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You're reading from  A Tinkerer's Guide to CNC Basics

Product typeBook
Published inJan 2024
PublisherPackt
ISBN-139781803247496
Edition1st Edition
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Author (1)
Samer Najia
Samer Najia
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Samer Najia

Samer has been extremely interested in things that fly since he was six years old. An avid pilot, flight instructor, rocketeer and plastic modeler, he has been building things that fly or look like they might for as long as he can remember, including a full scale aircraft in the garage. Samer has a background in Mechanical Engineering and is a CNC and Laser hobbyist, but currently is working in IT – specifically software development. Samer resides in Alexandria, VA with his wife and two children and participates in his local maker space by teaching metal shaping techniques, rocketry and homebuilt aircraft construction.
Read more about Samer Najia

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Securing the workpiece

My CNC machines all have tables made of aluminum extrusions, except for one that uses a piece of plate metal. Both would get ruined if I made a mistake and cut through my workpiece and into the table. Eventually the structure would weaken, and I would have to disassemble the entire Y-axis assembly and replace the table – not something I would relish having to do multiple times. Consequently, as has been mentioned before, I like to put a piece of waste board between my workpiece and the table. The waste board is typically made of MDF or plywood and is sacrificial. However, with a thick piece material on top of my table and under the material I am trying to cut or carve, I have to find a way to bolt the material to the waste board and the waste board to the table.

You can purchase waste boards for your 3018 on Amazon or AliExpress easily enough. These often come with countersunk threaded inserts as well, so that you can secure your board to the table...

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A Tinkerer's Guide to CNC Basics
Published in: Jan 2024Publisher: PacktISBN-13: 9781803247496

Author (1)

author image
Samer Najia

Samer has been extremely interested in things that fly since he was six years old. An avid pilot, flight instructor, rocketeer and plastic modeler, he has been building things that fly or look like they might for as long as he can remember, including a full scale aircraft in the garage. Samer has a background in Mechanical Engineering and is a CNC and Laser hobbyist, but currently is working in IT – specifically software development. Samer resides in Alexandria, VA with his wife and two children and participates in his local maker space by teaching metal shaping techniques, rocketry and homebuilt aircraft construction.
Read more about Samer Najia