# ATC Adapter for AVID 4 by 2 Machine with 3HP GMT Air Cooled Spindle **URL:** \ **Category:** General Chat\ **Created:** [May 4, 2023, 8:58pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035 "2023-05-04T20:58:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![subnoize](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.avidcnc.com/subnoize/32/2197_2.png) [@subnoize](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/subnoize)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 3:43am UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/21 "2023-05-05T03:43:41Z")
> [@TimG](#): > > So you were going to make me spend even more than 4k - Lol! Oh! That would be Alex Burt over at [CNCDepot.net](http://CNCDepot.net) I am not in the spindle business. > [@TimG](#): > > Maybe this forum will have info on that! Lively bunch over there. I think the last post was Feb šŸ˜† ---
**Author:** ![da-kengineer-meister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@da-kengineer-meister](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/da-kengineer-meister)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 9:12am UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/22 "2023-05-05T09:12:57Z")
Really Great looking topo work Tim. If you donā€™t mind my asking, what kind of run time do you have into one of those? ---
**Author:** ![TimG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TimG](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/TimG)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 3:40pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/23 "2023-05-05T15:40:06Z")
The mountain carving took 2.5 hours of machine time. I used a 1/4 inch end mill for roughing and a 1/8 inch bull nose bit for the final pass over the terrain. The Michigan map took 1.5 hours and also used a 1/8 inch bull nose bit for the final smoothing pass. Of course, as you know, the ā€œprep timeā€ to obtain and process the data is longer. I have been doing topo map carvings for 25 years and now it is a whole lot easier, with a lot more options for creating the carving files, both better software and more data formats / resolutions. I use QGIS to process the DEMā€™s to make the STL files and VCarvePro for design work and generating the GCode. In the early days, I had to write programs to process the DEMā€™s which were only numeric height values in a grid format. For lower terrain areas, I am going to start using a 1/2 inch end mill followed by a 1/4 inch bull nose bit. If you want more detailed information, I can do screen captures of the VCarvePro simulation / machine time screens. ---
**Author:** ![TimG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TimG](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/TimG)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/24 "2023-05-05T16:15:28Z")
Just looked at the Jan 27 Everything Lasers thread - I will start monitoring it. The ā€œCarbon Guyā€ sure picked a complicated way to try and set up his laser. The solution offered by CNCDave is the route I plan to take - two profiles. Just have to attach the laser to the Z carriage, set up an ā€œoff set profileā€ and go. ---
**Author:** ![Bstanga](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.avidcnc.com/bstanga/32/791_2.png) [@Bstanga](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/Bstanga)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/25 "2023-05-05T20:29:23Z")
Hello tim, I have a question about your topo experience. Iā€™m down in Louisiana all flat area, I was thinking of a way to do a carve that showed the depth of rivers and lakes, donā€™t know how to explain it but it would be a topo of the structure under the water. Do you know if this data exist? And could it be used to create a stl? thanks brian ![2023-03-31 19.18.26](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/avidcnc/original/2X/8/839f88efdc3d552e65bfb661d3df289f337a2197.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![TimG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TimG](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/TimG)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/26 "2023-05-05T21:28:40Z")
Brian, I sent you an email thru the Avid / Discourse email system. It said it ā€˜kicked backā€™. So here is a copy and past of that email. Brian, Nice hunk of wood!!! What species is it? Gorgeous! Bathymetry data, water depths, is not as universally available as topographic data of land and not necessarily in the same computer formats. But it does exist for large bodies of water like the oceans and Great Lakes in the upper midwest. I Googled ā€˜bathymetric data of Lake Pontchartrainā€™ and came up with the following link: [https://data.usgs.gov/datacatalog/data/USGS:8957af3a-68e7-40ca-9ad7-c01370efc22f](https://data.usgs.gov/datacatalog/data/USGS:8957af3a-68e7-40ca-9ad7-c01370efc22f) Take a look at that link. I suspect there are more sources or data sets. Navigable waters are mapped by NOAA. Your state fisheries or mapping agency may have data sets, as could the local county. Hope this helps!!! Tim ---
**Author:** ![Loren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@Loren](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/Loren)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 1:55am UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/27 "2023-05-06T01:55:01Z")
Take a look at adding a tool length sensor to your current setup. It makes tool changes as simple as just changing the cutter, then letting the machine/software setting a new Z zero for the new tool. ---
**Author:** ![JeffZitur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@JeffZitur](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/JeffZitur)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/28 "2023-05-06T13:38:12Z")
The bathymetry data is mapped for fish finders in most lakes. I donā€™t know how to get that data or convert it to something useable, but it exists already. ---
**Author:** ![TimG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TimG](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/TimG)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/29 "2023-05-06T16:50:39Z")
Thanks! I have one but was considering an ATC Adapter to do it even faster! ---
**Author:** ![Stephen](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.avidcnc.com/stephen/32/2569_2.png) [@Stephen](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/Stephen)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/30 "2023-05-08T19:08:57Z")
Brian, maybe ping @woodenyaknowit . He had a post early on about a topography/bathymetry carving: > [@3D Lake Depth Map (actually helped me find new fav fishing spots!)](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/3d-lake-depth-map-actually-helped-me-find-new-fav-fishing-spots/867): > > Iā€™ve fished the same lake over 30 years, but always used a 2D paper map, or 2D fishing app with the depth rings (bathometric map). Then I decided to get that map 3D rendered, and cut it out with my avid cnc! Following the old adage: if itā€™s worth doing, itā€™s worth overdoing, I decided to fabricate stock with walnut veneer sandwiched between 5mm hard white maple layers. Each walnut line represents another 5 feet of depthā€¦but Z axis was exaggerated with respecā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Bstanga](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.avidcnc.com/bstanga/32/791_2.png) [@Bstanga](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/Bstanga)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035/31 "2023-05-08T19:48:28Z")
Thanks Stephen, Iā€™ll do that. [Previous page](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/atc-adapter-for-avid-4-by-2-machine-with-3hp-gmt-air-cooled-spindle/2035.md?page=1)