If I were you, I’d take the one to one paid tutor as quickly as possible.
. Trust me when I say I feel the frustration you are currently feeling. Nothing like getting a brand new toy but not being able to play with it immediately… As everyone else has said there is a lot of information on this forum. I recommend that you join the fusion 360 Facebook group as there is a ton of information on there and many people willing to help… I am by no means an expert at fusion and am still figuring a lot out myself, but will be glad to help you with what I know. Just message me And tell me what your trying to design infusionMaybe we can set up a time to chat.
I have not order a table at this point I was worried that I would struggle to get it to work. I have and liked a lot of videos from Lars Christensen Dont give up ! I think it will pay off.
I went through that same aggravating process took me about six month’s to figure it out through Autodesk Fusion 360 but mike fethseva ( not sure i spelled his last name right) on YouTube will take you step by step easy to understand how to go from drawing a part clear through to post process to cutting your parts with ipm and amperage in fusion 360 autodesk.
Mike festive
I did not recognize the name but when I searched it I have watched a lot of his videos, Good recommendation.
Thank you
I am 57 and just starting down this CNC road.
When Google came out in the very late 90’s, I was introduced to my next and best instructor. You can literally learn just about anything using google and Youtube, the trick is patience and accepting you don’t know everything and have to do the work.
Decide what you want to learn, google the topics/videos and read/watch them, rinse and repeat until you’re comfortable.
I do computer networking for a living and there is not a week goes by I do not learn something from these two resources.
I will say my worst enemy to learning is thinking I have to know it yesterday or learn it by tomorrow.
A slow steady pace is what works for me, find what works for you.
Also, the poeple on this forum have been absolutely great at answering my questions!!!
I was new to it all a couple years ago. When you first start it is like learning another language. Watch the videos Langmuir has ( in order) over and over and over. I would watch part of a video then pause it and go into Fusion and practice it, then move onto the next step. You will find that 70% of Fusion’s features are not needed. Make sure your post processor is setup correctly. CREATE A CHEAT SHEET!!! with minimal steps to help guide you. A friend of mine still uses the cheat sheet I made for him. It helped me tremendously until I got the hang of it. Start with simple circles and squares. Take it step by step and soon you will get the hang of it. Be patient and you’ll get there.
If you encounter problems with the actual table and electronics, there are several troubleshooting tutorials that Langmuir put on this forum. Also the Langmuir brothers will help and answer questions (to a certain extent) you might have. It’s like learn to walk before you run.
Any chance you would share your cheat sheet with a newbie, asking for a friend…
I’d be glad to. I’ll look and see if I still have a copy of it. I haven’t used it in some time.
Where do you live? I’m in the Seattle and would be willing to help you if you are in the area.
Thank you sir. Mine is sitting in boxes down in the basement for the last month. Terrified even crack One open. After all the frustration I’ve seen guys go through. I’m inspired when I get done with my shopping addiction to put the table together hopefully that’ll be done here in the next two to three weeks. Thank you for Tool boy and you and your encouragement to this young man. God bless you both.
it can be scary…it can be frustrating…you will need to step away at times…but once you get the first piece to cut…you will be very pleased at what you can accomplish…and how much fun it is…never be affraid to ask questions…and pictures always help
Do it in little steps. Open each box and layout the parts on the floor (the whole thing spread out will fit in one bay of a standard garage). Put all the bags of parts in numbered order so you can find them easily when you assemble it. You’ll use some parts bags in more than one step so it’s good to have them lined up - you can pull them out and put them back easily. I had 3 rows 1-10, 11-20, 21+ Makes it easy to zero in on the one you need.
Take a close look at the bearing blocks for the lead screw ends. They’re small red aluminum tombstone shaped things. They all look alike. They’re not. One is slightly smaller with different hole pattern on the end than the other two. Separate that one from the other two. It is not uncommon for people to mix these up and then the lead screws won’t fit correctly.
Then pull out the assembly manual and read the whole thing. Look at the parts being referenced so you get a sense of what they look like in real life and where you’ve put them. Don’t worry about puzzling out the details yet. As you’re reading though, grab the wrenches & tools you’re going to need and put them in a “tool area” where you can grab them as needed. It’ll be easier than going back & forth to your tool chest while assembling.
Now go back to page one. Read through the first couple or three steps and really try to understand how things are going to fit together - not just the assembly you’re going to be working on but how it’s going to be used in the next step.
Then go back to step 1, grab all the parts, tools & fasteners and lay them out like they look in the pictures in the manual. Then follow the instructions and assemble. Look it over to make sure you did it per the directions and then go on to the next step.
Repeat a bazillion times.
Each step is easily digestible. It’s not a race so no extra points for finishing in 1 day or carving up the job into a couple or three. No one is judging your performance so it’s just a good time to build something pretty neat at your own speed. When you’re done, you’ll know how everything goes together and it won’t be a mysterious contraption.
We’ve all done it, you can too.
Holler here if you get stuck.
Hey man I was there too. Thank God my sister is software computer wiz. I use fusion 360 and firecut. Have you drawn or downloaded anything yet?
I did the same thing. Also youtube!
I don’t know how old, I am because I am adopted. But this is new to me also. Just taking it one step at a time, cad first, then cam, finishing with fire control. Later gcode manually. It’s fun, now I want to cnc my Bridgeport and add a router to the pro table, it just never ends, the possibility are endless, just needed to loose the wife to have access to my cash.
may not be the best idea…the Pro table is not really designed for a true cnc router for wood…one of the members did it…but with a tiny spindle router…the THC and the gearing does not lend well to dust from a router…
You are correct but now understanding the anatomy of what a cnc actually is, all that I am learning applies to cnc woodworking and milling, 3d printing, laser printing and even silk screen design and color separation. Like it has been said before we only use 1 percent of what fusion can do, but once you learn to drive a stick, you can operate nearly any car or farm tractor.
I also have a Bridgeport, lathe, surface grinder, and given time I can modify, or build anything. Laser first as it is easy.
Been there and done that. In 1980 I bought an Amada turret punch press off the Fabtech show floor in Los Angeles. I went for training at the Amada facility in La Mirada Ca for three days. On the way home panic set in as I realized I was not going to be able to program the machine. In those days teletypes were used to create an endless loop to be read in a tape reader on the machine. These tapes had lines of punched holes representing the G Code commands. Today’s software is infinitely better, to say the least.
This was a $150,000 purchase and I was sure I had put myself in a terrible position. I made some phone calls and found a guy that knew how to program it. In 2-3 months I caught up and it was a moneymaker for another 25 years. If you cannot find someone in your area, lower your expectations on how soon you need to be up and running. Like others have suggested, take it a step at a time and eventually, you will arrive.