Frage New here thinking about buying a machine.

I'm am a aircraft modeler that is looking for a better, faster, way to build. I have been researching Stepcraft and I am impressed with what I see. There is one area that I haven't found any information, that is using the software to control the machine. I supervised a machine shop for several years that had CNC machines that required a great deal of time and talent to program them. So that brings me to my question. What talent and knowledge does it take to run these machines?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Welcome "Roadking",

The suites of modern software really make the programming of a router like the Stepcraft very straightforward. You don't need to programme in Gcode to work with a Stepcraft, although familiarity is obviously useful.

If you are aeromodelling, then you will probably be cutting ribs and frames in balsa and ply - for this I would suggest that you explore Vectric Cut2D.

Vectric have an excellent website with lots of excellent tutorials and the ability to download almost fully functional trial software. What is missing is the ability to save the generated Gcode file - a license allows that final step. This software is extremely capable and actually very straightforward to learn and use.

The machine interface is hosted on a PC or laptop and will provide a graphical user interface that allows full control of the router. Personally I would recommend UCCNC with a UC100 usb interface to the Stepcraft machine. Again you can download demonstration software from cncdrive.com . The software is straightforward and intuitive to use, and can be run on a low end laptop running something simple like good old Win XP.

I bought a second hand Dell 610 with XP professional for a mere £60, so it can be dedicated just to machine control.

When you build your machine, do take plenty of time to get the adjustments and "tuning" right - you will find plenty of tales of woe on this forum from people who have rushed the build or not appreciated the pitfalls of building a kit machine. Your workshop experience will be invaluable in getting a high quality machine built.

Above all, if you have a problem, do ask - there are many skilled and helpful Forum members who will be able to offer advice if it is needed.

If you are in UK, then make contact with StoneyCNC - Rory is a stalwart of the Stepcraft world and can provide excellent support for both hardware and software.

Good luck,

Peter