by SteveM » Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:03 pm
The great thing about this hobby is there are thousands of video tutorials to watch on you tube, before you ever setup your machine.
I constantly am watching something.
The CNC manufacturer's have some really good ones to watch.
Legacy CNC has some of the best ones I have seen. There are others from Shop Sabre, Stinger and the very best videos are from Vectric.
That is probably the software you will be using and it is very easy to pick up just the basic ideas in a very short time span.
They actually have a fantastic forum and everyone there is happy to assist you.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes! Everyone on this forum and forums like this one, have great stories to share about how we screwed up something.
It's just all part of the learning process.
When getting started, don't start with expensive woods and don't worry about making scrap. I have boxes of mistakes just sitting around waiting for me to make something else with what I screwed up.
You can even start with cheap router bits, but as many on this and other forums will tell you is you get what you pay for and once you start making thing you will want to sell, you should be using good quality bits for a quality cut. They will also stay sharper longer and you won't wear them out tot fast.
Just relax, have fun with your new machine. When you get stumped use the forums for assistance. Everyone will be happy to assist you!
Steve