Comments for Harris Educational is Reinventing Science

Comment on Announcing a New Partnership between Harris Educational and ShopBot Tools by Harris Educational and Reinventing Science Kits in the News! | Harris Educational is Reinventing Science

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:44:12 +0000

[...] Harris Educational is Reinventing Science Education, Science, Technology, and Open Source Skip to content HomeMaker FaireScience KitsAbout ← Announcing a New Partnership between Harris Educational and ShopBot Tools [...]

Comment on Unboxing the CNC Shark Pro Plus CNC Router by reinventingscience

reinventingscience — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:22:52 +0000

Adam,

I’m very happy with the CNC Shark Pro Plus.
I’ve found it to be very sturdy, accurate, and I absolutely love the bundled Vectric CNC/CAM Software.

A big part of my decision to go with the Shark Pro Plus over other alternatives on the market (or building my own machine) was the fact that it was a real turn key solution with serious support from Rockler, Next Wave Automation, and Vectric.

There is a great forum for users at http://www.cncsharktalk.com/ as well as a ton of training videos (on the CD-ROM plus on Vectric’s site and on Youtube). And in addition the folks at Rockler are a great source of support (you can call, get a human being, and ask questions that they can answer).

That being said, how much you’ll like the machine depends upon your planned use. It uses stepper motors and relative positioning (i.e. there is no built in zero position) which means repeated cuts or multiple passes takes a little more planning and thought on the part of the user (calibrate twice, cut once!) so if you plan on industrial use you might want to go with a system with servo motors and relative positioning (with a zero stop and end of travel limit switches)… however most of those systems are either at least twice as expensive or take up a lot more space (even for the same workable table size).

Another thing to factor into your decision to purchase any CNC machine is total cost of ownership . You’ll need space and a sturdy table to sit it on, a PC or Laptop to run the controller, a good dust collection system (CNC Routers make a LOT of dust) and depending on your plans for use, a new 1/8″ collet for the Bosh router and a good set of 1/4″ and 1/8″ end mills and other router bits. Any project that requires cut-through of the material will also require a sacrificial substrate (like a sheet of MDF) and/or a jig to hold the work (though obviously this cost is minimal)

Stay tuned to my blog for further posts about the CNC Shark Pro Plus and what I’ve learned about CNC Routing. I plan a new blog soon that details lessons I learned in making my new PC case (the first serious use I put the machine to).

Thanks for reading!

Comment on Unboxing the CNC Shark Pro Plus CNC Router by PC case using CNC router and home building products | House of Mods

PC case using CNC router and home building products | House of Mods — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:23:41 +0000

[...] you’re interested in the CNC hardware used, take a look at the unboxing post that shares a few [...]

Comment on Unboxing the CNC Shark Pro Plus CNC Router by Adam

Adam — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:56:07 +0000

Hi There,
Now that you have had the CNC for a couple of months? What do you think of it? any feedback?

I’m looking at purchasing the same one, and am just curious on what you think of it now you have had a chance to use it.

Cheers
Adam

Comment on Unboxing the CNC Shark Pro Plus CNC Router by PC case using CNC router and home building products - Hack a Day

PC case using CNC router and home building products - Hack a Day — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:05:19 +0000

[...] you’re interested in the CNC hardware used, take a look at the unboxing post that shares a few [...]

Comment on Harris Educational’s New Computer by PC case using CNC router and home building products - Hack a Day

PC case using CNC router and home building products - Hack a Day — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:05:00 +0000

[...] he could use to test out his skills on a new CNC routing machine he recently acquire. He settled on building a PC case using easily obtained materials. What he ended up with is the clean-looking case seen above that was machined from materials you [...]

Comment on Harris Educational’s New Computer by reinventingscience

reinventingscience — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 23:22:19 +0000

Dia is ok as a diagramming program, i.e. a specialized drawing program that focuses on flow chart like diagrams… but visio is so much more than that… I use it a lot as a cad package (for dimensional drawings). Its also a matter of workflow. Open Office Draw and/or Inkscape can work too but again its all about the dimensioning, the workflow, etc.

Thanks for reading!

Comment on Harris Educational’s New Computer by Joel

Joel — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:52:54 +0000

Looks pretty sweet Ben! I was going to say Ive found a nice alternative to visio (which I actually love) called Dia.
Joel

Comment on Unboxing the CNC Shark Pro Plus CNC Router by Harris Educational’s New Computer | Harris Educational is Reinventing Science

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:37:24 +0000

[...] the purchase of my new CNC Router added to the fact that my old workstation had developed a mother board problem and the fact that I [...]

Comment on Identify It! Contest (3 ways to win) by reinventingscience

reinventingscience — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:32:26 +0000

Adrian,

Good guesses, but not entirely accurate. Check our fan page on facebook for the answers early next week. (http://www.facebook.com/HarrisEducational)