Gsender Complete Tutorial for CNC Routers

[@carld4621]

Another timely and valuable CNC resource you are becoming well known for providing. Very much appreciated.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

carld4621, im glad to hear it brother! Happy CNCing.

[@Sh1tzboutagodown]

I am proud of you bro, I put my CNC journey on hold and hadn’t seen your vids almost 2 years…….You look great and the content is top notch.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

Sh1tzboutagodown, thanks brother! Im happy to hear my videos have been helping you for so long. Happy CNCing!

[@johnboston666]

Excellent video thanks Garrett, well paced and easy to follow. I'll be using Gsender for my new CNC thanks to you!

[@IDCWoodcraft]

johnboston666, You're welcome! I'm glad to hear that you found the video helpful and easy to follow. Gsender is a great choice for CNC control, and I'm sure you'll find it beneficial for your projects.. Happy machining!

[@hamanjam]

You skimmed completely over the job history which covers maintenance reminders and timings. Very useful for people who don’t know when or what maintenance to do. I would recommend also covering with the home sequence enabled which shows the home and quick move buttons to replace the macros to move out of the way. Warning in workspace reset was highly requested because people click by mistake so that saves having to reset. Numerous other items skipped for a complete video. I would recommend collaborating to fully cover some of the topics

[@IDCWoodcraft]

Hi Hamanjam. Thank you. I'm sorry this video failed your expectations. I hope you got something out of it regardless. We will definite;y have to colab

[@hamanjam]

@@IDCWoodcraft I wouldn’t use the term “failed”. Just suggesting to pick up a couple points of the new features we’ve been asking for which shows they are indeed listening to the community and adding new features.

[@andrewtaylor4554]

Make ur own vid with the minimal voids n u might get a utoob plaque …. Cheers

[@DannyCarter-q2d]

I really really like your method of teaching even though it may be long. I would rather it be longer with all the detail than to leave me wondering what something does.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

DannyCarter-q2d, Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really glad you appreciate the detail in the teaching.

[@eddieyoung8629]

Thanks Garrett, I haven't gotten my longmill set up yet because I'm waiting on spindle to set it all up first, so I will be coming back to this timely video again.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

eddieyoung8629, you are so welcome brother! I am excited for you to get alll set up so you can get to cutting.

[@seniorchief48]

Thanks for this info on GSENDER. It has fully cleared up multiple problems that I have been having with my machine settings for the past few months.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

seniorchief48, I'm glad to hear that the information was helpful for you and that you were able to solve your machine setting problems!

[@joseguevara184]

Almost 2 years using it, is the best, the helper to configure my DIY CNC was amazing, it´s really practical and simple, the interfase is very pleasent. Love this. The best for me.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

joseguevara184, so glad to hear you like gSender just as much brother!

[@leroyrobaldo4004]

once again, the time I spent watching your GSENDER video was for me a great learning experience. Thank you.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

leroyrobaldo4004, I'm really glad to hear that you found the video helpful! Thank you for watching!

[@debbieleasure1637]

I am new to cnc. This was the most informative information on g-sender i have found. I have just ordered my longmill and cant wait to start. Thank you for all your videos.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

debbieleasure1637, Welcome to the CNC world! I'm glad you found the information helpful. Congrats on your LongMill order - you're going to have a blast creating projects with it.

[@alhum5542]

Just got my Longmill Mk2.5 setup. This video answered many question I had while tuning my CNC. Many thanks!

[@IDCWoodcraft]

alhum5542, Glad to hear the video was helpful for you! Enjoy your new Longmill Mk2.5 setup.

[@ifiwooddesigns]

So much better watching your videos than going through the manuals! Thanks Garrett! You the man!!! P.S. Something I believe is very important is pausing a job, getting the router/spindle out of the way, and then resuming from that point. That is critical to know especially for beginners.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

ifiwooddesigns, very good point brother! Glad to hear this one helped you so much. Happy CNCing.

[@ulissesortiz9495]

Thanks! this got me started. I was having directional issues and it all came together.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

ulissesortiz9495, You're very welcome! I'm glad to hear that it helped you out.

[@danneil7806]

Tried to send a tip. denied twice. Wanted to encourage you to do more videos going deeper into this. Had the latest version of GSender, but had too many "funky chickens". So downgraded to 1.2.2. Now it only hiccups on one item that I can easily deal with. Learned a few things that are nice to know. Looking forward to part 2 !!!

[@IDCWoodcraft]

danneil7806, im sorry to hear you are having difficulty with the latest version of Gsender brother but it sounds like you are right on track with v 1.2.2! Happy CNCing.

[@C-M-E]

I saw enough impressive features with some valuable upgrades over some of the other CNC handlers that I've downloaded recently (trying Everything on the market) that this looks like a keeper! 👍

[@IDCWoodcraft]

C-M-E, It sounds like you’ve found a CNC gcode sender that really stands out for you! Upgrades and impressive features can make a significant difference in usability and efficiency. Happy CNCing brother!

[@Eric1960]

@@IDCWoodcraft ⁠ First of all tx for the clear and professional explanation of Gsender. I had an issue with UGS and was searching the Internet. Luckily I found Gsender. After one day of using I never go back, what a great piece of software 👍👍👍. I have two questions; A] I like to start and stop my spindle manually for testing. Enter M3 in the console will not start the spindle, just return a “ok”. When create a macro I have the same results B] using the game controller (very nice implementation) I face short delay. When pushing the stick for moving X or Y I have a delay of properly one second before moving. Hope you are willing to help. I guess the error is on me due to the short experience with Gsender. Last, I’m a mac user. When will there be a version for Apple silicon (M version processor)

[@MegaShedWoodWorks]

Garrett, thanks so much for this video. I use both Easel Pro and Vectric Pro to design. I send gcode from Vectric Pro to Easel Pro for carving. I have been using Easel Pro for a few years now since it was what I learned on. I could never get UGS or gsender to connect to my X-Carve Pro. Yesterday, I got it connected and used it to flatten a piece of wood. Then I flattened a few more. Tonight, I did my first project with it. It turned out great. I will be using it more now. All due to you. I always watch your videos to learn from.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

MegaShedWoodWorks, you are so welcome my friend. Keep working hard and learning everything you can.

[@davidwagner8356]

I’ve used gsender on raspberry pi 400 to control my cnc. Works good.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

davidwagner8356, that is a good setup you have there brother! Happy CNCing.

[@christophermeade5097]

Thank you Garrett! Hoping to get up and running more as April continues.. great content

[@IDCWoodcraft]

christophermeade5097, you are so welcome brother! I am excited for you to get started.

[@oldmanwoodcraft]

Thank you so much for this deept step by step tutorial.i got 2 questions. 1. can you operate the spindle (speed and operating test) 2. how do you control and run 4th axis like a rotary ? in Gsender

[@IDCWoodcraft]

oldmanwoodcraft, I recommend reaching out to longmill directly on this one my friend. They should be able to give you a little better guidance than I can on this one. Here's the link to their contact page →sienci.com/contact-us/?ref=idcwoodcraft.

[@oldmanwoodcraft]

@@IDCWoodcraft Thank you so much i will send them a message

[@mikeprestone8367]

Thanks for all you do and the effort you put forward to teach us. Been watching you for a while and just started using Gsender. I would love to know what happened between 13:00 and 14:00 when you were describing using macros. It seems like you wrote a macro, ran it, and things went south. No biggie, but where you describing how the alarm and unlock works? Why did the macro go bonkers or where you trying to show how to handle an error???? I picked gsender because it has the macro capability, but now I'm a little confused about it not working like you thought it would, or was that on purpose and I didn't get it??? Again, thank you for all you do for us CNCers. You are killing it!!!!

[@IDCWoodcraft]

MikePrestone, I’m thrilled you’ve been finding the videos helpful and are diving into Gsender! Macros can be pretty nifty, but also a tad tricky. So about that hiccup during the live demo-ah, the joys of live tutorials, right? It wasn’t exactly planned to go awry, but it did turn into an impromptu lesson on troubleshooting and using the alarm and unlock features. CNC adventures often include unexpected twists, and it’s all part of the journey. When writing or running a macro, a slip in the code or a machine quirk can send things off course. It’s not the macro capability itself but more about the details in the script or the machine's current state that can lead to surprises. If you’re keen on using macros, go for it! They can be huge time-savers. Just remember to test carefully and maybe not on your prize piece of stock right off the bat. And if you hit a snag or something doesn’t work as expected, it’s all part of the process. Unplanned lessons are sometimes the best teachers brother! Keep at it, and Happy CNCing brother!

[@eileenbaker6419]

hello..will be first time CNC user at a community workshop.. they gave a quick lesson on the actual machine use and will supervise first cut.. they have Gsender set up on their computer.. my first project will be to resurface a 2 inch cypress shelf I want to install in the cabinet space over my refrigerator.. i was going to try to find free software to design the necessary file to surface my project but I see from this video that Gsender has a surfacing feature.. could i accomplish my project resurfacing using only Gsender? i purchased your 1.5 surfacing bit which i plan to bring and use..thank you for this video and your other content.. who knows, maybe i'll get my own CNC at some point.. you sure make it look learnable and fun!

[@IDCWoodcraft]

eileenbaker6419, you sure could brother! I also have a video that should really help you with surfacing. Here is a link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gl7XaYKMo96Ansksi=97ypugYrN85Ytfko

[@eileenbaker6419]

@@IDCWoodcraft thanks Garrett..actually a "sister" here .. i have previously seen and learned a lot from your referenced video about surfacing.. As you responded, i was actually editing my original post to ask about something i saw in that video..I see in the creating toolpath section, the need to "add" the surfacing end mill and check for correct settings.. if i only use Gsender (i dont have design software and and wouldnt acquire just for this project, unless there is something free to use), would this step of adding the bit be necessary or accounted for? thanks again, Eileen

[@PaulLeenerts]

Great job! Very clear tutorial. Thank you.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

PaulLeenerts, you are so welcome brother!

[@skbatey]

Hello Garrett. I'm pretty new to CNC and purchased a used Fox Alien 4040XE. I've enjoyed your videos and just watched the Gsender Tutorial. Gsender does not seem to have a profile for the Fox Alien. Any imput would be appreciated. Steve Batey.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

skbatey, Hey Steve! I'm glad you're getting into CNC woodworking with your Fox Alien 4040XE. Since Gsender doesn't have a specific profile for your machine, you may need to manually input the settings for it. I'd recommend reaching out to Fox Alien's customer support for setup on your specific machine. Keep exploring and happy CNC-ing!

[@DannyCarter-q2d]

There is one of part of your video that left me with a question. When you were using the zero proble, I understood the z axis part. It was actually touching the spoil board. IE: Z=0. When you did the X and Y axis the edges of your zero block were not even with the edges of the spoil board. I am confused about exactly where the x and y zero is and what it is based on.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

DannyCarter-q2d, Great question! When setting the X and Y zero, I typically position the zero block at a reference point, which can be the front left corner of the workpiece or spoil board, depending on your setup. It helps ensure consistent placement for cuts and is based on your machine's coordinate system. The position of the zero block may not always align directly with the spoil board edges, allowing for flexibility based on your project. Once you set that reference point, all movements are calculated from there.

[@DustyWoodcutter]

Thanks Garrett

[@IDCWoodcraft]

1HughJardon, you are so welcome my friend.

[@josephkickbusch340]

As always you r the best

[@IDCWoodcraft]

josephkickbusch340, Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you enjoy the content.

[@ramijali6964]

Wow that's awesome great video thank you sir❤❤❤

[@IDCWoodcraft]

ramijali6964, you are so welcome my friend.

[@Sbregher]

Thanks for the great video!

[@IDCWoodcraft]

Sbregher, you are so welcome my friend.

[@riazmughal2922]

Very nice new information

[@IDCWoodcraft]

riazmughal2922, so glad to hear that brother!

[@wallylim516]

thank you!

[@IDCWoodcraft]

wallylim516, You're very welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@JackNess-yq8hk]

Hey there. I've been learning a lot from you, but I have a small problem. My gcode sender tells me I'm connected, but the screen below says I'm disconnected. I'm using another computer, much slower than my laptop that I'm waiting for parts to fix the charging jack, but is this normal??? Let me know! Thanks again for giving us all what we need to know about CNC.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

JackNess-yq8hk, Unfortunately, I am not much help here. I am not a tech guy when it comes to CNC machines. I may be good with the programing and operation but when it comes to troubleshooting, I'm an absolute deer in the headlights. I recommend reaching out to your machine manufacturer regarding your issue. They will be able to help you the best my friend!

[@rickharms1]

I think calibrate is more important than expressed here. I am basing this on my experience of building my CNC and using other software. I suspect it sets the distance per step. For example, if you jog one inch, the machine needs to jog one inch. If the steps per inch is wrong, it will not go one inch. You must understand, the machine does not know what an inch is, it only “knows” steps. In this presentation, the calibration was probably performed at the factory. If you built your own machine, then you are the factory.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

rickharms1, You bring up a great point! Calibration is indeed crucial for ensuring that your CNC machine operates accurately. When building your own CNC, taking the time to set the correct steps per inch is essential for achieving the desired precision. It’s interesting how the understanding of distance translates to steps; it really highlights the importance of proper setup. Thanks for sharing your insights!

[@bloomqmx]

Hey Garrett I'm wondering if this g-sender will work with my Nextwave HD500? I am using Ready2Control pretty basic. thx for what you do!!

[@IDCWoodcraft]

bloomqmx, reach out to Nextwave on that one brother. They would be able to determine compatibility for your specific machine.

[@RVE7777]

Hi,I want to ask did the Gsender is compatible with all CNC routers ?I am waiting my from China it will arive at the end of April and Im wonderin if I can connect it to this software.Thank you I appreciate for all the videos you make Ive learned a lot !

[@hamanjam]

gSender should be compatible with controllers running grbl firmware. There will be configuration you will need to research with your manufacturer but if you can use UGS, you can use gSender

[@RVE7777]

@@hamanjam nk105 g3 control system this is the controler .Can you help me ,does it have this firmware?

[@hamanjam]

I’m not familiar with this controller but it does not appear to support .gcode or .nc files. It looks like a Cortex A8 processor so my guess is that it would not work for you.

[@RVE7777]

@@hamanjam thank you!

[@IDCWoodcraft]

radoslavevtimov6448, that depends on your machine brother! Your best bet is to reach out to your machine manufacturer to determine compatibility.

[@rbwoodwork1890]

Good video as always. Not sure you will see my question but when I hit the zero xyz button my z goes all the way up to the stop switch and I lose the z zero setting and have to reset it again. Not sure whats going on or how to fix it. Thanks

[@IDCWoodcraft]

rbwoodwork1890, you are so welcome my friend! Happy CNCing.

[@mikeamescreations]

Hey Garrett, Can I change the feed rate on the fly while job is running?

[@IDCWoodcraft]

mikeamescreations, you sure can brother! This would be a great idea for a future video. Ill add it to the list!

[@w4fej]

Is Gsender for Longmill only ?? I have two machines, are there post processors built into ?? I have the Shapeoko XXL 3 and the "CNC One Max".

[@IDCWoodcraft]

w4fej, Gsender is compatible with a variety of CNC machines, but it is best to check with your machine manufacturer to determine compatibility. Feel free to give it a try and see how it works for you!

[@SenniMusic]

I am trying to use this software with my cnc xprov5. the software do not connect to my cnc. It recognizes that I have two firmaware, but I cannot click on the arrow appearing in the drop down menu. It works with CNC3D Commander. I would like to use this sofware but I wonder it is for their cnc machine.... Is it possible to use it with CNC xPRO V5?

[@IDCWoodcraft]

SenniMusic, for this one brother I would recommend reaching out to your machine manufacturer. They can help you with your specific CNC on compatibility.

[@ramijali6964]

Sir I have port connected but visualizer is not connecting. I was all of try but I can't connecting visualizer. If there any else. Give me feedback. I'm helpless

[@IDCWoodcraft]

Unfortunately, I am not technical on this. You might want to contact longmill since they are the makers of the software.

[@richardwilliamsjr.6090]

I use Carbide Motion as my Cam software. Is G sender better ?

[@IDCWoodcraft]

richardwilliamsjr.6090, I recommend giving them both a try and seeing what you think brother! As long as they are both compatible with your machine!

[@kennethduke9383]

Will G-Sender work with a Shark CNC? And can a Vetric file be emported to G- Sender.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

kennethduke9383, consider reaching out to Shark brother! They will be able to give you the best compatibility suggestion for your specific machine.

[@geegonzalez8042]

looking for a laptop to run gsender do you have any recommendations thanks

[@IDCWoodcraft]

geegonzalez8042, I recommend looking into laptops with at least an i5 processor and 8GB of RAM to run gsender smoothly. You might also want to consider a laptop with a dedicated graphics card for better performance. Here is a video that should help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5zJpaVqjt2CiNksi=Fk6_6HbgLyFARwoY

[@pw3111]

I would have gone into detail on setting up the probe in settings. You covered setting up the bit diameter but totally missed setting the thickness of the probe material in Z, X and Y directions which is essential for accurate zeroing. Otherwise a good video.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

pw3111, good points brother. I will focus in on that more in future videos.

[@mikehuynh5715]

How do you start with an same zero points with different programs. I cannot zero to the same coordinates after the first program is finished.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

mikehuynh5715, Hey there! When using different programs, the best way to ensure you start with the same zero point is to note down the coordinates after running the first program. Then, in the subsequent programs, manually set the same zero point before starting. This way, you can maintain consistency across different programs. Hope this helps!

[@arbjful]

Does this have feed overrides?

[@IDCWoodcraft]

Yes. That was notes in the video. I don't remember the time stamp when I discuss it though

[@coreyjackson1594]

do you have cnc classes?

[@IDCWoodcraft]

coreyjackson1594, not yet brother! But that is something that is in the works my friend. Thank you for the nudge.

[@Barry-mw6tk]

Will this sender work with X-carve

[@IDCWoodcraft]

Barry-mw6tk, your best bet is to reach out to x-carve on that one brother!

[@donripperger6764]

does Gsender software work on a Mac?

[@IDCWoodcraft]

Yes!

[@JavierDeJesusSr]

I've been using UGS up to now. Is there a reason to switch?

[@IDCWoodcraft]

JavierDeJesusSr, if UGS works for you then stick with it brother!

[@JavierDeJesusSr]

@@IDCWoodcraft not married to it, just haven't tried anything else.. I'll give gSender a go and see if I like it better. Can I set up a game controller for it?

[@IceCreams62]

Hi. In a Mac it runs also on M1 family processors ?

[@hamanjam]

The "official" response in GitHub as of 3 weeks ago: "We had plans to add the macOS ARM64 build for gSender a little while back but we unfortunately need to push it back for now as we have other features to focus on. We will add it to the patch notes once ARM64 is part of our build process :)"

[@IceCreams62]

@@hamanjam thanks a lot

[@IDCWoodcraft]

IceCreams62, not yet brother but I know they are still working on it and hopefully it is out soon!

[@IceCreams62]

@@IDCWoodcraft Thanks a lot, i will wait 🙂

[@booyahhh4642]

Man I’ve had all kinds of issues with gsender. It connects sometimes and other times it won’t connect no matter what I do.

[@IDCWoodcraft]

booyahhh4642, im sorry to hear that brother. Try reaching out to Sienci, they should have some troubleshooting tips to help you figure that one out. Here is a link: sienci.com/gsender/?ref=idcwoodcraft

[@davidbate3453]

I plugged mine in and it said fake comm port

[@IDCWoodcraft]

davidbate3453, im sorry to hear that brother. Try reaching out to Sineci regarding your problem. They will be able to help you with that. Here is a link: sienci.com/gsender/?ref=idcwoodcraft