Making Skins #74 - Brisbane Australia

[Surfcnc]

Sounds safe enough as long as it is YOUR buffalo, they all look the same to me.

Ross

[lonestaral]

It is my neighbours buffalo.
I can borrow it whenever I want .
They are docile animals unless they get upset.

[Fox]

Hi Ross,

great work on sharing everything !

I just thought to post you a thumbs up for that , as I don't really have much to add perse, but wanted to let you know that me ( and I think a lot of other people read your posts and watch your movies to learn ). I will try to do the same when I am up and running (electronics all there/now designing my Z) ! Keep it going !

Ps.
I leveled my beams similair to you when I was doing my steel a few months ago. I first ground the top and bottom flatof the main beams flat with a belt sander ( the receiving plates on the frame were already quality steel) before I started the shimming underneath. I also found out that if you get really precise, an alu profile ( better than steel) won't do, it will either already be bend a little or it will bend a little by gravity when you measure. I ended up flipping it over and over, then bought a used machinist square to get the whole machine really level. Overkill I agree ( with this Mituyo level measuring 0,001 mm), but hey... i got it very cheap and my frame was welded so nice and straight I just did not want the top beams to be crooked. Plus, if I ever use Hiwin linear guides, I think/hope I don't have grind my main rails for them, as they are now pretty perfectly parallel and level I anticipate just using a few very thin shims for the rails.

[Surfcnc]

Cheers Fox

You are correct that using the Alu straight edge has its limits, it is however better than eyeing it in.

I once had a home security contractor come in an do some upgrades, he used an "eyeometer".
After he left everyone who saw his work agreed he needed at least one new eyeometer and maybe even both of them replaced.

Ross

[Tom Ayres]

That's funny. 'eye' often think 'eye' need a replacement too.

[KenC]

Even linear guide rails can sag or twist if left unchecked.
We must be aware that frames are frames, it will never be precision disregard of what material we fabricate from; We can only try to built it as precise as possible, preferably within +/-3mm or 1/8" or less. We then pick up the slag with shimming.

[Fox]

@ Ross, lol. On the other hand I have also been positively surprised many times by guys in the steel or wood industry eyeball stuff to within the mm. But in Dutch we have a lame saying/rhime "meten is weten" which translates to measuring is knowing. So I always double check my eyes and my gut feeling with a ruler.

@ Ken, totally agree, and no need to freak out new builders with this accuracy, plus the MM DIY rails are very forgiving... but we're sharing for those who want to get precise anyway.... By the way, most MM frames I see over here will easily move/flex mm's when just part of it heats up up in the sun. Even professional bought machines do.

Fun trick: clamp a "heavy/sturdy" steel rod or beam you think is pretty strong... put it in a vice of, clamp it at the one end and let the other end extend, put a indicator dial on the free hanging end. Then light an ordinary match and hold it under the beam close to the vice. You will see the end of this stiff beam move easily by the heat generated from this ordinary match. That's why we can warp/unwarp our huge main beams with welding a cm on the wrong or right spot.

[Surfcnc]

I have made a few ocean themed works before and this is my third wooden fish.
It is a CNC cut version of a hand carved Angel Fish that I found on the web.
A piece of pine offcut was found in the chaos in the shed so I cut it as a test.
Later it will be run in some high quality and more dense timber.
Despite the random hole that was in the test stock (near the fin), he looks pretty good in pine.

Pine Angel Fish.jpg

Ross

[pblackburn]

I like that.

[Andrew_standen]

Thats nice. I like that. Well done.

[Surfcnc]

Thanks all for the positive comments.
Rather than remake the Angel Fish, I went on to another project.
The Angel Fish's job is now to hold a friends unruly key collection.

My next project is a Snapper. This species is a favourite here in Queensland.
The fish is made from two laminations of timber.
The first a 6mm Poplar board that is edge joined to get the required width.
The second layer is 12mm oak also edge joined.

Each layer is separately machined then laminated together for the end result.
The toolpaths are run twice with a quick rub of the sandpaper between the runs.
This process produces razor sharp edges with very minimal finishing required.

Snapper Poplar and Oak.jpg

Regards
Ross

[racedirector]

Looks fantastic Ross, the MM seems to working brilliantly! Just where do you find these things, never seen anything like them on the web.

[Surfcnc]

Hi Bruce

The machine is working beautifully, it is a joy to create things with it.

Here he is, it is an ACTUAL fish that modeled for me http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/...pecies/snapper.
Keeping the original proportions means that those who know the local fish immediately recognise the species.
After that it is an artistic interpretation of the defining characteristics, what fits , what does not and how to cut and assemble the end result.

It would normally take me two or so days of periodic fiddling around to be happy with how it looks.
He is now out in the shed getting the mandatory 3 coats per side to finish him up.

Ross

[racedirector]

Great to hear, I am so looking forward to a machine I too can be proud of.

Hehehe, I know that fish, love eating it when I get the chance. Baked on the BBQ whole with herbs, spring onion, olive oil and more wrapped in tinfoil

Very impressed with your artistic ability, you have more in your little finger than I have in my whole body!

Cheers
Bruce

[sailfl]

Ross

Thanks for the link to the fish. It has the best photos.

[pblackburn]

Ross,
Again thanks for sharing.

In reply to post #967
"Fun trick: clamp a "heavy/sturdy" steel rod or beam you think is pretty strong... put it in a vice of, clamp it at the one end and let the other end extend, put a indicator dial on the free hanging end. Then light an ordinary match and hold it under the beam close to the vice. You will see the end of this stiff beam move easily by the heat generated from this ordinary match. That's why we can warp/unwarp our huge main beams with welding a cm on the wrong or right spot."

I used to work for a company that had lasers, punches, and press brakes. The one laser cut table was approximately 10' x 20' (3048mm x 6096mm). The resonator of the CO2 laser and traverse for the beam had to be checked for level as the temperature would rise and fall because of fluctuations in the steel from the change in air temperature. You would not think something that takes two massive forklifts to lift and position would change shape from the rise and fall in temperature of only 20°F (11.1°C). But I can tell you from repairing them, I always checked the level first as the operator would complain about the machines cut quality but 9 out of 10 times the level was off and this moved the beam from being centered in the nozzle to one side. So in closing, building a machine in a control temperature environment is optimal but so then is the understanding of how the materials you are working with react to environmental changes.

[Surfcnc]

Hi All

First up I made another larger snapper out of two different tones of silky oak.
This time the stock was 19mm and 12mm so I recessed the front into the back for an overall thickness of 25mm.
The new fish is just over 400mm long making it a substantial piece and quite heavy. It is smooth and solid to touch.
I think this is the right size for this type of fish.
This copy will be donated to a local club who will present this as a offshore fishing trophy.

IMG_0032.jpg

Next was a smaller trophy for the club who are also by chance woodworkers.
A "Hammer Fish" design seemed quite appropriate.
This one is also silky oak and is using paint finishes to give it a bit of a lift.
Not finished yet but I will sand off the top leaving the silver and black in the grooves then clear finish it.

Two that's right two, 90 degree 32mm V cutters died doing this simple shape
Today was the day for running over poorly placed hold down screws it appears.
I just laugh at myself and move on, life is too short to be fretting about cutters.

IMG_0036.jpg

I am making a video of how this one was made.
Trying something a little different this time on the video side of things, so will post it when it is ready in a few days.

My sister designed a serving platter and we are going to make it together.
It involves the use of a big poor quality coveing router bit.
We will get either a platter or a stack of burnt wreckage.
Time will tell.

Ross

[Surfcnc]

Here is the video link to the making video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwI1xvhRX1E

IMG_0039.jpg

Regards
Ross

[pblackburn]

Ross,
What type of bit was it that you used for the cutout profiles toolpaths?

[Surfcnc]

Pete, that one was a 4mm 2 flute carbide bit.

[pblackburn]

I have not seen a bit that small of diameter and that long before. I have to get all my bits online. No CNC suppliers around here.

[pblackburn]

Not much else around here either

[KenC]

common 1/8" straight flute router bits are good for this kind of work too..

[Surfcnc]

A small hint for everyone.

Pay attention to the flute length as well as the cutter length.
The reason I used a 4mm cutter was because it had a 22mm flute length.
What this means is I can cut 19mm stock in a few passes using a machining offset then finish up with a full depth cut on the correct geometry.

My 3mm cutters have only 12mm flutes so while they are long enough to cut right through the 19mm stock, it is a no go on the single cleanup pass.

Using the 4mm cutter in this instance removes the tide marks on the side of the stock and makes finishing much easier.. when I remember that is

Ross

[Tom Ayres]

Good advise, thanks for imparting your wealth of knowlege.

[Surfcnc]

The serving platter turned out well.
Watch it being made at http://youtu.be/jXfJtYnii2Y

Serving Platter Silky Oak.jpg

Regards
Ross

[Tom Ayres]

Ross that was a very good video, music and everything.

[racedirector]

Wow that that came out nice. Love watching an MM work.

[lonestaral]

Nice job.
Is that a Nautilus carved on the board ?

[Surfcnc]

Thanks for the positive comments.
Made sure I got the MM pulling away to it's park position to reinforce the brand recognition.
Al - Yep that is a Nautilus shell, it was either that or a star fish and the shell design won in the end.

Regards
Ross