The 'Pride and Joy' of my shop was added this past Christmas. I have been having so much fun learning to use it. You really need to be a programmer/engineer to operate one of these things. I control it with a P4 2.4 Ghz desktop and Logitech Dual Action controller. Basically, a PC game pad with dual sticks. I use it for starting/stopping jobs, feedhold, and jogging the spindle into position. The thing I like most is the 'exponential control' I have with the sticks. Move the stick a little and the machine jogs slowly. Cram the stick to the left and it moves at full speed. This allows for very nice control of my machine.
Having spent the past 3 or 4 months learning to use it, I'm now planning my first real project. A set of gears to be incorporated into a coffee table I'm currently sketching up. The gears will be used to slide out a tray when a door is raised on the top of the table. I still have a few details to work out but I plan to start cutting some prototypes in the next week or so. Stay tuned.
Below is a picture of the little beauty and a video of her doing her thing. Yes, I've named her but I'll reveal that in another post!
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