Help needed to CNC stuff for electronics area

General
1

Hey CNC gurus,

I am planning to make sane, usable, and attractive (I’m thinking I’ll go in for some sexy oak ply) storage for members’ electronics projects. I need help getting my plans onto the big CNC and cutting them. Simply need to cut / route plywood with some rabbets.

Anyone have some time?

Lorin

2

I can help you for sure. What do you have right now? A hand draft of what you want to do or already a CAD file?

Julien

3

I have hand drafts now. I can make up a simple 2D CAD pretty easily. What do you recommend for making a quick and easy 2.5D dxf or other file? AutoCAD, Inventor seem really bloated and slow for just making a simple thing.

Lorin

4

Depends on what you are familiar with! Elly uses inkscape quite frequently for this stuff. I actually cut something on the CNC yesterday from inkscape.

Random detail, but I had more success with .eps files versus a .dxf. The cam program (vectric aspire) was acting up with the dxf.

Jon

5

Sorry for the extra post, just realized something.

Quite a few people use vectric aspire to draw as well. It has basic rectangles, circles, text, etc.

Jon

6

You can use freeCAD, QCAD or libreCAD for this kind of job. CAMBAM can work with .dxf and .svg. If it is technical drawings, I think Inkscape is not the good choice but I am maybe wrong.

If you have a hand drafts and a scanner, you just can send it to me and I will convert it to the digital world!

Julien

7

Despite a stated preference for FreeCAD for more complex shapes, I still find SketchUp the fastest thing to use for simple design work. It works pretty well in 2 and 3 dimensions.

8

Thanks all,

I’ll draw something up. I seemed to have forgotten the existence of simple vector graphics programs (what the hell am I paying Adobe $30 a month for?), and Sketchup…

Once again, making something much harder than it has to be.

Lorin