So my build is basically complete - just need to add the DW660 and some vacuum hose.
Wondering what people are using for the vacuum hose… is it fair to say you do not want to add a bunch of weight to the Z axis?
I have a very big shop vac which has some really large diameter hose but not sure if I should even attempt to use that vs. buying some smaller diameter hose, etc.
I plan on using the vacuum attachment by Tom Cole.
I’ve been using the smaller diameter car attachment hose on mine.
Where did you get it? Amazon?
Home Depot. It’s made to fit my Rigid shop vac.
So I am looking at my Dewalt 660 and then looking at some of the pictures where they have it mounted.
I am finding that either the Dewalt 660 has to be modified to remove the end locking part (black) in order to be able to mount any sort of vacuum nozzle.
If this is the case… I took the two screws out of the very end of the black locking part and it partially came apart but the main black part is still attached… not sure how that is supposed to come off.
You remove the collet nut and collet, then the 4 star screws that hold the yellow end on. Make sure you hold the part you’re removing up, so the motor doesn’t fall out. I did that the first time, then had to remove the plugs that hold the graphite brushes in place so I could get it back together. There’s a snap ring that holds the collet gripper inside the yellow cap.
Thanks - that helped…
So after doing some drawing with the pen tool. I want to progress to cutting something but I can’t quite yet because I need to tap out all of the lock nuts I GLUED into the tool mount… dummy me. I am waiting for a tap from Amazon.
While I wait… I am interested in the Laser add on… wondering if someone who has the laser can share some words of wisdom and guidance to me… I am not even sure where to even start looking for this stuff.
Well I got the DW660 mounted and then used one of the other forum members dust shoe… too bad I didn’t take into account that having those on will reduce the X and Y area… so I had about 12" and now it looks to be about 10 and 34… perhaps a reason to kick it out to 36x36 once I have gotten through some test runs…
DW660 is deafing… my ears are still ringing…
Here’s my first cut…
You got it dirty!!! Awesome, thanks for sharing.
Nice! You definitely want some hard shell hearing protection!
Just want to say Hi as another Minnesota builder, I’m just finishing up my rebuild/second build.
So tomorrow I got the 500w Spindle coming from Amazon… My hearing is already messed up so to do anything for long periods with the DW660 is not going to work… I ran it for about 5 minutes tonight and even with the hearing protection they are still ringing… might need to upgrade my ear muffs…
Anyways… my question is this… what free software do folks use for coming up with these DXF files to import into Estlcam ?
I knew the software would be more of a battle for me and I am coming up short with what software would be good for a beginner. It’s not that I want to design a bunch of parts but if I want to pull an image or create something for a sign, etc… what the best - no/low cost software options out there??
Inkscape for artistic designs. It is a very powerful free vector editing software that can export DXFs. Basically an Adobe Illustrator alternative.
For mechanical parts Fusion360 is a professional CAD package that is free for hobbyists and even has very good built in CAM capabilities.
+1 for Inkscape. But Inkscape outputs SVGs, not DXFs, but EstlCAM can read them either way. Inkscape is great for two things:
It’s not great at making dimensioned things. At least I don’t like it for that. For dimensioned things, like planning out parts for a box, or furniture, or something like that, I think OnShape is a good recommendation. It’s pretty good for 2D stuff, you can make a sketch, set all your dimensions you care about, and then export the sketch as a DXF. You can also import STL files or other DXF files, and orient them relative to your sketch. Then you can bring in dimensions from those other parts into your sketch, so that things fit exactly. It’s online, so you don’t have to have a windows machine (something I really care about).
A lot of folks here use fusion 360. I think it’s harder to use than OnShape, but it has the advantage of being able to be used as CAM software, so you wouldn’t need EstlCAM. But I think that’s significantly harder than using EstlCAM (for the simplest stuff).
You can also do some googling on images.google.com and add in the term SVG and get quite a few already made SVGs that you can read right in EstlCAM.
what software would be good for a beginner. It’s not that I want to design a bunch of parts but if I want to pull an image or create something for a sign, etc… what the best – no/low cost software options out there??
Definitely Inkscape. Just search “Inkscape convert to SVG” on youtube, and you’ll see how people are doing it, mostly using the “trace bitmap” function. Works like a charm for logos and such.
Well I tried out InkScape tonight to engrave a Victory Motorcycle logo.
I swapped out the DW660 for the 500w spindle from Amazon. Way better on the ears but not sure how it will hold up… does not even seem like its running. I engraved the Harley Davidson logo into some old ply and it did it just fine.
I just need to figure out how to set the depths… i have only been merely drawing with the pen or light engraving. I want to learn how you actually cut out an object.
Also, need to learn how to do tool changes…in the gcode, etc.
I don’t know why I didn’t point you to SOGC: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCww3Za6jKZvnNReyyqonxuw
Also, EstlCAM has a tutorial on carving: https://youtu.be/LEFFogenSvo
Found some existing models on Thingiverse and tweaked them in Tinkercad to work on my MPCNC with the Amazon 500w Spindle. Seems to work ok.
which 500w spindle did you order from Amazon? I should have went that route to start with. Are you running the spindle at a single speed or using a speed controller?