Intro from Nebraska

MechWerks · #1 02-05-2011, 01:36 PM

New to the site doing the required intro.
Check out www.mechwerks.com (not spam...just what I do).
Custom motorcycles is what I like to do. Fabricator and welder for over 35 years. Machinist with manual and CNC background (have two lathes, manual mill, CNC mill and CNC plasma in home shop). Also working for an automotive restoration shop as fabricator/machinist (www.healeywerks.com)

Still... much to learn.

Joe Hartson · #2 02-05-2011, 02:35 PM

Steve, welcome to the site and thanks for the introduction. Hope you enjoy the site. Thanks for joining us here.

David Gardiner · #3 02-05-2011, 03:41 PM

Welcome to the site Steve, you have some good things going on!
I am just building myself a CNC plasma cutter and its a steep learning curve for someone who has never used anything CNC.

David

MechWerks · #4 02-05-2011, 04:21 PM

Thanks guys.

Building the CNC will definately be an adventure. Check out www.cnczone.com for some guideance.
Hopefully you have some CAD experience. Not necessary for CNC programing but it makes life easier to make a drawing in CAD, drop the drawing (.dxf usually) into a CAM program that writes the g-code for the CNC controller and burn from the file.

Options for building computer controlled machines is about endless.

One last passing thought...plasma is nasty, dirty stuff. Black dust everywhere. Walls and ceilings are a yellow brown color...

David Gardiner · #5 02-05-2011, 04:45 PM

Hi Steve, I dont mean to hijack your intro. I am learning to do CAD I have never used it before. I am building my table with a water table and it will also have extractoin of some desciption should keep the smaolke and mess down. I already joined cnczone I have the table built ( well I bought the table- a 4x4) I have made the water table and I have bought the torch height control, I am now saving for the motors.

David

patman · #6 02-05-2011, 09:42 PM

Welcome Steve where abouts are you in Nebraska I am in Hastings good to see another guy from Nebraska!! If your ever in Hastings stop by we are on the corner of second and Colorado.

Pat

HEATNBEAT · #7 02-05-2011, 10:01 PM

Welcome Steve!

MechWerks · #8 02-05-2011, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patman

Welcome Steve where abouts are you in Nebraska I am in Hastings good to see another guy from Nebraska!! If your ever in Hastings stop by we are on the corner of second and Colorado.

Pat

South Sioux City. Just a short distance from the Iowa, Sioux City and a little further from the South Dakota, North Sioux City. Used to work in NSC, made for interesting phone conversation to say I drove through three states and three Sioux Cities in under 15 minutes to get to work that day.

MechWerks · #9 02-05-2011, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Gardiner

Hi Steve, I dont mean to hijack your intro. I am learning to do CAD I have never used it before. I am building my table with a water table and it will also have extractoin of some desciption should keep the smaolke and mess down. I already joined cnczone I have the table built ( well I bought the table- a 4x4) I have made the water table and I have bought the torch height control, I am now saving for the motors.

David

The water table should help with some of the mess...but then you get to dredge the thing occasionally...but it would be a lot of use.

Use TurboCAD for 2D drawing most of the time. Corel Draw to do conversion of line drawings or when more artistic curves are involved. Also use Alibre for 3D work but it will do 2D and being parametric lets you make dimensional changes without starting over or remaking lines.

My table doesn't have a THC. I do mostly 3/16" and above so there is little issue with just setting a height and burning.