Pens on the indexer

[GDGeorge]

Good Afternoon All!

Well, I'm slowly but surely getting moved into my new space. (OK, we've been here six months and I'm only now getting to the garage...) Anyway, I took a break from putting tools away this week and hooked up my dust collector, the computer and, last but not least, the Desktop. This morning, I hooked up the indexer for the first time and made it spin. Then I mounted up an old pen mandrel, lined up the tail stock and now I seem to be at something of an impasse. To quote Monty Python: "How does it....ummm... How does it work?

Any tips, tricks and traps that I should be aware of?

Thanks!
Jerry

[myxpykalix]

What axis is your indexer on A or B?
Lets say B
If you want it to spin a certain number of revolutions then you just type in
MB 360 that will make it spin once because the indexer works off of degrees instead of inches
If you want it to spin 10 revolutions then type in
MB360
MB3600 for 100 ect.

Now there is a new command with the new version of software that i'm not familiar with since i haven't installed it that allows you to turn the indexer independantly of the other axis'

However if you are going to make a pen you would have to make a cut file up in whatever pgm you use in order to make it run a full file. That might be your next step if you show us what you want to do....:confused:

[Brady Watson]

If you bought the indexer to make pens, then you should have a very good idea of what kind of pens you want to make. Please explain in detail and/or with a pic or two where you want to go. The subject of 'pens' is about as nebulous as saying that you want to make a box.

-B

[GDGeorge]

@Jack, thanks. I can't get MB to enter. The new command is (M)ove (I)ndexer. That opens up a dialog box and you set axis, direction, and speed. It also has an oscillate function that I want to play with later this evening once I find thr reference. I somehow managed not to install the help files when I set up this machine. I'm sure that's a minor fix.

@Brady, I have some ideas, yes. First I want to modify the Z-zero macro / program to zero off of my pen mandrel. I think I just have to find where the macro adds for the thickness of the zeroing plate and substitute the radius of my mandrel. (Which means I have to put enough tools away to find my micrometer...)

In terms of actual pens, I thought I'd start with something simple and just turn a basic slimline pen. That will, as near as I can figure, require knowing the finished diameter of piece (8mm in this case) and then drawing up contour that I want for the the finished one. Then I'll need to cut and drill the blank as usual, mount it on the mandrel, zero the machine, round the blank, and cut the profile. I think the tutorial on rounding will help with the cutting process, but I'm a bit hazy on what exactly to draw. I think that it should be a simple single line contour describing the movement in X and Y.

From there I intend to turn something with a single flat edge that I can engrave. I'm mostly worried about resolution here.

I've also got a notion that I should be able to turn some really cool Celtic knot-type patterns.

That's about as far as I've got with this. I bought the indexer without a real clear notion of what I wanted to do with it beyond the very general make pens...

Thanks to both of you!
Jerry

[bill.young]

Hey Jerry,

The MB (and MA, M4, and M5) commands only appear in the "Move" menu when you change the number of axis to something other than the default 3 axis (X, Y, and Z).

If you open the "Values" menu item and then "Display", you'll see a setting for the "number of axis'". Set it to the number of axis' you have...4 if you are running your indexer using the A axis and 5 if you're using the B... and then the rest of the relevant commands will appear.

Bill

[bill.young]

The help files should be located in "C:\Program Files (x86)\ShopBot\ShopBot 3\Help", assuming you installed the control software to the default location.

The help files are pdf files so you have to have Acrobat Reader, or some other pdf viewer associated with pdf files, for them to work.

Bill

[Brady Watson]

Jerry,
In SB3 under 'Tools' you can setup to 'turn' a profile using a drawing in PartWorks. Sniff around a little and you'll figure it out.

-B

[bill.young]

Ted's article on turning chess pieces for Autodesk University will help you with the new MI command.

http://www.shopbotblog.com/index.php/2013/02/indexer-spinning-for-autodesk-university/

And Lex from DeskProto did some really nice turning on a Desktop Indexer at the New York Maker Faire. There's a picture of a bust that he turned using DeskProto in that same article...it's straight off the machine with no sanding or cleaning up.

Bill

[waynelocke]

Is the MI command only available in the new control software which only works with newer boards? If so any hope for MI in the old control software?

[Brady Watson]

...so any hope for MI in the old control software?

No. You need the processor and v3.8 to make use of it. It is a combination of hardware (additional timer chip on the processor) and software that can understand and implement the MI command.

-B

[GDGeorge]

Thanks for all the replies. I hope to get back out to the garage this weekend and get things to the point where there's room to actually work. I got invited to sell at a local craft show in August so I'm going to have to move if I want anything to sell! (Not to mention Veterans' Day, USMC Birthday, and Christmas!)

I'll report back as I get things squared away!

Cheers,
Jerry