The toolbox thread

[mazambaan]

9 hours ago, patches said:

New tool day. This one was a bit of an impulse purchase (suckered in by AliExpress' 11.11 sale) and ultimately it's a nerdy toy.

But yeah, I added this little guy to the workshop

Atomstack X20 Pro, 20W Diode Laser Engraver & Cutter. This won't be it's permanent home, and I need to do some tidying and proper setup.

But in my haste to try it out, I manged to cut out the one of the test files on the supplied test material and was pretty impressed with the quality

 

Some charring is from the beginning when I forgot to turn on the air-assist, and yes, I'm using a cookie cooling tray as a raised cut bed, but don't worry this wasn't stolen from the kitchen (I know my limits). I bought it as a cheap temporary solution while I wait for a proper honeycomb bed.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the build quality, ease of assembly (approx 20min and pretty good instructions), accuracy and detail of the cut and delivery time (1 week via DHL).

As mentioned, it was a bit of an impulse purchase, but I do have a number of uses and projects in mind (which I'll probably post on the woodwork thread one I figure out the software and settings and make something constructive). I also justify it to myself (and my wife) by saying that it's far cheaper than a CNC router (although I still plan to sneak one of those in someday 😅)

You bastid; I googled that now I am lusting; just a little. How big a jump is it to 1mm metal cutting say?

[patches]

6 minutes ago, mazambaan said:

You bastid; I googled that now I am lusting; just a little. How big a jump is it to 1mm metal cutting say?

hahaha, yeah, AliExpress can be dangerous!

So full disclosure, I'm a noob to lasers. My education is the sum total of watching YouTube vids on my bus commute for the past 10 days.

From what I have learnt, there are 3 types of lasers:

• Diode ~ R500 - R30,000. 5W to 20W (like my little one. Cheapest, easiest to use, but least powerful of the 3 types)
• CO2 ~ R40,000+ 40W to about 160W - (require water cooling, take up loads of space, more capable for cutting than a diode)
• Fibre ~ R50,000+ (small work area, fast when used with a galvo head, for metals)

Here's a vid with a more detailed explanation

A decent CO2 laser is probably what you'd need (depending on the metal. Some metals will require a powerful fibre laser. So yeah, getting close to small CNC router money.

Here's my one in action doing some material test pieces (to help me dial in speed and power settings)

It cut through this 7mm ply at 80% power, 5mm/s speed, and 3 passes.

Also did some 9mm MDF

Took 6 passes at 80% power and 5mm/s speed to cut through.

Ignore the smudging on the ply (right). I tried to while the char off with isopropyl alcohol and made a mess 🙈

[The Ouzo]

40 minutes ago, patches said:

hahaha, yeah, AliExpress can be dangerous!

So full disclosure, I'm a noob to lasers. My education is the sum total of watching YouTube vids on my bus commute for the past 10 days.

From what I have learnt, there are 3 types of lasers:

• Diode ~ R500 - R30,000. 5W to 20W (like my little one. Cheapest, easiest to use, but least powerful of the 3 types)
• CO2 ~ R40,000+ 40W to about 160W - (require water cooling, take up loads of space, more capable for cutting than a diode)
• Fibre ~ R50,000+ (small work area, fast when used with a galvo head, for metals)

Here's a vid with a more detailed explanation

A decent CO2 laser is probably what you'd need (depending on the metal. Some metals will require a powerful fibre laser. So yeah, getting close to small CNC router money.

Here's my one in action doing some material test pieces (to help me dial in speed and power settings)

It cut through this 7mm ply at 80% power, 5mm/s speed, and 3 passes.

Also did some 9mm MDF

Took 6 passes at 80% power and 5mm/s speed to cut through.

Ignore the smudging on the ply (right). I tried to while the char off with isopropyl alcohol and made a mess 🙈

how did you transfer the print to the boards ?

 

I'm envious of your tool collection

[dave303e]

10 hours ago, patches said:

New tool day. This one was a bit of an impulse purchase (suckered in by AliExpress' 11.11 sale) and ultimately it's a nerdy toy.

But yeah, I added this little guy to the workshop

Atomstack X20 Pro, 20W Diode Laser Engraver & Cutter. This won't be it's permanent home, and I need to do some tidying and proper setup.

But in my haste to try it out, I manged to cut out the one of the test files on the supplied test material and was pretty impressed with the quality

Some charring is from the beginning when I forgot to turn on the air-assist, and yes, I'm using a cookie cooling tray as a raised cut bed, but don't worry this wasn't stolen from the kitchen (I know my limits). I bought it as a cheap temporary solution while I wait for a proper honeycomb bed.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the build quality, ease of assembly (approx 20min and pretty good instructions), accuracy and detail of the cut and delivery time (1 week via DHL).

As mentioned, it was a bit of an impulse purchase, but I do have a number of uses and projects in mind (which I'll probably post on the woodwork thread one I figure out the software and settings and make something constructive). I also justify it to myself (and my wife) by saying that it's far cheaper than a CNC router (although I still plan to sneak one of those in someday 😅)

looks like a really fun tool to have around.

I have been eyeing and ArcDroid out for months now for use with plasma cutter. For me to make gussets, flanges and brackets quick and neatly it will be rather useful.

 

https://arcdroidcnc.com/products/pre-order-arcdroid™-cnc-table-top-plasma-robot-ships-from-asia-warehouse

[patches]

47 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

how did you transfer the print to the boards ?

 

I'm envious of your tool collection

Thanks!

There are a few ways to send files to the laser.

Simplest is to connect the PC directly via USB and use software like Lightburn.

Next is to save the G-code file into a micro SD and insert that into the laser. Then use the touch screen controller to access the file and start the cut.

Third is to connect to the laser via it's onboard wifi hotspot, then use the app to control the machine and access files off the the phone's storage.

Fourth (and the option I use as the laser is far from my PC and I don't have Lightburn on my laptop) is to connect directly the the onboard laser wifi. Then upload the G-code file to the laser via an IP address landing page. Then go to the laser and start the cut via the toch screen controller.

Option 1, the direct PC connection gives one the most control and allows one to use tools like framing and checking laser point locations via Lightburn.

 

 

 

[Stretched@Birth]

12 hours ago, patches said:

New tool day. This one was a bit of an impulse purchase (suckered in by AliExpress' 11.11 sale) and ultimately it's a nerdy toy.

But yeah, I added this little guy to the workshop

Atomstack X20 Pro, 20W Diode Laser Engraver & Cutter. This won't be it's permanent home, and I need to do some tidying and proper setup.

But in my haste to try it out, I manged to cut out the one of the test files on the supplied test material and was pretty impressed with the quality

Some charring is from the beginning when I forgot to turn on the air-assist, and yes, I'm using a cookie cooling tray as a raised cut bed, but don't worry this wasn't stolen from the kitchen (I know my limits). I bought it as a cheap temporary solution while I wait for a proper honeycomb bed.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the build quality, ease of assembly (approx 20min and pretty good instructions), accuracy and detail of the cut and delivery time (1 week via DHL).

As mentioned, it was a bit of an impulse purchase, but I do have a number of uses and projects in mind (which I'll probably post on the woodwork thread one I figure out the software and settings and make something constructive). I also justify it to myself (and my wife) by saying that it's far cheaper than a CNC router (although I still plan to sneak one of those in someday 😅)

This is a useful site for making boxes.  I can see how you're going to now start making boxes for all of your other tools...:

https://en.makercase.com/

Enter your dims, material thickness, joint type and size, download the file to DXF or SVG, load it onto the laser, and away you go.

The other one where you'll find lots of useful files is 3axis.co

Looking at what you've cut, it looks like yellow MDF.  Here in ZA there are 2 types of MDF available, yellow (also known as laser or blonde MDF) and the brown MDF.  The yellow has a higher pine content, and cuts or engraves a lot better than the brown.  

When you start with acrylic's, again, 2 different types, cast and extruded.  The extruded cuts better, gives a nice clean edge, though the cast engraves better.

Masking tape is your friend, mask the area you want to engrave, this stops the smudging.

Don't cut/engrave PVC...

Just a few tricks I've learnt along the way!

[patches]

On 11/18/2022 at 9:18 PM, Stretched@Birth said:

This is a useful site for making boxes.  I can see how you're going to now start making boxes for all of your other tools...:

https://en.makercase.com/

Enter your dims, material thickness, joint type and size, download the file to DXF or SVG, load it onto the laser, and away you go.

The other one where you'll find lots of useful files is 3axis.co

Looking at what you've cut, it looks like yellow MDF.  Here in ZA there are 2 types of MDF available, yellow (also known as laser or blonde MDF) and the brown MDF.  The yellow has a higher pine content, and cuts or engraves a lot better than the brown.  

When you start with acrylic's, again, 2 different types, cast and extruded.  The extruded cuts better, gives a nice clean edge, though the cast engraves better.

Masking tape is your friend, mask the area you want to engrave, this stops the smudging.

Don't cut/engrave PVC...

Just a few tricks I've learnt along the way!

Thanks for the tips! I did briefly read the no-no material list that can produce chlorine gas and other nasties.

Overall (as a laser noob) I've found the initial learning curve is quite steep with regards to speed, power, passes and materials. I should keep a notebook next to the machine and record what works and what doesn't.

I also made a massive assembly/alignment mess up and in my haste to cut something, I didn't square the gantry properly.

The result... I engraved a workspace grid in this waste-board and it's a damn rombus!

Gantry is square now, and overall working well!

[patches]

How does one resist the urge to laser engrave every damn tool in the garage?

🙈

(seemed to work pretty well on this titanium hammer head. My positioning could do with some work. It engraved even better on a blue anodised aluminium framing square)

 

[Stretched@Birth]

6 hours ago, patches said:

How does one resist the urge to laser engrave every damn tool in the garage?

🙈

(seemed to work pretty well on this titanium hammer head. My positioning could do with some work. It engraved even better on a blue anodised aluminium framing square)

 

I engraved a message and logo onto a wooden Swiss Army knife on the weekend, getting placement right was critical.  

I've cut a 90 degree corner out of 6mm MDF.  My laser's origin point is set to the top right corner of the workpiece.  I stick a piece of masking tape to the honeycomb grid, then pulse the laser to make a mark and I set that as the origin.  I then stick the corner piece so that the corner is on the pulsed mark, and stick it in place with masking tape too.  Helps to line up odd shaped work pieces, or where you require repeatability.

On the knife, I did an initial pass at 8% power and 400mm/s, so it just marked the knife.  Wasn't happy, was able to sand it out, adjust and rerun.  Once I was happy, I upped the power and ran it.

Edit: Added pics

Edited November 21, 2022 by Stretched@Birth

[patches]

8 hours ago, Stretched@Birth said:

I engraved a message and logo onto a wooden Swiss Army knife on the weekend, getting placement right was critical.  

I've cut a 90 degree corner out of 6mm MDF.  My laser's origin point is set to the top right corner of the workpiece.  I stick a piece of masking tape to the honeycomb grid, then pulse the laser to make a mark and I set that as the origin.  I then stick the corner piece so that the corner is on the pulsed mark, and stick it in place with masking tape too.  Helps to line up odd shaped work pieces, or where you require repeatability.

On the knife, I did an initial pass at 8% power and 400mm/s, so it just marked the knife.  Wasn't happy, was able to sand it out, adjust and rerun.  Once I was happy, I upped the power and ran it.

Edit: Added pics

Good idea with the light, sandable pass to determine position.

The wasteboard I made (albeit with the damn rombus grid on it) has tabs in 3 of the 4 corners so that I can position the laser frame in the same spot each time.

Had my grid markings been square, and with 0,0 (home) being 0,0 in Lightburn and the machine's home, it would have made positioning that little bit easier. Once I go to a honeycomb bed, and even next time I do a cut on the cookie tray, I will be sire to try your masking tape trick. 👍

[patches]

No Festool, stop tempting me!

Festool has a new portable table saw coming next Feb(ish), and it looks mighty purdy 😍

https://www.festool.co.uk/products/semi-stationary-work/cordless-table-saw/577371---csc-sys-50-ebi-basic-set

[The Ouzo]

As mentioned before, was eyeing this deal and it was tempting me. They did not drop the price today but I decided WTH, its a good deal let me go get it. 

Then whilst browsing their site this morning I noticed this leaf blower. I've been wanting to get a new one since my old corded one was holding on with its last legs, decided I'll try my luck when I'm there and see if they can knock some more off the price. They dropped an extra R100 off. As it was an already good deal decided to take it too.

 

These are direct from the SA distributor. Apparently the clearance sale is because WORX is changing distributors in SA so they are clearing out stock.

They had a fair amount of stock in the warehouse, so I'll keep checking I'm sure they will push more deals as time goes on.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

23 hours ago, The Ouzo said:

As mentioned before, was eyeing this deal and it was tempting me. They did not drop the price today but I decided WTH, its a good deal let me go get it. 

Then whilst browsing their site this morning I noticed this leaf blower. I've been wanting to get a new one since my old corded one was holding on with its last legs, decided I'll try my luck when I'm there and see if they can knock some more off the price. They dropped an extra R100 off. As it was an already good deal decided to take it too.

 

These are direct from the SA distributor. Apparently the clearance sale is because WORX is changing distributors in SA so they are clearing out stock.

They had a fair amount of stock in the warehouse, so I'll keep checking I'm sure they will push more deals as time goes on.

links please.

[ChrisF]

A "toolbox" question ...

 

Few years back you could buy a toolbox in the shape of a briefcase.

 

Once opened, tools would be in straps in the bottom and the top.  Sometimes with a mid-flap for more tool space.

 

 

Any idea if these are still available, and where ?

 

 

 

Adendorff says they have not been able to get this for a long while.

 

 

 

PS .... Looking for empty cases.  Want to put cycling tools in it.

[The Ouzo]

1 hour ago, Steven Knoetze (sk27) said:

links please.

worxtools.co.za

[The Ouzo]

On 11/25/2022 at 11:22 AM, The Ouzo said:

As mentioned before, was eyeing this deal and it was tempting me. They did not drop the price today but I decided WTH, its a good deal let me go get it. 

Then whilst browsing their site this morning I noticed this leaf blower. I've been wanting to get a new one since my old corded one was holding on with its last legs, decided I'll try my luck when I'm there and see if they can knock some more off the price. They dropped an extra R100 off. As it was an already good deal decided to take it too.

 

These are direct from the SA distributor. Apparently the clearance sale is because WORX is changing distributors in SA so they are clearing out stock.

They had a fair amount of stock in the warehouse, so I'll keep checking I'm sure they will push more deals as time goes on.

A brief test of the blower last night and I suspect it may be a little underpowered for my needs, will try and give it a proper test this weekend.

(although even if its underpowered for the big jobs, it could still be a useful tool for the smaller more frequent jobs, so it wont be a total waste)