Computer Whiz Kid
As documented in an earlier blog post, I have upgraded my CNC Shark router. As often happens, once I had it up and running, I got sidetracked for a while on other shiny objects … or important tasks (these can be hard to differentiate between).
But a short while ago I got back to the CNC machine and decided to learn how to make signs or placards. They can be funny and fun to make, make good gifts, both legitimate and white elephants, and you can make them from a wide variety of material.
While I had success making them previously, I went to the universal source of truth, YouTube, to get a refresher course. Once I was properly enlightened, I got busy with my Vetric software and made a sign … or so I thought.
Having created a text and after a couple of aborted tries, saved the toolpaths, I put the .tap file on my trusty thumb drive and fired up the CNC Shark. I affixed some scrap lumber to the spoil board, set my X, Y, and Z coordinates and set it in motion.
To say nothing happened would be a lie, to say anything useful happened would also be untrue. The router bit started spinning and engaged with the lumber rapidly twitching in a really odd manner. Looking closely, it seemed to me that it was trying to carve the 20-character sign in a space about 1mm x 1mm. Far too small to read.
Trouble shooting the problem was exacerbated by my lack of knowledge. Even the source of all truth, YouTube, let me down. Doing the same thing over and over was not effective. After a while I noticed that my post processor was listed as a generic version. I felt like a computer genius, this must be the problem! I deleted the old process and then searched for and found one that matched my model and machine … and successfully installed it. What a stud! (I was considering starting an IT problem solving website at this point.)
Going back to making a sign, I decided just to try to carve one letter to see if I had success. Back at the machine with a 45-degree ½” V-bit in place, the machine created a very striking letter “R” … my head swelled to the point I could hardly walk through the garage door.
Carved with a 1/2” diameter V-bit, this letter confirmed my computer skill were far above average …
Next up I created a very clever and complicated sign that everyone would admire. The CNC machine carved it into a 1mm x 1mm area. The air escaping from my over-inflated ego made a sad whistling sound as I crawled back into my man cave basement.
A couple of emails to Vectric and Next Wave customer service experts quickly put me right. It was the post processor, but somehow it had reverted back to the generic version.
My new 60-degree V-bit from Whiteside.
Today, with a brand new 60-degree ¼” diameter V-bit from Whiteside, I carved the test sign seen above. I was able to carve more than one letter and right-size my ego in one simple file.
