Thanks for the replies, all! I've been making some progress...
The first thing I did was this:
I got the new 13.03 siftware and moved some of my specs over and tweaked some others. My last print had critical dimensions as follows:
layer height: .2mm
wall thicknes: 1mm
bottom/top thickness: .6
fill density: 20%
print speed: 20mm/s
print temp: 185°C
bed temp: 60°C
support: everywhere
support type: rectangular
filament diameter: 1.71mm
skirt line count: 5
skirt distance: 4
bottom layer speed: 10mm/s
initial layer thickness: .15mm
infill overlap: 25%
loops > infill > perimeter
support material: 30%
Steps per E: 865.888
Results are as follows:
First 5 layers or so turned out great!
Support material turned out the best I've seen so far
Finished on bed
Finished piece
It's still a little rough, but it turned out really nicely. Some of the overhanginf material got kinda messy, but I know that' to be expected. I just think it can get a bit better. Temperatures stayed low, which I kind of like, but the print was VERY slow, and I'd like to bump that up over time. Any more tips would be helpful as to what to tweak next!
After printing the above, I decided to look into the firmware stuff and did as follows:
Joergern and rbc1225, thanks for the steps per E advice! I'm looking into it now. Here is an image of my extruder motor:
Extruder gearbox pictured disconnected from extruder
I also don't know the gearing ratio of the motor. I was able to dig up the firmware codes I loaded up the machine with, but don't know exactly which I used (but I have a pretty good idea). It should be one of two or three, so even if I upload the wrong one, I can do a print or so with each and figure it out again. My calibration variables (float axis_steps_per_unit[] = {X, Y, Z,E}) of the different firmwares I tested have E values of 1292.52, 1380, 1200, or 1000. The one listed at 1000 is what I had labeled as my most recent iteration, so that's the one I went with, and loaded it back onto the machine (variables of {58.1818, 58.1818, 2600, 1000}). With these variables, I extruded 100mm of material and my measurements were pretty off. I had to head out and couldn't calculate what I needed to change it to, nor did I get a chance to change or try it, but I'm about to go do that now. Once I get the extruder moving properly, I should be in much better shape.
After I printed the model I have shown above, I compared it to a model that I printed on a professional machine (that I assume to be much more accurate than mine), and noticed mine was taller. I havent compared it to the 3d model yet to totally verify this, but I have a feeling my Z axis is off in the firmware as well, giving me incorrect layer heights, which could also compound the printing problems I've been seeing. Any advice or links on how to fix this? is it also a matter of moving the nozzle up a certain amount and seeing if the actual movements matched the programmed movements and use a similar equasion to fix this too?
Another question along those lines; when I home my Z-axis, i have adjusted it to sit about .015mm (.002") above the printing surface (using feeler guages to measure this at multiple locations). When the machine starts to print, does it print at that Z-home height, or does it move up any? Like if I have the initial layer thickness set to .15mm, does that mean the machine is expecting the Z-home to be .15mm off the bed, or does it move the nozzle .15mm above Z-home?
Outside of the X, Y, Z, E movements listed above, is there anything else I really need to calibrate that I may have missed to get the machine up and running properly?
gr5, I'll try a hotter temperature (and I'm guessing a faster speed to go with it?) once I get more of these numbers dialed back in. It does ooze and drip even at 195°C, but hopefully some speed with help make up for the mess. I'll post back about this as soon as I can.
Thank you all for your help, I've made more progress with this software and your help in 2 days than I have in a very long time of failed attemps through other methods.