Thanks! I am really enjoying the chance to use these awesome machines.

Thank very much for watching!

Yes, I agree a fixture would work well. Working in a production shop for two woodworking magazines we always have plenty of wood available for small projects, so I don't tend to think about being super-efficient with materials.

Thank you for watching! It is great fun to learn and try new projects using a CNC.

I'll give it a try, thank you for the suggestion. The upcut endmills are OK for shallow drilling but I always get a bit of unwanted vibration on deep holes.

Give it a try! I'm all for it!

Because stepper motors are under constant power even when they are not Turing and this creates heat. However this should be fine yes they will be hot to the touch but that is ok for the modern wire insulation we use nowadays.

@@joergbalzer7430 "Because stepper motors are under constant power even when they are not Turing" Not always, it really depends on the machine. In a closed loop system it most certainly would have constant power, but in an open loop system it would not necessarily have constant power. Unless the machine is designed with all thread, a machine that is setup on it's side so that the bit is facing the vertical wall, would need to have constant power otherwise the gantry would fall towards the ground when the power is turned off. In the case of a typical horizontal machine as was used in this video, machines designed with belts or rack and pinions, as long as the machine is level does not need to have constant power to maintain it's position. Design is the primary determinant as to whether a machine will have constant power to the motors or not. But even with machines that do have constant power, an additional heat sinks can be added to the motors to enable them to stay cooler and therefore maintaining power won't hurt the motors. Well, it may tarnish the contacts the power is flowing through, but that generally takes a long time to happen.

@@joergbalzer7430 "think you would want to learn about “detent torque” of a stepper motor. Also I think there is no CNC controller that will not apply constant power to the motor even if they are not moving like you suggest. A hybrid stepper motor is crating its micro steps by energizing several coils at once not applying power would mean the position of the rotor will align with the magnetic poles causing it to change position. Sorry never heard of that." My original statement stands true. It depends on the machine. I neither mentioned nor implied hybrid stepper motors. You inferred that. After doing a bit of searching, I see that while related, they are not the same tech. I wonder how many people are erroneously calling the hybrid stepper motor, a stepper motor and thinking the single term applies to both? Hybrids are stronger and therefore cost more. So you would need to be careful that you are purchasing a hybrid stepper motor, they are not selling you a stepper motor at the elevated price.

I have never read anything in product literature that says not to pause the machine for long periods of time. The stepper motors are "ON" in a locked position, so they do generate heat, but I don't think that is any different than if they are in motion and the motors are designed to operate warm. I just view it as "run time". That said, I don't know definitively one way or the other and am interested in hearing everyone's opinion.

Sounds like a good plan. Lots of ways to make boxes.