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Steady Rest
- Thread starter JimDawson
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2014
- Messages
- 11,176
Thanks Bill 
, I hear what you're saying.
These project posts are more about problem solving, order of operation, and work holding than the actual machine work being done. Hopefully the readers can take away some bit of information that will help them in the future.
If I were going to do this same project on a manual machine, the design would have been a little different and it wouldn't have been so ''swoopy" with the nice curves and lightning pockets. But just about any project I post on this forum could be done on a manual machine, having a CNC just makes it easier with less setup time. On the other hand, the CNC requires that you think through the entire process before you ever make a chip.
Consider also that about 4 years go I couldn't even spell CNC, in fact, I had the machine for about a year before I had enough guts to even use the computer for anything but a DRO and a jogged power feed. But once I overcame my unfounded fear 
of this newfangled stuff it opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
, I hear what you're saying. These project posts are more about problem solving, order of operation, and work holding than the actual machine work being done. Hopefully the readers can take away some bit of information that will help them in the future.
If I were going to do this same project on a manual machine, the design would have been a little different and it wouldn't have been so ''swoopy" with the nice curves and lightning pockets. But just about any project I post on this forum could be done on a manual machine, having a CNC just makes it easier with less setup time. On the other hand, the CNC requires that you think through the entire process before you ever make a chip.
Consider also that about 4 years go I couldn't even spell CNC
, in fact, I had the machine for about a year before I had enough guts to even use the computer for anything but a DRO and a jogged power feed. But once I overcame my unfounded fear of this newfangled stuff it opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2014
- Messages
- 11,176
A little tongue in cheek Jim, but I was also complimenting at the same time. I will call you if I need a run of parts or something too difficult to do on my manual.
I understood what you meant, and understood the compliment.
Thank you.Thank you for the kind words Eddy!
At the end of the thread, I'll go through the design errors and the machining errors and explain how I fixed them and what I could have done to prevent them.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2012
- Messages
- 655
Just found this project, great job so far Jim!
If you were running the CNC during the thunder storm we had recently the only comment I can make is WOW. I was hiding in the house afraid to go outside. That was some storm for us Oregonians.
The use if the spoil boards is very interesting, I assume these are not just for CNC but can be used on manual machines when needed. How consistent is the thickness of the MDF board? Does this hold the part parallel to the table accurately enough for the finished part or do you do a final cleanup?
Looking forward to the next installment.
If you were running the CNC during the thunder storm we had recently the only comment I can make is WOW. I was hiding in the house afraid to go outside. That was some storm for us Oregonians.
The use if the spoil boards is very interesting, I assume these are not just for CNC but can be used on manual machines when needed. How consistent is the thickness of the MDF board? Does this hold the part parallel to the table accurately enough for the finished part or do you do a final cleanup?
Looking forward to the next installment.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2014
- Messages
- 11,176
Thank you for the kind words.
Yeah, that was quite a storm. But by counting the seconds between the flash and the thunder, the closest strike to me was about 7KM. (it's easier to calculate in metric units, ~1100 M per second). Most of it was cloud to cloud.
MDF is pretty consistent. If there is a question you can always take a cut on the surface and make sure it's flat. I have found that it holds lateral position very well. There is no reason you couldn't use it with a manual machine as a spoil board or fixturing. On the CNC it is really nice because you can cut a mirrored pocket and flip the part over and work on the other side with a high degree of confidence that the part is located correctly. More accurate than edge finding. I find that MDF is a pretty versatile material in the shop, and it's cheap. I normally buy 3/4 inch.
If I needed to hold better than 0.001, MDF would not be my first choice. In that case I would use aluminum or steel and surface it in place.
Yeah, that was quite a storm. But by counting the seconds between the flash and the thunder, the closest strike to me was about 7KM. (it's easier to calculate in metric units, ~1100 M per second). Most of it was cloud to cloud.
MDF is pretty consistent. If there is a question you can always take a cut on the surface and make sure it's flat. I have found that it holds lateral position very well. There is no reason you couldn't use it with a manual machine as a spoil board or fixturing. On the CNC it is really nice because you can cut a mirrored pocket and flip the part over and work on the other side with a high degree of confidence that the part is located correctly. More accurate than edge finding. I find that MDF is a pretty versatile material in the shop, and it's cheap. I normally buy 3/4 inch.
If I needed to hold better than 0.001, MDF would not be my first choice. In that case I would use aluminum or steel and surface it in place.