fishinpoolplay
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can any cue builders give me some feed back on this machine? do you like it? what limits may it have? is the program easy? is writing your own code difficault? thanks
cnc breeze
- Thread starter fishinpoolplay
- Start date
ask tony Zinzola he has one
I like mine. It took me a while to get it all tuned in and running perfectly, but I also had no CNC experience when I bought it.
The main limitation is that you cannot turn shafts and butts with it. You also have to either manually adjust the table or rotate the cue in order to inlay both the points and the butt. I don't move the table because it took some time to get it aligned correctly. I mentioned to Lee that he should make the future tables keyed with the mill bed. If he does this, it will make it easier to slide the table and keep it perfectly aligned.
Rotating the cue isn't that big of a deal because you really have to check the alignment for each point anyway.
Of course, the machine isn't perfect. You're not buying a $50,000 machine. I don't know what Lee charges for it, but I know you could buy two or three of these for what one cuemaker I know paid for his three ball or lead screws (whatever he has). There are ways to work around the limitations though. You'll figure them out as you go.
I also have a different spindle than what comes on the Taig. I can cut the part and pocket from the same program with no offsets and can probably get away without glue. The limitation to the spindle I'm using is that I can't cut points with it. I have a Kress Router that I can mount (it takes less than 5 minutes to switch) if I want to use the CNC to cut points. However, I rarely do points on the CNC as I have a big mill set up for just doing points, so it is not an issue for me. I did try using the Kress to do inlays and it had .001-.002" of runout. The parts fit in the pockets loosely and would fall out if turned upside down. If lee gets that little 60K spindle working as he has planned, it would be a nice upgrade.
As for ease of programming, that is up to you. I knew nothing about CAD drawing or G codes when I started less than a year ago with it. for some things, I don't even do a drawing, just type the codes. For others, I do the drawings, which generates the code, then I go modify it if need be. I use BobCad V21 & 23. Both are easy for me, but I don't know about you.
Hope this helps.
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