Topics

411

Tangent Corner / Warning Notices are everywhere.

« on: February 01, 2009, 06:04:34 AM »

Have you noticed that just about everything these days seems to carry an obligatory Warning Notice.

(engraved and then profile cut with the same 1mm diameter endmill).

Tweakie.

412

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Isolation Routing for PCB's.

« on: January 28, 2009, 08:16:08 AM »

I had not tried this before, OK it's a very simple circuit but it still needed a circuit board.
Isolation routing is simple, easy and is just like engraving I don't know why I didn't try it sooner - it sure beats ferric chloride for simple one off jobs.

I did not use a dedicated PCB program, instead I created the layout as a bitmap then outlined it as a vector image, exported it as an HPGL plot file then converted it to GCode. Quite easy really.

Tweakie.

413

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Another Turner's Cube.

« on: December 06, 2008, 07:34:54 AM »

I have made many things with the use of CNC that I would otherwise not have the necessary skills to make. The Lithophanes and Wood Carvings I have made are good examples of this.

So with the inspiration of Marcel, Poppabears 'Magic Cubes' thread and N4NV's reference to 'Digital Machinist' I set about making this Mini Turner's Cube (it is this size because that was the size of the alloy plate that I had).

I certainly do not have the necessary lathe skills so this was made on my recently acquired Boxford mill. In the end I used the Mach Wizards 'Circular pocket' and 'Cut circle' (thanks to Brian Barker and Kiran) for the code, which only required slight modification. The tools used were a 4mm slot drill for the pockets and a 10mm 45 degree undercut (dovetail) to free the center cube. A bit of polishing and it's finished.

Controversial perhaps, but something this exercise has shown me is that, in the fullness of time, CNC programing skills will replace the traditional trade skills for almost all manufactured items. Is that a good thing or a bad thing ?.


Tweakie.

414

Tangent Corner / I don't believe it.

« on: November 11, 2008, 03:04:48 AM »

Yesterday I went to collect some CNC stuff which I had bought on ebay. On the way home I stopped at McDonalds for refreshments and my wife was very quick to spot the 'peel off strip' competition on the coffee cups. No sooner had she peeled off the strip when she was jumping up and down saying "I have won a mobile home", "I have won a mobile home". I pointed out to her that she couldn't have won an RV because the first prize was only a Big Mac but she insisted that she had won a mobile home. When I finally got to see her coffee cup it said "win a bagel".


Tweakie.

 

415

Tangent Corner / A Puzzle.

« on: November 06, 2008, 04:59:04 AM »

Now before you all say that I should get out more - this was profile cut on a rainy afternoon when the local 'house of ill repute' was closed for redecoration. I don't think it involves quantum mechanics or string theory so we should be able to solve this mystery.

(thanks to David Pye for the lead).

Tweakie.

416

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / A BIG mistake.

« on: October 13, 2008, 08:42:53 AM »

The welding all seemed to go so well, the mistake was only noticed after the painting had been completed.

417

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Routing Wood

« on: June 08, 2008, 07:28:29 AM »

This relief was routed in oak 2.5 mm deep using a 3 mm diameter single flute cutter. The width of the sign is 350 mm which is the maximum size I can handle with the X - Axis. Longer signs have to be mounted sideways ( Y - Axis ) and cut in stages. This is the nameplate for a 'Beach Hut', which is a very appropriate name, don't you think ?.