I have a few more weeks until delivery. I’m killing time watching YouTube videos and buying preparatory things. What items and tasks would you recommend? Heres where I’m at:
Ordered Journeyman, rolling cart and Q-table thing. (Limited space for my desired CNC table currently)
Ordered dust shoe, monitor, and break-out board
Bought basic set of bits (SpeTool for now) and surfacing bit
Bought Makita router, and have spindle/vfd for future upgrade
Bought 1/4" to 1/8" convertor to leverage some smaller bits
Will be using shop vac (large Rigid or Craftsman)
Bought extra calipers, rules to have handy
Have access to Fusion 360, looking at VCarve Pro
Have 20W output laser module for future upgrade
I need to get my spoilboard
I have a few Rockler t-slot clamps, but I’m not fond of them and will look at alternatives (the boomerang like ones, seem like they’ll get in the way)
Almost forgot, I got 1/8" drill bits made for CNC that can handle drilling without pecking for cribbage board holes
With the shop vac, you may want to look into a dust deputy or similar device to capture most dust in a bucket upstream from the unit. This will save money on bags and filters, and make your vacuum last longer. A couple different options:
If you want to avoid where I am right now, start boning up on that Vectric software immediately. Nothing worse than having your machine all set up and ready to go without a clue how to program it. While the toolpath half seems pretty intuitive to an experienced woodworker ,the design half is pretty steep going for someone ( like me ) with zero computer experience.
I have noticed that many do not know where the official documentation is. The best thing to do when you get the machine (or better yet, right after you order it) is to go through this information:
unlike Fusion360 and other Autodesk Software products which are based on online subscription (and as far as I’ve heard constantly change their features and restrict the free versions), Vectric allows for lifelong and offline use.
With Vectric, you can get a free unlimited time trial version with a few restrictions. This allows to get to know the software, which is also possible thanks to the extensive video documentation. Generally I would start early and go through the following very helpful information:
Note that you don’t need to engage the expense of acquiring Vectric Aspire just to be able work on 3D objects. You can do this with the Free and Open 3D software Blender.
As always, @Aiph5u has excellent suggestions . Especially regarding making enough room. It’s pretty easy to think 32"x32", how big can it be? I work in a dedicated workshop 12 1/2’ wide by 27’ long. A decent size but even so all my equipment is mounted on wheels or flip top tables and even so I have to do a Busby Burkley dance routine to set up my jointer or tablesaw for work. To come up with enough room for the CNC, I tore a hole in one wall where I used to have my clamps and a sharpening station ( 64" wide by 80" high ) and essentially built an enclosure/annex 5’ deep into the adjacent garage ( fortunately I’m renting it too). It was that or trade in half my other machines and even then it would have been crowded. I built a 12" wide cabinet beside the enclosure for my modest collection of clamps but I still need to find a place for my sharpening station. All this just to give you an idea of just how much room the machine takes up. Worth it though!!!
Thanks again, all. I did get the joystick, but forgot to mention it. At the most inopportune time, my laptop bit the dust this week. It’s unfortunately of the nearly impossible to repair kind (Microsoft, Samsung, Apple, et al should be beaten for each computing device they glue together). I had to spring for a new one today. If anyone one has an unused VCarve license they’d like to resell at discount… my purchasing has been curtailed.
WiFi on the Onefinity has been a pain point for many users. There is no external antenna and the controller is a metal box, so the WiFi signal from your router or access point needs to be quite strong to maintain a good connection. Whether it will work well in your particular instance may not be something you can determine until it arrives. A hardwired connection will always give the best results, but using an external WiFi interface can also help to address connection issues.
Do you have a 3d printer? Stuff i have 3d printed for mine: clamps/ hold downs, probe holder, hose clamps (for dust extraction), router speed switch stop, bumper case for monitor, rail wipers, caps for your bars, wire end caps as well, The rail wipers i did have to buy the files from etsy then print them. if you can print TPU everything else was free to print. here is a thread with links 3D Prints for the onefinitycnc for some of the printables.
Thanks for all the pointers. I’m in the process of preparing. I’ve yet to order my dust shoe. I’m considering the PWN rear discharge dust boot. I’ve ordered and received a 2.2kw water-cooled spindle with variable speed control. I’ll be using a 5HP vacuum with a Dust Deputy. I’m mounting my Onefinty semi-verticle at 75°. I’ll be using SketchUp & CorelDraw with VCarve Pro. I have many years of professional experience with both and have received VCarve Pro, and I’m preparing files. I’m going to use the MicroJig system for the hold-down. Note: I’m a retired industrial designer with over 50 years of experience in signage, trade show exhibits, and furniture, but I’ll take all the help I can get,
Right now is a great time while waiting for your machine is to learn the programs you’re going to be using. I would not wait till the machine arrives before you get to using it and trying to figure out what to do!
CAD/CAM - I recommend signing up for trial of Easel and get confidence quickly in your simple designs right away. Then move onto Fusion360, Shapr3D, Carveco, or Vectric/Aspire for more advanced 2D and 3D designs. I don’t like perpetual licenses and Vectric. Vectric to me is legacy software and is painful to look at. While powerful in it’s own right, I would prefer to grow with a modern software like Shapr3D then export the gcode to Fusion360 and then use Fusion360 post-processor to bring that into Easel. This is the “best in breed” approach to me. Having multiple tools to leverage their strengths -if your budget allows. I think software is all about personal comfort level and budget. I own a perpetual license for Cinema4D, and now they have to gone to monthly subscription to get future updates. I wish I didn’t buy the perpetual license (almost $4k) but that is all they had at the time - and now they are moving everyone to monthly subscription. Keep in mind, that monthly subscriptions allows developers consistently cashflow for continual updates. They also can attract more investment capital since MRR (monthly run rates) for software companies offer stability from a cash-flow perspective (similar to a utility company). One-time purchases are sporadically and too volatile for continual investment from an investor point of view. It is smart for software companies to have a stable business model (to grow and develop their software and support it). If they can attract investment capital it means they can hire and pay their developers for continual development. Perpetual licenses appears more attractive to the buyer, but down the road that lack of investment leads to stall-out in development and things becoming archaic and no real development - Vectric and Rhino are examples of this in my view. Sorry, I know this isn’t a popular opinion, as their is a lot of Vectric users in this space that love it and appreciate the power and the one-time license. And that is totally fine - I just happen to view it differently.
I have the “secure from above” QC base - ugh. And so I have the MDF spoilboard pieces on it, but plan to just use that as my first layer to create flatness and then just put another layer of MDF on top of the MDF pieces in the QC base. So two layers of MDF. Since I will have the composite nail gun I don’t mind losing the ability for the t-tracks between the MDF piecees in the QC base. Again, I am just using it for table flatness. I also put some sanding sealer on the QC base MDF to mitigate against moisture changes (warping the MDF).
4-way clamps for glue-up panels (if you are doing things with hardwood)
Tramming - To simplify things, I plan to use metal dowel pins (to go into collet), mini metal t-square, and smooth granite cutting board (for flatness reference, since your spoilboard may not be perfectly flat).
Kreg 64"x64" universal work bench/table. I have cabinet grade 3/4" plywood that is lap-jointed to span the entire top, and then have the QCW base to handle the flatness on top of that. I have a pseudo-torsion box solution underneath the 3/4" plywood top. It’s not the best solution, and I might upgrade to get better rigidity at some point down the road, but it seems to be ok for now. And for my cutting tolerances (wood) I think it will be fine.
