IT’S TIME TO UP SKILL

Regular readers will recall that in The Shed September/October 2018, Issue No. 80, I wrote about purchasing a Vertigo M1 CNC router from the guys and gals in Westport.

Buying it was easy … well, except for the bank transfer.

I took the invoice down to my bank and said, “I’d like to pay this please.” With all this online banking stuff, you’d think that the bank would tap a few keys and transfer from my account to this other one … no … apparently not when the other account is at another bank. They offered me two options: cash or online banking.

Since Mrs Finance does not trust me with online banking, cash it was. I waited while they counted it out, put it in an envelope and then I walked 50m into the other bank.

At the other bank they counted it, tapped a few buttons, and — hey presto — it was done.

So much for a sophisticated modern banking system.

I had been putting off buying a CNC router because I have enough other projects to keep me busy, and the time to upskill was going to eat into these, but now that I’ve bought one, it’s time to get my head around the terms and other bits to make it do stuff. I’m sure I’m not alone, so this article will hopefully assist anyone contemplating making that step.

What software to use

There are various software packages available. Some do just one part, but others like Autodesk Fusion 360 can do both CAD and CAM (the first two processes).

I chose to use Fusion 360 because CNC and 3D users are familiar with it, so assistance when you get stuck is much easier and more appropriate to the