JasonB14 Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 Looking to buy a small desktop CNC for making some crankbaits and to insure there repeatable. Has anyone here done this? Any advice that you can give on which machine, software, etc? I have never messed with CnC, so i'm a complete newbie in those regards but pretty mechanically inclined and tech savvy so I think with a little guidance i can figure it out. Having said that I don't want to sink a fortune into this in case I cant. Fee free to contact me via pm if you'd like and Id be very interested in talking to someone on the phone about this. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 This is something I've been thinking about as well. I've seen a bunch of files for 3D printing on thingverse, but haven't looked into this much. The shop here in the school where I work has an X-Carve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 It is or will be a digital version of the mechanical duplicator, were the master is a digital 3D model. I believe the solution is only two axes (but I will leave this to the CNC engineers to define); rotation and cutter direction. It seems simple to me, I cannot believe it has not been done digitally before. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonB14 Posted January 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 3 hours ago, Vodkaman said: It is or will be a digital version of the mechanical duplicator, were the master is a digital 3D model. I believe the solution is only two axes (but I will leave this to the CNC engineers to define); rotation and cutter direction. It seems simple to me, I cannot believe it has not been done digitally before. Dave I would be happy starting out with a duplicator but much smaller than the ones I’ve seen and one to hold a dremel tool instead of router. My main focus right now is a crank bait similar to speed trap but made from balsa with no rattles. I’ve made a couple by hand and there not too bad to make but hard to get consistent...for me anyway. My flat sided baits are fairly easy to replicate by hand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 20, 2021 Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 4 hours ago, JasonB14 said: I would be happy starting out with a duplicator but much smaller than the ones I’ve seen and one to hold a dremel tool instead of router. For a mechanical duplicator; the cutter has to be capable of removing the material effortlessly from the stock on a single pass. Stock removal is about 1" per minute depending on the mechanical design. A standard router bit is the worst tool for the job in my opinion. A ball end router is better, but it will blunt quickly and unless you sharpen your own, it will be a VERY costly item to replace. I do not see a Dremel cutter keeping up with the volume of material being removed or coping with the cutter depth. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exx1976 Posted January 20, 2021 Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 A buddy just got one of the higher-end X Carve machines. Spent upwards of $5k on it. I haven't been over the check it out myself yet, but he seems happy enough with it. It's a neat idea, but I'm still trying to nail down my design. The best laid plans do not survive the first encounter with the enemy, as the saying goes. Shipped a bunch of lures out to guys for testing, and I'm making some tweaks on the design based upon their feedback. Once I get it all sorted and begin offering them for sale, if they start flying out the door, maybe I'll consider a CNC. For now, I'm doing well enough with the manual tools I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted January 20, 2021 Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 I'll follow up with you all on this, but I was in the shop cutting out a glide bait and the shop teacher asked me for a design challenge... he wants to use the x-carve to cut out some lures! He has a round bit and is eager to try out some features he hasn't used yet. Here's the plan so far: I'll send him one of my templates. He'll then design a program to cut two halves of it simultaneously, adding in lots of detail for scales, fins, gill plates, etc., and cutting out the lip slot. We'll also make a program to cut the inside, making a path for a wire form and ballast weight, maybe even some internal rattles. While we're at it we may also do a program to cut out the lips. I am super pumped about this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowFISH Posted January 20, 2021 Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 Look into Taig CNC machines... I have one and use it for everything, molds, baits, boat parts, etc.... to get into CNC you're probably at 2K and upwards.... there are A TON on Taig users and forums so info is easy to find. But there is a real learning curve - you'll need to know a CAD system to create the bait - learn a CAM system to generate CNC code for the machine... and then the ins and out of CNC machining. If you HAVE to make balsa baits - CNC is probably the only option other than a duplicator. If you can live without wood and make "plastic" baits.... I'd just get a 3D printer for much less money and the learning curve is FAR FAR simpler. J. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogdan_alex Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 I own a CNC designed by me and built by a friend of mine who owns a machine shop and I must confess that was a great idea at the beginning but as time passed by I started to think otherwise. The setup & work times are high and it became counterproductive, and it's very messy and noisy. I now use a resin 3d Printer for doing a new model.. And then use silicone molding & resin pouring for the final products. For soft wood lures, these days I will build myself a duplicator and use it with 3D Printed masters. I only use CNC nowadays for lip cutting. Be aware that CNC machining comes with all sorts of issues that you haven't thought about and allot of trial&error. It's not as straightforward as it might seem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exx1976 Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, bogdan_alex said: I own a CNC designed by me and built by a friend of mine who owns a machine shop and I must confess that was a great idea at the beginning but as time passed by I started to think otherwise. The setup & work times are high and it became counterproductive, and it's very messy and noisy. I now use a resin 3d Printer for doing a new model.. And then use silicone molding & resin pouring for the final products. For soft wood lures, these days I will build myself a duplicator and use it with 3D Printed masters. I only use CNC nowadays for lip cutting. Be aware that CNC machining comes with all sorts of issues that you haven't thought about and allot of trial&error. It's not as straightforward as it might seem. I gave up on making my own lips myself. I found a fab shop a few blocks from me who doesn't mind working with small customers, and even doing "one-offs". So I'll make one lip exactly the way I want it, and then take it to them and tell them what material and how thick I want it. Go back the next day and pick up all my lips. They have a waterjet, CNC, laser cutting table, all sorts of stuff, and can work in whatever material I want. It's much more efficient, and still allows me to get custom parts. The price is quite attractive as well when you factor in the amount of time it takes to make each lip exactly like the one next to it, and depending on the material, the size of the mess you will make doing so - not to mention with things like G10, the dust is hazardous. Plus, I don't have the expense of buying my own CNC, nor the headache of learning how to work it, or buying/replacing/sharpening bits, or any of that nonsense. I can just focus on what it is I'm trying to do - make lures. Edited January 31, 2021 by exx1976 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 CAD is like CNC. It requires a lot of learning AND a lot of practice to keep the learning. These specialized skills are not something that you can use once a year and expect to return to flawlessly. CAD, CNC and other specialized skills are NOT like riding a bike! This post is not a cheap shot at anyone, simply a warning of what is required. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 Bring back finger painting!!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
