VCarve is a very powerful and flexible program but not always intuitive. Sometimes it can take a bit of searching to find the proper function. The bitmap to vector conversion program is excellent. You should be able to do everything you need with VCarve short of full 3D carving. If you can use PhotoShop or Paint Shop Pro, you can use VCarve.
Thanks again guys. Watching lots of tutorials atm. Will keep you posted when my machine arrives. Still waiting to find out how much import duties will beā¦
Do yourself a favour and send the bugger back!
Had mine a while now and its still not working properly. And before anyone chips in, it was built for me by an engineer.
The Chinese ones on Ebay are waaay better. Solid built and run on Mach 3.
All the best!
First mistake.
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How do you work that one out Larry?
The serious side of it is that if you build the machine yourself you get a much better idea of how it works and how the parts are inter-related. This gives one a much better perspective for how the machine works and what the causes might be for any anomalies that you may encounter during setup and carving.
On the humorous side, many engineers are known for doing things ātheir own wayā as they know they can do it better than anyone else. They may be prone to ānot read the manualā, but just put things together the way they would do it. BTW, I am an engineer. These comments are somewhat of an inside joke.
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Not quite as easy as just sending it back for me. According to the tracker itās now sitting in customs London for inspection, which means Iāll have a hefty import tax to pay and could take a while (gutted!).
I had a friend who bought the cheap chinese one from eBay and has had nothing but problems with it. Soā¦
I too am an engineer (mechanical) and got a little chuckle at some of those remarks. Iāll be following the manual videos and any other tips here to the letter. Iām not in a rush, so bit at a time and all should be good. I have problems then thatās what customer service is for. Try speaking to some chinese firm about a problem over the phone. Itās a nightmare.
This machine is just that, a machine. you will get what you make it, if you want it stronger then make it stronger. if you want it taller then make it taller. you want a larger cutting area then enlarge the cutting area. this is the reason that I bought one for home and then one for work. being open sourced I can modify it to fit my needs and then revert back if needed. I have never owned a machine that was all in one. make it what you want, change it if you must and accept it for what it is. I have never seen such expectations for one machine before.
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Been playing with fusion360 lots over the last few days. Getting there slowly lol.
I was thinking about setting up a standalone pc just for use with the xcarve. Would keep it all on its own and hardwired rather than constantly connecting my good laptop. I have a couple older towers and laptops there that could be fine for the task, but whatās the kind of minimum requirements for the pc to run it? I donāt mean absolute minimum but the lowest youāll comfortably get away with?
Good bet, youāre not in NC, USA. Are you?
Ok, Iāll take that heap of s%** if you donāt want it.
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I have a similar one to this Thistle
Fantastic machine! in fact, Iām gonna sell the x-carve and buy itās big brother 
Rob.
Hehe, no Larry. Iām in the UK.
Thanks RobertCanning. Ive got a tower there that has more than that, just. Will give it a try.
Bought all materials for torsion box yesterday so Iāll start that build tonight. Iāll post a few pics when Iām done 
Rob/Paul, no offence intended here but Iāve spent a huge portion of my savings on the xcarve, and related stuff. I researched for months and decided on this after much deliberation and watching/reading hundreds of reviews for many machines. Your messages here are a little scary tbh. If you have nothing constructive to say, can you please leave me alone to learn how to build/use it properly from the people here who do so already. I have no interest in buying yet more machinary when Iāve not even recieved this on yet.
Having said that, the cheap little ebay one could be a purchase in the future as an additional one for small stuff. Not big enough for my main uses tho. Even its bigger brother isnāt the same size as xcarve.
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I have one of those eBay, Chinese CNC routers (6040) and after a bit of alignment and throwing the original controller away and replacing it with a Gecko G540, it does a reasonable job.
I do like the larger work envelope of the X-Carve plus it was fun putting it together. If it wasnāt so cold in the shed, Iād be out there using it now. 
I had a few minor issues in getting my X-Carve working properly, Iām sure every one has, but thanks to these forums the problems were quickly identified and resolved.
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Thanks for some sensible reassurance Geoff 
Thanks @CNC3D! I actually just ordered the epoxy you linked to, I had come across it when I was looking for options and it did stand out as a nice alternative to the other product and the fact that itās 1gal means I can get a nice thick layer on my torsion box. Iāll put up a separate topic at some point with my build and iāll document the process.
@Thistle, I spent a ton of time researching these kinds of machines as well and also came to the conclusion that for price and quality the X-Carve was the best option and I actually enjoy the fact that it will involve some trial and error and a few stiff drinks to get working properly. Good luck on your build, I look forward to seeing your projects!
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That must be really nice. Used to be able to do that here but for some reason they mostly push the white stuff here. They also sold rolls of iron on Melamine, so you could make your own projects, but sadly I havenāt been able to locate it anywhere anymore either. Sounds like your torsion box will be really nice. Looking forward to some pics 
Thanks Andre! I look forward to your topic about this. Like you I plan on using the epoxy linked for my torsion box. Please put a link to your new topic in this thread so everyone can follow along 
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Router kit and rail kit have arrived. Core kit is still in customs. Letās hope they donāt decide its a bomb and destroy it lol.
Out of curiosityā¦ When that happens, whoās liable for the goods?
Thanks Robert. Iām not in a rush and Iām not too bad at building stuff (if I do say so myself lol). I expect a few teething problems man, but thatās what you guys are for 
Lastnight I had a moment of clarity and realised that come winter time, this will need protected a bit. Went the whole hog and ordered myself a new corner log cabin to house this beasty. 3m x 3m, full height double doors for summer, 48mm Scandinavian log with double glazing for winter. Arrives next week! Easy to build and good value it would seem. Small Machine room by most standards but it should be plenty big enough for my needs. I am now pretty much broke tho haha.
ā¦www.uspsā¦trackingā¦
Still in frickin customs!
Little updateā¦
3 of the 4 parcels are here. Router kit, wasteboard kit and rail kit have arrived.
The core kit however still languishes in customs down in England somewhere.
Today I recieved a letter and comprehensive official form, Came from customs asking me to supply details of the contents of this package and all costs, plus provide proof of these.
There is no description on my final package from inventables as to whatās inside apparently. So they are maybe confused and think itās a bomb lol. Just means yet more delays. I am getting frustrated now tbh and I just want the frickin thing here so I can start buildingā¦
Posted that form and everything inventables have sent me including the cost breakdowns and shipping confirmations. Circled the parts in question and sent by signed for first class mail so they have no excuses.
If it ever arrives Iāll let you know guys 