Hi, welcome to our forum! Please introduce yourself. =)

Hello Mike

You are not alone, we are all here for the same purpose.

Keep having fun.

Doug

Hello @doug hello @rainie and all :slight_smile:

I am a French-Canadian man living in Paris since 2002. I work in IT and I am an amateur astrophotograph. I plan to use the snapmaker to build parts for my telescope, I have an arduino focuser in mind and a power distribution box :slight_smile:

I chose the snapmaker because for me, as a complete noob, it was a fun way to learn all 3 technologies that are availlable (CNC, Laser and 3D printing) using one super slick machine ! I know the learning curve will be steep but I have no fear… It is a fun challenge.

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Hello @delislehatte

I think you will find that there are many ‘noobs’ here , all on the same adventure. We shall have some fun I am sure.

Keep having fun.

Doug

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Hello @Rainie and @doug figure it is time to get some house keeping tasks out of the way now that I have been working with my SnapMaker Limited Edition 011/200 machine for a couple of weeks. I am currently in southeastern Virginia, USA. I am retired after working for US Army for over 34 years in various jobs/positions including developing/using high resolution computer simulations of individual performance and survivability; developing high speed survivable networks; research in using MIMD (multiple instruction, multiple data) architecture computers to develop massively parallel computers for mathematical calculations/simulations; porting of mainframe programs to run on low cost on commonly available desk top computers; etc. Way back in the 1960’s I was trained as a machinist and draftsman (yep I know how to use a metal lathe, milling machine, arc welder, number 2 pencil, T square and triangles). With the little armed scuffle in South East Asia I ended up going to a military college getting a BA in history (minor Physic) and a commission as a Second Lieutenant Infantry. I spent 3 years in Germany seeing that great country from the mud up and fortunately survived a couple of accidents that broke my bake, neck, and destroyed a kidney. The upside was I got out of the Infantry and once again with the ARPANET which I had worked with in college when it was a research project and was now being deployed, I was hooked. From 1977 on I have had at least 4 computers running at home. By the mid 1980’s I was involved in research in the instrumentation of machine tool, vehicles, and soldiers. Between 2000 - 2004 I was a Microsoft Windows Embedded MVP working with company’s to develop Win32 embedded real-time devices.
In addition to the SnapMaker I currently have a Next Wave Automation CNC Shark HD4 with Color Pendant Controller, Full Spectrum H Series 20x12 Laser, Darkly Labs Enblaser laser engraver, PrinterBot Plus 3D Printer, CR-10 3D Printer. I have a fully equipped wood shop with a lath, drill press, cabinet table saw 19/38 inch drum sander, surface plane, rotor table, etc. For modeling I use AutoCAD Lt 2018, SketchUPPro 2018, PhotoVCarve, Aspire, VCarverPro V 8.0, Cut2DLaserDesktop V8, Cut3D.

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Hello @jokeefe

What a superb CV and great experiences you have; you are way ahead of me. I am a retired IT Manager/Consultant who was once a Systems Engineer/Programmer…and I am awaiting delivery of my Snapmaker. I am sure you will have a great time as many of us will with the Snapmaker. I look forward to the eclectic mix of projects that we will see on the forum.

Take care have a great Christmas/New Year and hug a loved one.

From sunny warm Australia
Doug

@doug
My SnapMaker was held up in US Customs for 3 weeks but I finally got it at the end of November. I have quite a collection of 3D models that I have collected from https://myminifactory.us, www.3ders.org, and developing prototypes for my shop which I print on my 3D Printers.

I get a number of requests to use my larger CNC Rotors to carve furniture from pictures like the one below.

My daughter wanted a queen size headboard that was similar to the full size one she saw in a used furniture store. Using SketchUP we created a 3D digital model that we imported into Aspire and then generated the G Code for my Next Wave Automation CNC Shark HD4. Because my CNC Shark HD4 bed is only 28 inches long, the top rail had to be carved in three panels, and a rough cut with one bit followed by a second bit was required by a second bit was required for each panel. The following picture shows the final headboard.

Now I am just waiting on my daughter to decide on what color stains she wants to finish the headboards.

Moving the Next Wave Automation CNC Shark HD4 is challenging given its size. So I am really exited about the SnapMaker and its capability to have a 3D printing, CNC carving, and laser engraving all in a single desk top foot print.

The initial 3D prints I ran with Snapmaker3D-1.4.3 had some really great details. I have run in to a couple issues with the heated bed that we are working through, but that is to be expected I have a BETA machine and for a BETA Machine this thing rocks!

Some of the things I left out of my CV was that between 2003-2004 I was Director of QA/IT/Manufacturing of Wasabi Systems, a company the developed and distributed Embedded NetBSD. It was a great job right up until I got recalled to the US Army.

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@jokeefe all I can say is WOW!

I do believe you will be the first Snapmaster (now there is an idea for @Rainie)

I look forward to receiving my Snapmaker, then learning to crawl, crawl, crawl and one day walk and in the years ahead maybe run. I am am not in a race and I will learn heaps from forum members like your good self.

Doug

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@doug

I figure once we work through some of the small road bumps the SnapMaker will be a great addition to my shop for doing the small engravings on small woodworking that I am often asked for.

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@jokeefe

I will be using my Snapmaker to make bespoke parts for my R&D project, a robotic Proof-Of–Concept electric wheelchair

I will make some hinges, aesthetic panels etc. As I said I will be racing at a crawling start. This is a small part of of my project; I am still banging my head against the wall trying to program the use of Indoor Positioning System beacons from www.estimote.com that will allow autonomous driving of the wheelchair around a home/care facility. The chair will be controlled by eye-gaze and eventually a Brain-Computer-Interface (BCI) such as www.emotiv.com/insight

Take care

Doug

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Hello everyone! Can’t wait to get my Snapmaker! I have a load of ideas to make stuff for my kids. Engraving wood, printing plastic toys, and carving some rubber to make ink stamps are just a few.

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I too am making a wheelchair mobility solution…

My father (93) has a “small wheel / push only” wheelchair supplied the VA (veterans administration)…

I am following (kinda) the open OpenChair project on hackaday.io ( https://hackaday.io/project/13347-openchair )…

I plan on printing generic brackets to attach a pair of hoverboard motor-wheels…

Your project looks a bit like a lab platform I built for an IBM Research scientist so he could work at standard lab counters (42" high)…
(canterlevered/sissor-jack) electric wheelchair…)

william…

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My name is Paul Johnson and I own a small print shop in Melb Australia.
I am looking forward to learning more bout 3D printing also expanding my graphic design knowledge in this area. Glad to be part of the process.

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At last, another Australian… I am in Brisbane and should receive my Snapmaker next Friday… then a long learning curve ahead of me.

Keep having fun

Doug

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Idea: Have a web page that has a map of the world and it shows where people are from. (Providing they allow that information be made public) Later on that map may show where local user groups are located. Further on add local distributors or applicable third party vendors.

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Hi @Rainie, @mrlex099, @Snoff,

My name is Pierre. I live near Montréal, Québec, Canada. Ma langue maternel est le français. I am a retired electronic engineer. I like to experiment with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and various electronic devices and thinker with technologies. I am completely new to 3D printing/laser engraving/CNC carving. I don’t know yet what I will do with my SnapMaker but there’s so much to learn.

I received my machine just a few days before Christmas. I have done a few successful 3D print using Cura Software before I had access to the forum and the native software. I also tried the laser head with success using the snapmakerjs software.

Thanks @Rainie to give access to this forum. I am sure it will be a very important part of the Snapmaker experience. Thanks also to the SnapMaker team. They worked really hard to create a nice little machine. I know how much work is required to bring a product to the market.

Happy New Year to everybody.
Pierre

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Hi everyone! My name is Mark and I should be getting my snapmaker tomorrow. Somehow I was lucky enough (was camping on the page leading up to the launch) to be “super early bird backer #73!”

I’ve always been a tinker-er and general jack of all trades, master of none, so the snapmaker will let me continue that tradition! I’m excited to make toys, models, and general hardware pieces for around the house (first up in spring is a rain-gutter diverter for some rain barrels I have sitting in the garage). As for the laser and CNC, those will definitely just be to play with, but I do have some wooden containers in the kitchen that could use some labelling.

I’m in northern Virginia and ready to get this show on the road!

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Good idea! Added into requirement backlog.

Hi - Joseph here; Piedmont Triad NC. Kickstarter Backer 187. My Snapmaker arrived today. Excited to get it going with some projects.

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Hi everyone, My name is Josh and this is my first foray into the world of 3D printing. Looking forward to seeing what all of you make and to show off what I’ve made!

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Hey all!

Ben from Kansas City, Kansas here. I was a CNC Machinist for almost 20 years, and after a career change and return to school am now just a hobby machinist/tinkerer, and love building projects like the Snapmaker. I’ve picked up a couple Raspberry Pi 3’s and have so far built a RetroPi using one of them, in a small form old-style NES that I had printed at the library last year (and yes I plan on printing a new one for it just because I can now). I just received my Snapmaker last night, and seriously considered calling in to work today to play around with it! I’ll be printing a few birthday gifts soon, as well as laser engraving a set of coasters as my first project there. I have been watching and waiting for what feels like forever on this, but it was totally worth the wait. I see a lot of great ideas all over the place.

I am new to the realm of 3d printing, but no stranger to G-code so if I can help somebody out, I will, don’t hesitate to ask. @Rainie, thank you for the invite, and to all the Snapmaker crew, great job guys and gals, glad to see this come to fruition for you!

Happy New Year!

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