Northeast "Camp Shopbot" II

[billp]

Northeast Camp Shopbot II


I've had a number of inquiries regarding the possibility of holding another "Camp' in the near future.. Last year's Saturday session drew 30 Shopbotters, and prospective Botters as well, ( in fact a few of the attendees bought their machine as a result of meeting with other owners.).
I'd like to start getting this years event together well in advance, because I am hoping to change the focus a little this time. Instead of spending a portion of the day as a 'demo' session , I'd like to co-ordinate our time a little more efficiently and cover those areas which are of most interest to those planing to attend. I realize that it's tough to do any one topic justice in just a few hours, so I will be asking for feedback from prospective attendees, regarding their interests..If in fact it looks as though we cannot cover the desired topics in one day, I can stretch this out over the weekend, and then people can attend the sessions they are most interested in.
This does not mean that non owners will be excluded..I really hope to see a few new faces, and it is a great chance for interested people to get face to face feedback from a variety of owners. It's just that in all fairness to many current owners it would be more practical for those needing more individual time, (or a specific demo with their own needs as the main focus), to attend at a different time..
Logistically it would be better for me to hold this Camp in late September/early October. That keeps us within a pretty comfortable 'weather window', and it also makes it easier for those staying overnight at one of the local hotels/motels to get rooms at a rate more favorable than the summer season here near the Jersey shore..
With these basics in mind, I'll now ask for feedback from those who might plan on attending. What date(s) would work best for everyone? What areas of interest would you like to see covered? What programs would you like to see in action ? Do you feel you have anything to offer in the way of a 'session' you could share with others?
For those who attended last year I am sure you appreciated the fact that with no discussion , or solicitation, almost every machine owner brought something for a pretty informal 'show and tell' session in the parking lot ( Ed Coleman please bring your truck again, it made a great display rack…). Everyone has some skill they can share with all of us, so don't assume that what you are working on only interests you!
I have updated my cable drive machine, so there will be two rack/pinion machines available this year, and that might make some of the lengthier demos more practical. I'll also try to get a few computers setup for anyone who needs to create files , or would like to do a session regarding specific programs..
Last year was a great event, and with three months lead time, and a little effort I think we can expand on that. Please respond to me directly, or on the Forum, so we can gauge the interest level, and start to get this event organized..Any/all feedback suggestions are welcome, the floor is now open…..Bill Palumbo

[davidallen]

if you need help demo'ing or presenting a particular topic, let me know and I'll work something up.

da

[davidallen]

one topic I'd like to sit in on would be converting images to true type fonts.

[rgengrave@aol.com]

Allen that would be me that does that, I think I showed Bill how to do it? but I am not sure if he has it down yet.

If Bill has the Camp Shopbot? I can send him all the info on it, All this info is on the server.

Ron

[edcoleman]

Bill:


Looking forward to it. It was a good event last time, and I expect this time around it will be even better with more folks knowing what to expect and bringing some of their stuff for show and tell. I'll definitely plan on coming up.

-Ed

[billp]

I've already heard from a few people regarding topics they'd like to see covered at "camp". 3-D file generation, vacuum table setups, joinery techniques, and different materials for cutting have all been mentioned ( sort of a reader's digest list of Forum topics...).I'll work on covering those areas, and see what other areas of interest pop up.Keep them coming...!

[billp]

Northeast Camp date(s)...
To date I've only had a few suggestions regarding the best time to hold the second Northeast Camp Shopbot.( The majority of people who have already confirmed have said "just tell me when it is, and I'll be there.."), but I know that everyone might not be as flexible in their scheduling.
It seems that three weekends are currently favored,Sept.30/Oct.1, Oct. 6,7,8 ( three day weekend for some..), and Oct. 13, 14...Any more ideas of topics to cover?,Or thoughts about the dates?

[edcoleman]

Bill:

I don't want to turn this thread into a "Vector" discussion, but I'll risk it


I have never spent the time necessary to learn this software, and I thought that a demo of its capabilities and a little tutorial on how to use it would be a nice fit at Camp II.

-Ed

[djhazeleger@mindspring.com]

Bill,
This is my wish list for Camp Shopbot:
I would like a Profilelab demo. Since shopbot is selling this software, I would like to see some of the things it can do to justify the price.
I would like to see some of the accessory items SB sells put to work, like the probe, Columbo spindle, and indexing head. I would also like to see any vinyl cutting setup other Shopbotters are using demo'd.
I really enjoyed Camp Shopbot last year and I'm looking forward to attending this year.
Dirk

[billp]

Ed/Dirk,
Thanks for the input and ideas. One thing I learned from last year's Camp was that given a topic, ANY topic, Shopbotters can expand/expound on it for longer periods of time than one would imagine. This is obviously due to the fact that since most of us learn our own ways of getting jobs done, we all seem to find little nuggets of info that no one else mentions in a demo..Hence a simple 10 minute demo of cutting a circle can become an hour long marathon of identical circles cut into some scrap plywood.
This same "law of learning" happens with software as well. While one person will use a Cad program to achieve a goal, 2 others will get to the same place using a sign making program. Before I get too lost in this thought process all I'm trying to say is that we could easily spend all day on any one program/technique/tool etc, and most people don't have that kind of time to spare.
Since Profilelab and Vector are the two programs which are promoted by Shopbot I can see giving both of them (equal) time, during the Camp. However it would be hard to do justice to either of them in one hour..I have both programs here, and will be able to put in my two cents worth, but as some of you saw last year, with 30 people wandering around it is very difficult to hold anyone's attention unless there is something planned, and drawn up in advance. What I think would be really useful , and probably greatly appreciated by the entire Shopbot community would be for any users of the above mentioned programs to draw up a short "recipe' of steps they use to achieve certain results. As we have all seen , there are very few software companies which produce straightforward manuals because in many cases they have little idea of how the end users will be applying their programs. SO, I am inviting anyone who has a working knowledge of either program to send me a short list of steps on how to accomplish certain tasks ( whether it be cutting out signs with multiple layers, or left handed inverted butterfly mortices…)..I will then assemble these recipes into a pamphlet which will be distributed …(By the way to those of you in Raleigh who are reading this why not sponsor a similar project, and this way we might all be able to assist everyone save some time/brain cells in honing our craft..?)
And regarding machine related hardware, I will again have two Bots up and running, which will include proxy switches, remote control, dust/vacuum systems, external wiring brackets, networking setup, and hopefully a probe. I don't have an indexing head, but Gene Marshall is about 10 miles from me and he has had his almost a year now, so maybe we can arrange for those of you interested in that tool to take a 'field trip'over to Point Pleasant. I don't know of anyone local using either the Perske/Colombo spindles but if you are out there please let me/us know..As for vinyl cutting I'm one of those who thinks it's tough to do both wood and vinyl in the same shop, but if anyone can help us with that add-on we'd all like a look see.
This is still a free form event, and I see my self as more of a 'moderator' than "the"instructor. Every machine owner has tricks of their own, and sometimes people are reluctant to "share" because they think only the gear heads, and code writers have anything of value we can learn from…In reality some of my biggest breakthroughs have been watching how someone has simplified a procedure I have made too complicated for my own good. We need as many "McGuyvers" as we do Buckminster Fullers…
Please keep these ideas rolling, and I'll do what I can to accommodate them. Right now it looks as though we are aiming for the weekend of October 6, 7 ( and 8th since it's Columbus Day around here..). If that is not workable let me know ASAP…Bill P.