Bob's Tool Shop

 I am planning to use the CNC to carve a lot of MDF.  The dust in the basement shop was too hard to control, so I built a workbench and put it on a machine cart to move it where I want in the garage. Here is an overview video:

 The bed of the 4030 is done with a sheet of MDF.  I have added a 1/4 in spoil board to the top so that any mistakes save the bed.  I followed the ideas from James Dean Designs and used his files to mill the spoil board flat.  Here are the pictures and some instructions. Completed setup The first step was to mill out two spoil boards.  I forgot to take pictures of that step.  Look at the videos for his process. The spoil board is attached with blue masking tape and CA glue: I  used the door stops to hold things in place while the glue setup. Using a surface bit and the g-code file from James Dean Designs faced the board nicely.  I then cleaned things up and put on two coats of Polycrylic sealer

 I used one slate to run two different power tests on a test tile.  One on each side.   From a tile burn Grid This one really helped me understand the range of marks we can make on a slate.  The following is the grid out of LightBurn and it was not as much help: There is quite a range of marking you can do.  I feel that it will allow some interesting effects.  I only needed one "tone for the project I am doing."   I did one test slate at 2000mm/min and 40% power for my 10W laser.  The design did not look right, so I changed the design slightly, and here is the finished project. Finished Slate Coaster Added Logo on the bottom I changed the speed to 1800mm/min and 40% power for the final project.  It slightly deepened the engrave.  The slate's top took about 16 minutes, and the bottom logo took 2 minutes. The setup is straightforward.  In Lightburn, I created two concentric square boxes on one layer that I do not burn.  These are for reference and alignment.  One is at 100m

 My Xtool Air Assist kit arrived today.  I unboxed it and set it up on my D1.  The kit has everything you need, the instructions are good. I run the air line across the top of my "enclosure" leaving enough to let the head move around.  I would have liked a more flexible hose but it is fine for my install. I have not tried using it yet but here is a video of the setup and the air pump is running. I have to sort out the power cord routing and put a smaller board under the air pump.  It is interesting to note that there is no control on the air pump to vary pressure.  

 After assembled the Laser I set it in place in my rack and loaded up LaserBox Basic.  The software connected to the laser and updated the firmware with ease.   I grabbed the logo for the preschool where my my wife teaches part time.  Brought it into LaserBox , resized it for a test scrap of plywood. I used the default settings : Here is a picture right after the burn. I cut the board down and sprayed it with some clear matte finish   I then mocked up my logo for the back of the work.  This is NOT final copy. Then today I finished my logo and burned it on the scrap.  The image is 25 CM square, again default settings.  Ignore the partial burn above the logo as it was a test.

 My production laser has arrived. This kit includes the 10watt laser module and a rotary with a separate adjustable stand. Here is a time-lapse unboxing: The new manual is very nice and makes assembly simple.  I did print some clips for the wires but decided to just follow the manual and use wire ties.   Here is a time-lapse of the assembly: