Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

I am thinking of how to machine this cam. Here is a video of someone machining a very similar part. I had planned on machining it in a similar fashion, but at the 8:00 minute mark, he flips the part over and puts it in three jaw chuck. This would make perfect sense to me if the part was simply round. However, it is not. It has a cam that extends parallel to the x axis. Other than eyeballing that the cam is parallel to the x axis, how can you confirm that it is in the correct position? I am not clear what you use as a reference.

Richard

I suppose in the video he used the rectangular part to align it in the chuck and then the hole to set xy zero.

Uwe

On the Centroid control, you can also just clamp the part down sort of close, then use CSR (coordinate system rotation) to align your work coordinate system to the part as it sits.

cncsnw wrote: ↑Mon Mar 10, 2025 3:49 pm On the Centroid control, you can also just clamp the part down sort of close, then use CSR (coordinate system rotation) to align your work coordinate system to the part as it sits.

Yeah and do rigid tapping, quite funny in the video to tap with a power drill by hand if you have a CNC mill with quick change tooling

Uwe

Thanks as always for your thoughts. Uwe, I don't belive this guys mill is setup for rigid tapping. He uses thread milling in other vids.

Marc, thanks for reminding me about coordinate system rotation. I have never used it before, but I am certainly going to use it now! Hell, I may never dial in my vise agian

Am I correct that if I pop this item in the three-jaw chuck, and use the probing function in CSR to probe along the straight portion that runs in the x direction, that the path that connects the two probed points in essence becomes my new x-axis? In other words, if I enter g1 f10 x3, it will move 3 inches exactly parallel to the probed edge? The adjusted x axis.

Richard

Yes, that is essentially how CSR works.

If you have a straight edge, you can probe two points on that edge.

If you have two round holes that are supposed to be aligned along the axis, you can probe bore centers on those two holes, and use those points to establish the CSR angle.

CSR is intended for angles less than 45 degrees. That is why I said "sort of close". In most real applications the angle is less than 2 degrees.

Thanks.. I will surely try it.