Member postings for EtheAv8r

I am looking at getting a new milling vice for use on Sieg KX3 and Sieg Super X3 and have shortlisted the Vertex Ang-Fixed VA-4 from Chronos or RDG and others and the DH-1 Precision Vice from Warco **LINK**.

I would value input from anyone who has or knows of either of these vices – the DH-1 is more costly, but appears more flexible and I am leaning towards this one. Any advice from you more experienced people before I commit would be useful.

Edmund

A separate "clean" thread detailing the build woud be a super resource, so here is one vote for "Yes please"!

edmund

David - maybe you can ask the Techies who manage the web sites?

Jason

Thank you so very much for taking the time and effort to post your photos and produce an effective build guide blog. I have the materials to make two of these, but as a beginner I have found your blog to be heaven-sent and it makes the process so clear and 'do-able' for those like me.

Edmund

How to make bushes by Wolfie is the latest example.

I am puzzled. I also subscribe to RCM&E, who are also a part of the same organisation as MEW. The RCM&E website (www.modelflying.co.uk) is of a similar format regarding adverts and layout - but does not seem to suffer from any of the foibles of this site - why is this?

Problem I have is access across my (wife's) beautifully (and expensively) landscaped garden down some stone steps to the meadow behind, where I built my workshop (screened off by Laurel and trees), a wiggly journey of about 60 meters). ......And then I have "if you pop your clogs first - what on earth am I going to do with that lot - it all weighs a ton".

However the Sieg KX3 came in at 200Kg and I managed that OK - got it into the workshop on a pallet truck at delivery time and got it up on the stand using a borrowed engine hoist all on my own, so the actuat fact is I could probably have gone up to 250Kg........ but 200 was a challenge. Problem is you don't know until you try, and when it is your first time one tends to err on the side of caution without experienced help on hand.

Justin

Having a gearbox may be a bit more convenient... but changing the gras is the work of minutes and not an issue. It is only required for screwcutting (as far as I am aware) and I have never needed to change them from the default setup. The D6000E is not perfect (what is?) but I am glad I chose it over the Ceriani as that is a much smaller machine.

D4000E and D6000E are very different machines size and capacity wise.  I fell in love with the D4000E but it was too small and dinky, and for the relatively small extra cost of the D6000E you get a lot more metal for your money - but not low cost like machines from China.

Edited By EtheAv8r on 24/05/2012 11:27:19

Sid

If you look at my post on 26/11/2010 you would see that my final choice was the Wabeco D6000E - which is in fact a bit heavier and greater capacity than an ML7 at about 155Kg without stand. My earlier post referred to 200+ Kg lathes and I did not realise at that time that the Myford was so small and light - not that I wanted one (and still din't) but there was so much 'Myford Fanboy' stuff and I had seen old lathes in the 250 - 450 Kg range and mistakenly believed Myfords were similar.

Big and heavy does not necessarily equate to stiffness and rigidity, and it is arguably easier to build a small stiff and rigid lathe than a big one.

Will you regret getting rid of it?

Probably no.

If you can more usefully use the space, then you will notice and enjoy the extra space every day.

If 98% of you drilling is now done on the mill then you can easily make that 100%. If you can't remember when you last used it, then you clearly use it so little that you won't really miss it, except you will 'miss' the obstruction it currently provides. Yes there will be the odd time when you might have used it if it were there, but this seems so rare for you that you will work round it, and not actually regret not having it.

I have moved mine into a shed until I can find someone to give it to as I was in the same position as you.

Well no but you are missing the point - I don't have to, there are plenty of other businesses that will do it for much less.

If we take your position and use it in another situation where I can do it cheaper myself - for example I could take a 20Kg parcel 10 miles for less - but Royal Mail would charge the same 20 quid. I can drive from home to my office for a cost of about £14 (and I could take 3 passengers) but I go by train and it costs me £36 - not really good value, but apparently better for the planet.

I agree. Monday I had to post off forms to Student Finance England, and the cost was £1.10 second class to give them information I have already given them for another daughter!

The courier service MyHemes (no association, just a customer) will collect from your house (living 4 miles fro the nrarest Post Office this is a boon) and the rates are:

up to 1 Kg £3.30

1 - 2 Kg £4.19

2 - 5 Kg £5.99

5 - 10 Kg £7.14

10 - 15 Kg £ 8.30

Huge savings over Royal mail.

With this Viacad i have drawn a part in 2D as an exersise ( the ubiquitous conrod) and then switch to 3D and simply extrude it to 3D and each section can be manged separately, and if you change or modify the item in the 3D view then the 2D drawing is automatically changed appropriately.

I definitly think I will commit......... Also it is available, with expert support, from a local distributor in Cambridge, it is slightly more expensive than buying direct from the USA (the dreaded VAT) but I prefer to support a UK business, especially when local to me, and more so in the current economic climate.

ViaCad v8 2D/3D is available for free download and is fully functional for 15 days, when the ability to save is disabled until the licence key is provided. So one can give it a good try out.

I have worked trough some of the DraftSight tutorials and even printed out the full user guide. When following them it is OK, but when I come back a few days later and try to draw a simple part..... stumble stumble. With ViaCAD I found it so much more intuative.... still a bunch of stuff that I need to get to grips with, like triming, but I have found it much more doable with ViaCAD - I think I will go for it and buy a licence.

CAD that cannot export to DXF is of no use - this posting is about drawing for CNC fun and games.

Russell - your link is to something called Dymola - not DraftSight - and it looked about as user friendly as a cornered rat.....

Edited By EtheAv8r on 21/03/2012 23:14:03

Thank you for this article. Thanks to Martin Widdowson, I believe I have finally found the CAD program to use with my CNC adventures using Cut2D/Mach3/Sieg KX3. I have been trying to get to grips with DraftSight - very flexible, extremely powerful and a wonderful CAD program that is free. It is not intuitive for me and I found it a battle to do even simpler things.

However ViaCAD makes many of the simple things I want to do rather easy. I guess the artical was written some time ago and the ViaCAD v7 2d/3D version and download specified are no longer available, so it is a choice between ViaCad v7 2D only at $40 or ViaCad v8 2D/3D at $100. The 2D only product will almost certainly suffice, by the new v8 2D/3D has some additional features and better future potential to also plat with 3D - you pays yer money etc...

I made more progress in one evening producing a drawing in ViaCAD than I managed in a week with DraftSight. This is not a slight on DraftSight, but the way you work in ViaCAD is just easier for me to get the required results.

I see 4 options, all have the same expiry date alonside, only the MEW box has a subscriber number (which is correct as I only subscribe to MEW) and I guess the expiry date is the date of my next Annual Direct Debit, which will be renewed automatically I believe.

Just worked fine for me on my iPad. Actual product is a bit clunky and crude compared to others, but it worked.  But given the overall operation of this forum software and facilities....... That is what you would expect, sadly.

Edited By EtheAv8r on 18/03/2012 10:09:04

It is a pity you are in Ireland and not Cambridgeshire. I am putting together a new workshop with lathe and mill and cnc mill at that, and am a beginner with everything to learn. I am also into flying R/C helicopters and would like to make some usefull parts for that purpose one day. If you were local, then we could have got together.

Posted by blowlamp on 18/01/2012 19:18:47:

 

You don't need to learn G-code anymore Ray

I prepared a step-by-step article on the use of CAD and CAM for the absolute beginner and sent it off to MEW, but so far it hasn't been published.

 

It's a pity really, because it was written specifically to try and bring the home workshop community up to date with the opportunities that CNC brings, as well as show that it is quite an interesting subject if it's given a chance - and no G-codes either.

 

 

Martin..

Edited By EtheAv8r on 18/01/2012 22:01:27