Instructions

optional 18" mill table (P/N 54182) with about 13.65" to 14" of X-axis travel and an
optional 15" mill column (P/N 45260) that adds 4 more inches to Z-axis travel.
Programming and Operating Your Sherline CNC
Vertical Mill
By Joe Martin
Manual vs. CNC
Let’s think about what we have to do to write a program for CNC:
1) Create a spot on your storage system.
2) Write a program.
3) Test it for errors using the Backplot program.
4) Dry run the program with the spindle well out of the way so it can’t possibly
crash.
5) Accurately align the machine with the work so they work in unison when the
program is run.
Push the button and have a cup of coffee while your little Sherline just works its butt off
for you making good parts.
When you think about this, it has the same steps as to do it manually. Compare:
1) Make some special tooling to hold the special shape. With CNC you can hold
raw stock in a vise and machine the shape you need.
2) We’d have to store the special tools in case we wanted to make another one.
3) You’ll make a lot of scrap with a manual machine if you don’t double check
your work before making the first cut, and you will not have a computer to help
you as you do with EMC.
4) No matter how you do it, you always have to line up the work to the machine.
5) Don’t put the coffee on yet because your real work has just begun while our
boy with the CNC is pouring a second cup and making 7th part of 10 pieces. (Oh,
how I wish it could be this easy at the start!)
Using “Backplot” to check your program
1) To work with any existing programs we have to be in the [AUTO] mode. With power
to the stepper motors turned off [Open] the existing program called “3dtest.ngc.” This file
comes with EMC.
2) Open the [BACKPLOT] program that can be found on the upper line and a blank
section will appear in the Pop-in section. The [Backplot] feature will allow you to
visually check a program without actually running the stepper motors. Right clicking
your mouse controls the program that is viewed in this section of the control panel. You
can toggle between the editor and the backplot easily. We now have the perfect setup to
learn CNC and it all fits on a single desktop. You can view and edit your program or
view the moves the spindle will make while your program is running.
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