Thread: Am I on the right track?

Yes, great. It is taking a bit of time to get the tool path worked out in Fusion. I had to edit the Gcode in Openbuilds because fusion added a z10 to the start of the file which ate into the front left corner of the timber for some reason. It also dragged the tool out into the waste area at the end of the cut instead of just raising the bit up. So edited that too. But the spindle is great, spins up fast and quiet too compared to a trim router. I used one of Adam’s Tools 2mm single flute upcut bits and it is still pretty good after 7 combs. Will see if I get the next six Sheoak combs out of it before it goes blunt. I am using the air compressor in the cut and I have the dust extractor on. I have to get down to carbatec to buy some 100mm hose and make an adapter for it.

Getting brave, now creating the holes I need to mount these combs to the harmonicas.

Originally Posted by Cal

Yes, great. It is taking a bit of time to get the tool path worked out in Fusion. I had to edit the Gcode in Openbuilds because fusion added a z10 to the start of the file which ate into the front left corner of the timber for some reason. It also dragged the tool out into the waste area at the end of the cut instead of just raising the bit up. So edited that too. But the spindle is great, spins up fast and quiet too compared to a trim router. I used one of Adam’s Tools 2mm single flute upcut bits and it is still pretty good after 7 combs. Will see if I get the next six Sheoak combs out of it before it goes blunt. I am using the air compressor in the cut and I have the dust extractor on. I have to get down to carbatec to buy some 100mm hose and make an adapter for it.

After using a spindle, I bet you couldn't imagine going back to a router for the machine, they're just fantastic aren't they!

Super quiet, I just wired up a 2.2kw spindle for a router table I'm working on, and the fan in the VFD is noisier than the spindle!

With the cutters, if they're carbide, they'll essentially cut just fine right up until they get accidentally snapped at some point. I haven't worn out a cutter yet. Snapped a lot though! Especially with aluminium! ;-)

The HSS do wear out in what seems fairly quickly, but to be fair they are machining quite a lot of timber mileage.

Yep, I agree! Much quieter than what a router would be but I still have my ear muffs on with it and the dust extractor and air compressor all going it’s still fairly noisy in there.
I will have to investigate where to get some 2mm carbide bits from, the hss one is just about shagged. I have more coming but it’s going to get expensive if I only get a dozen or so combs out of them. There is a lot of stress on such a little cutter, I didn’t have high expectations for it’s longevity. I have been doing 1.5mm step downs and ramping the bit into the timber over 12mm so it doesn’t put too much pressure on it. I think my feed speeds and rpm are pretty good, no signs of burning and the chips are good.
Learning Fusion is the most difficult part, I don’t find it intuitive at all. After spending 20 years using Adobe programs, some of the things in Fusion seem illogical. I will get my head around it eventually!

Bought a few here:

2 Flute DOWN CUT carbide CNC Router Bit

also here has a selection of nice stuff.

Sutton Tools | Power Tools Accessories, Drills, Cutting Tools & Industrial Tools

And Leuco tools in Adelaide whilst I was there. But they do bigger stuff mainly.

Just had some more bits arrive from Adam’s bits. See how they go.

Must be getting use to the process by now, I have cut a few harmonica combs!

Thought I would add a link to my video, I was using the air compressor to blow out the chips and it was becoming a bit annoying having it recharge constantly and a bit of moisture in the line etc. so I remembered about using the masking tape flag on the bit to create a fan. It works really well and all of the chips are removed from the tool path instantly, most of them make their way up the duct and into the dust extractor. I have a length of brush and I will make a better shoe when I get the chance so that should contain more of the chips.

8 July 2021 - YouTube

Okay I got around to cutting out the new name plate for my amplifier this morning. Then pulled the amp apart and fitted it with LED’s. I followed your recommendation Andrew and just stuck with engraving it, thank you! I like the look of it.




The original name plate



How it is from the factory

Originally Posted by Cal

Must be getting use to the process by now, I have cut a few harmonica combs!

Ah yes, the famous "getting the hang of this" phase where you now don't cut just the one or two pieces you need, but instead the eleventy billion you can do because it's so much fun, and you can! ;-)

cheers, Ian

Haha! You may be on to something!
I actually do have a use for the combs I have cut already. I am going to replace all of my combs (12 in total currently), I have an order for 20 of them from America and orders for them from Australia too. Seems I’m on to something!

Nice to see you combining some of your hobbies so well.

I’m just getting started, haha! It has been a bit of an up hill battle and I still have a lot to learn about it all but I am starting to get the hang of it. Small steps!

Engraving sorted, using a 10 degree 2 flute 0.1mm tip 3.175 mm bit.