Anyone have one? or used one. I am seeing it advertised on TV, but they are not in Sear's stores locally. Priced at $1900 and special order. Appreciate any views or information on this machine. Photos of carvings done look very ornate and are computer composed and driven. Thanks, Glenn
Thu, Jan 4, 2007, 10:21pm (EST-1) snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (Elliott) doth query: Anyone have one? or used one. I am seeing it advertised on TV, any views
Yeah, I saw it on the tube too. Thought it was pretty neat. Then thought about it for a minute, and realized, about all it would be good for is mass producing pukey duck type stuff, the type they sell in the catalogs you get in the maik. That's the only real use I cn figure for one. What's the fun in that I ask? Can't afford one anyway, but I'd pass even if I did.
JOAT To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also.
- Igor Stravinsky
I wouldn't mind getting one but couple of things I'm concern about. One is reliability. Also the controller board may cost an arm and leg to replace few years down the road - don't know, just my guess. Could be obsolete in a few short years when new and improved operating system won't support the software routine.
There was a thread on this about a week ago. It's a rebranded item, have a look at:
-Leuf
As a software developer, let me say that this is highly unlikely. If the software is win32 based, it will be quite some time before that's not supported anymore, i'd guess in the 5 to 10 year range. If it's dotnet based (which is more likely) it will be around much longer.
brian
I can see some uses for this, especially for someone who has no artistic ability. I played around with the software some, you can import images and create your own. Of course, if you don't have the artistic ability in the first place...
Overall I wouldn't spend that kind of money on this machine.
I bet you a lot of existing computers and devices that's running on XP now won't work when the new Vista OS comes out - just like switching from Win 98 to XP.
I also have more than a dozen of devices and systems (computers, graphics cards, xy-plotters, printers, digitizers, printers - you name it) that were orphaned every time a new OS comes out. From CPM to DOS, from DOS to Win
3.x, from Win3.x to Win98, from Win98 to WinXP and so on. Every upgrade means some device or system become unusable and I don't think the Compucarver is all that different.Fri, Jan 5, 2007, 11:12pm snipped-for-privacy@me.net (Panic) doth sayeth: I can see some uses for this, especially for someone who has no artistic ability. I played around with the software some, you can import images and create your own. Of course, if you don't have the artistic ability in the first place...
Ah. In other words, an Etch-A-Sketch for wood.
JOAT To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also.
- Igor Stravinsky
I'm not even gonna read the other posts. If it has any uses for anyone I'd say it is a step in the right direction. At that price, I wish they made all tools with nc, cnc, dnc capability. I don't know what tools it can use, and I don't know what z- axis travel it has, and I don' t know what x and y axis travel it has. The accuracy and repeatability wouldn't neeed to be tremendous and it would sure be a time saver. The whole theory is not gimmickry, there is beyond belief potential, but most wouldn't go for it, or even consider learning it. It could be taught easily. Not is not a comment on Crafstman. For both metal and wood industries there is a well established language(s) to get these kind of things up and running, and doing various things, and the APT or graphics part just does in visually, it still still spits out the same code language, called post processing. ANSI/EIA RS-274-D-1980 (G code). In industries that actually need this technology, this would be kind of a paperweight, but not a useless novelty. btw, I am pretty sure this m/c's nc language is indeciferable, and (possibly/prob) unusable. As is, prob, its potential to actually do much, unless you actualy need to do what it does, is limited. btw, machines can have digital potioning readout, .001 or .0001 on the machine, or add-on readouts, and NOT at the same timne be able to control the said position. Another major bonus on a basic tool; like if your TS told you how far from the blade you were, say w/i 1/64".
iow, you can read the program and see if its what you want; you can write the program in a word processor, and save it as MS DOS TEXT only; its the same as using GUI; its runs all the same. Space for space.
And it could be a time saver, don't know if it can chuck (drils) for instance, in metal, if you had a bunch of holes, some CS, some CB, some normal, some tapered, some reamed smooth and accurate, you could chuck a pilot drill, chuck a drill, chuck a countersink, chuck a counterbore, chuck a smoothing reamer, chuck a drill, and it does the right order to the right positions to the right depths sequentially. It would (possibly) just coem "home" for a tool change. It could limit the amount of work on some features. In industry you chuck a chuck with the drill in it, and have to set thevalue of each offset of z-axis of each and set it into the memory and when you right a line of code you put in rpm, x&y-position, and z-depth, it accomodate algebraically for the offset of the tool. Numbers written may or not eppear theoretically. It is designed not to be confusing. Same principal with the position of the blank when you load it. Accuracy is maintained by using a known accurate corner/hole, or allowing for trimming to using fixtures; rather than using "drill jigs".
I don't think it's going to mass produce anything. If you read reviews on it, while people love the thing, it takes a while to do some designs, 3-5 HOURS.
The way the machine works is that your design is saved onto a ram drive, which then plugs into the machine. The machine is not directly hooked up to your PC.
XP has several mechanisms built in to run 16 bit apps. I've yet to have one work correctly. If your plotter doesn't work, it's because your plotter manufacturer abandoned writing drivers for it, not because XP is screwy.
Even when the code is std. readable , and recognisable using lines and arcs, following through becomes impossible. There are built in "canned cycles' which can take care of your every whim, such as pulling out at intervals to remove chips when drilling a hole as a simple example, and it simplifies the task by not having to fill in the details along the way. Depths of cut of each pass can be specified,a nd the last can be a "special" finish cut, all built in . Say when turning the length of a cylinder. Theres a diameter turning canned cycle, and all you have to do is specify the final diameter when sorting out the in program order, and the post processor will fil in all the lines of the code with all the numbers and the single steps, with all the variables. It can be dozens, hundreds, thousands of lines when post processed. When dealing with a model, a 3D surface, you can't write it, you DRAW the part first and then point to it with the mouse pointer, and then all the lines of the program are generated. I wouldn' t think that reading/learning/following the code in this machine would be possible, especially since it is a carving machine. It also maybe somewhat paint by numbers, as mentioned earlier, which could also simplify things greatly. APT is standing at the machine control panel interface drawing by numbers for a quick part definition.
nc is numerical control, cnc is computer numerical control, dnc is direct numerical control. Control may be the important word here. In practice, if a computer is involved it is likely that the part was "modeled" first by drawing it with a CAD or CAD/CAM program. even a standalone CAD program can model a part with vector graphics, and export it using a .dxf (hmm...), IGES or other file format, and imported into a post processor to create a G-code program. APT is standing at the m/cs control panel drawing by nimbers for a quick part. It may be considered cnc. Rarely would a program be written in G-code -it would be done in alphanumeric in a word processor and saved as MS DOS txt only format. Most operations use APT or model the part at the computer then upload to the machines CP using an RS-232-C interface. nc may not use code, not sure. Machines with a digital readout of positioning to correspond to manual input of slides may not be "control" at all. Not sure. DNC is when there is a central computer, where all of the codes and/or models which have been post-processed into codes, which is attached directly with cable/wire to a or many machines, are uploaded directly into the CP of the m/c. Threre may be some electronics in the control panel aspect that may stay at the pooter and/or in the CP of the *nc m/c adding to the definition.
PUNCH CARDS
Punch cards
| Rarely would a program be written in G-code.
Eh? I'd guess that depends on the operation. More than 95% of the part programs used in my shop are hand-coded (I hand code 100% of the g-code part programs).
-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA
I think you're right. I won't read yours either.
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