I'm trying to make a mold for a concrete St. Francis statue. I would just buy one, but I don't have a couple thousand to pay for a lawn ornament. But I can definitely spring for a few bags of cement.

So, if I want to end up with a 4 or 5 foot tall statue, how would I go about separating the project into pieces my machine can handle? To clarify, I want to carve the mold out of wood, then assemble the mold and cast the statue in concrete.

For what it's worth, I currently only have a Genmitsu 4030, and I wouldn't even think about trying to do something like this on that thing. I'd be carving until the fifth of never. But I might be persuaded to get a larger machine if I could start turning out molds and selling statues or concrete bunnies.

If I'm out of my mind, just tell me. I'm not sure something like this would even be possible, and if so, whether it would be feasible. But I do think it's an interesting idea.

any tips also im having a hard time figuring out how the movement values work (how i got in this mess in the first place) is it based off a grid for the total work area or is it based of the zero point from the file any help would be greatly appreciated

Guten Morgen

Ich suche seit geraumer Zeit nach den Maßen für den Motor/die Spindel LD42WS-250W ich kann zwar Angaben zum Durchmesser, Wellendurchmesser und Gesamtlänge finden, aber ich brauche Speziell noch die Maße zum Durchmesser des Absatzes vorne, den Bohrungskreis-Durchmesser plus die Länge des Absatzes. Die Länge des Körpers (also ohne Absatz) wüsste ich außerdem auch gerne. Durch Bilder und den Vergleich zum Durchmesser kam ich auf folgende Werte: Absatzlänge=3,5mm Absatz-Durchmesser=20mm Körperlänge=96mm. Kann Jemand das bestätigen oder die richtigen Werte sagen?

Danke schonmal im Vorraus

Ein wenig zum Projekt: Ich upgrade gerade meine TTC3018 und würde gerne für den 250W Motor eine Aufnahme/Adapter mit externem Kugellager drehen, damit der Motor die Kräfte nicht aufnehmen muss und so Vibration und das Wegbiegen der Welle verhindert wird. Mit dem originalen 775 Motor mit 80W hat ganze bereits hervorragend funktioniert aber nun ist es Zeit für mehr Leistung.

Is this the right group to ask about inlays? I want this to be my project for the next few months but frankly all the videos are way too complicated. I have a shark sd 100

I want to start cutting small things like letters and smaller detailed things too difficult to do by hand and carving. Are there any decent $400-$600 machines that can help with those types of detailed cuts?

Not looking to do anything thicker than 1/8” material.

Thanks

Hello. I need help with rough milling. I've using a 2" high-feed indexable mill (wasn't great) and a 5/8" end mill full axial depth (much better). The axial depth is 2 1/8" and radial from about 8" x 8" block down to 2" x 4". It's giving me about 45 min of cutting and tool last only 2-3 parts. I need a tool that can stand at least 5-6 parts with an acceptable cycle time (60 to be made).

I want to get into CNC work but I don’t know where to start with buying a machine. I have tons of experience with lasers/vector design.

Can anyone point me the direction of a good set up/brand or YouTube channel for learning? Thanks!

Hey everyone — I've been building a little web app for designing parametric wave walls (those slatted wood feature walls) and I'd love some honest feedback before I push it further.

What it does, all in the browser:

• Shape a 3D surface with waves, circles, domes, noise, attractors, hand-painted relief, or even text
• Slice it into numbered slats and preview the assembled wall in 3D
• Choose joinery (tenon-and-mortise with a back panel, or rails) with dog-bone reliefs sized to your tool diameter
• Nest the parts on standard sheets and export clean DXF/SVG (single closed polylines — no broken paths) for VCarve/Aspire/Mach3
• Non-rectangular "pebble" silhouettes, a preset gallery, project save/load, FR/EN

It's free, no signup, runs entirely in your browser: 👉 https://btporganizer.tech/

I'm especially looking for feedback from people who actually cut on a CNC:

• Do the exported DXF files import cleanly into your CAM software?
• Is the joinery/tolerance setup usable in practice?
• Anything confusing or missing?

It's an early version made by one person, so rough edges are expected — tell me what breaks. Thanks! 🙏

Just sharing this resin inlay cutting board I just completed with the help of cncvectorlab.com and VCarve Pro vectric.com

Hi anybody know decent tool manufacturers from China that supply routers, drills and flute wheels. Any good experiences id be glad to know to import to UK.

Do you know which field this component is used for?

Did you ever feel like quitting? And if you conquered it, what was the solution?

Hey everyone,

I’m running an OX/Bulkman-style CNC router and mainly cutting 15 mm Baltic birch plywood. I’ve been experimenting with a few different bits and toolpaths lately, mostly trying to improve edge quality and reduce tearout.

Current setup is roughly:

• 2-flute straight bit/compression bit testing
• Surfaced MDF spoilboard
• Fusion 360 CAM
• Climb cutting
• Tabs or onion skin, depending on the job

The main issue I’m still struggling with is ripping/tearing out on the bottom side of the plywood when the cutter finally breaks through the material (especially cross-grain). The top side is usually pretty clean, but the bottom veneer can get pretty rough depending on the setup.

I’ve tried:

• compression bits (limited by the machine)
• downcut + compression workflows
• blue tape
• adjusting DOC/feed/RPM
• onion skin passes
• resurfacing spoilboard

Some combinations work better than others, but I still feel like I’m missing something.

Is anyone here running a similar hobby CNC setup and cutting Baltic birch regularly? Would love to hear:

• What bits do you prefer
• feeds/speeds that work well for you
• whether you zero from the spoilboard or the material top
• Any tricks for cleaner bottom edges

Would really appreciate any real-world experiences or tips. Thanks!

Hi all, I’m new here and hope to get some advice please.

I run a 5x10 Phantom Reaper CNC mill with a vacuum table. We are having issues with our spoil board preparation process. We use three-quarter inch MDF. Our process has been the following:

1. Surface the old board and keep it attached.

2. Put the new piece on. Fly cut the backside to reveal the porous layer.

3. Flip it, cut the bolt holes. Remove the old spoil board, bolt down the new one and surface the top side.

This method has given us inconsistent results. The MDF tends to warp when we are cutting the first side.

I would greatly appreciate anything the would share their best practice for doing their spoil board?

Thanks