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Hey guys. I’m new to the forums and am preparing to purchase the x-carve 1000.
I had a few questions regarding it, that I would like to find out the answers to before I purchase it. Was wondering if you guys could help.
I will be buying the 1000mm model. Was just wondering if there are any additional tools or supplies I should be getting. I think I’m going to get some cable management stuff at least.
I will also be looking for a computer to run it. I have a main computer, but need something to run the machine. Was going to go with a laptop, but I might have a lead on a cheap Microsoft surface pro. Was wondering if that would be sufficient to run the x-carve? Or if I would be better off to buy a cheap laptop?
Since I live in Canada, I will not be ordering the wasteboard, will just make my own to save on the cost of shipping. Besides the hardware to mount the wasteboard to the machine, is there anything else I need as well?
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
hello there glad you are going to make the purchase i think you will be happy with it
well to answer question #1 I think you need to ask your self where am i going to put the control box?
because if you get all the drag chains the control box is about the only thing that you are going to have to cable manage. now if you get the limit switches those wires will be extra but they are grouped with the axis wires so its not a huge deal but as far as assembly tools you will need a few extra things but if you have a basic set of hand tools you should be good to good
One thing that you might want to make sure and have will be a m5 tap to tap the maker slide(I would also recommend that you don’t use the supplied self threading bolts supplied for the maker-slide and go buy some regular metric bolts
Question 2 the surface pro would be enough to run the machine no worries there I am curious why do you not want to use your main computer? is the machine in a different room? Personally I have a separate computer for my machine but well I am still not sure why because my main computer is about 12" away lol and i find I just use my main one so just curious what kind of scenario you are working with
Question 3 no not really if you get all the hardware your should be good to go but I would take a gander at the different threads on the forum about custom waste boards because there are some really neat desgins and then you can just go from there. I would call Inventables directly and make sure you get all the correct hardware for the standard wasteboard so you know you are getting everything that you need the first time
Question 4 have fun and dont get frustrated think logically like a computer because thats all you are buying and its only as smart as you lol
hue hue hue like me 2weeks ago ^^
i’m waiting the end of shipping
i’ve seen that you will need some soldering tools, maybe a multimeter will be a good idea too ?
can’t help you, but I planned to use my smartphone (lumia 950XL with continuum dock) to make a computer, i hope that EASEL will work fine on windows mobile
many guy here are trying this, but i’ve seen a topic where they speek about rigidity and bolting rail on wastboard
some quick search will help you to find your answer
spend the time waiting your x-carve surfing on the forum is a great opportunity to find and try some eary access to EASEL app
and you can spend time on EASEL to self learning to handle the software, or folowing tutorials on youtube.
i’m personally trying different software to find the better of each, and when my x-carve will be here i will be ready !
(sorry again for my english, that not easy form switzerland ^^)
Not sure what kind of workshop/tools your working with but if I had one suggestion, assuming you have the tools to at least put it together as received, I would say to put the machine together or at least start putting it together until you worry about getting a bunch of extra “stuff”. Speaking from personal experience I ordered a lot of extras in terms of upgrades that I thought I would need only to find that I either didn’t need them OR that I decided to approach the problem in a different way once I had it together. Not sure if that makes any sense, but basically saying don’t put the cart before the horse type thing.
All in all as long as you have basic tools or include the inventables tool kit w/ your purchase you should be in good shape out the gate.
Finally, there’s about a million different ways to attack the wasteboard build and none of them are wrong. I’d consult the forum here for ideas or plans as this community is it’s own best resource! Cheers and good luck.
@BobNevalainen You’ll enjoy your new toy, just make sure to prowl these forums - most problems you’ll encounter will have most likely been found & fixed by others already.
While you wait, I’d strongly suggest you begin looking through the assembly videos and instructions. They’re pretty good, but it’s worth going through them a couple of times. I’d also suggest looking through the forums for the process of adjusting stepper motor current/voltage. It’s pretty standard that you’ll need to do this before things will work properly.
Wasteboards - I live in Australia and also wasn’t prepared to pay hundreds of $$ for a bit of MDF - have a look here for an alternative solution to the wasteboards that I’m using. It’s not as nice looking as the original design, but it’s cheaper and pretty effective. I’m also happy to cut into it without fear of damaging the beautifully silkscreened and drilled “wasteboard”.
@EvannDalton The reason I won’t be using my main pc to run the machine is it is in my office upstairs and the x-carve will be set up downstairs on the other end of the house. I will do all my designing and whatnot on that then transfer the files to either the surface pro or laptop (whichever I wind up getting)
@SamB The only “extra” or upgrade I was thinking about getting was the gshield enclosure. as for tools, I think I have a majority of the tools needed for assembly. but was reading the post about tapping the maker slides instead of using the threading bolts, and will probably go that route.
as for the rigidity of the wasteboard I was just wondering if I make the wasteboard myself, am I missing out on any bracing or do I just need to order bolts to anchor it down?
Thanks for the help guys, I sure do appreciate some insight, and will continue to browse the forums.
Are you buying the toolkit? If not you’ll need a small assortment of wrenches and torx drivers.
The X-Carve makes a TON of dust. It really depends on where your going to keep the laptop IMHO. I use an old ‘cheap’ desktop (Dell) under my X-Carve table ‘mostly’ protected from dust… But my wireless keyboard and mouse always end up covered in sawdust. Over time, that dust will kill a laptop… so keep that in mind when you decide. My choice was to use a disposable wireless keyboard/mouse and protect the computer
If it can run XP it can run Easel. If your not going to run Easel you could get away with even a Raspberry Pi. IMHO, a Surface Pro would be overkill (but would work)
You do not need a soldering iron or multimeter… A good pair of wire-strippers is very helpful but you could still get away without.
Inventables did a great job on putting together the kit. All the parts bags are labeled, the instructions tell you where to find everything… super easy.
I didn’t get the limit switches or the waste board and I’m happy with both of those decisions. I made my own waste board out of 3/4" MDF. You can get a whole sheet from a big box for $30. Cutting the mounting holes to the right depth can be a little tricky but I just drilled the holes and then used a chisel to get them to the right height for the Inventables supplied bolts and tee-slot nuts. The x/y location doesn’t matter as much because the tee-slot nuts can move along the whole length of the extrusion. Inventables smartly gives you the waste board hardware in the core kit and only the actual wood is in the (optional) waste board kit.
I manually marked and drilled the hold down holes on the board (about every 3 inches in a grid) and then hammered in a tee nuts from the bottom of the board so clamping something down pulls the nut tighter into the board (if that makes sense). This was way easier than the threaded inserts in my opinion. I’ll include my order from McMaster-Carr below. I didn’t get the Inventables hold down kit and just made some once I got the machine setup. There are a couple of Easel configured hold down projects available on here.
I also got the better stepper motors and z-axis threaded rod. I skipped the stock spindle and just ordered the DeWalt 611 mount with my initial purchase. I’m not sure if you can even get the stock spindle anymore.
I highly recommend the drag chains and I got some crimp on spade connectors for the wiring blocks and some basic cable management stuff for the runs between the motors/chain/arduino. Links below. I did use the self tapping screws but with lots of 3-in-1 oil in the process. If I had to do it again I’d probably buy a real tap just to not have to stress over breaking something while twisting with all my strength.
Also, get a set of calipers. You don’t need it for assembly but it will be really useful for almost every project.
Cound not agree more with Mr. Westley. I use regular MDF so I can plane it flat using the machine. That way you know it is going to be accurate. I do not use clamps or threaded inserts. I screw my work down to my cheap MDF wasteboard.
Focus your time on accurate assembly, squaring and experimenting with actual cutting work instead of wasting time trying to duplicate the Inventables wasteboard and then wasting even more time trying not to ever damage it. You will eventually cut through it anyway - why not go nuts?
I’m in Perth and also didn’t buy the waste board. It’s pretty easy to make your own.
I actually laid down some T track fro clamping and just filled the areas between with MDF. I added threaded inserts, but rarely use them…
