While waiting for my machine to arrive, I have been devouring these forums and every YouTube video about the X-Carve. And I’m concerned. I, along with the rest of you and certainly everyone at Inventables @Zach_Kaplan would really like to see a machine like this get some more widespread adoption among folks with great ideas and absolutely no 3D or CNC experience whatsoever. But I see a huge gap in solid end-to-end tutorials on how to do things that a lot of folks would undoubtedly like to do. I have so many questions, my head is spinning. Here are some tutorial ideas:
Basic “what is CNC” tutorial with the actual x-carve
“How do you know what to use” tutorials about cutting speed and depth per pass, etc, with different bits, materials, situations. This would also serve as a good walk through of Easel, though there are some good ones of these out there. I liked The Drunken Woodworker’s.
Software tutorials for the free stuff beyond just Easel - specifically stuff like take me through exact steps of getting g-code that I generated somewhere and cutting it using UGS. Do a basic v-carve end-to-end from f-engrave all the way to finished product. What do we need to know about UGS and how to overcome issues like homing, z-axis, etc.
Show how to run two cut sequences on the same workpiece. For example, what if I wanted to cut out a simple letter, but also do a v-carving on part of that letter? Explain homing, tool changes, etc.
We need great write-ups and/or videos about the various things that could break the machine. Like, what are the limit switches actually supposed to do? I see people worried about when their g-code sends the spindle veering off and they have emergency stop switches installed. Isn’t that what the limit switches are for? Also, what activities could possibly mess up the electronics? Manually sliding stuff around maybe?
What I’ve learned is that a lay-person with any degree of timidity is going to feel totally overwhelmed and scared of getting into wood carving or sign making or crafting with this machine. But I think there is a huge market with that type of person, beyond those who already know how to design and cut parts for their other hobbies, etc.
What do you think? What other solid tutorials are needed for newbies like myself? Feel free to answer even if you aren’t a newbie now, but you once were. Maybe we need a whole tutorials section somewhere, kinda like the tip jar area, but not just for special projects. Educate the masses, and they will join the revolution. The more people doing this stuff, the cheaper and more available everything becomes for the rest of us. (Sorry for the novel here!)
