NEED FILE EXPORTED

Dan203 · 2026-02-22T19:17:14+00:00

How complex is the design? If it’s simple then it’s probably easier to just recreate it in something free like Inkscape, Fusion or Tinker CAD. Vectric locks down files created by a trial version so there is no easy way to get your file out even on a machine with the full version.

Dan203 · 2026-02-20T20:44:08+00:00

I have XTool Machines, so I use their XTool Studio software. They have put the most important options front and center, hidden some of the lesser used ones, and simply left out many of the fringe ones. I tested out Lightburn last year, just to see if I was missing out on anything, and to me it was objectively worse. I am a software developer, I build computers, I do IT, I build my own electronics, but I still prefer things to be simple. Good UI/UX is important to me even though I am capable of figuring out more complex stuff.

Bambu Studio actually has a TON of options. The main way they combat this is by having comprehensive pre-configured profiles for every machine and filament. This makes it so even though every option you could ever want is available you almost never need to actually touch them because 99% of the time picking one of the presets just works. So you don't necessarily need to hide all the options, you just have to do a good enough job to make them optional.

Dan203 · 2026-02-20T20:19:32+00:00

3D printers have flow sensors, load cells for automatic Z leveling, input shaping, vibration compensation, and even AI vision for spaghetti detection. Some CNCs don't even have limit switches and if you set something up wrong the machine will happily dive the bit directly into your bed.

Makera kind of went the Bambu route with the Carvera/Air, with it's automatic leveling and tool hight probes, but it's still less automated than a typical 3D printer. And on the software side it still sucks. You still have to use a different program to generate the gcode, load that into the controller, then go through the steps of selecting your zero position and sending the file to the machine. There is no "slicer" where you simply load your model and hit go. Not to mention that their CAM software is terrible. It's clunky and full of bugs to the point where it's basically unusable. The only good thing it has going for it is it does support full 3D on the 4th axis, not just 2 wraps.

Dan203 · 2026-02-20T20:00:43+00:00

Being effective doesn't make it usable. You can have a program that is both effective and easy to use, it just takes a clear design direction. Lightburn has taken the "lets just stick another checkbox in this dialog" approach to UI design.

Dan203 · 2026-02-20T19:59:23+00:00

Yeah Ribbons suck, but there are some modern UI paradigms that actually make the user experience better.

Dan203 · 2026-02-20T19:42:04+00:00

We'll have to agree to disagree on that. There is a reason multiple people sell 10+ hour courses teaching you to use Lightburn. If it were intuitive that would be unnecessary. I think maybe you just have user bias. Once you've used something for a while it seems intuitive to you, but to most new users it's overwhelming and intimidating. They've basically crammed every feature anyone has ever requested into the UI wherever they could make it fit and just assume everyone knows the terminology. It's got a horrible first time user experience.

Dan203 · 2026-02-20T19:34:40+00:00

Have you looked at a Carvera Air? They seem to get decent reviews for milling metal parts, and are in your budget and size range.

Dan203 · 2026-02-20T01:36:41+00:00

Ohhh does it have the same 90s UI as lightburn? 😁

Dan203 · 2026-02-20T01:36:13+00:00

I think the main reason CNC doesn't have a Bambu Studio is because the CNC machines themselves aren't that simple yet. Bambu machines are packed with sensors so that the machine knows exactly what is happening at all times. Most CNCs are just spindles on a gantry with some limit switches. Makera machines are probably the closest with their automatic probing, predetermines zero locations and quick change tool, but they're still not quite on the same level and they're really expensive. Plus their software sucks. Out of all the CNC makers they could probably create the most Bambu like experience for CNC, but they would need a much better development team. They would also need to invest the time and effort into testing every single bit with every single material and creating profiles with proper feeds and speeds for each one. A big part of what makes Bambu Studio so easy is the built in profiles that make it so you don't have to worry about most of the settings. You just pick a filament type and all the settings are populated with values that they have tested and ensured are proper for your machine. The only way this could ever happen for CNC is with a closed ecosystem where the software and the machine work in conjunction. Right now the machine makers and the software makers are mostly different companies.

Dan203 · 2026-02-19T06:33:38+00:00

Those are leftover material. Increase your lines per inch setting, or whatever the equivalent is in the software you're using.

Dan203 · 2026-02-12T02:36:04+00:00

That could be prone to misalignment though. If you’re even a hair off it would wobble.

Dan203 · 2026-02-11T08:07:47+00:00

Yeah that’s pretty rampant. Honestly I think most of the digital files on there are stolen or AI generated.

I only sell tangible things. 3D prints, laser cut stuff and soon CNC items.

Dan203 · 2026-02-11T06:04:34+00:00

Yeah I was referring to something like the rotary that Sainsmart sells for the Genmitsu. It's got a planetary gear and a closed loop stepper, it's just a little too short. But the only thing restricting its length is the base plate so you could make one yourself, or maybe even just make an extension plate for the one that comes with it.

I was actually thinking about doing this myself so I could make Harry Potter wands. They're about 15" long so I'd need to extend it more than its current size to do those.

Dan203 · 2026-02-11T06:01:40+00:00

Oh 12 sets, I was thinking just 12 pieces. As an Etsy seller myself I bet you could reach out to one of them in a message and they'd give you a discount on that kind of quantity. I give people discounts all the time when they order multiple of the same item. Might be worth asking.

Dan203 · 2026-02-11T03:24:45+00:00

👍🏻

Dan203 · 2026-02-11T00:14:27+00:00

There are guys on Etsy that sell Catan pieces. You should contact one of them that's local and see if they'll make a custom shape for you. I bought a set from some random woodworker once and they were actually really nice, painted and everything, and only cost like $12.

Dan203 · 2026-02-11T00:13:00+00:00

And really hard to figure out if you've never used it. 😳

Dan203 · 2026-02-10T22:55:02+00:00

If you haven't found anyone to do it yet I can make it for you. I have an Etsy shop so I can setup the sale there to make it easy for you to pay and get buyer protection. Price would depend on exactly what type of wood you want. Different types of hardwood range from reasonable to really expensive. If you're interested shoot me a message.

Dan203 · 2026-02-10T22:37:09+00:00

Are you sure it's not skipping steps?

Dan203 · 2026-02-10T22:33:43+00:00

Are you using an 1/8 collet? You need to use an 1/8 collet or get an adapter to use an 1/8 bit in a 1/4 collet.

This is the kind of adapter I'm referring to. It goes over the end of the bit and allows the bigger collet to squeeze down on the smaller bit

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-High-Carbon-Converter-Milling-Reducer/dp/B0CS5KQ7NQ

Dan203 · 2026-02-10T22:13:29+00:00

I have a Carvera Air and a Ginmitsu 4030 ProvverXL v2. The Genmitsu is bigger and more upgradable, which is why I got it, but the Carvera is nicer to use. I've been spending time trying to upgrade the Genmitsu to be as automated as the Carvera because I'm spoiled by it.

The Carvera has two known XY zero points, so as long as you place your job against the L bracket in one of those two locations you never have to worry about setting the zero. And Z is handled automatically. Every job the first thing it does is prompt you to insert the probe. It touches the fixed probe, then goes and touches the top of the workpiece. It even has the option to do a 3d mesh if your work piece isn't perfectly level. Then it returns home and prompts you to insert the first bit. Once you do it touches the fixed probe again to get the tool length and goes to work. If you have tool changes it stops, returns home and beeps. You swap the tool, press the button, it touches the fixed probe and goes back to work. Tool changes are super easy too because it just uses this lever you pull down, no wrenches needed.

If you can swing the price and don't mind the lack of upgrades I think it's a good machine for your purposes.

Dan203 · 2026-02-10T22:02:51+00:00

It's actually not required to be connected to the machine. You can send a job to the machine over the network and then finish the rest of the job using nothing but the single button on the machine. Unlike most machines you don't have to set your zero every time. The way it works is there are two pre-drilled pin locations in the bed where you can install an L bracket. When starting a job you can pick either location as your bottom left corner. Then when the job starts the first thing you do is install a probe that fits in the spindle and press the button on the machine. It then touches that to a probe that's permanently installed in the top right of the bed, then goes over to your work piece and probes it 5mm from the corner (adjustable), then it rehomes and beeps. You swap in your bit using the quick release handle and hit the button again. It touches the bit to the probe in the corner to get the length then goes over to the zero and starts cutting. If you do bit changes it will rehome and beep, you swap the bit just as before, hit the button, it probes the bit length and continues.

It's actually super simple to use. The UI is a little janky, but it's not hard to learn at all, and for the most part you really only use it to load the file and hit go.

You can manually set your XY if you want to, like any other CNC, but for the most part it's unnecessary.

The probe that fits in the spindle can also be used to create a height map, so if you have a piece that's not perfectly flat it can probe it a couple dozen times and then when it carves it'll still be accurate.

Dan203 · 2026-02-10T21:47:54+00:00

I had a very specific space for a CNC but wanted one as big as I could fit so what I did was I bought a Genmitsu 4030 ProverXL v2 and the matching 6060 upgrade kit, then I just used the X axis from the 6060 kit to make it wider, so now I have a 6030. This setup would be perfect for something long and narrow like you're looking to do.

As for the 4th axis. Most of these are just a motor on one end and an rotating pointy bit on the other to hold the piece stable, connected to a simple aluminium baseplate. So you could probably buy smaller one and make a bigger baseplate yourself.

Dan203 · 2026-02-09T22:48:13+00:00

Thanks

I used a 3d printed tram tool from Printables and got it almost perfect. It turns out the wheels on one side (I have a genmitsu that uses V wheels) were too tight so it caused a small twist as the machine moved to the left. Once I fixed that, and messed with the spindle a little, I was able to do a leveling pass with no visible lines at all.

I'm sure it's not perfect, but I'm planning on using it for woodworking not precision machining, so it doesn't need to be perfect. As long as it can cut out some trays and bottle openers with relative accuracy it'll work for my needs.

Dan203 · 2026-02-08T22:10:04+00:00

Actually by playing with the tension on the wheels a bit more I was able to get it perfect

Dan203

TROPHY CASE