If you have been following my videos about the X Carve, you will have noticed three major problems.

The first is software related, while using Easel.  If it is not bugs manifesting between the imported files and G Code generated, it is the inability to provide more advanced cutting options such as customisable tabs, lead in/out bit movement, and climb milling.

I have been testing demo version of various CAM software with Universal G-Code Sender and hoping to make a decision soon as to which one I will be using in the future.

The second is with the waste board level, which dips in the middle.  This is a result of the 20mm extrusion at the bottom being too narrow, too long and there not being enough of it.  A smaller machine would not have had the same problems as this larger one, as the increase in scale is not mirrored to the parts.  I have been costing up options to solve this problem and I will be making again a decision soon.

The finally problem is the spindle, which is both underpowered and too flexible.

In the last test I did cutting into aluminium, I noticed a minimum of 0.3 mm being added to the bit diameter because of play in the spindle.

The play in the spindle is causing the cut to become wider than the bit diameter, and subsequently adds to errors while CNC’ing.

My videos have for the most part, been marked by some harsh criticism of the machine, but these are all things which should have been solved before releasing the update.  While I might feel like selling this machine, to pay for the time I have spent using it – a part of me still think it’s worth knuckling down and improving it.  At least to point where, in the spirit of open source, this machine has evolved well beyond the thing I started with.