Tag: home workshop
Homebuilt CNC Lathes
CNC lathes, or turning centers, as they are sometimes called are probably the least common of CNC machines in a home workshop. This isn’t because they are not very useful tools, but because repetitive turning operations are usually more the realm of manufacturing companies, rather than home hobbyists. If you have a hobby that involves [...]
Homebuilt CNC Plasma
CNC Plasma Cutters are intended for cutting out intricate designs from thin sheet metal. They use a plasma cutter which uses super-heated gas to vaporize metal. If you boost a gas to extremely high temperatures, you get plasma. The energy begins to break apart the gas molecules, and the atoms begin to split. . In [...]
All About CNC Software
The CNC design process starts with an idea… Maybe you sketch it out on the back of a napkin. From there, you need to draw your part in a CAD program. There are ALL levels of CAD programs, ranging from free to some that cost thousands of dollars. In the ABC’s of CNC video we [...]
Homebuilt CNC Routers
If cutting wood, plastics, and composites is your goal, then a CNC router is going to be your tool of choice. The only real limitation on a CNC router is the physical size of the machine. If you’re interested in cutting large signs, plaques or other parts, then you might want a machine that has [...]
Homebuilt CNC Milling Machine
CNC Mills, or CNC milling machines as they are sometimes called, are a more muscular, and usually more compact version of a CNC router. Both of these types machines turn a sharpened, fluted cutting tool. A mill uses an “end mill”, that can have two flutes (raised, spiral cutting edges), four flutes, or even more. They [...]
CAD and CAM Software
Here’s a bunch of links to various CAD solutions… some are “lite” versions of more sophisticated programs, some are free…. Alibre A light version of their commercial software. Parametric & feature based 3D modeler, which is fairly easy to use. 2D layout & detailing is fully associative with the 3D model. Shelling & booleans are [...]
CNC at Home
So what is this “CNC” thing about, anyway…….???? Computer Numeric Controlled machines have been around since the 1960′s. In the early days, the movements of the machines, whether they were CNC routers, CNC lathes, CNC milling machines, or anything else… were controlled by computers that used punch cards for their operation. They did repetitive cutting operations [...]
Is This You?
Is This You? O.K… I’m going to climb way out on a limb, and see if I can guess who you are. You like to build things, make things, and fix things. You’ve got a home workshop, with a few power tools, quite a few hand tools, and a stack of raw materials. You really [...]
The New Workbench… Totally NON CNC! :-)
I’m finally coming up for air…. from my new workbench project. For decades, I have put up with workbenches that were made from TV dinner trays, card tables, and recycled chicken coops. I finally got fed up and said “No MORE!”….. and designed a new 4′ x 8′ work table… that is 40 inches tall [...]
