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cwm
08-06-2011, 08:47 PM
I should explain I am a ship model builder and looking or a CNC router so that I can get acurate cuts . My question is can I use the cw cnc for this purpose, I use mostly 1/16 and 1/8 ply. So I will be cutting out parts 90% of the time I 've almost convinced my wife this is a good tool .
I've viewed almost all th tutorials I can find and have yet to find anyone using the cw for this purpose.

Thanks
Chris
Canada

jaroot
08-06-2011, 09:43 PM
Al Who is probably the guy to talk to about that he cuts out accountability tags for fire departments with his CW. I've cut out some parts with mine and it worked well. For what you are doing, if you can swing it, a laser would probably be better but the price is significantly higher. There are some other guys in Canada using the CW and they have suggested the support in Canada has been sketchy in the past but I understand that that is being resolved. I'm sure that Al will check in here soon and give you his take on it.

Good luck

Digitalwoodshop
08-07-2011, 11:52 AM
Thanks guys....

Yes, cutting small parts is a snap with the CW. I cut thin Fiber Re Enforced Plastic with a carrier board. The trick is 1. to use double stick tape to hold the stuff in place. Not the heavy duty carpet stuff but the Scotch 665 double sided tape. I use the 3/4 x 36 yard rolls. $16.00 at Walmart but $8.00 on line. The 2nd trick is to design your cut out with the 1/16th bit but when done select all cut lines and then select the 1/4 inch bull nose bit and set the depth. You STILL load the 1/16th bit but by lying to the machine and telling it you are using a 1/4 inch bit, it locks the feed rate into 1st gear for the whole cut. If you just select the 1/16th bit then the machine will cut in 2 speed mode.... 1st gear on the turns then a flat out run in 2nd gear on the straight cuts.... This is where the problems come in.... The bit cannot clean the cut fast enough for the 2nd gear feed rate. I have had the pushing move the tag on the double stick tape making defect cuts...

I am working on a Vacuum Carrier Board... I bought 200 3/8 Dowel Hole Plugs that look like a mushroom. I will drill 3/8 holes on 1 inch centers on my carrier board. Edge the board with solid wood as high as the dowel plugs. Cover the plugs with 1/8 inch Masonite or hard board. Make up my tag artwork and place 2 drilled holes in my artwork for each tag. Remove the tag art from the .mpc leaving just the drill holes. Run the project drilling the holes. Clean the carrier board and apply the industrial Veneer Continuous Duty Vacuum Pump and place a sheet of stock on the carrier board and cut. The Vacuum should hold the tags in place. A Vacuum Switch hooked to the Cover Switch will turn off the machine if vacuum is lost. Using the Mushroom Plugs lets me replace them if I drill into them.

I will have dedicated replaceable 1/8 inch hardboard hole boards for each mpc. Even some for holding scrap blocks of 4 inch cut off wood to make Bears and Xmas Ornaments.

Being able to cut tags to any size has pushed my business to $13.5K this year and I am still booked solid... This is my Canadian Customer.... We are working on 4 Fire houses... The new tags with clips are for the Chief's to take to meetings for OTHERS to SEE.... I sent them FREE... I am working on Luggage Tags and Navy Ship Visitor Badges too.... The Logs might need to wait.... Not bad for a one man shop....

So that's my story and I am sticking to it...

Digitalwoodshop
08-07-2011, 12:12 PM
And since I am bragging.... Being able to cut wood handles on the CW lends to a pretty useful Accountability Board.... Here is a group for Philadelphia Fire Departments, when I finish all the boards it will have been a $3K order... All because of my ability to Color Print and the CW....

They want every truck in the Division to have the same board on site..... A NJ FD is working with me making a Accountability Board with a Paper Center Section to record all the stuff and in the end be a permanent record. A North Carolina FD already has my Magnetic Accountability Tags and is working with a paper over Steel Mock Up Board to get the design worked out. Then I will make a Steel board for them.... Again using the CW to cut the new Handle....

I bought a 23 ga Pin Nailer and now use that and Epoxy to attach the handle eliminating the brass nails for a cleaner look.

Without the CW my business would be ... Ho Hummmmmm.... With the CW... I am planning on a new Direct Jet Printer next year able to print on pretty much anything..... up to 2 inch thick.... Pens, Golf Balls, Tags, Boards, Wood, License Plates, Reflective Stickers, and more... So many TOYS... SO little Time....

http://www.directcolorsystems.com/inkjet/direct-jet-2-17.php


AL

cwm
08-07-2011, 02:20 PM
thank you for the replies to my question, I'm sure I'll have more after I get my machine.

Digitalwoodshop
08-07-2011, 02:56 PM
The Tips and Tricks section on the CarveWright Site is a gathering of many of the things we have learned as users of the system. There was a time when most users first post was a simple.... "I cranked the head all the way up to clean and now it just click trying to crank it down...." The answer to that is in Tips and Tricks along with being printed in the User's Manual. Pointing all new Users to Tips and Tricks helps to prevent them from experiencing the same New User things we saw.... Like Scaling of the Project.... What happens if you tell the machine to stay under the rollers and the board is too short.... The machine takes the 7 inches from the board you loaded and leaves the rest for the project in the small area left.... So the 7 inch rule of Wood, Carrier Boards, Sleds, Cleaning and more about your machine. Many a new user got Excitement from seeing the Wood Chips being sucked up by the big Shop Vacuum. The noise, the THRILL..... The "STATIC ELECTRICITY" in the Thousands of Volts being produced by the motion of the wood chips through the plastic suction hose.... The next post "I cleaned my machine with my Shop Vac and now my CW machine is DEAD...." Yes, you can KILL your CW machine with Static Electricity. And the $300.00 for the Computer and Hundreds for other Circuit Boards...... Tips and Tricks will save you money... and possibly your "MARRAGE".... YOU WHAT !!!! KILLED the MACHINE!!!!!! @#^&!@&$#%

We are here to HELP.... This little HOBBY Machine has been GOOD to many of US....

AL

unitedcases
08-07-2011, 07:39 PM
Did you just sell more scotch tape Al?

Digitalwoodshop
08-07-2011, 08:10 PM
Scotch.... A 3M Product :).....

AL