CAD/CAM FAQ Project Update

Dear Orchidians,

If you have been following Orchid for the last few months, you may
be aware that we are working on a CAD/CAM FAQ page which will be the
first of the jewelry related knowledge and bases that
Hanuman has proposed for the Orchid web site.

With Hanuman’s encouragement, I took on the responsibility to
organize this first effort. Since we are exploring uncharted waters,
I am open to all and any suggestions and would appreciate your help
in whatever capacity that you are able to offer.

Some of you have already contacted me offline to express an interest
in participating. I appreciate your willingness. I know how precious
your time is, but, I also know how valuable Orchid is to you.

In keeping with Orchid’s spirit of sharing and learning with each
other, I encourage others to join in this effort. It’s a wonderful
opportunity to give something back to Orchid. If CAD/CAM is not your
thing, then get involved with another topic of interest, when the
opportunity arises.

Initially, we will read through the Orchid archives and organize the
messages according to topic and subject matter. Each volunteer will
serve as an editor, searching the archives for material pertaining to
a particular topic.

For example, a FAQ statement on CAD software, will have a definitive
essay with references pointing to particular messages in the archives
for additional details and personal accounts/experiences.

I recently asked Charles Lewton-Brain what he thought would be a
good format. I hope he won’t mind if I paraphrase his reply;

“I think that should be organized by subject type, and
cross referenced if it works in more than one category”. “Advantages
and disadvantages of different software, file types, service bureaus,
machines you run yourself etc”.

If you are new to the subject of CAD/CAM as it relates to jewelry
making, I can’t think of a better primer than the article by Charles,
found right here on Orchid.

He recently said that even though he wrote some of it as long as ten
years ago, it still holds up pretty well. I have to agree with him.
It was one of the first sources of inspiration that I looked to, when
I first became interested in CAD/CAM, some 3-4 years ago.

One of the ideas that I’d like to implement is a team of three
technical advisors, individuals who have the technical knowledge
and expertise to do a final review of the we put on the
FAQ page.

What I hope to achieve by having this team of “official” technical
advisors, is to create a CAD/CAM FAQ Page that is an unbiased,
balanced and reliable source of and knowledge.

Another idea is to conduct a survey to determine questions and
content. This will enhance the relevance of the FAQ page and increase
it’s l value.

Well, you’re probably wondering by now, how you can “sign up” for
this project, right? Or more than likely, you’ve had your fill of my
thoughts on the subject , :wink: and would like to contribute some of
your own!

So… here’s what to do.

Send an email to cadcam-request@ganoksin.com with ‘subscribe’ in the
body of the email. This is going to be an operators list rather than
a discussion list.

I encourage you to take an active role in the project, it will be
fun, interesting and enlightening!

Thank You,

Jesse Kaufman

JDK JEWELRY
CAD-CAM Technology
Handcrafted Originality
www.jdkjewelry.com