Transitioning into a welding project this week for a rolling table to be used with my CNC routers, been a long time coming and enjoying the shorts that are coming out of that. CNCKing.com always have projects on the go, I enjoy this diversity very much.
Watch This CNC Cart Build Itself
Watch this CNC welding cart assemble in seconds. This 3D animation previews the entire build before fabrication begins, helping verify dimensions, material quantities, and the cut list. The real build will take about a week part-time, with the frame tack welded using FCAW-S and finish welded with 1/8-inch E7018 electrodes.
Measure Twice. Changed Everything
Good welds start before the first arc. Careful measuring, planning, and test fitting prevent costly mistakes later. A few extra minutes with a tape measure, sketch, or cardboard template can save hours of cutting, grinding, and rewelding. Great fabrication begins with accurate measurements, not just good welding technique.
Why Not More Flutes?
Why don’t all endmills have more flutes? More cutting edges aren’t always better. Two-flute endmills clear chips efficiently, making them ideal for aluminum. Higher flute counts increase strength, improve finish, and support higher feeds in steel, but reduce chip space, creating heat and shortening tool life. Success comes from choosing the right flute count.
Don’t Throw Away Old 7018 Rods
Old E7018 rods don’t always belong in the scrap bin. If their storage is unknown, avoid using them for structural, pressure, or other critical welds. Instead, use them for practice, machine setup, testing, or non-critical shop projects. Save fresh, properly stored electrodes for welds where safety and reliability matter most.
How Flat Is Flat Enough?
How flat is flat enough? Once the entire surface is machined clean with no low spots, it’s ready for sanding and finishing. A router sled creates one consistent reference plane using light, controlled cuts. Proper flattening produces smooth, accurate panels for furniture, workbenches, tabletops, and other professional-quality woodworking projects.
The First Pass Reveals Everything
The first router sled pass reveals high and low spots across a glue-up. Each light cut removes more material until the entire surface becomes one flat reference plane. This method is ideal for tabletops, workbenches, cutting boards, and large slabs that won’t fit through a planer before sanding and finishing.
Why Different Diameters?
Why not always use the biggest endmill? Larger cutters remove material faster and are more rigid, but smaller endmills reach tight corners and machine fine details. Choosing the right diameter balances strength, reach, and feature size. The wrong tool can cause chatter, deflection, poor finish, or broken cutters.
You Don’t Need Gas to Weld
You don’t need an expensive welder to build great projects. Use self-shielded flux-core for tack welds, then finish with a Lincoln AC Tombstone running E7018AC electrodes. This affordable setup eliminates shielding gas while producing reliable welds, making it an excellent choice for beginners and budget-conscious fabrication shops.
Machining Isn’t Cutting
Machining doesn’t simply cut metal. It creates controlled failure. The cutting edge deforms the material until it shears into a chip. That’s why chip load, feeds, speeds, rake angle, and tool sharpness matter. Understanding chip formation helps machinists improve surface finish, tool life, cutting performance, and machining consistency.
PASS OR FAIL?
Can you spot the weld that barely passed? Three bend test coupons are shown. Two passed, while one sits at the acceptance limit with about 1/8-inch lack of fusion. A good-looking weld isn’t enough. Proper penetration and fusion determine success. See if you can identify the borderline coupon before the reveal.
You’re Wasting Lamacoid
Why can lamacoid parts be nested so closely? Unlike many materials, lamacoid stays dimensionally stable during laser engraving and cutting, allowing tight nesting without warping. That means less waste, lower costs, and more parts per sheet. It’s an ideal material for industrial tags, nameplates, control panels, and equipment labels.
This Ruins Perfect Nameplates
A simple layout mistake can make laser-engraved labels look unprofessional. Some lamacoid sheets have a subtle surface grain. Rotate parts to save material, and the grain may no longer match. Keeping every label aligned creates a consistent, professional appearance with no extra engraving or cutting time.
This Scrap Became Five Stamps
Why waste a full sheet for tiny rubber stamps? These five 1-inch industrial stamps were laser engraved from leftover rubber, reducing waste and lowering costs without sacrificing quality. Small jobs are perfect for using scrap material, proving that efficient nesting and material reuse can save money while delivering professional results.
Why Not Just Sand It Flat?
Why not just sand a glued-up panel flat? Sanding follows the existing surface, while a router sled cuts a new reference plane. That’s why it’s ideal for tabletops, workbenches, cutting boards, and large glue-ups. A properly set up router sled produces flat, accurate panels ready for sanding and finishing.
Why Are Endmills Flat?
Why doesn’t a drill bit replace an endmill? A drill cuts straight down to make round holes. An endmill also cuts from the side, creating pockets, flat-bottom features, slots, and precise edges. That simple design difference is what makes CNC mills so versatile for machining complex parts.
Why Machinists Ignore Corners
Why do machinists create datums first? Raw stock rarely has flat, square surfaces, making poor reference points. By machining accurate datums first, every feature is measured from reliable surfaces instead of imperfect stock. That’s how machinists produce accurate parts and avoid costly dimensional errors and scrap.
Why Drill the Same Hole Twice?
Why do machinists drill holes twice? A pilot hole guides the larger drill, reducing wandering and improving accuracy. It also removes material for the chisel edge, lowering thrust force and producing smoother, straighter holes. This simple two-step process delivers better hole quality, accuracy, and more consistent machining results.
Why Is Your End Mill Screaming?
Why is your end mill screaming? That high-pitched squeal usually means something is wrong with the cut. Incorrect feeds, speeds, chip load, or chatter can cause rubbing, excess heat, poor surface finish, and rapid tool wear. Fix the cutting conditions, and the noise usually disappears along with the problem.
Why Use Two End Mills?
Why use two endmills instead of one? A roughing endmill removes material quickly with serrated cutting edges that break chips and reduce cutting forces. A finishing endmill removes only a small amount to produce accurate dimensions and a smooth surface finish. Using both improves speed, accuracy, and tool life.
Router Bit or Endmill?
Router bit or endmill? They may look similar, but they’re built for different jobs. Router bits are designed for wood, plastics, and composites, while endmills are made for machining metal. The right tool improves surface finish, extends tool life, and delivers better accuracy on every CNC project.
Why the Twist?
Why are endmills twisted? The spiral shape, called the helix angle, helps lift chips from the cut, reduce cutting forces, minimize vibration, and improve surface finish. It also extends tool life by preventing chip packing and excess heat. That simple twist is essential for efficient CNC machining.
One Cart. Two CNCs. Zero Walking.
Why build a dedicated CNC programming cart? Instead of carrying a computer around the shop, one mobile workstation serves multiple machines. This welded cart holds my PC, VCarve Pro, keyboard, and accessories, with onboard power, cable management, and shelves designed to keep dust under control while improving workflow.
Don’t Throw Away Old Welding Gloves
Don’t throw away old welding gloves. Even if they’re too worn for welding, they’re perfect for handling hot steel, moving freshly welded parts, and working around hot fixtures. Save your newer gloves for welding, extend their life, and reduce shop costs with this simple tip every fabricator can use.
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