Live and Learn!

[gcox2]

I thought it would be cool to try one of those "get started" carvings they send you when you purchase a shopbot. I shose the one with some carving tools on the inside in a dished out area and a rope border (I don't know how many lines of code but mega I'm sure). the roughing out background of this (business sign.crv) and the text went swift. Five hours later it was complete! I'm sure glad it is cool because I'll never do this again. I don't ghink anyone would want to pay for the machine time something like this takes. Did I do something wrong or is this just par for the course when you incorporate a graphic like this?

[myxpykalix]

I'm not familiar with the file you talk about but in general when making parts where you have to pocket out a lot of area you will want to use a larger tool for the "roughing" toolpath and a smaller tool for the "finishing" toolpath.

For example if you have a 4"x4" square with a 1"x1" square in the center and you want to leave that 1x1 alone but pocket out all the rest around it you would use a larger tool (say 1/2" endmill) to cut the bulk out followed by a 1/8th" tool for the small corners where the 1/2" couldn't reach. So you would have 2 toolpaths.

It sounds to me like you might have used the small tool to pocket the whole area out and it naturally took longer to cut.

It's like if you have a wheelbarrel full of dirt and if you use a shovel to empty it out would take less time than if you used a spoon.
If you have a dxf of the file or a picture and want to send to me I can check it out and try to tell you whats up.
However some 3d files i have cut have taken far longer but that could be a matter of feeds and speeds also.

[rcnewcomb]

At $100/hr for machine time that is only $500. For a Law Office that is spending $20K on their reception area an extra $500 for a carving isn't a big deal.

With tuning and bit choices you could probably reduce the machine time. My 3D work is usually in the 1-3 hour range for machine times. But even at 5 hours the results probably are faster and better than I could do by hand with a mallet and chisel.

[gcox2]

Randall

Food for thought. I should probably write my frustrations and not send them until after I gain some composure! You're absolutely right about the value to price concept. I know when I build some custom furniture my mindset is totally different. Perhaps when I get more experience with my shobot I;ll settle down

[gcox2]

Jack
yep that's exactly what I did. I just wrote you a personal e-mail regarding your answer so I'll repeat it here. How does the machine know to cut only the big chunks? Bit choice? Two differend pathways for the same function with two different tools?

[chiloquinruss]

My dad was a professional wood carver (hand type) and his smaller carvings 12 x 12 were selling for $1500 and up and his larger mantle size carvings were selling for $5000 and up. 5 hours at $100 per is very competitive. Where the rubber meets the road though is in the artwork for the carving. If all you carve is someones else's clipart, then that's not quite the same as the 'custom' artwork and the resulting 'custom' carving. I've done the fish, and the deer, and the tree, and the . . . . and sold the pieces for money, but not nearly as much money as I get for the 'custom' stuff.
Russ

[phil_o]

Gary, I'm glad you posted your thoughts on the time and value. I think a lot of botters, me included, ponder this subject. I am currently working with a local group of volunteers building hand carved carousel horses http://berkshirecarousel.com/ The completed horses are spectacular, the time on these horses is in weeks not hours. It gives me perspective on how quickly we can produce a "work of art" with a CNC.
2306

[Brady Watson]

WOW Phil! AWESOME!

-B

[gcox2]

Thank you all for weighing in on my my first experience with run-time. My buddy who is working on this with me couldn't stay for the whole 5 hours but he came back today and was blown away. This also helped! I told him about the benevolent and caring shopbotters who wrote and he was doubly blown away.

My next posting will hopefully be worthy of all the experts out there(I already have one in mind but am going to attempt to tough it out first.

gary Cox

[myxpykalix]

Gary,
I didn't get your email. If i did and responded I don't recall. Anyway, you are correct in that you make your roughing toolpath with the bigger tool and it analyzes what all it can cut with that diameter of tool and then when you put in the smaller diameter it figures out what is left and where to cut it with the smaller tool. At least i think thats the way it works.

[gcox2]

Jack
Thanks....I haven't had the time tp give it a go yet but I'm sure this will speed cure my impatience!