it's really helpful to see how more experienced people do things (along with the little mistakes).
Nice video, and shows nicely how you go through a project from start to finish. Well done!
Nice video, I have not weeded through all the comments to see if someone else suggested this. Since oak is bad to splinter, especially when two tool paths come close to each other, try tightly applying adhesive backed vinyl on the board first. Also if you apply stickon vinyl you won't have to mask off for painting. Just cover the letters you dont want that color. The major advantage of masking like this is - NO sanding paint off.
$30 for a sign for a friend is fine. But by the time you figure in design time, routing time, finishing, electricity, replacing worn out bits, paint, sandpaper, and clear coat, doubling the price would still be on the low side. (In fact my pricing guide for a sign that size in the grid for lowest overhead, aka home business, shows a price of $62.44. Most dedicated sign shops would sell that for $75 to $100) Even if it's a hobby business, you don't have to undercut the pros by a ton of money. If you are way too cheap, you'll get so busy you'll start to hate doing the projects. If you are pricing right you'll make decent money and not burn yourself out. Too many people underestimate what people will pay for the kind of stuff made on a CNC. After all, they're coming to you because they can't do it themselves. Actually you should put at least 5 to 10 % of every job's profit away. Someday that machine is going to wear out and need replacing. All the jobs that wore out your machine should be paying for the new one.
@NW3D You don't get the point. When enough people cheapen a product by not knowing how to charge, the whole industry suffers. In the sign industry, sign shops are getting about the same amount of money to letter up 2 doors on a truck as sign painters received in the 1950's, about $150 which would be equal to over $1500 in today's money. Technology made it possible for anyone to buy a machine and a computer and become a sign maker. These new sign "artists" had no idea about proper design layout and no knowledge of how to price. Cutting prices to get work is all they knew about marketing. BTW, the steppers on my router are $200 a piece and my spindle was $5000. The stepper you quoted is for toy cnc's.
Exactly, over saturation of the market along with undercut pricing leads to everyone suffering. I'm a cabinet maker and have to compete against handyman with a portable tablesaw from home cheapo and face nailed face frames. Luckily I have great clients who appreciate craftsmanship.
Is someone with a "toy" CNC really cutting into your market share that much? Yes, the market is a crap shoot now, but things should balance out in time. Low cost "toy" machines are widely available and cheap. These people will realize that they can't make a living for the prices they are charging, get bored and move on, or up the ante. People who want quality will buy quality, and people who are cheap will go to the "toy" machine operators.
You professionals have three choices. Ride it out, adapt, or go out of business. It is the unfortunate reality of the free market. The question is, do you add value? What do you do that sets you apart from the "toy" CNC operators?
Other than the fact that you hate that you paid the price of a car for your machines. Basically, it comes down to quality and experience. If you can't beat out an amateur, then what are you doing? Find a part of the market that will value you. Or buy a bunch of "toy" machines that you can use for your cheap customers, and use your expensive machine for the customers that care about quality. Create cool things that the "toy" operators can't.
@@namehere5675 I'm sorry that you don't get it.
That's like telling an artist to give up, your work can be mass produced for pennies. Be kind to the artist. Programming skills are still where it has always been. In demand. Design skills will always make to a great living-till some one copies your stuff and signs your name.
Excellent. Very inspiring and useful for me as newbie in woodCNC (4030 router) Kind regards Marek Poland EU.
A couple things you can do to speed up setups is screw down a straight edge in X & Y to bump parts. My corner location is Origin 1 and then origins 2 thru 4 every inch in X. I cut a line every inch in the straight edge to show the origin locations so now, depending on the size of work and where the hold down t tracks are I just locate the part on the table and pick my origin in the control I want to move to. I use a cheat stick that is cut in a U shape to bump the parts consistently. I rarely set X & Y because they are already defined. I program everything from the bottom left corner for repeatability. If I need to add a feature or re run something my parts go right back where they were originally.
This is one of the better cnc woodworking videos I have seen. Thanks for taking the time to go through the setup. You've earned another subscriber.
I can't tell you how many time I have forgotten to zero my Z after a bit change. Loved the video and really loved the music, I'm a die hard blues fan. "Bonamassa Rules" LOL
Wish I had the space and money for this CNC stuff. Would be fun. One trick I heard about for setting the z axis is to get the spindle close to the piece, then loosen the bit so it touches, then tighten the collet.
Very nice work. I use shellac for my first sealer coat. I made my own touch plate for a piece of aluminum. With that you can do a point cloud and some auto height correction to make all the lines perfect.
Nice done! The Bear really came out great!👍👍👍
Great job on both your project and your honesty.. Your video style is true and real and as newbie to cnc it's appreciated. 2 comments.. 1. I use a dremel with fine tools for the detail clean up (mini sanders and deburring tips). That might help you. And 2. Charge more for your projects. Its a craft and that takes valuable time away from your family and there are expenses that you'll need to recoup. You are an expert in your field regardless of how comfortable you feel with your progress. Keep the videos coming and thank you for doing it. Great job!
I need one of those machines - I love your coloring technique....
The bear looks amazing!
Awesome video. Thank you for not just explaining the title of the video. You really opened my eyes to a lot more about cnc routers and I appreciate it. I have subscribed to your channel for that reason and look forward to everything else you do. Hoping there is an in-depth look at the Shapeoko and accessories and some tips and tricks. Keep up the great work.
Send me one of your video
This is more or less how I used to do this. Now I sand the wood with 220 grit, then put shelf paper on it and then do my v-carving. Note: DO THE V-CARVING FIRST! Do the flat area clearance next. If you do the flat area clearance first, it'll rip up your shelf paper. The V-bit will cut cleanly, leaving the v-carve exposed and the top surface covered. I usually remove the shelf paper from the wood to be cleared by the flat area bit after the v-carve (doesn't help any and the clearance bit will just chew it up anyway). Remove from machine, paint, then remove the shelf paper. It's not perfect, but at least 80% of the time, there's no sanding involved afterward, saving a ton of time.
Caught me by surprise with the hip music lol - Good video, thank you
Really nice work. I like the sealer step. That made all the difference. It stabilized the work surface. I like the "now I hope this will all come off" talking about the paint on the sanding step. That's how it feels doesn't it? If you had some cracks that had paint in them where you did not want it, you could come back with a dark paint over that, and sand again.
Nice job. I love your work. I have the Shapeoko 3 and it is great.
Very informative video. I am in the process of building a Lead CNC machine and plan on doing projects just like this. Well done!
I have watched 10 of your videos so far and subscribed. I admire your transparency. I appreciate your format, the fact that you go from idea to completion through all steps of a project. Please continue with your style.
It's a couple of years late, but the stopping when jogging is normal when using the mouse on the axis, it's the program taking a second to recognize additional clicks/ movements
This is really helpful. I am now considering buying a Shapeoko.
Just a suggestion. When doing V-Carved color filled plaques I use vinyl self-stick shelf paper (from the big box store) as a mask before I cut the plaque. Also, I apply a coat of shellac to seal the wood before applying the vinyl self-stick and a coat of shellac in the carving before spraying the colors on the plaque. That way the paint won't bleed into the grain of the wood. Using the mask there is very little sanding after spraying the colors in the carving and you stand less chance of sanding some of the shallow carving away. The vinyl shelf liner that is left on the plaque is very easy to remove. Using this method I can spray color on the whole plaque before applying the mask, cut the carving, spray color in the carving, remove the mask and have the whole plaque a solid color and the carving a different color. One more pointer, I use Marsh spray stencil ink, it will not bleed into the grain of the wood as bad as most rattle can paints will. The Marsh comes in 7 or 8 colors.
Thanks for the pointers Gene. I have since started using the vinyl masking. I did a video a little while back. I didn't use the shellac, and quickly learned I needed to. I also use marsh inks on some projects. I tend to not use it as much because I can't buy it local and it is pretty pricey.
I've made a lot of plaques using the vinyl shelf paper, never have problems as long as I put a coat of shellac on first, and lightly sand before putting on the vinyl. I know the Marsh cost more than rattle can paint, but I use a lot of knotty pine, the Marsh does not bleed into the grain. So my carvings always have a nice crisp edge even on very fine detail carvings.
Great sign. This is my first time watching your channel. Will watch more soon. Thanks for sharing.
Also, I realized I failed to say it, the sign looks absolutely fantastic!!! Great work!
Beautiful work. Nice created video. Thanks for sharing.
Great videos. I decided to buy my shapeoko XXL because I enjoyed your videos so much. Thanks for being a great inspiration. I too miss working in my garage in Kansas when it's so damn cold lately lol
Thanks for the reply. One of these days I plan on getting a waste oil heater so I can actually get motivated in the winter to get out there and work more often.
Nice job. I’m still figuring out my Shapeoko and this helps a lot. Thanks
Dave Maiden no problem. Good luck with yours. I'm sure you will enjoy it
great job, I think it could look great with a colored acrylic fill too.
The best way to make lots of new friends is still to have a trailer. And a close second is to have a welder ... but there is a good argument for a CNC router being right up there too.
great looking sign, and you have the coolest music...
Well Done, I use the similar technique to make a huge plaque for a good friend. I was not sure how you keep the paint from penetrating the wood and having to sand like crazy. Well Done.
Lots of great ideas and good info. Well done!
very nice work and teaching me a lot
Thank you very much. I've heard of Bit Map Tracing so that helps me a lot. I googled BMT and there's enough there to bring me up to speed. Thanks agsin Great video. Jim
Fantastic job, the sign looks great! Love your work. I do quite a lot with a laser but would love to get into the CNC stuff more, and this is just another dimension in timber instead of acrylic.Hadn't heard of Shapeoko until I found your video, will investigate further as it does a great job. Thank you for taking the time to do the video, much appreciated! Subscribed...
Enjoyed your video. I'm looking into buying my own router for personal use, but I need a way to make a couple bucks with it just to offset the cost of the software. Making signs seems like a good place to start. Thanks. I like that you provided a little more thought even in the beginning than other videos I've watched that are essentially "watch my machine make ....".
Great vid sir, I’m making some hand carved signs with my little router, but you really can’t do work as nice as that. Good tip with the lacquer.
I understand the convenience of running over to a Big Box Store to grab onsie-twosie pieces of wood. However, if you are in the business of using wood for quality projects; your local lumberyard, saw-mill, or forest are a much better option. Great Video, and Thanks for the Upload!
And a lot more work. Properly dried wood is key, and that takes weeks at minimum for raw wood.
well i must say i watch some videos but iv watched a few of yours now and learn a bit that idea masking of to make things look different colors i would never have thought of that
Nice job, thanks for showing how your process looks like.
@stufftokeepyouentertained I realize this is an old thread, and I just found your channel. I have 0 CNC experience, but a fair amount with robotics. I assume the stutter you see is from some sort of step count in the g-code. It seems more like it moves (for example) a 100 counts, minor pause, then another 100 counts. That is pure speculation though on my part. Hopefully you eventually found out the real answer to this!
Thanks for your channel, your helping this newbie out with all of my questions.
What a great piece of work, good video, thanks buddy from the UK
Nice job. It's certainly taught me how to colour in my carvings.
Your lines our not as deep at the top because your table surface in uneven - need to resurface. Also, try using Oramask 813 paint mask - it'll save you a ton of elbow grease. Lastly, coat both sides with equal number of clear coats to prevent warping. Thanks for sharing
If you do not have a touch plate just build yourself a bit holder that will set it self against the collect the same everytime. Then set the bit in the holder. Insert the bit into the collect until your mini "jig" contacts the collet or whatever you can get it to repeat to every time and the bits will all be the same distance from the collet.
Sometimes you gotta use your head for more than a hat-rack.
People are talking about using a vinyl mask and I think it depends on the design and the thickness of the paint. For complex designs and thin paint, I think sanding is easier than vinyl.
I loved the video. I must apologize for all the trolls that have high jacked the comments. I get it -- its a video on how to create a sign, not a video on how to price your work. Please don't let the trolls discourage you from creating videos like this.
I've only just discovered this video... The jog function moves x number of stops based on configs. The fast jog seems like it stutters because it executed the command of x steps then waits for its next command. If you look at the gcode export of the jog command, you'll see it send "move (x steps) in (direction) at (speed)". There may be extra code that'll increase the wait time, but you can send direct code for each of your anchor locations if you take the time to grid them.
Great job. Congratulations from Brazil!
SUGGESTION: There are cnc videos that show how to do wood inlays for your bear and medical symbol. The plaque will hold up better over time. Seeing what you made in your garage gives me great hope for success. Thanks.
Thank you, I like this idea and am looking into getting a CNC to do this, I think it would be a good hobby / pocket change kind of a deal. It would be fun to go to flee markets on weekends and cut some signs or anything, meet new people and just have a nice day and if you make a buck or two thats a plus. thanks again, I like that the machine can be doing something while I can BS with people or be doing other things.. I still have the templates when we did this stuff with a router ( Not the computer type) Thanks again
13:22 "nurse symbol" It's called Caduceus and it's not only the symbol of nurses, but the symbol of medicine as a whole. Great work. I'm sure the school nurse will be very proud to display this plaque in the aid station.
The Staff Of Hermes
going to start saving my pocket money and get me one of these fantastic video thank you
If you don't want to use a touch plate, use a 1-2-3 block. You'll have to subtract whatever the dimension is, but it sets a constant reference from whatever face you;re touching your tools off from and makes sure you have the distances exactly right.
For a touch off block check out MSC for a digital height touch block in the milling section . It is approx. 2" tall that you set on your work piece and touch off your tool in z. They are all metal and some have a digital led scale battery operated. Also you could change your process by sanding your board first, coat with 2 coats of shellac, let each coat dry sand, then cover your sign with adhesive backed clear shelf paper, cut the sign, paint then peal off the paper. Walla finished sign!!!
This technique works even better if you make a coat of clear paint first, maybe even two, before the color spray. This prevents the color from seeping into the wood.
Thank you for the tips, sir.
Thanks for your time and advices!
Thanks for watching.
That came out awesome.
I found that when working with oak you should spray the the surface with a light coar of water. When dry ( just a few minutes ) then do your sanding. Now you will find the surface of the oak to be very rough. This process is called grain raising. Now you can sand it smooth again. You on,y have to do this once Later, when you start painting, the surface should stay smooth, thus eliminating a lot of sanding when you apply your finish. If you don’t do this and you apply a finish (especially if it is water based) your surface will be very rough even if you had sanded it smooth prior to applying the finish. Also, water is cheap.
beautiful job
I find my Shapeoko stutters when jogging sometimes, but only when using the mouse. I *think* I've also experienced it when using my laptop's touchpad. I also find that if you don't keep the cursor over the icon of the button the whole time the machine is moving it will almost certainly stutter. I've also had two occasions where the machine has continued moving after I've taken my finger off the mouse/trackpad. Not just a bit of run on, either: the machine ploughed on to the end stops. Try using the keyboard arrows for X and Y, and the +/- keys for Z+ and Z- and see if the stuttering goes away.
Well I think I found that the issue was with the software, because since I have upgraded to the latest version of Motion I have had no stuttering.
Thanks for sharing your process really good video!
Thanks for watching...
Neat idea to stop paint bleading in to wood use laquer, simple when you know how thanks
That, is one epic mustache.
Was half expecting you to say, "First thing we are going to do is get all of our bits out of focus here", when you opened that drawer lol But focus was for when things were closer.
Your work is impeccable. The symbol is called a caduceus. It’s actually a symbol from Greek mythology that dates back over 3,000 years, and it has no association with nurses or the medical field in general. It’s often confused with the Rod of Asclepius, which is the symbol for medicine. How do you tell the difference? The Rod of Asclepius has only one snake wrapped around the staff, and it’s never depicted with wings. The only time wings are associated with nurses or docs is when they work on medical/EMS aircraft.
By my knowledge it is not a snake in origin but a worm. A stick was used to gently pull a worm from under the skin. But I might be totaly wrong
@@mightress
Never heard that, but you may be right too. I looked up what little I know about it on Wikipedia right after I finished nursing school. I had several things with the same symbol he carved on the sign at the time.
Nice work !!
well done . first class job
Very Impressive keep up the good work
Love the blues music!
Simple but detail oriented.
Nice job. I aprecite a lot.
cool. I prefer it without the colors though, love the look of the first coat of clear gloss.
nice work amigo
Nice work... touch plates are really easy to make if you haven’t already got one.
No I don't have one yet. I am either going to make one or buy one as soon as I get done making the enclosure I'm working on right now.
That pausing is most likely related to the controller/usb connection or the computer doing something in he background.... Its not an issue as long as there is no steps lost. That being said thats a good simple demo there. Try doing the name stuff using a V-bit AND area cleaning with a 1/8 bit. You will get a neat look with the slope on the name text sides.. :)
I use a totally different setup with my total home brew CNC. I use an automatic Z plate setup with Mach 3 and I always use the same spot in the project. Almost always a board is NOT truly flat so doing stuff where its needed I face off the board doing a pocket operation for the entire cutting area taking off say 5 or 10 thou at a time untill I get it level. Dont take long using a 3/4 bit using an offset of say 60 to 75% running at a 300IPM feedrate. If I need several passes all but the last are run cross grain.
The ideal run time for a project is a combination of bit sizes used, the feeds and speed settings. Most of the time with woods Im running somewhere around 100 or so IPM on feeds. All bits have wnats known as chip load. Most of he time with woods that will be somewhere around .004 for 1/8 bits and .006 for quarter inch ones. Whoever made the bit will have the exact values but these are in the ballpark. This along with the number of flutes and the router/spindle rev that is used to set the feed rates. In essence for a givin bit the faster the router or spindle is turning the faster you can go to maintain the chip load. The closer you can get to the ideal chip load, the better the finish will be and the longer the bit will last. A typical router will be running somewhere around 10 to 12 thousand rpm on the lowest setting . That means for a 2 flute quarter inch bit a feed rate around 80 or 90 IPM will be close to ideal. More info on this can be found on the net using "feeds and speeds" for the search term. Cant say for some specific small CNC but for some thats about as fast as one can go. That speed is a function of many things but the bottom line its as fast as you can go without loosing steps. My home brew tops out at around 400IPM but I keep it set at 350IPM max. Also avoid cheap bits like the plague.
A cheap bit will almost always wind up costing far more than good quality ones in a bad finish appearance, short lifetimes and just basically dull to start with. HSS bits are cheaper than carbide and will last a long time, but a good grade carbide will last far longer and that could make one a better buy than HSS.
Have fun and enjoy your electric termites.. :)
Then he is a fing idiot for not using a USB drive and pre-set conditions.
Could you router threw masking tape or Frisket film so that once the routing is done you just paint as you did but then pull the tape or film off and you wouldn't have to sand as much? You could even do colored epoxy in the grooves which you could sand and clear coat to give a cool depth effect.
That pause doesn't look random to me. It pauses about every 3 seconds both in the x and y. My guess is a specific distance each time. I have the cheapest CNC machine and new to this type of device. My cnc routers controller jogs a specific distance set as 0.01/0.1/1/5 and 10. I haven't set up the homing yet. I think this pause is built into it by design. I don't think the computer has anything to do with the pause but it is from the controller.
Great presentation! You should try using straight flute end mills.
What advantage does a straight flute bit have over a spiral flute bit? I never thought of using one. Just thinking about the geometry of it I would think it would be more prone to tearing out smaller detailed pieces than a spiral bit. I may be wrong, but I'll have to give one a try sometime.
I've been using a palm router to make signs. Suddenly I'm very jealous! :)
Just starting out. Thanks for your tips. I learned some that I will put to use. Thanks.
Would you find masking and painting a little easier if you pre-masked the blank and routed through it, peeling the mask after the color application? We use a mask with an adhesive that resists paint crawling under it.
The stuttering: Your machine is commanded by strings of movement commands, sent to the machine in series. You might jog your machine 10cm at a time, which is actually sending an accelerate->full speed->decelerate command each click, so you get accel->speed->decel->accel->speed->decel->accel->speed->decel, if you clicked it three times.
If you do a lot of color fill work you might consider adding 3M Oramask onto the wood before you engrave. Great video!
Just did a video a couple weeks ago about using oramask. Took me a while to actually try it, and when I did I made a couple mistakes, but you are right it is easier and produces better results.
the bear is well done, nice nice
The Stutter has to do with the pulses going to the motors. If the resolution iv high, say 16 miny steps per step, the computer sends a very high pulse rate in high speeds. The motors at that frequency rate enter a resonance mode and do the things you were pointing..............If you carve at that speed you will notice that steps are being lost. try to 1 lower the resolution or slow down the max speed a bit.
Maybe the stutter is within the x y of the controller. Should have a ramp to set acceleration,if too steep it overreacts to overspeed and has to overcompensate. Very apparent at higher accelerations. Of course at lower proscess speeds and loading influence the trouble is minimal to non existent.