tools, materials & knowledge for model makers
Upgrade to a 3018-pro have gone so far that I feel like it is a bit like Trigger’s Broom. Therefore, I thought I would try and list the modifications. I think I have listed all of the upgrades on the above image. However, some changes are subtle and I may have missed them. A more … Read more
OK, I cheated, not so much machining a ratchet as working out how to create a ratchet in Carbide Create. A quick mention for Carbide Create as it is free for the basic version and for what I do this is enough. This software is easy to use and very flexible. Previously I used this … Read more
My CNC spoil board is aluminium. 5mm thick with 4mm threaded holes drilled at a pitch of 20mm. However, the table on the Genmitsu 3018-pro is not quite flat. Hence my need to machine this to create a flat working area. Material for a Spoil Board The spoil board can be made from a number … Read more
With any milling machine you need mass and stiffness, so I decided to make a Genmitsu 3018-pro stiffening bracket. The template was cut out from a thick-ish piece of cardboard. You can see that I had to extend the template to add the leg that fits onto the top of the side chassis rail. Using … Read more
As much as I’ve upgraded the Genmitsu 3018-pro it has struggled to machine or engrave brass, therefore I thought I would try sprung d-bit engraving. This sounds a bit counterintuitive with a CNC machine, but this is a tiny CNC lacking in power. I thought that a small amount of compliance in the Z-axis would … Read more
A parcel arrived from StirlingKit yesterday and I had to just calmly wait until this afternoon before unpacking the Enjomor Whippet. Must state that this is a Paid Promotion as this is a gift from the StirlingKit team for me to review. Initial impressions are that this is a very well designed, engineered and made … Read more
Samurai 120 CNC Machine was the brainchild of Ben Izen. The initial series of machines are being funded by a kickstarter page that is running until 30th November 2021. The specifications and features of the Samurai 120 CNC machine are impressive: Spindle BT30 1.2kW 6000rpm Pneumatic drawbar 350mm (13.5″) Spindle nose to table 280x190x220mm XYZ travel … Read more
Congratulations! You have landed your first machining project. After a lot of time spent honing your skills, learning about the various tools, and becoming well-versed with operating the Computer Numeric Control or CNC machine, it is now time to put all that knowledge into use. But what are the must-have CNC milling tools for your … Read more
The first Kant Twist Clamp, maybe a few more are needed to give me a set. With the arms being machined on the Genmitsu 3018-pro then these are not too bad to make. This initial set of parts that you are seeing as a completed clamp were my first proper cnc parts. Based on these … Read more
What are CNC holding tabs? Coming from a world of manual machining this is all new to me. However, when you start machining parts from sheet materials you will inevitably end up creating islands. With rotating tool bits these islands don’t just float away. At first I created these tabs manually by dividing the perimeter … Read more