Not to be confused with “ready for member use” the Shark is again a functioning CNC.
[UPDATE 1/20: taking signups for certification of existing Large CNC users.] [Reach out to Chris Sader directly via Discourse to get your name on the list.]
@csader, @JoeN and I met today to put the final touches on the Shark and test it out with our first cuts. All went well technically. We still don’t have dust collection. We still need to make adjustments to the bed to gain use of full travel. We need a modern version of VCarve Pro installed. Frankly, the list goes on from there … but it works.
Our goal is to get it into useable form for members and to also begin teaching Intro to CNC using the Shark. It’s much less intimidating and is a more standard platform albeit with a much smaller cutting volume. It’ll be a more approachable tool for beginners.
Fantastic, thanks, y’all! I’ve always been interested in trying some projects on a smaller-scale CNC router. I would be happy to beta-test / read any class materials or workflows y’all come up with.
New Spoilboard
Travis’s original post shows the work we’ve been doing on the spoilboard. The new spindle mount was designed to use a water-cooled spindle, but that never got off the ground, so we’ve gone back to a Makita router I donated to the project. An unintended side effect of this was that there is not sufficient travel in the Z axis to reach anything thinner than 3 or so inches. Not ideal. To solve for this, I designed an odd-looking, but functional 3-ish inch MDF bed to raise the bed surface to a workable distance from the cutter. In doing so, I designed in T-Tracks for lots of different clamping options, and individually replaceable slats - this way if one or two slats need replacing, we don’t have to replace the entire spoilboard.
Training @TravisGood and I will be working together to adapt his existing (excellent) course material to the intricacies of the Shark. We’ll be working up a full class for new folks, as well as an abbreviated certification for those who are already trained on the Large CNC. More to come soon.
Improvements remaining (off the top of my head) before we’re ready to rock
Travis was working this morning on finishing touches on the spoilboard slats. I’ll be designing these tweaks into the CAD files for the slats so next time we cut a batch of them on the Large CNC, we can do it all at once.
I will be fly cutting the spoilboard once #1 is finished. This will tell us a lot about any potential tramming issues there may be with the spindle mount. I may need @JoeN 's help if the mount needs trammed.
A couple of spoilboard slats are missing bolts as we couldn’t source enough locally. I’m waiting on a box to arrive from McMaster.
The Shark Z touchplate isn’t working. We can still use the paper method in the early days, but I’d like to get this figured out. I think Joe had some ideas. I’m also wondering if the wire hanging out loosely above the Z axis motor might have something to do with this. @JoeN?
I’m sure there are others that I haven’t thought of…
Love this update! Thank you @csader@TravisGood and others who have helped rehab this machine (@JoeN@David78737). It will be really great to have this back online. I also really appreciate that y’all are already thinking of an abbreviated course for members with big CNC training. This will be really great!
Thanks to all for getting this back on line. It’s taken a minute but lot’s of moving parts - including COVID. This was (is) an easier machine to use.
I’d like to suggest that instead of V Carve, ASMBLY get a copy of Aspire (still Vetric) which enables 3D modeling and tool paths.
I found that I could design something in Fusion 360, export the STL file and import it into Aspire to generate the tool paths. The computer control / Shark interface “Ready 2 Control”. Vetric’s Aspire upgrade would be a nice addition to tis machine.
The benefit of Vcarve over Aspire is the Makerspace Edition program. Vectric allows us to have fully functioning Maser Edition copies to generate code at our CNC and provide Client Edition copies to all our trained CNC users. The latter does design and toolpath design but won’t save the gcode … that must be done on a Master Edition.
The program is cheap ($99/yr) and quite beneficial to all parties. I’m not arguing against Aspire, only that there is no Makerspace Program based on Aspire. I don’t see Aspire replacing Vcarve on the CNC, but supplementing it could make sense. Members would have to do their Aspire toolpath design at the shop.
Oh, and recent versions of Vcarve Pro do allow for 3D from a single STL file.
Ah right. Travis made a great point that the outer bounds of the spoilboard slats (where the spindle can’t reach) should probably be recessed so that once we do the flycutting we haven’t created a pocket that would limit the size of materials you can clamp down to the spoilboard. That’s what those cuts are.
I started surfacing the spoilboard, but every vacuum I tried was quickly overpowered by the MDF dust being put out. I’m going to hold off on further surfacing until I get the dust shoe situation figured out.
I concur with @TravisGood Vectric- Aspire is a pricey upgrade for one copy. With no convenient Makerspace approach where we can send people home with their own client design software, it’s limited what use the membership can get out of it.
Our VCarve Makerspace Edition can import STLs and depth maps to do toolpaths for detailed carving. I did all the 3D reliefs up front on that. What Aspire adds is a small section of CAD functions to design reliefs. It’s tailored for making 3D reliefs (artwork with a limited depth and no undercutting).
Aspire is a “higher tier” product than VCarve, so common compatibility rules apply:
Aspire can open VCarve projects, but VCarve can’t open Aspire projects.
Once in Aspire, it’s an Aspire project. But there is a “save as VCarve project” in Aspire. This should represent the 3D relief you created accurately ,but “save as VCarve” is accompanied by a warning that this does flatten out the Aspire-exclusive design steps that created the model, so your ability to reopen and re-edit that project again is limited once it’s been downgraded to a VCarve project.
We’re SO close! In fact, we’re ready to start gauging interest in certification for existing Large CNC users!
If you’re trained on the Large CNC and have used it fairly regularly, and are interested in getting certified to use the smaller Shark CNC, please reach out to me directly on Discourse. We’re specifying “used it fairly regularly” here because the Shark CNC currently has fewer safety mechanisms (no limit switches) to prevent damage to the machine or your work, so if you aren’t comfortable with CNC you’re probably better off waiting for us to launch the full intro classes.
Travis and I will start reaching out to schedule ~30 minute sessions to give you a run-through of the Shark, it’s nuances, and the important differences between the Shark and Large CNC. We’ll then ask you to make some cuts to confirm your understanding of the machine, and you’ll be off to the races!
@csader are you still doing the small CNC course? I came over to use it, not realizing that there was a separate certification. Cleaned it up, but didn’t try to do anything. I’d really like to learn on the smaller, more available machine before using up time on the larger format system.
