We've been a little too busy to take pot shots at the peashooter of late. But just in case Raymond feels neglected I'll take a shot to keep him on his toes.
My daughter Rebecca sold this sign to a family she knows a while back. The project has been waiting in the cue for a while but could wait no more! They asked for the sign to feature a bear. A quick browse through VectorArt's 3D catalogue provided just the 3D image we needed of the bear. Lettterhead Fonts provided the fancy font we needed. A few minutes in Illustrator tweaked the font to bend it around the oval and a quick panel provided a place for the street number. A couple of outlines made the sign shape instantly.
The 3D routing file was put together in EnRoute Pro 3 and some home made textures for the grass and woodgrain which was then sent to the MultiCam. I threw a piece of 1.5" Precision Board on the router and set things in motion... then it was time to mow the lawn while the machine worked. I did check the router once in a while but it did the project flawlessly, even changing bits twice while I circled the lawn. That AUTOMATIC tool changer sure is nice!
Making signs while I mow the lawn in Yarrow...
-grampa dan
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
Hey Raymond...I saw Dan tired in Vegas. He must have slept in the plane on the way home.
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Dan, tired? I would have to see that to believe it.
Do you ever get an image of Dan similar to a NASCAR driver that has just won the race? He has to mention all the company names of the stickers he has on his car. MultiCam, Precision Board, Vector Art 3D, Letterhead Fonts, Enroute Pro 3...but he forgot to give a plug for John Deere.
And I'll just bet that tool changer is mighty handy. Is this a great country or what? Oh....is Canada a great country or what?
Thanks for the photo, Dan. It is a great piece of work. Of course, there are some rather obvious layout problems, but I'll not mention them here. Since you have been one of my heroes since I was a little boy, I wouldn't want to be critical.
And also, thanks for thinking of me again. I was beginning to feel like the orphaned step-child since you had not been challenging me lately. The ShopBot, running ArtCam Pro 9, along with Duna USA Corafoam and Rhino Paint had a good day. She was a little loose in turn four, but we got her straightened out and Mike and I are proud to be in victory lane.
Posted by E. Balch (Member # 3545) on :
Speaking of Tool Changers:
I'm about to buy a new Shopbot router. The new model looks quite professional, but they still don't have a multicam style tool changer. So I'm thinking of buying a 2 head system and thus creating a poor mans toolchanger. Is this a dumb idea? Diane came up with all kind of questions relating to extra weight on the gantry, average number of tool changes per job etc.
The second question is about routers vs spindles. Spindles cost more and might be temperature sensitive, I think someone posted that spindles need to be warmed up before use. And I work in a cold shop (40F) in the winter. I only cut plastic and MDO are spindles really worth the extra money?
ernie
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
We run our spindle through an automatic 15 minute warmup cycle each time we use it (in the morning). That's recommended by the manufacturer.
Spindles are much quieter... much more powerful and can be programmed to run at different speeds whereas routers simply have an on/off switch.
We've found the variable speeds are critical for cutting different materials. I can even program it in the direction it spins although I have yet to use that function.
The extra cost is justified with the uses we put our router to.
-grampa dan
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Good choice Ernie.
As Dan noted, a spindle will not deafen you. Sometimes I have to look at the spindle on our ShopBot to see if it is running or not. We warm up our spindle for about 10 to 15 minutes before using it, but that is done while we get other things ready to go - loading the toolpaths, etc. You might check on the ShopBot Forum (www.shopbottools.com) and read some of the posts where folks are running their spindles in shops that have the temperatures in the minus 0 range and have no problems.
Aside from being very loud, a router will wear out bearings faster than a spindle. Many folks with a ShopBot are running routers, but once they upgrade to a spindle, they never want to go back.
Like you, we cut MDO, HDU, and PVC mostly, but having the luxury of adjustable speeds is well worth the extra money.
The two head system on the gantry would be very handy, but then you have to consider two spindles also. The weight should not be a problem since they are engineered for two spindles.
ShopBot has a new gantry system which lightens the load of the gantry and seems to provide even more accuracy.
How many tool changes? Well, sometimes none sometimes four or five, but mostly just one or two. How's that for an answer.
Yesterday we ran a rather complex job and changed the bit four times. It takes about two minutes at the most (including zeroing the Z axis). Now, Dan will argue that he can be out riding his John Deere (just send me the check for the plug, Sawatzky) and not have to worry about making the change, but most of the time I am right here and can hear when the ShopBot jogs back to home (it makes a different sound). To me a tool changer would certainly be nice, but it is a costly "nice" and one that I can certainly live without.
My advice would be to go with a spindle (two if you want a "poor mans tool changer") and join in Router Wars.
There are constantly used machines being offered on the ShopBot Forum if you wanted to chance a used machine. Sometimes the deals are fantastic.
Keep us posted on your "new arrival".
Posted by E. Balch (Member # 3545) on :
Ok I'm convinced,I got the same advice in the shopbot forum, I will get a spindle. Now if Shopbot can do a good demo with my test files, I'll scrap my old unreliable units and join the professional router wars.
ernie
Posted by Joe Crumley (Member # 2307) on :
I've owned both a spindle and router system. Go for the spindle, and if at all possible, a tool changer.
Tool changers: These units are expensive but I'm convinced they are worth the money. The problem with Shopbot it doesn't seem possible to support this kind of equipment without problems. It's too woobly.
I've seen both Techno Isel and Shopsabre's TC's and they work very well. Of course I'm not much on Shopbot anything. Done That.
The best buy for the money is Multicam, if you have the coins.
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Joe's just a crusty old guy that had one of those ancient ShopBots that was steam driven. He had a birthday recently and is still recovering from the heat flash from all those candles.
Most any of the top brands of CNC machines do about the same thing. The software is all important. A tool changer is a nice thing to have, but since I don't have one my work still seems to come out looking good...and the time to change the bits is minimal.
We are looking forward to your contributions to RW.
Posted by Ricky Jackson (Member # 5082) on :
quote:Originally posted by Raymond Chapman: Do you ever get an image of Dan similar to a NASCAR driver that has just won the race?
I get the image of Dan as the squirrel in the movie "Over the Hedge". Give that guy a double shot of espresso and get outta the way!
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
