I went out and cut the 4 “scrap” boards to size so that I could cut out the parts I’ve been working on for the past couple of days.
I decided to do the cuts on the tablesaw, my first attempt at using the new tool. I had it down by the last couple of cuts, but I ended up with boards a bit smaller than I expected, so I had to push around the graphics a little in order to get things to fit. This is the kind of thing that would have been a major task just a couple weeks ago. I banged it out after dinner.
Because the tolerances were so tight with parts out near the edges of the workpiece, I ended up having to take quite a bit of time lining up the board with the tool, too.
Once I got underway, it was a workmanlike effort by the Book machine. I was able to outline, drill, and pocket the first of 4 boards. I just need to do a parts cut out pass, and I’ll be all done with board 1.
I was a little worried that the machine would be offensively loud from outside the shop, as I was running the router until about 10:30pm. While it was doing the initial cuts, I went outside and could hear it, but I didn’t find it loud at all (if I put on earmuffs, I could barely hear it at all, so I figure insulated walls would probably do about the same). From the house side of the shop, it was even quieter; I doubt Kristi even realized I was running the router. I’ll try to keep the noise down when it gets real late, but it’s good to know what it sounds like.
I need a light source in the tent. It is really dim in there, even during the day. Get the fine coating of sawdust everywhere, and it’s impossible to read the keyboard.
This board had one of the vacuum shoe parts on it, with a 0.5″ pocket. That was a lot of wood obliterated for the cause. But the pocket looks totally awesome. I’m sorry to say that it’ll be hidden away inside the new CNC, and I won’t be able to enjoy it. It’s a very cool part.
There is less work to be done on these little boards, so now that I sort of have my workflow going, I should be able to bang out these last few parts pretty quickly.
I want to do the doweling jig next, because I could have been edge-drilling while the machine ran.
It’s late, and I’m getting progressively more tired each night from staying up late to work on the new machine. I’m getting closer and closer. I admit I’ll be a little sad when it’s all finished. This is a really fun project. I’m starting to get the hang of CNC, I think. I’m starting to be able to set up things in advance, so that I do less work each time I perform a repetitive task.
I discovered “Cam Styles” and “Transform->Align” in CamBam. Both are worth the price of admission. I need to figure out how to get my settings transferred to both PCs, though, and I need to upgrade to the latest version of the software.
I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for 2 weeks. Seems like it’s flown by.