mikem

So I managed to finally get some time out in the shop. I worked on getting the Z-Axis rails mounting holes done. This included drilling out and tapping the screw holes. Once I got the rails mounted, I wanted to see how close I got it to the original prototype. If you recall, I had a lot of problems with getting the X-Axis plate mounted properly, so I wasn't using the prototype as a guide, but rather went back to measurements. I was pleasantly surprised that the prototype plate fit! This will help a great deal with making that part. Hopefully I will get some more shop time soon!

I want to echo what Minnesota Steve said about Ryobi. I moved from a similar grade sander to a Bosch 5" ROS. The difference between the two is night and day. The old sander's vibration was awful, which definitely meant it wasn't good for extended use. The Bosch sander has very minimal vibration to the hand, allowing for many hours of comfortable use. The thing I noticed is that the final finish of my projects very noticeably improved, simply because the ergonomics of the tool allowed me to properly work up the grits. And I also want to second the idea of cordless vs. corded tools. Unless you have a specific need for a cordless tool, go corded. The only cordless tools I use in my shop are my drills. Think through your work area on how you will work around a cord and a hose. Make modifications to the work area if it doesn't work for you today. I made some changes to my bench to allow for easy hookups of the electric and the hose for my sander, and I can tell you, it makes a BIG difference.

That reminds me of a similar story that I read recently. A couple, on nearly a daily basis, was receiving random items being shipped to them from Amazon. They didn't order them, and weren't being charged for the items. What is thought to be happening is it is a fake review company buying these items, enabling to put positive "I bought this" reviews on the item, to get them to show higher in Amazon's product listings.

I remember watching Tommy Mac's first season of Rough Cut, and it was, well, rough. The problem with any new host/woodworking show, is it is instantly going to be compared to Norm. Most likely the new host will need a few episodes in season 1 to figure out his methodology to make the show work for him. I am betting it will get better as it moves along, much like it did with Tommy Mac.

Hello from the Dayton area!

In the last 7-8 years that I have been going to them, I have never seen a strong presence on the west coast, but to your point, this year especially, I have notice that the number of shows has declined. The educational sessions have gotten to the point that they are very repetitive and basic, so that is no longer my driving reason to go as it once was. Many of the prices on the products I see at the show actually are on-par with what I have seen at my local Woodcraft. Frankly my local Woodcraft is a much better resource on products and education. My rule of thumb is when I go to a show, I won't buy products that I can get for about the same price at the local store, as I would rather continue to support them who are there year round, rather than a once a year show. The cost of parking is a factor. Between that and the drive time, it is the main reason I now only go to one day of the show, rather than go all three days as I have in the past. In otherwords, if I don't feel like I am getting a good value on attending, I am not going to go. And yes, if someone asks my opinion on a forum, such as this, I will happily give my impressions. When you compare other shows like WIA (Hoping they start these again), Fine Woodworking Live, Handworks, the runners of these shows have folks who reach out to the community and get the feedback they need to keep their shows fresh and new each year. And many of these shows have vendors that sell products that you can't readily find at Woodcraft or Rockler. Frankly, I don't see the guys who run the woodworking shows doing that. The woodworking shows have gotten themselves into a rut of doing the same thing every year. You can blame the forum members/consumers all you want for the decline of these shows, but as with any other business they need to know what keeps customers coming, and to make changes as they go. Business who don't make these changes, like the woodworking shows, start to decline. What I would like to see, to keep me coming back: More and varied presenters. When of my favorite presentations at one of these shows was by Paul Sellers. Would love to see him back. I don't always agree with some of his opinions, but his sessions are engaging and thought provoking. The last few years its been the same guys, doing the similar presentations. In fact as I walked past the presentation areas this year, I noticed more open chairs than usual, though the show overall was packed with attendees. More and varied vendors. A small number of booths have local businesses and clubs, which is nice. However the bulk of the show is one company, Peachtree. Also, they tend to have some vendors that aren't woodworking at all. Would rather see some of the boutique tool makers their rather than gutter guard. If the products are unique, the prices don't have to be discounted, sometimes getting my hands on new tools is more than enough to get me spend multiple days at a show. However, if the tools you are selling are mostly what you can get at Woodcraft, Rocker, or even Amazon, yes, I am expecting a better price on them. -Counter Tantrum Over

The last few years the show hasn't been that great. The only reason I go is to get the deal on their Bessey Revo clamps. There were a couple other companies besides Peachtree (which really covers 85% of the show) that used to have booths there that I would buy from yearly. Unfortunately they haven't been going the last couple years. I probably will go one more time next year to complete my Revo Clamp collection. Since the venue for Columbus is about 1.5 hours from me, so the cost of gas, ticket, and parking makes it harder to justify going.

Hey Mick, alas, I haven't gotten much shop time since the end of November. My shop is an unheated garage (except for a kero-heater that the outside temp needs to be over 30 to be usable). Between the busy holidays and the VERY cold temperatures we have had, I haven't been able to work on it. Hopefully will get a chance to work on it again soon!

I will second the video series that higtron posted. I have worked closely with Jason with the design and build of my machine. He is actually working on building his second machine right now.

Also, what materials are you wanting to machine on the CNC?

Thank you Mick! I am looking forward to seeing it going as well! I saw you have a build going as well! Should be a nice machine!

I don't really think of my machine as being that big. The cutting area on my machine is approximately 27.5x20.5x8, with a footprint of 32x39.5 I would consider it more mid-range. There were three factors in determining size for my build. 1) Room in my shop. 2) The size of the work pieces I will be putting on the machine. 3) Finally, the cost. That said, size doesn't necessarily make the machine better, it really comes down to what you use it for. I know someone building a machine that he is going to be cutting brass parts. He needed rigidity more than anything. This machine has a very small working area, but it is super rigid being made from aluminum plate.

Thank you David!

I am now current with the posts. I have been working on the Z Axis, and will get an update and pics posted once I have made sufficient progress. I am moving a little slower on it right now, as my only heat in the shop is a kerosene heater. This unfortunately means I don't get as much time to work out in the shop since I am limited to weekends only now. (Takes too long to heat up to make the shop usable during the week)

Original Post Date: 11/28/2017 I was able to take advantage of the long weekend, and got more work done on the CNC. I fabricated a nut adapter so that I could attach the X Axis plate to its lead screw. This was a bit of fussy work so I could get a perfect fit, requiring me to take a bunch of pieces apart every time I tested the fit. I was finally able to get it. After I got that fitted, I spent some time getting everything buttoned up and solid. If you notice the adapter I made extends back a bit. This is so I have something that will make contact with the stops I put in. Once I get the limit switches, these will mount to the stops. The last pic shows the CNC in its current state, ready for me to start working on building out the Z Axis. After I got to that stopping point, I did a MASSIVE shop cleaning, as it was an absolute DISASTER. Link to the X Plate moving under drill power: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb0dawol...ken-by=mamader