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NEW iCarver 1520 Has Landed!

The problem with cutting either metal or aluminum sheet is keeping it flat on the sacrificial board under the sheet. I certainly thought about getting some 1mm thick (thin?) plexiglas and getting the iCarver to cut out the parts, for this small unit.

Cheers!
 
Nice work on the cyclone Stu. Any chance you'll post your cut files and plans? :)

I saw a room remodel the other day that made me think of your plastic impressions. They had a plaster wall that had a wildlife scene carved into it. Made me wonder if using one of your relief carvings would be able to produce a similar effect when a release agent was applied to the impression and left to setup.

Have you considered making a small vacuum table to add to help hold work in place?
 
Stuart Ablett said:
The problem with cutting either metal or aluminum sheet is keeping it flat on the sacrificial board under the sheet. I certainly thought about getting some 1mm thick (thin?) plexiglas and getting the iCarver to cut out the parts, for this small unit.
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Having only cut a few parts on my machine, I'm probably speaking beyond my wisdom but I've found that double stick carpet tape holds well. I used it the other day to cut out some polycarbonate parts for a dust shoe i'm working on. Using a spiral downcut bit is also something I've heard good things about as long as you're taking a light cut so it doesn't load up the kerf with chips too badly.
 
Darren Wright said:
Nice work on the cyclone Stu. Any chance you'll post your cut files and plans? :)

I saw a room remodel the other day that made me think of your plastic impressions. They had a plaster wall that had a wildlife scene carved into it. Made me wonder if using one of your relief carvings would be able to produce a similar effect when a release agent was applied to the impression and left to setup.

Have you considered making a small vacuum table to add to help hold work in place?
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My files for cutting out pieces are so bad, I'd not post them, they are just kind of hacked together, I've not really studied the software enough, yet :eek:

I think that you could make a mold for stuff with this machine, I do not see why not.

Funny you should mention the vacuum table, I was thinking today about how to go about building one of those :rolleyes: as I have a very large strong vacuum pump I use on the lathe, right next to the iCarver!
 
Jason Beam said:
Having only cut a few parts on my machine, I'm probably speaking beyond my wisdom but I've found that double stick carpet tape holds well. I used it the other day to cut out some polycarbonate parts for a dust shoe i'm working on. Using a spiral downcut bit is also something I've heard good things about as long as you're taking a light cut so it doesn't load up the kerf with chips too badly.
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Certainly the carpet tape works great, but it gets expensive! I also like to use the thick CA glue, just a few spots here and there in the waste areas of a cut out work very well indeed, think of the CA glue as nails or pins, you only need say four, one in each corner of a square if you are cutting out a circle, and once done, just slip a chisel between the two pieces and the CA glue pops right off, usually with little or no damage to the plywood.

Cheers!
 
Figuring things out more and more on the new iCarver 1520.

Here is a very short video cutting out some parts for my mini cyclone.....
... I have to say this is one very cool machine, with lots and lots of possibilities!

The more I learn, the more I get excited about things I should be able to do, once I learn more on how to drive the software.

Cheers!
 
cool video. It's amazing how clean it is.

One question I would have for the geetech guys, is why does it pick up and go back to the start for the second cut. It would seem to me to be just as easy (in terms of software) for it to backtrack over the cut. On a large piece, all those pauses to backup would add up to a fair bit of wasted time, don't you think?
 
Art Mulder said:
cool video. It's amazing how clean it is.

One question I would have for the geetech guys, is why does it pick up and go back to the start for the second cut. It would seem to me to be just as easy (in terms of software) for it to backtrack over the cut. On a large piece, all those pauses to backup would add up to a fair bit of wasted time, don't you think?
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Yeah, I do think Art, but that is more to do with me learning how to drive the software. I have to learn how to link up toolpaths into one, I've not yet taken that chapter so to speak :D
 
Stuart Ablett said:
Certainly the carpet tape works great, but it gets expensive! I also like to use the thick CA glue, just a few spots here and there in the waste areas of a cut out work very well indeed, think of the CA glue as nails or pins, you only need say four, one in each corner of a square if you are cutting out a circle, and once done, just slip a chisel between the two pieces and the CA glue pops right off, usually with little or no damage to the plywood.

Cheers!
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The CA glue is a good idea I hadn't thought of. I wish I could be around it - but CA gives me cold-like symptoms for 3 days. After 5-10 seconds of exposure! It's frustrating. Though I've heard some guys use hot melt glue, but I'm not sure I'd trust it without some more experience.

I think this is really cool - we're all at various stages of learning this new CNC thing. It's a movement, I think. Someday a CNC in a hobby shop will be like having a bandsaw :)
 
When I had the ShopBot, I used hot glue. Works great but don't use too much or you will have a dickens of a time releasing it! It was especially great when cutting a piece out leaving the cut piece loose to rattle around and cause havoc. That part always got a dab or two. There are different kinds of hot glue sticks. Do some research as I do not remember what I got. CA is pretty brittle and quite toxic. Hot glue is pretty benign by comparison and much less brittle.
 
Stuart Ablett said:
It is cool Jason, for sure!

Not to diss Family Woodworking, but are you guys on any CNC forums?

What software do you use?

Cheers!
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Agreed, not to diss FWW - but yeah, i'm on CNC Zone (tho never really post much, it's too big). I've also got a CNC Woodworking section on my forum that I'm trying to get going. Right now it's just me and a few other guys - one is an expert signmaker and another an expert machinist. We're feeling our way around things together. I like that it's not so massive because I just don't have time to dig through that pile to find stuff I want, or to dig through the new stuff.

Software - I'm trying my best to do everything for free but I'm starting to really like Mach3 for my controller software. So much so that I haven't given EMC much of a chance. For CAD/CAM I've been using SketchUp and Phlatscript (SketchUCam) but I'm finding some limitations that I dislike with SketchUp. SketchUCam has a few things I don't like and a few things that make it easy - also the wizards in Mach3 are pretty handy, too. For now, I'm forcing myself to stick with this while I learn g-code. Sorta like learning what flat, smooth and square is before you build an Armoir, ya know?
 
I'm on CNCZone as well (dwwright), got my plans to build my JGRO router from there.

For my machine I'm running emc2 so far, but may update to mach3. I used to run KCam, but found emc2 to be about 3 times as fast.

I did try to write my own controller program to run the machine using visual basic. I had it somewhat working and had some good features of DXF import/Gcode creation, but I had a problem with the stepper timing making the movement really slow on the machine. The app really needed a driver written in C to really make it work correctly, like Mach3 has. I ended up posting the source to the CNCZone visual basic forum to see how it would grow...doesn't look like it went anywhere...

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/visual_basic/8789-visual_basic_controller_project.html
 
Stuart Ablett said:
...Not to diss Family Woodworking, but are you guys on any CNC forums?...
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Jason Beam said:
Agreed, not to diss FWW - but yeah, i'm on CNC Zone...
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Darren Wright said:
I'm on CNCZone as well...
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What!?!?! Do you mean to tell me that the 4 or 5 partially experienced CNC beginners we have here is not enough for you guys? Sheesh! Tell ya what...go to this CNC Zone place and ask them how to fettle a plane or change a bandsaw blade. Then you'll see who your real friends are. :rolleyes:




:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:




(And in case anyone is wondering, the entire statement above is tongue in cheek. Unlike other places, we recognize we're not the only forum on the Interwebs.)
 
Vaughn McMillan said:
What!?!?! Do you mean to tell me that the 4 or 5 partially experienced CNC beginners we have here is not enough for you guys? Sheesh! Tell ya what...go to this CNC Zone place and ask them how to fettle a plane or change a bandsaw blade. Then you'll see who your real friends are. :rolleyes:
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OH! THAT'S IT....I'M OUT OF HERE!:mad:

Edit: Be back in a half hour or so...;)
 
Funny guys!

I just figured out something so simple yet I was too dumb to know what it was, on the software I'm using (ArtCAM Express by Delcam) I could not find the cut rate, or depth of cut for each pass, so I was making a seperate tool path for each cut at each depth, but I figured it out, they call it "Stepdown" but I did not know what that was, now I do!

I also figured out, FINALLY, how to join several vectors into one vector, so it will be one continuous toolpath!

the learning continues!
 
Stu, I don't mean to change the subject and I know a carver and a laser are two completely different animals. But, if you were spending your extra cash, which would you purchase to get the most bang for your buck and why. (This can be asked to all of you that have carvers of some mechanical type)
 
Jonathan Shively said:
Stu, I don't mean to change the subject and I know a carver and a laser are two completely different animals. But, if you were spending your extra cash, which would you purchase to get the most bang for your buck and why. (This can be asked to all of you that have carvers of some mechanical type)
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Good question. I think the laser is a much more specialized tool, I guess it is more for engraving, but it will cut some lighter materials, right?

For me the CNC cutting/carving machine will prove a lot more versatile.

I doubt I'll ever use my router to make a circular hole again! :D
Making up small parts for just about anything should be fairly easy to do, and I hope to be able to get some working of aluminum in at some point, I understand that the motor that runs the cutter on the iCarver is not really up to this task, but I've already seen someone hack their iCarver and install a trim router motor, to more than double the HP on tap. For now I'm just trying to learn how to drive this thing!
 
I have to agree with Stu's comments.

The laser is pretty specialized and will have a limited cut depth, but detail is going to much higher quality as well as precision. Both would have their place in a shop, but the CNC would get used more for the type of work I would do.
 
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