hello everyone. i am a programmer and operator of cnc in my factory shop. I am wondering if anyone can help me with what I need to purchase from the beginning to run and operate the Masso Forman? bits, suction, accessories ,etc.
Welcome Steve!
What’s your intended use case? What’re you gonna make?
all kinds of wood 3d (signs, guitar, ornaments) i bought the laser tyo go with it as well.
Here are a few of my thoughts, Steve. I’m sure others will have great input as well. This is (of course) specific to my own experience.
1st, I think you’ve got some time to wait given the Foreman lead times. This forum is wealth of knowledge. Search away on any topic you can think of and you’ll find some great info. I highly recommend doing some reading on here, as there are issues specific to the 1F machine design that likely would not show up in a production setting in a factory. That said, the Foreman will have some significant improvements, so many of the things you’ll read about are probably already solved.
Things to read about:
- Machine Table - or go with the QCW and Fixed Stand Leg Kit, I would
- Spindle - I have this PwnCNC kit and love it
- Dust Collection - lots of reading on this one, depends on budget
- Dust Boots - I’m planning to replace my suckit dust boot pro with something else, still TBD
- Fly cutter / spoilboard cutter - I have a cheap one from Amazon
- Work holding equipment - T-track, clamps, vacuum tables, etc…
- Cable management / drag chains - it sounds like the Elite series drag chains may be undersized, TBD
- Bits bits bits - a few manufacturers I like and use, in order
- Carbide CNC Router Bits for Wood & More | PrecisionBits.com
- https://www.vortextool.com/
- https://www.toolstoday.com/
Sorry I don’t have time to provide more specifics, but that’s a good list to start!
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Welcome Steve,
Jace has covered a lot of good things. Going to a spindle will be a whole other step in regards to complication and learning curve but the Makita trim router will end up being a limitation that’ll be hard to get around. Maybe not for ornaments (or basic signs) but for guitars and the like especially. Though it would be a pain to start with the little router and then upgrade afterwards (which is what I’m being forced to do), the general learning curve is steeper than you might expect.
So much to figure out and there actually might be a benefit to starting with just the Makita and its 120V requirements. Speeds and Feeds, work holding, etc. You’re going to break some bits, ruin some nice wood (even if you do trial runs on cheap wood) and so much more. The weak-ass Makita still has some power that’ll do some damage when you screw up; and you will. A spindle could turn those early blunders into something that might damage the 1F due to its torque.
However, what it really important is you start to work with the CAD/CAM right away. Unless you’ve been 3D modeling a bunch already, you should get started now; long before your gear arrives. That’s a whole different animal. Several of us use Fusion 360 (you can get a free personal license that’s limited but not so much it’ll impact you in the first year or so) but there are other potential programs. They are complex and in the CAM sections there are simulations that you should get down pat before trying real wood in the real world.
Also, read through this forum extensively. So much more info here than I realized. Yes, you will still find some YouTube stuff that will help but not as much as you’ll find here. It’s 1F focused and full of real-life experiences. This is where you will learn. (Thanks to all of you that make this happen!!)
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Thank you so much and yes what a great answer it helped me a lot with a few things I was struggling with from the get go. As for problems even out million dollars cnc machine at work has its issues but once you get it to happen and figure it out it’s pretty easy. I know I have a long way to go for learning but I am ready to take it on. Thank you again and as for the web sites that was awesome. I need those for sure.
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What type of machine do you get to use at work?? 
I had the pleasure of programming and running a DMS Patriot 4x8. It wasn’t a $1MM machine, but it sure spoiled me regardless.
Jim is totally right. CAD/CAM is super important and something I forgot to mention. Being a Solidworks user for 10+yrs, I am using Fusion360 for designing parts and programming my 1F. I thought the transition would be more straightforward that it has been honestly, so even if you design and program at work, it’s worth the time to start practicing in the environment you’ll use for the Onefinity.
@makerjace Was it financial considerations that caused you to move to Fusion360 from Solidworks? I’ve heard that Solidworks is the better platform overall? So, me finding Fusion a little frustrating isn’t unheard of??
Yeah, Jim. Mostly the license cost. Solidworks is my preferred 3D modeling tool, but a single seat costs ~$5K. I still use it professionally every day, but on someone else’s dime. If that ever changes, I want to be using a tool that I can afford. I do know that Solidworks is going to offer a cloud based solution similar to Fusion very soon. It may already be available. Again, I expect it to be 
.
Another consideration was a 1F post processor for Solidworks CAM, which I believe was solved here. This is really cool - I should definitely give it a shot since I’m about 5-10x faster in Solidworks.
Then there’s the benefits of Fusion, such as cloud based account and storage, not needing a huge computer to run it effectively, collaboration, and cost as I mentioned.
Finally, I like learning a new platform and using a common tool that others in the community are using. That’s pretty high value to me.
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Yep. The F360 crowd-sourced troubleshooting is a valuable tool. Do you use it with the history (parametric) feature turned on? I’m getting used to it a little on my newer files. When things get complex there are some things I just can’t do with it and I have to turn it off.
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Steve, another must: A cheap compressor with an end adapter to blast with. If you watch some of the maintenance videos you’ll see a 1F person with a hand-held can of compressed air. Forget that. You’d go through a bunch of cans and create a lot of waste. But you’ve got to keep your rails, screws, etc. free of dust. Hate the noise but it’s worth it.
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Yeah I turn on the design history/timeline feature for sure.
I have compressor in the shop already. I do a lot of wood working welding and other things in my shop as well. So I have a lot of tools already
Trump laser, 2 emmigi and one elumatec. I use elucad and cam 7 for my programming and job for codes