Hi there. I am 100% new to this and nearly computer illiterate. I am, however, a very experienced cabinet maker with years of woodworking under my belt. But, that does not seem to matter with this tool at all. Setting this thing up without an internet connection within 10 miles of my shop was a total NIGHTMARE. And I am not even sure if it works as yet because there are no instructions. There is a PDF that I cannot print. I can only assume that this is attributable to "windows 8.1" because I cannot believe that anyone would sell something so expensive WITHOUT ANY PRINTED INSTRUCTIONS TO HOLD IN YOUR HAND. YES! Sorry. I am old, I guess. And I understand that this stuff is "intuitive" to younger people. But to someone who who kept his 9 year old "flip phone" until only a few weeks ago, this is like landing on another planet.
What I need to know is how do I do a drawing and stick it on this "V-Carve" thing and start using this machine.
Now I ONLY now what a JPEG is and I can use old windows paint (from XP only. New version SUCKS!). I don't know how to save anything as a PDF, and I don't believe that I have ever been given that option on any computer drawing. So any advice given will need to be given to me as though I am a child. come to think of it, a child would more than likely have figured it out. So I need to know what my first move is. And I guess I need to have it all explained to me as though I were a technophobic old man.
I have NO interest in clip-art I just want to load my own images from MS-Paint (that is where I draw and save images) into these programs and get started without screwing anything up too badly....
Anybody,,,,.... a'Little help here, please.....!
OK. So, now what......?
Moderators: ddw, al wolford, sbk, Bob, Kayvon
Re: OK. So, now what......?
Check out the tutorials here for vcarve pro. http://support.vectric.com/training-material/vcarve-pro
Follow along with the videos, very informative. You learn a lot. I still watch them even after 4 yrs using the shark still learning.
Tony
Follow along with the videos, very informative. You learn a lot. I still watch them even after 4 yrs using the shark still learning.
Tony
Buffalo,NY
"What will matter is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave”
Aspire 12.010, photo vcarve, cut3D.cnc mako shark extended bed with the new upgraded HD 5 gantry with Led pendent.
"What will matter is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave”
Aspire 12.010, photo vcarve, cut3D.cnc mako shark extended bed with the new upgraded HD 5 gantry with Led pendent.
Re: OK. So, now what......?
goofyfoot
Welcome to the club of all the other members that had to learn all about how this works. This link will allow you to open and I hope print a PDF document. www.adobe-reader.download-update.org/ You really need to watch the tutorials they are well done and have a great deal of information in them. If you get stuck this forum is a great place to ask a question. If you let us know were about you live maybe you could link up with another member that could help you get started. As far as windows 8, my take is they tried to make it work like a smart phone. Some of us still have a flip phone and started on computer when you could count the transistors on a circuit board.
To help you better it would be a big help to understand which model of shark do you have. Do you have it set up and working with your computer.
Welcome to the club of all the other members that had to learn all about how this works. This link will allow you to open and I hope print a PDF document. www.adobe-reader.download-update.org/ You really need to watch the tutorials they are well done and have a great deal of information in them. If you get stuck this forum is a great place to ask a question. If you let us know were about you live maybe you could link up with another member that could help you get started. As far as windows 8, my take is they tried to make it work like a smart phone. Some of us still have a flip phone and started on computer when you could count the transistors on a circuit board.
To help you better it would be a big help to understand which model of shark do you have. Do you have it set up and working with your computer.
drueth
Shark Pro Plus HD
new to CNC 12/2012
Shark Pro Plus HD
new to CNC 12/2012
Re: OK. So, now what......?
Don't know where you live but I will offer the following suggestions.
If you have a Rockler store near you, Ask them if they have a CNC user group.
I live in the Greater Seattle area and we have two Rockler Stores and two active CNC user Groups. They meet monthly.
It is a great place to meet other users.
I have a Legacy five axis Legacy CNC machine. I participate in the local CNC User Groups.
Also go on the internet and Search for user Groups in your area.
If you would care to post the general area where you live perhaps someone in that area can help you find a user Group.
You don't sound like someone who will give up. Keep on trying. When you finally get on to how to use your machine you will find it was well worth the effort to get there.
Danwood
If you have a Rockler store near you, Ask them if they have a CNC user group.
I live in the Greater Seattle area and we have two Rockler Stores and two active CNC user Groups. They meet monthly.
It is a great place to meet other users.
I have a Legacy five axis Legacy CNC machine. I participate in the local CNC User Groups.
Also go on the internet and Search for user Groups in your area.
If you would care to post the general area where you live perhaps someone in that area can help you find a user Group.
You don't sound like someone who will give up. Keep on trying. When you finally get on to how to use your machine you will find it was well worth the effort to get there.
Danwood
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MrCNCRouterVise
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:27 am
- Contact:
Re: OK. So, now what......?
You can pretty much forget MS Paint or any other "paint" program for that matter.
If you did not receive a program like Vectric VCarve with the machine you are going to need one like it.
There are several steps in the process of creating a "program" to run in a CNC machine. The first is to use a program that draws lines aka "vectors". Paint programs turn pixels on/off in various colors, even though you may draw what looks like a line in a paint program, it isn't. It is just a collection of pixels turned on. I would highly recommend you go to the Vectric site when you are in range of the internet and look at their tutorials.
Once you draw a real line or a whole bunch of them to describe what you want to cut you then pass this information over to what is known as a "post processor". This is pretty painless in that you pick what you want to cut from your drawing, select a method of cutting (pocketing, profile, vcarve, etc) and the software does the rest creating that program for the machine. Then a piece of software feeds that program to the machine.
It is entirely possible to program the machine without any software at all. However, very few people do that anymore and only when they need to do something which the software will not do. And that is extremely rare.
As for handing out written instructions? It is just not done anymore for a lot of good reasons. It is much easier to provide up to date info on line to the users. When you go over to the Vectric site, also take a look at their forums section. Users can ask a question and get a response from people who have been using the software for years, usually within minutes. Hard to believe, but it is true. I have used Vectric for about 7 years now. Everyday I check the forum about 4-5 times and will help someone who has asked a question. There are a lot of other users who do the same thing.
This may seem extremely daunting right now, but in a very short time the light will go on and you will be off and running.
Forget about being an old guy with a flip phone. This technology has been around a very long time. I programmed my first NC machine over 40 years ago. You have some catching up to do technology wise, but it is not all that difficult.
If you did not receive a program like Vectric VCarve with the machine you are going to need one like it.
There are several steps in the process of creating a "program" to run in a CNC machine. The first is to use a program that draws lines aka "vectors". Paint programs turn pixels on/off in various colors, even though you may draw what looks like a line in a paint program, it isn't. It is just a collection of pixels turned on. I would highly recommend you go to the Vectric site when you are in range of the internet and look at their tutorials.
Once you draw a real line or a whole bunch of them to describe what you want to cut you then pass this information over to what is known as a "post processor". This is pretty painless in that you pick what you want to cut from your drawing, select a method of cutting (pocketing, profile, vcarve, etc) and the software does the rest creating that program for the machine. Then a piece of software feeds that program to the machine.
It is entirely possible to program the machine without any software at all. However, very few people do that anymore and only when they need to do something which the software will not do. And that is extremely rare.
As for handing out written instructions? It is just not done anymore for a lot of good reasons. It is much easier to provide up to date info on line to the users. When you go over to the Vectric site, also take a look at their forums section. Users can ask a question and get a response from people who have been using the software for years, usually within minutes. Hard to believe, but it is true. I have used Vectric for about 7 years now. Everyday I check the forum about 4-5 times and will help someone who has asked a question. There are a lot of other users who do the same thing.
This may seem extremely daunting right now, but in a very short time the light will go on and you will be off and running.
Forget about being an old guy with a flip phone. This technology has been around a very long time. I programmed my first NC machine over 40 years ago. You have some catching up to do technology wise, but it is not all that difficult.
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MrCNCRouterVise
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:27 am
- Contact:
Re: OK. So, now what......?
One other thing. Even though the incredibly paranoid types believe it is downright dangerous to include your location in your profile, it isn't. If you notice, my screenname is more than likely my real name. I also include the city I live in. This information is readily available in all sorts of public records anyhow.
If someone is still a bit paranoid, they can use a screen name and just a state. Why do this? Because you might have people close to you who are willing to help. I have several friends I have met in the local area and we help each other out all the time. If people have no idea where you are from they will never offer to help you out.
If someone is still a bit paranoid, they can use a screen name and just a state. Why do this? Because you might have people close to you who are willing to help. I have several friends I have met in the local area and we help each other out all the time. If people have no idea where you are from they will never offer to help you out.