Author: Aaron

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Updates!

The laser arrived at the end of april.  Getting it through cuatoms was hair raising, but in the end not especially difficult. I had never imported something this way, so I was tense mostly because I did not know what is normal, and what is actually a problem.

When it arrived the box was absolutely massive!  I was quite concerned as they were taking it off the truck, I had an image of a bad youtube video where the lift jack operator goes flying and the package crumbles.  Thankfully they rolled it off without any issues, and even brought it right into the garage.  After they left i was glad, it was HEAVY!

The box was reinforced with steel tubes, even so one of the upper tubes was crushed.  I was pretty concerned, but after getting the top and sides off, the only visible dmage was a crack in the top window.

Next problem promptly arose… The pallet this was on was almost a foot tall.  The unit itself weighs about 300kg.  How to get it down without a disaster?

We had some spare garden ties, and i salvaged some plywood and built a ramp.  It has wheels, which wasn’t clear in the pictures when i ordered, but it was essential. Two of us carefully guiding it, we maneuvered it to the ground and into its final position.

The first few days were spent just trying to figure out what went where, and what some of the mystery parts were… the unit came with no actual instructions.

The supplier is great though, and responded to my questions with a combination of answers and videos. Turns out all the machine didn’t some with was water.

First pulse test went well, then it was time to walk away for a bit and figure out the software.

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I’m discontented.

I’m discontented. I think I need to find a good book. I’ve started and abandoned about 15 over the last week, primarily because they were .. horribly uninteresting. What the hell?

I’m likely going to be forced to pick an author I know, and choose among the unread from that group. Picking unfamiliar authors has about a 17% success rate at this point.

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So no, I can’t think of a title.

So no, I can’t think of a title. Thank goodness for status updates.

I’ve been cleaning. I have discovered quite a few items I forgot I had, including (regrettably) a set of short distance j-heads just AFTER I ordered some, convinced I had none. I mailed out a package of various printer bits to a friend who’s building his first non-kit 3d printer.. I’ve discovered I get almost the same amount of enjoyment vicariously watching someone else create something cool.

I’ve ordered a direct drive hotend, since I have .. none. It’s coming from China, and with their new year holiday, it’s going to be a while.. so I’m going to try printing the wilson extruder again. Maybe this time will be my lucky break, who knows? I’ve had bad luck with it so far, which is unfortunate, because it’s quite a nice design.

I’ve decided I’m going to build a Wilson2 printer. Of course, that requires a bedplate large enough for the new 300×200 heatbed, which in turn requires a nicely cut chunk of MDF. I’m going to wait to try and cut that until either the Glowforge appears, or until I purchase and get the big 6090 laser I have pinned to my whiteboard. That should be a march purchase, and an april delivery (I hope) — Glowforge? Who knows at this rate. I make a poor kickstarter backer, I am not patient enough.

 

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I have spent part of this week

I have spent part of this week getting pricing and information on laser cutters. I almost purchased one last year, but the groups I was talking to offered systems that were well above what I could honestly justify. Don’t get me wrong, I could’ve made the purchase. I would have been able to get back to zero pretty quickly. Not acceptable.

The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became. It would have meant taking a financial risk. If anything had concurrently gone wrong with my employment, or any big expense had arisen, we could have been in real trouble. I decided not to make the purchase, and continued on with other plans.

This year it’s a bit different. I’ve been researching different models, and starting to talk to Chinese suppliers. Such nice and helpful folks. I have a space in my garage, I’ve even measured it. I know exactly how much room i have available, where I’ll need to run vents, and roughly the cutting area/power I will want. I now know what some of the extras actually do, and more importantly, why I would want them (or not).

It still won’t be a cheap purchase. I am hoping it won’t be more than 5 or 6 grand, and part of that depends very much on how the US dollar is doing when I’m ready to purchase. I have a few quotes in hand, I plan to get at least 3 more quotes before I make a decision (probably near the end of march).

Maybe by then the Glowforge I ordered will be here. I know, it’s a laser too right? I seem to iterate my purchases. First one’s usually easy and not quite enough, and it gets better from there. Christina will probably find all sorts of uses for the Glowforge, just like she found all kinds of things to do with the 3d printers I’ve given her.

For now, window shopping is quite fun. Knowing I have time (and more importantly, probably wouldn’t be able to really use the laser yet), is helping to keep buyer’s anxiety at bay.

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A moment stepping back

What would 20 year old me think of who I’ve become?

Certainly, it’s safe to say neither of us would recognize each other.  He wouldn’t imagine any common link with me, and I in turn would remember this figure through a dimly lit fog of memory.  I do know that who I was wouldn’t be able to extrapolate a future that ended up as me.  I am pretty sure I also wouldn’t want to be who I am now; that kind of dramatic transition is like a cold shower, and I remember how desperately I held on to my sense of self, my identity.

Looking backwards, I do not regret at all, other than the inordinant amount of time it took to go from there to here.  Could I not have done this perhaps a little faster?  Well, indeed, not.  This was a long road, with more than a few mis-steps along the way.

Standing now at roughly the halfway mark, I wonder if I can fit all of my plans into the time remaining.  ‘Time enough’ — how do you quantify that?  I am horribly greedy at this stage in my life, and I would say ‘forever’.. and then wonder.

What will I say in 10 years? in 20? As i round the bend towards the end of this trip?  I suspect my answer will change as I get closer to the end, and I am glad I have not been asked.  One day I’m sure I’ll be glad for the end of all things, for the final end of the noise that is ‘I’.  Today’s not that day.

For now there is much joy and happiness to be had.

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Desiderata

Desiderata

— written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s —

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

 

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Wired up the remote start for the central vac/shop vac. Works really well, and looks good. Ran the water pump on the cnc

Wired up the remote start for the central vac/shop vac. Works really well, and looks good. Ran the water pump on the cnc for a few to cycle the water, and moved the axis a bit. All looks good. Started connecting up the surgical tubing i’m going to use to hold the vacuum tube out of the way while using the cnc .. i think it needs to be higher. Cleaned up the garage some as well.. rediscovered some tools I’d forgotten about. Christina handed me one of the spare heaters we have kicking around, which made being out in the garage a bit more pleasant. This is going to be a fun year.