Emooze

I goofed around enough in Gimp and Inkscape designing patches in the past to at least be mediocre at making vectors. And like both of you, just cautiously dipping my toes into 3D so far. The motivation problem I have is that if I do not have a project that requires it, I'm not going to really put effort into learning.

Naaman, I've been using predominantly VCarve Desktop since all my work so far has been 2.5D designs. Kinda steep at $350 but it does make simple cutouts real easy. The Cub Scout plaques took me maybe 15 minutes to set up since I was able to easily import a vector file. There's a lot of community support so a G-code post-processor I bet has already been written for your specific machine/controller. The bad: the Desktop version only allows a 24x24" work area. Unlimited costs $700, which it looks like you'll need on your machine. I will say, having used my little diode laser add-on, it's good for space efficiency. But if you have the space for a whole other machine, I would say a standalone CO2 laser would be way nicer to use, and about the same price.

Cutting has definitely been an uphill battle with a diode laser in my experience. I have not been paying attention to what rig you are running so I may be in a totally different court. Also Lightburn was worth every penny for laser work. $40 is nothing compared to some of the other CAD/CAM programs out there. Those cutouts look heckin dope! ....if you wouldn't mind sharing the vectors..... I've been doing Arrow of Light plaques for the local cub scout troop. I won't share the finished project because I feel weird sending out names of children but the arrow was cut out with the router then the words cut in with the laser. Arrow was then filled in with yellow paint and the whole thing was stained and varnished.

Sounds (heh) wonderful. I'm not sure if I should be jealous of the table itself or your wood dealer.

Did you build it entirely from scratch? What did you use for the main bearing? Building a turntable has been on the long list of projects for a few years now. Just A+, bang-up job on the design. Loving the combo of woods and overall aesthetic.

It's been a nasty weekend, weather-wise. Perfect for staying in and doing stupid things with lasers. I needed an image to test out dithering and came up with this:

Truth, it is not. However, it is raining and real cold. The weather does not agree with the great news.

The thing I have learned working with a lasers is you need to treat it like a weapon: is it loaded/plugged in, is it safed/armed, is it pointed at the thing I am going to shoot and not at the things I do not want to shoot, am I wearing the safety gear, is everyone else safe or with gear on, do I know what I am doing? Only then, do you press the button. Shitty day out here, trying to motivate myself to head out to the garage and put my words into actions.

Agreed, coming from a lot of work-related laser work, there's a personal arm/de-arm sequence and there will be an enclosure before anyone else is even in the garage with me. I trust myself, but no one else. Also need an enclosure for fumes anyways.

I got the J Tech Photonics laser upgrade for the Shapeoko. Started installing it today, hope to do some test runs this weekend.

sorry, should that have been an <\vpi>?

But wait, is it really a fair comparison if all the speakers are not positioned in the same spots? You mean to tell me your store doesn't have pairs of servicepeople to move around the speakers so I can get the most accurate comparison?? Who's the manager?!?! I demand to speak to them! <\karen>

Compared to what? Also nightmares are dreams too.

I would agree that laser is the way to go with cutting paper. Marking, just thinking out loud here, you would need pretty fine control over the laser power level to ensure you didn't also burn through the paper. You could also probably rig up a fine pen to do the lines too. I think a hobby-grade machine could achieve the precision you need. Below is my experiments with a diamond drag bit on brass and that emblem is less than 1.5" tall. There's definitely some artifacts from inaccurate steps but this is straight out of the box, no tuning.

That's really damn nice Steve. I'm really digging the matching aesthetic.

Dang, that is a nice and clean build. Where did you get those heatsinks if you don't mind me asking?

Made some simple clamps for the Shapeoko out of some scrap red oak. Don't have a finished picture because I don't have a flush-trim router bit to cut off the tabs. Still learning feeds and speeds so the finish is also questionable.

Thank you all for reminding me I have a pair of Grados. Even if just the SR-80, I forgot how good these sound.

Nicely done Nate, I really need to pick that project back up. I finally got around to adding a proper ground loop breaker and redoing all the grounding in the KGSSHV. I didn't take any pics...

I suppose if I am spending that much on Stax, what is the cost of a nice set of earpads compared to that. Especially since it looks like they can do that blended leather/velour style that is on my Fostex.

The red interior of the cups is a solid choice. Looking forward to maybe checking out T+A in the future.

Are there any velour pads out there for any Stax sets that people have tried? Ideally in Lambda or Omega style. I realized recently that I am still using my janky Lambda Novas that I repaired myself back in college because I had no money. I want to finally upgrade but I do have an issue with leather pads in hot weather. I found a few options searching around but I want to know if anyone has tried any.

Happy Birthday Uncle!

What's the difference between a good joke and a bad joke timing. I prefer to tell dad jokes, even though I am not a dad. I'm a faux pa.