Help Cad is kicking my butt !!!

[gundog]

I am trying to get the hang of things I have gone through the partworks tutorials and still can't draw my simple parts. I bought Turbocad 12 off ebay and can't figure it out either. My new 4x8 standard is supposed to ship on the 18th and if I can't figure out how to draw my parts I guess I will hire it out.

I think I have learned enough from the tutorials in partworks that if I had the drawings I could import them and set up to cut. I have a lot of projects I want to do and I really need to learn some sort of cad to make drawings.

Can someone point me in the right direction is there a good program that would be easy to learn that includes tutorials? I am also thinking of buying the tutorials for Turbocad but none of the ones listed on ebay are for Vista.

My bot will be ran from a computer with XP pro but I want to do my drawings on my lap top and it runs windows vista.

One of my problems is I am real busy and don’t have time to meet with someone for lessons right now. I work a job that allows me time when nothing is going on to read and study like now but on my days off I am running a small business that lately has been keeping me busy in the shop. So my study time is at work during off times. I operate a power system for a utility company and at night and some times on the weekend it is absolute boredom so I could be learning stuff in cad I just need the right materials.

I can make the shapes in Partworks but I can’t figure out how to edit things to machine pockets and so on. I have posted some pictures of my parts in the past but I can’t right now because I am at work and don’t have access to them some are on photobucket and that site is blocked from here. I can add pictures later from home though.

Thanks Mike

[knight_toolworks]

partworks will do most simple drawings. you have to use workaround sometimes but it is far easier then turbocad.
but we need more info to help you out.
when i need 3d I have a friend draw things in turbocad but for the most part I use vcarve/partworks

[gundog]

The part I have been trying to draw is a puck shaped part. The basic shape is 4" round and 1.25" thick it has a center hole bored through .5" and a counter bore 1.25" diameter and and .750 deep. The other side of that part has a 3" pocket milled in that is centered and is .230" deep. The pocket is open on one side to the outside of the part.

I can explain the pocket better by telling you how it is made now. The 4" round part is chucked in a vise on my milling table and I use a 3" milling cutter set to cut .230" deep cut in from one side to the exact center and then back out the direction of entry. Leaving a U shaped pocket.

I can't seem to draw anything but the circle. I feel like a dummy I have watched people draw my parts in cad in the past and they just wizz through. I have put many hours trying all the buttons and modes and can't make a damn thing.
mike

[gundog]

I don't really need to machine both sides on the Bot but it would be nice. If I can just mill the side with the U shaped pocket and bore the center hole cutting the shape out of flat stock UHMW. I could run each one through my lathe and counter bore them in about 20 seconds each. I believe that is the way the place I was paying to do them made the part.
Mike

[knight_toolworks]

not sure if I totaly know what yoru after. but it jsut sounds like you need to draw a circle in a circle. the U shaped one you would have to sue a ball nose bit with the right curve.

[sawdust535]

Do you have a photo of the part you can post?

[Gary Campbell]

Michael...
The parts that you describe seem similar to your earlier post. I saw the pictures of them and they are fairly straight forward. What you may be missing is in this software (partsworks) you will not see your results until it has been virtually cut after toolpathing.
For ease of my explanation start a new file with a 10" by 10" piece of material that is 1.25" thick
Draw a 4" circle then highlight and click on center in material
Draw a .5 circle, highlite and click on center in material
Draw a 1.25" circle, highlite and click on center in material.
You now have 3 concentric circles in the center of a 10" square.
TO toolpath, click on the .5 circle and click inside profile 1.255 deep
click on the 1.25 circle and do area clear .75 deep.
Click on the 4" circle and select outside profile 1.255 deep.
This should cut out one side of your part and if all the steps I left out are filled in by what you saw on the tutorials, you should be able to see a preview of that side being cut.
I have left out bit selection, speed, stepdown and some other things that you must learn in order to cut your file, but this may help get you started.
Gary

[sawdust535]

Does this look like what you are trying to do. Not sure if I understood your description.

[Gary Campbell]

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[Gary Campbell]

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