Hi All…. Well it’s been 2 months of if reading, utube, practice on coasters, practice, reading, on and on and at 77 years old, I realize I made a mistake!!! There is no one locally that I can get help from, the Carbide folks have tried a couple of times to help, but I need to watch someone to get this. I bought this machine to make my Marine Detachment some GLOBE AND ANCHOR coin holders, all for free, just wanting to do something for them for free, but by gosh, this CNC is going to kill me.
SOOOOO, my machine with the hybrid table bits router cost $2500.00…. I will take a hit on this, but it’s on the market…. SHAPEOKO 4 XXL, with all of the bells and whistles!!!
Mike.
EDIT: Removed personal cell phone # — please contact via PM
Is your issue with the software or with the mechanics of working the machine? Or both?
Where do you live? Maybe there is someone reasonably near by that would be willing to share a little experience.
I was thinking the other day that having a network of people willing to do that with new or struggling users could really help.
I would have gladly paid someone for a little time to take the mystery out of a few things like tuning up the machine. I made it through those issues but still have a long way to go on a lot of others.
If you have the design for what you want to make I would be happy to take a look and see if it was within my skillset to help out.
Sir, thank you for responding! I actually took several months making my mind up to buy the CNC, after being told that at my age I Could do it. As I said I have 122 Marines that I care for and wanted to buy the SHAPEOKO to make them and all Veterans things to show them appreciation for their service. So, ANYTHING MILITARY… My wife and I make wooden flags 19”x33” any logo, epoxied and give them away. I should have stayed in my lane, we made 50 flags last year and gave all away, but wanted to up my game! I am trying to make a GLOBE AND ANCHOR, 24x23 1/2 cut out that will be a challenge coin holder. My main problem is creating the right toolpath with the correct end mill. I’ve bought about $200 worth of lumber, used both sides and haven’t come up with a finished piece yet. I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING, and pay someone to help me. I have 1 guy but he has two CNC’s and doesn’t have ANY extra time for me(A GREAT GUY THO). So I languish hour after hour in my garage going nowhere… and as much as I don’t want to admit it, maybe I am TOO OLD!! I APPRECIATE your communicating with me!!!
Mike
If you want really good help learning the designing soft ware you should switch to Vectric v carve pro there are 3 sites that I know of that offer one on one help on the internet and I have used all 3 of then
When stuck sometimes its helpful to create a highly detailed map to the end goal.
Basically you know what you want, but you haven’t identified how to get there so everything seems mysterious and impossible.
Fracture the process into as many pieces as possible. Map the entire route. Then, study each individual step and slowly work forwards.
Also it’s great to work towards a complex end goal but understand it’s going to take extra grind, more mistakes and frustration to get there. I’ve gone weeks stuck on the same problem while learning programming for example. WEEKS just going insane until things finally worked.
What you can also do is create a simplified version of your end goal project. Make it much easier but something that will still force growth and you can learn the new concepts you need without as much of a brutal slog to get there. That way you feel success without such a hard grind and it crosses over to your main goal.
I’m probably closer than you for the shovel full dirt Michael… I don’t want to give up and won’t if I can get going on this machine. I as you’ve read have 122 Marines and our Honor Guard of which I’m Commander did 171 funerals last year and have done 55 so far this year. I’m very busy in my retirement years, but the Honor of serving other Veterans and their families is my major duty. I hope to find someone local That can assist me. I’m a Great visual learner but book learning isn’t my forte!
We shall see how this goes!!
THANK YOU SIR!
Mike
Chris, thanks for this Great bit of info!! I do have these projects in my head, and it’s hard to delineate all of that in my head. I will put what I Continue to believe is a fairly simple project, down on paper from A to Z and put down every detail I need to accomplish this Globe and Anchor project.
THANKS CHRIS!!!
Mike
Thank You Jeff, I’ve got that on my to do list for today!
I’ve come to the conclusion, FINALLY, that I shouldn’t be buying good pine, seeing in my minds eye a beautiful Globe and Anchor on that piece of pine. I need to buy wood I can practice on, then buy the good wood. I always think it’s going to happen faster and better than what actually happens☹️. I feel better today getting some feed back from the Community!!!
Mike
Start on cheap 2x4s if you have the capability to machine them square and glue them up to your desired size. They will be splintery, but provide good practice. I have not used plywood for anything on the CNC yet but if you don’t have the capability to machine raw wood then that may be a good place to start since you can get precut pieces at the big box stores. But getting a grade that is flat and cuts nicely may be cost prohibitive for practice work.
HDPE machines really nice but can be expensive although I found some $13 cutting boards on Amazon that are 11x17x.5”. That would eliminate wood tear out issues but may bring some other challenges related to having to pause to clean the bit occasionally.
You never did mention your area. You never know there may be another forum user just down the street. If you live anywhere near me I would be more than happy to help. Or maybe to save someone’s time you could travel to their shop for a lesson or two.
Mistakes go in the burn barrel — the shop has never been cold.
So long as you learn from each mistake, it’s worth it.
One other thing to consider is with a glued-up panel — design the project to cut shallow (use Advanced V carving rather than normal V) and if you don’t like the results, face it off smooth, flip it over, and try again.
That said, buying a 4x8 sheet of MDF from your local home center, paying to have them cut it up into easily handled sections which will fit on the machine, and then cutting them up will ease the financial pain a bit.
That said, find a local lumberyard or sawmill and see if they will let you buy their “shorts” — one near my mother-in-law’s sells it by the pickup truck-load as firewood.
Good Morning Will. I think I did call and I did see that someone was going to get back ahold of me, but haven’t yet. I won’t be home this morning Will, meeting a Marine fighting PTSD, having a cup of Jo and a Bagel at our local Panera, it’s a monthly get together and both of us come out feeling better. My last call, the fellow said I’m going to be completely honest with you and told me I needed to learn my computer better, that I didn’t know enough of the simple things to be successful! I think maybe he was right in a sense, but I’m an old dog that can still learn, but since I have a $2500.00 Machine in the garage and being 77, time to go to school probably isn’t in my cards!!
Mike
There are 122 Marines that without any tangeable piece in their hands, already appreciate the heart youre showing for them. I can feel it myself sir. Youre a kind man; no machine can create that for anyone at any age. I hope you get things going and put your mind at ease.
Stay safe
Yes Sir, I agree on my thinking better on what I’m practicing on. I do have the ability to square wood up. I’ve been making AMERICAN flags and have a lot of practice on manually building a flag.
Thank You Sir!!
Mike
Michael,
Looks like you’re in Greeley; I’m just a few miles west between Loveland & Fort Collins. Let me know by PM if I can provide in person help.
David
I’m in Denver myself, but my brother lives in Greeley (ie another reason I should go to Greeley). Let me know if you’d like a hand & I can buzz up sometime and try to help you out on a weekend too.
Luther was a brilliant man and if I burned all of my mistakes it would be an inferno!! Good idea on the lumber yard. Lowe’s and Home Depot Are close and a lumber yard is 20 miles away, but I’m heading over there! Lowe’s puts out the red carpet when they see me coming!!
And SOMEONE ASKED WHERE I LIVE, IN THE BEAUTIFUL CITY OF GREELEY COLORADO!!!
Michael,
I am 48 years old. I have a ton of computer experience. I got my Shapeoko back in 2020ish.
Long story short, when I started 90% of my projects got ruined.
3 years later. 10% of my projects still get ruined.
Before you give up totally. I suggest going onto CutRocket and finding some cool and easy projects that are basically ready to go. CutRocket is a Carbide3d Website where we post our projects.
The flag projects you are making are advanced beginner projects. IE, V-Carve, Profile Cuts, etc.
My very first Success project was this one.
I get it if you are done. One of my philosophies: “If taking a step forward is getting too hard, try taking a smaller step.”
