I apologize Neil! I forget sometimes i'm in someone else build. I'm glad to see the steel plates are helping. The continued problems with even tying the 2060 together was a consideration when I was trying to decide whether to go with Openrail or not. I would have like to use more Openbuilds products but they really need extrusions in the 40XX or even 60XX range. That would help with a lot of the flex issues people run into. What feeds and DOC are you able to run in it's current configuration? Also i'm not sure if it's the same size but for what its worth the DeWalt 611 i'm running keeps up pretty well with even my 3 1/4 router, I can run a 1/4" compression bit .25 deep at 80ipm without it bogging, might be a thought if you decide to upgrade. Thanks !!

Gerald

 

4. Changing bits is a chore. I'd like to find a quicker way to swap in/out cutting bits, something that doesn't break the bank.

I just noticed your running Mach 3? Did you set up the auto zero function yet? Saves a lot of time when changing bits, you only have to set the material Z height once, every time you do a tool change it auto sets the new bits height.. If you have any questions about it let me know, it's the only way I can do some of these signs with up to 9 tool changes and retain my sanity.

 

Interesting, how do you go-about setting up auto zero? That would save a lot of time!

 

Well, actually, you should at minimum be paying the HST (sales taxes) unless for resale for which you would collect HST from your buyer, right ? The 'free trade' agreement is not with all countries and, more precisely, country of origin of the goods being imported will make the difference. I did some customs brokering in my younger days. It isn't that bad, just a lot of paperwork and rules. The brokers deal with all goods; a big book can be seen at customs when they make you pay for the items you or your wife buy. If you import just specific items, it is a cookie cutter process after the first few. In my case, that was true and thus we were doing our own brokering after a while. In the case of cross border shopper, the custom officer will pick the applicable rate applicable to the bulk of the purchases and you usually end up paying just the sales taxes anyways. It's easier for everyone, not worth the trouble of picking the proper code for each individual item (which you could insist on ... and probably be flagged for your next crossing, never a good thing). The sales taxe you would pay in the Canadian store anyways, BUT on the higher shelf price. You still save a few bucks, if not more. Free Trade somehow does not help.

Thus far - knock on wood not to jinks myself, if I get small orders from China shipped direct to my house, I have not payed any thing (neither duties nor taxes of any kind). Those small orders go through the various Post Offices. I've got 80+ orders over a year or so thus far. However, if a carrier is used to deliver an order, it is an other story as the carrier uses a broker and will most often tack on their fee, duties and sales taxes. But they do handle the paperwork, you ... just pay. The pain is to the wallet, very little to no sweat involved.

The fact we are not being charged for duties or taxes is probably due to the cost of doing all the paperwork and collecting the $ would be more than the amount collected. Kind of like receiving a 50 cents invoice in an envelop with a 1$ stamp, not to forget someone printed, stuffed and licked the envelop before sticking the stamp on !

At least they tell you there may be 'landing' fees before it reaches you. Regardless, if you order from outside your country, you should be expecting to pay something extra even if 'shipping' is included. You can check with your Customs office BEFORE a order is placed to see how big a surcharge (duties) could be if they decide to apply it.

If you are commercial, brokering and duties are an evil fact of life. The paperwork is still done by someone, even with the Free Trade agreement. Just some items have no duties and the paperwork seems like a waste of time, energy and dollars. I believe these days you have to use a broker if doing commercial transactions, no longer possible to do your own brokering (?)

If you are an end-user, it will depend on the customs officer, just hope (s)he had a good night sleep. Depending on the item, it might be a good idea to have some paperwork done before showing up at customs. An obvious example : buying a car. I lived experience when getting my V-slot lengths... loads of sweating there ! Could of lost the material AND the car on top of getting fined !!! The customs officer didn't believe the invoice price as it seemed to low for him ...

Basically, it's like being quoted a shipment FOB (free on board) - the price being quoted is for the goods as they leave a loading dock of the shipper : it's "free" (the shipper's tab) to get the order on board (in the truck or whatever) and from their on it is the buyer's responsibility for all other costs (transport, insurance, ... duties, ... taxes). Not to forget some countries have 'duties' or fees just to transport certain goods in certain quantities within their own borders (pay for the right to transport the said goods).

Believe it or not, it was actually fun ... back then. I probably would not do it today.

 

Oops sorry, I just added fuel to fire.

 

That's one of the things I really like about Mach 3, it will handle limit switch duties, auto square the gantry, and auto zero the tool when you do tool changes. I'll get some photo and screen shots together and postem for you guys. Limit switches are actually pretty easy to install and setup in Mach. Didn't realize the HF router was just a 1/4hp, that sucks, may as well use a dremel. A 611 would feel like a powerhouse next to that. I found just the motor only on Amazon for..... $79.00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054LXWKA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I'll put together some screenshots and photos Larry... It's actually pretty easy...

Gerald

 

I forgot to mention, I don't run the stock screenset, never have, it had a very Windows 3.0 feel about it. I use the 2010 screenset from here: The CNC Woodworker This screenset has a much better flow to it, alot more like windows with tabs for different functions and a very large preview pane. Plus there are a ton of gadgets built in. Even comes in different resolutions for those of us running wide screen monitors. Best $20 bucks I spent !

Anyway here are a couple videos on set-up and auto tool zero for 2010.





I looked through a bunch of videos on youtube in reference to auto tool zero for standard Mach 3, I only found where you have to reset the tool height every tool change. I'm not sure if this is correct because like I say, I never use Mach 3 stock. When I set up a job I zero the first tool to the work piece, the machine moves over to a fixed plate I have mounted and lowers the bit and takes a reference height then moves back ready to cut. When I do a M6/tool change, it brings the bit to the tool change position, I change the bit, press a button telling it the bit change was completed, it moves over to the fixed plate, lowers the bit and sets the new bit to the proper height for the work piece. It moves back to the 0,0 on the work piece then starts cutting. The webpage above has a video showing how it works. Just not sure if standard Mach 3 can do it....

 

That is a good idea to use a fixed plate for the auto tool zero. I was thinking about ways to use a switch or build a fancy button. I was WAAAY over thinking it.

 

Lol, it's actually pretty simple. If I didn't have it my production would be slowed way down... I still would like a ATC but 3k to convert a Porter Cable 7518 to a ATC is out of my budget, plus at it's core it's still a router...

 

I apologize Neil! I was impressed with the pricing of ball lead screws that Robert purchased from China. Now I'm deciding which route to go. Rack and pinion or lead screw. My machine will never be large So it's hard to decide.

 

Thank you for the excellent videos and suggestion to change the screenset.

 

No problem...

 

Yeah I like that screenset alot ! I'm here in Florida and get alot of power outages, I use a corner finder from The Makers Guide, that way I can reset my 0,0 using the probe wizard and restart cutting. Also the break-in wizard works nice for putting the machine through it's paces. If you need any screenshots showing settings for limit switches or to setup auto zero let me know...

Gerald

 

The Makers Guide. Another great idea! I just dug through the Planet-CNC manual and it looks like the automated functions to find 0,0 with this method, already exists. Time to add the Guide to my wish list.

Gerald, I think you should film your process. Such as mounting the material, tool offsets, material offsets, tool change, etc.

-nick

 

I might make a few videos to help everyone out, just swamped right now with work, as soon as I can get above water i'll put some together.

 

Ordered up 2010 screenset!

 

I'm sure you'll like the improvement over the standard Mach 3 screens. If you have any questions feel free to message me directly, I don't want to clutter up Neil's build.

Gerald

 

Liking the new drawing with the dust covers !! Sharp !

 

Those SSR relays are great for that. Not sure what wire your using, but HD and Lowes carries 4 strand shielded "security system" wire for a pretty good price. That what I wired my Joes Evo machine with a couple years ago, works great for me, I probably used 150 feet of it, goes to all my motors. Keep up the good work !!

 

Add a second relay to control your vacuum and you'll be set

I have that same problem, I like cutting new parts and improving on them so much that I find myself looking over dxf files trying to find something to improve, just so I can cut it again and make a improvement on my machine at the same time.

 

That little Dewalt is a good router, has a lot more power then you would think. Just a FYI might want to order a set of brushes from like ereplacementparts, only like 5 bucks a piece, the Dewalt seems to go through them pretty quick. I used mine for just over a month and had to replace them. I have the clear dust shoe as well, it's nice with that bright LED light you can see the progress on your cuts...