Best Apps and Software for the Workshop?

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Ok folks – what are the programs you would recommend? From Phone Apps to full suites of software?

Neil

[DodParticipant @dod]

My advice :- keep the phone out of the workshop and a roll of good soft toilet paper.

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Dod – …….soft toilet paper ..oops, finger trouble

– an unfortunate combination maybe ! 🙀

…. to be serious. a spreadsheet programme as a starter.

Norman

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

I use "Geardxf" from Forestmoon software to generate dxf files of involute gear forms. It's free and you can choose DP or mod. All the other perameters are selectable, too. Recommended.

John

Edited By John Hinkley on 26/04/2016 21:03:43

Edited By John Hinkley on 26/04/2016 21:04:15

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Er…thanks Dod. You win a lifetime supply of Izal Medicated.

John – GearDXF downloaded. A strange mix of software there – piano chords, CNC and a robot combat timer!

Neil

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Dod – …….soft toilet paper ..oops, finger trouble

tsk tsk tsk. Use your engineers brain and create a crossply with an additional sheet placed at 90 degrees to the main event and voilla, finger issues sorted.

There's a solution to everything on the ME site, you only need to ask.

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

Mr. Munday's 'Model Engineering Utilities' gets a lot of use..
**LINK**

[Geoff TheasbyParticipant @geofftheasby]

Yes Neil, ditch Windows! Ubuntu does it all, it's free and you can change bits of it to suit, if you are capable. As for apps, I recommend Smart Tools, which has several highly rated apps with practical uses. An inclinometer, for instance. Night Sky is very good, and Google Maps has a free SatNav. Analysis of your phone internals, like battery voltage and temperature, together with a sound level meter, accelerometer, lat/long details and altitude is possible, with Androsensor. FlightRadar 24 is good for checking nearby aircraft, although it doesn't detect the police helicopter, with good reason! Vibrometer detects very small tremors even when resting on the dining table. Hmmm.

Geoff

[I.M. OUTAHEREParticipant @i-m-outahere]

Posted by Dod on 26/04/2016 20:03:30:

My advice :- keep the phone out of the workshop and a roll of good soft toilet paper.

Must be for those days when everthing you touch turns to crap !

FSWizard has some use but the free "lite" version is very restricted .

Kyocera , Sandvik and Starrett have some useful catalogues .

There are a few electronics apps but I can't recommend any as they are of limit use to most but still fun to play with .

[ZebethyalParticipant @zebethyal]

Gearotic Motion – design pretty much any type of gear, hypocycloids, or even an entire clock, including escapements, export formats include Gcode, DXF and STL, $120.00 one off payment with lifetime free updates (also available as a bundle with GWizard Calculator from CNCCookbook). Written by the same guy who brought you Mach 3 and Mach 4 – Art Fenerty.

For a DRO I use the TouchDRO app, from Yuriy's toys on a £43.00 10.1" Android tablet via bluetooth – I built my own interface board for about £5.00 (see here and here) using the concepts on Yuriy's site to use with the Igaging scales I have on my mini mill.

Eagle from Cadsoftusa for electronic circuit design – free for personal use, PCB Gcode addon for generating Gcode to engrave PCBs using output from Eagle.

Edited By Timothy Moores on 27/04/2016 09:16:49

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

shopcalc needs a mention IMO, very handy for the little guy

direct link

Edited By Ady1 on 27/04/2016 11:06:13

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

G-SIMPLE – free cad/cam – **LINK**

Spreadsheet – get LibreOffice for free if you don't want to spend money on Microsoft Office – the calc programme in some ways is better than Excel. Draw is also useful until you master "proper" 3D CAD.

Though I haven't used them in anger yet the DRO display apps in Yuriy's Toys look cool, a good way to use an old smartphone.

A phone camera in the workshop is very useful.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Thanks folks, lots of ideas there!

Neil

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I thought the whole point of having a workshop was to get away from phones and computers. No use to me anyway, we only have fence wire to carry a signal.

[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

Solidedge, Walter e library, Vargus TT, and the Unibrako app.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Gordon W on 27/04/2016 14:00:29:

I thought the whole point of having a workshop was to get away from phones and computers. No use to me anyway, we only have fence wire to carry a signal.

That's why this forum is so quiet

Neil

[DodParticipant @dod]

Posted by Gordon W on 27/04/2016 14:00:29:

I thought the whole point of having a workshop was to get away from phones and computers. No use to me anyway, we only have fence wire to carry a signal.

Fence wire??, you are lucky, we are still using steam for communication and if the pressure drops I can download at 1.2 Mbps instead of 3.1 Mbps

[BWParticipant @bw]

There are some speeds & feeds apps Bon Coupeaux is a good simple example.

http://bon-copeaux-free.soft112.com/

I got horribly confused by all of the options on one of the other well known ones, cant remember the name – associated with CNC cookbook website. Might be useful to other people but not for me.

Bill

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

This came up on Google just now when I was looking up shaft / bore tolerances for interference fits. You can follow the links through and enter the class of fit, shaft / bore basis and shaft / bore nominal diameter. Tells you the dimensional tolerances required to achieve that class of fit.

Murray

[ZebethyalParticipant @zebethyal]

One more that I forgot to add is the Theoretical Machinist website, which has on-line bolt circle calculations, feeds and speeds calculator, tolerance builder, and many more. they even have a smart phone app.

[HughEParticipant @hughe]

Hi Neil,

Izal medicated that brings back painful memories what about Bronco !

For android apps

electrodroid : useful electronic and electrical data handbook

ifixit : Helpful info on repair a whole range of items

torque: for car maintenance ODBII dongle required

Hugh

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

This 'Divider Wheel Generator' is very useful, for those impromptu dividing jobs.

**LINK**

There are many ways to skin that particular cat, but this one is very quick and easy.

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 18/05/2016 23:38:07

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Izal medicated Luxury! When I were a lad we used British Bulldog 220 bog roll both to wipe our backsides and to rub down the paintwork on our cars. Obviously too many effete southerners on this thread (only joking chaps)

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I'll come clean, I was hoping to publish a 'review' article covering useful resources for the workshop. there are some good ideas here, but it seems a bit incomplete to em. Perhaps we should expand this to include reference books (e.g. Tubal Cain's Handbook, Zeuss Tables, Machinery's Handbook) I'd exclude how to guide like the GHT books of Sparey on the lathe. Any suggestions that don't include cloacapapyrology?

Neil

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