Recent content by bdrmachine

Do not view the eclipse without proper eye protect, Unlike the 91 time indicted ex US president trump, that stared at it without any protection at all during the last eclipse.

I have machined tons of 416 SS. Easy to work with and not as prone to work harden as 300 series SS. If you get in trouble with SS you can try and grind the surface hardened area to expose fresh metal.

Not sure what the problem is with your solidworks Veterans version but, I know of several other people that got their version. Did you send them a valid DD214 form?

Don't waste your time or money on that 2 part crap sold at Lowe's or Home Depot. I did, following all directions. It didn't last and stained way to EZ. Don't spill coffee on it! I went to a company called Anchor paint and purchased the 2 part epoxy they recommended. Any store that...

If I have learned anything in my years of machining it is, shop around. There are a hand full of metal suppliers I purchase from. They are all within 20 miles of each other. I find it typical to see $100 difference in pricing on small orders. And it varies, today one supplier is cheapest...

I need a non-critical Stainless Steel part that would require a large piece of stock if it was made from a subtractive process. I'm looking for metal 3d print service recommendations. The part would be about 4x2x4 inches. I have seen some of the amazing work this sites members have shared...

For what it is worth SolidWorks has some promotional pricing. It is a very powerful program but, it has a steep learning curve. If you served honorably in any branch of the armed forces (unlike one resent president that claimed bone spurs to avoid the draft) you can get a full version that...

I'm not sure if you plan on doing any CAM but either way, my vote is Fusion 360.

That board looks fairly straight forward to repair if you have a hot air soldering station. They are pretty cheap these days. Try doing a search on LinuxCNC as there maybe some folks that have tackled this issue before. When it comes to troubleshooting you have the advantage that their are...

Work holding is not gist a matter of price. You also have to look at the access to the part that your vise gives you. You can't go wrong with a quality Kurt vise but, if I need to machine 5 sides of a part in 1 setup I love my V562X from 5th-Axis.

Here's my 10 cents worth. ESP32 and Platformio. They are around $10 US and they have multiple cores, include bluetooth, Wifi and all the usually interface protocols. PlatformIO is free and allows realtime hardware debugging. HUGE support base and besides the $10 board, all you need is a...

Having used Fusion 360 for years now I'm amazed the other cam programs have even survived in the hobby market. It's free, powerful and well supported with a huge user base / forum. I have migrated to the $400+ / year version for my business so I'm not sure if the instant Autodesk support is...

If you need replacement connectors and can't read any part numbers off them contact the company 1 (203) 265-8900, I believe. I had a connector I couldn't ID a few months back. After sending them photos they returned part numbers and retail source info.

I have a 10 HP Phaseamatic converter I've meant to throw on Craigslist but haven't yet if anyone is interested.

My vote is a used Haas TM1P. You can run it off single-phase power if need be. I bought one used a few years back as mainly a hobby. I found a niche in the local market and now it is quite the money maker. It runs lights out a lot of times. I do miss my old Bridgeport for the versatility...