Some stunning stuff, using help from paint masks #34 - Seattle, WA [Archive]

buibui

Mon 06 April 2009, 00:25

Hello,

Gerald, thank you for your design, knowledge, and this website. I came across it in January while searching for a used Shopbot online, but building a MechMate seemed like a more worthwhile and rewarding pursuit.

Over the past several months of research, planning, and reading this site, I've learned a lot more about fabrication and CNC than I ever thought I would. This weekend, I started the cutting, welding and drilling...and I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

Some information on my MechMate, it will be about 55" x 100" and will be a bolt together design -- I expect to (have to) move it into my basement someday. I based the base on KevinL's machine. I liked his idea for the welded subsections, and ibeams give a lot of room for bolts. So far, it seems very strong and stable.

Enjoy the pics...I can't wait until next weekend to continue!

John

Base design, similar to Kevin's:
4299

Laser cut parts courtesy Joe McClain:
4300

Fresh cut steel:
4301

Notice my welder is MechMate Blue :)
4302

Welded side subsections and rusty ibeams (main beams):
4303

Just visualizing...
4304
4305

Laying out and match drilling the bolt on flanges to the legs:
4306
4307
4308
4309

Finished all 16 flanges this weekend. The 2x2 subsection will be welded to the flange...next weekend!:
4310

Gerald D

Mon 06 April 2009, 00:43

Welcome John, great start!

Rad Racer

Mon 06 April 2009, 07:37

Now, that's what I call a good start! At this rate you should be done by Friday:)

By the way, I like your garage floor. Is it hard to clean?

Kobus_Joubert

Mon 06 April 2009, 12:25

Good going there John....that is going to be a nice STRONG table.

buibui

Mon 06 April 2009, 22:44

Thank you for the encouragement, guys.

Wayne, the floor is really nice to work on, but is very hard to clean. Dust and wood chips get caught underneath and won't come out with vacuuming. Once the table is cutting, I will probably remove it and epoxy coat the floors.

John

ChiknNutz

Tue 07 April 2009, 09:10

Cool...I may have to come visit you. I'll be sure to bring my drool towel so as to not mess up that CLEAN workspace ya got goin'!

buibui

Sun 12 April 2009, 23:11

This has become addictive, and I ended up working on the MechMate for a couple hours every night after work this past week, and pretty much morning to night this weekend. I'm a lucky guy...my girlfriend has been really supportive of this project and hasn't minded.:)

So after a week, I have the base built, and the y-car welded up. I really didn't expect it to go this fast, so I don't have the steel for the rails, v-rollers, or any of the control box components ordered yet...I guess that's next!

Gerald: I hadn't tried putting together the y-car until today, and I'm utterly impressed and inspired by your design. It all fit together so well, and made welding so easy! It's obvious you designed this with the builder in mind...thank you!

Welding up the flanges...my method of keeping everything square.
4370

Beams were too big for my saw, so this process process took quite a while.
4371

Starting to look familiar!
4372
4373

Setting up and welding the Y-car.
4374
4375

Finished Y-car. Some of my welds are very ugly, but luckily I'm better with a grinder than a welder! :D
4376

sailfl

Mon 13 April 2009, 02:13

John,

Nice looking table.

jhiggins7

Mon 13 April 2009, 07:01

Great work John!:) Keep those pictures coming.:D

robertmonroe

Mon 13 April 2009, 13:44

Looking good, no, looking great!

PEU

Mon 13 April 2009, 16:33

Nice table.

Question: why you decided to go to a custom table instead of the one in the MM blueprints?

buibui

Mon 13 April 2009, 21:00

Thanks for all the compliments.

Pablo, I wanted a bolt-together design that could break down in sections for easy assembly, while not sacrificing rigidity. After getting ideas from other builds on the forum, and assembling/disassembling the machine in my mind over several months, this design made a lot of sense to me.

Travish

Tue 14 April 2009, 20:27

I will deffinatly have to come and visit your and your machine sometime this summer. Great solid start! I like the bolt together design very much! I have a better understanding of it based on your well taken pictures. Best of luck to you and your machine.

buibui

Mon 20 April 2009, 00:40

Didn't get as much done this weekend as I wanted. Picked up angles at the steel yard for the rails on Saturday morning, and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out how to cut them down. :confused:

Finally setup and cut on on the bandsaw Sunday. It not easy pushing a 45lb, 11 foot piece of angle through a bandsaw! Each one took about half an hour of constant pressure, and I ended up snapping the blade with 4 inches left on the last one. I ended up having to use the grinder to finish it off. Though this is all I accomplished this week, I'm sure glad it's done!

Guess what I'll be doing next weekend!

Bandsaw setup with piece of square tube for fence:
http://homepage.mac.com/john.bui/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2009-04-19%2022.44.56%20-0700/Image-10A1C8C92D6E11DE.jpg

Setup beam on a bench to catch the angle:
http://homepage.mac.com/john.bui/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2009-04-19%2022.44.56%20-0700/Image-10A1DD7C2D6E11DE.jpg

Cutting...very long, boring, tiring...zzz...
http://homepage.mac.com/john.bui/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2009-04-19%2022.44.56%20-0700/Image-10A1ECD52D6E11DE.jpg

Yay!
http://homepage.mac.com/john.bui/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2009-04-19%2022.44.56%20-0700/Image-10A1FE242D6E11DE.jpg

Smoothing the cut edge:
http://homepage.mac.com/john.bui/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2009-04-19%2022.44.56%20-0700/Image-10A20CAB2D6E11DE.jpg

lumberjack_jeff

Sat 02 May 2009, 15:44

I live in Olympia and I'm a' fixin to start one of my own. I LOVE your table design, it seems to me that it is of huge benefit to be able to disassemble it for transport.

Well done.

buibui

Sat 02 May 2009, 21:24

Thank you, lumberjack Jeff. And good luck with starting your build.

Looks like we may be able to start a MM gang in the PNW soon, as Chris and Travis are in the area too!

buibui

Wed 13 May 2009, 23:50

I finally finished grinding the rails. The skate works great, and the result was better than what I was expecting from a hand grinder. I struggled a little on the first one, but the others went pretty easily...not sure if it's due to new grinding wheels I bought (more aggressive, extended performance Dewalt wheels) or if I managed to tweak the setup "just right" during the change.

I tacked the original guard to the skate...I'm pretty scared of these things!:(
4654

Still need to drill, but otherwise done!
4655

Gerald D

Thu 14 May 2009, 00:21

Nice idea on the guard!

Good view of all the grit, but from the strong shadows it looks like you did the job oustside. :) Bet you are glad you are over that hurdle!

jhiggins7

Thu 14 May 2009, 04:31

John,

Nice work!:)

I really like the idea of tacking the guard on the back of the skate...danger lurks there.

buibui

Thu 14 May 2009, 23:41

Thank you, Gerald and John. I did drag everything outside to do the grinding. That's part of the reason why it took so long, as it's been raining off and on during the past couple weeks. I heard on the news that we got snow in the mountains yesterday...in mid-May!

This week, I received my fasteners and most of my electronics, so I can start on the gantry, z-axis, and control box. I started buying hardware at Lowe's (hardware store) but this became really expensive and frustrating, since everything is packaged in odd quantities I didn't need, and their metric selection isn't very good and pricey. I ordered everything else from Fastenal for a fraction of the cost, and was able to buy by individual pieces. Here's what I found waiting for me when I got home:

4656

Started the z-axis this evening. Not much happening here, but I thought it was a nice picture :)

4657

I guess there's no turning back now. Just sizing up my box, and I'm hoping to start the kitchen table project during next few days!

4658

buibui

Mon 25 May 2009, 00:45

Hello all,

This weekend, I got a lot of drilling and tapping completed, and welded the gantry. Things are now rolling!

It's memorial day holiday in the US, so I'll have an extra day of working on the table tomorrow...

4702

4703

4704

4705

Gerald D

Mon 25 May 2009, 01:15

Nice!

(Hope you know that the y-car is wrong way around relative to ganty?)

buibui

Mon 25 May 2009, 01:42

Thank you, Gerald. I just threw the y-car on to test how it rolls. (Then spent about an hour this evening just sliding things back and forth...it's sort of relaxing!)

cvriv.charles

Wed 03 June 2009, 03:22

I love your table! I need something that bolts together too. I love the use of the I beams. The only thing I have to question is,... your table is ok without adjustable feet? Or you havent got that far yet?

Hey can we get a shot of your garage from the outside? Please:) It looks huge!

buibui

Wed 22 July 2009, 22:53

Charles, thanks for your compliments and sorry to miss your post...I haven't been on my own thread in a long time.

The table is fine without adjustable feet where it is right now, but I have shims in case things aren't level if I ever move it.

My garage is a three car garage...fairly typical in my area. I think it looks bigger because I haven't cluttered it up too much yet!

buibui

Wed 22 July 2009, 23:31

I haven't posted updates in a while. I've been tied up on other projects, and finally made a push during the last couple of weeks to do a lot of finish grinding, cleaning, sandblasting, and painting.

I've also have been finishing up a lot of the small details, and there are a whole lot of them. I'm still not completely done with the mechanicals yet -- need to finish the motor assemblies, z-drive, and other details -- But I'm finally seeing the end!

5448

5449

5450

5451

5452

5453

5454

5455

5456

5457

5458

Gerald D

Thu 23 July 2009, 00:02

Glorious!

Kobus_Joubert

Thu 23 July 2009, 00:04

Nice, I will be afraid to get it dirty....BUT we need dust..;)
Well done John...like the blue shoes

buibui

Thu 23 July 2009, 00:58

Don't worry, Kobus...it will get dirty soon, I promise!

AuS MaDDoG

Thu 23 July 2009, 01:39

Fantasic looking build, I can only hope that I can achieve a similar build quality once I start my build, guess it gives me something to aspire too.
Great work, well done!!

Cheers
Tony.

sailfl

Thu 23 July 2009, 02:32

John

Nice looking machine and good work.

javeria

Thu 23 July 2009, 02:59

bluieee bluieee........loooks pretty. I like the color and the way you have built your machine :)

at least u have color on only your shoes ;)

Doug_Ford

Thu 23 July 2009, 07:42

The only problem is that no one is going to believe you actually built it yourself. :)

smreish

Thu 23 July 2009, 13:52

I am daily humbled by the level of detail other builders are obtaining.....Nice work.
Sean

domino11

Thu 23 July 2009, 19:36

John,
Awesome, just awesome. I think that garage is really to clean, I am jealous! :)

buibui

Fri 24 July 2009, 00:38

Thanks everyone! I can't wait to get it cutting. Couldn't have done it without this forum and everyone's previous experiences...I studied every single build log.

Irfan, someone at work noticed today that I had a bluish tint to my hair! :o

javeria

Fri 24 July 2009, 01:28

John - i was referring to Nils, surprised G' did not pick him here :) he had his face done up with the blue spots (http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14448&postcount=83)

sorry nils :D

Gerald D

Fri 24 July 2009, 02:03

Blue in the hair is a sign of old-age:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_rinse
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1516308/End-of-the-blue-rinse.html :D

lsalme

Sun 16 August 2009, 10:33

Impressive build, the MechMate really is built like a tank. I'm located in Kent Wa. and built a Joes 4x4 this last winter, not nearly as much mass as the MechMate. I only found out yesterday that there were some local MechMate builds going on which is great. I'll be checking the MechMate forum more often.

RLH3

Mon 17 August 2009, 01:04

I really like your table design. The ability to take it apart to move is a good thing. This is the direction that I will go when I finally convince the boss that a MechMate would be a good idea!
Looking at the drawing in the first post, do you think that it would affect the stability of the table too much to move those verticals just enough further apart to be able to store some extra sheet stock under there? In my mind's eye I can see some sort of multi-level rack fastened across the width of the table to keep half a dozen sheets of stock.
I think that this came to me after spending the weekend fighting with my sheet goods storage in my existing shop...

Just an idea...

Roman

Medemt

Mon 17 August 2009, 06:57

John,

First off, outstanding looking machine. I have looked at many machines on this forum and I will no doubt build mine the way you did, when I have everything in place to begin the build.

If I could ask you, what did you finally end up with on you X, Y, and Z dimensions used in the drawing calculations? Your first post said probably 55 & 100, but I was curious what you ended up with.

Will you leave it in your garage, or do you have another place to put it. The tear down capability is so great. Nice job.

Can't wait to see some output from your machine.

Dan

buibui

Mon 17 August 2009, 22:11

Thank you guys for the compliments.

Lsalme: Welcome and good luck if you decide to build a MechMate. Joe's 4x4 looks like a great machine, and I considered one before I started my build. And yeah, I'm excited to see a lot of builders in the area!

Roman: That's a great idea and I'm sure you can make it work. Check out Radishworks build...he did something similar to what you're thinking. Also check out bfauska's who -- if i remember correctly -- built his to fit over a table.

Dan: Yes, I built my table 55 x 100 x 8. I plan on leaving it in the garage for now. I have a basement that I'd like to convert to my shop "one day", but it needs some work that I don't want to get into right now...like lighting, power, and cleaning out all the junk!

Medemt

Tue 18 August 2009, 06:15

John,

I feel your pain. I just spent a week of vacation cleaning out my garage and shed. I have no idea where all that junk came from??????????????????

Thank for the reply and again, can't wait to see some work coming out of your machine.

By the way, were there any issues you encountered because you designed your MM the way you did?

Dan

buibui

Wed 19 August 2009, 01:45

Dan...I hope you were cleaning out the garage for good reason?!!

I didn't run into any major problems with my changes, but I stuck to the plans pretty closely from the rails on up to avoid this. One thing though was that my deviations prevented me from using some of the formulas (for determining material dimensions) in the drawings, and this made planning a little more difficult and took some time to figure out at the onset. I tried not to change anything mechanically.

John

buibui

Wed 16 September 2009, 00:13

Hi everyone,

So the control box has taken me quite a long time...I had a lot of learning and reading to do in this area. Finally this past weekend, I got it together and put on my welding helmet, goggles, and welding gloves just to TURN IT ON. Good news, nothing spectacular but the click of the contactor, hum of the fan, and green lights. :)

I welcome your critique on my wiring. It works but I want to make sure I've built a safe and reliable system. Some questions that I have:

- I used 14 AWG wire for the ground in the box and to the table. Is this thick enough?
- I have a 35A contactor for the router, with a 120V coil. I hooked up the coil to the relay on the PMDX. Is this okay long term? (i.e. Is the little relay meant to handle 120V?)

Anyways, here are some pictures, and I hope to have a decent project to post soon.

6126

6127

6128

The blob cutout is supposed to be the roadrunner. I didn't have a small collet, and the had to use a 3/4" cutter. BUT WE HAVE DUST!
6125

inventall

Wed 16 September 2009, 00:45

Congrats, looks great!!!!!!

I was not sure on the 14gauge too, but I had a lot of it, so I used 2.

sailfl

Wed 16 September 2009, 03:12

John,

The inside of the controller box looks fantastic and your machine looks good.

Congratulations on cutting.

Sounds like a serial number will be coming.

Gerald D

Wed 16 September 2009, 04:15

Wonderful job!

kaartman

Wed 16 September 2009, 04:31

Well done, welcome to the club!!

smreish

Wed 16 September 2009, 04:49

Hmmm....pretty machinery!
Nicely done and well executed fabrication. Kudo's!

Sean

Robert M

Wed 16 September 2009, 05:21

Thanks for sharing these and congratulation on your nice built, lots of efforts !

domino11

Wed 16 September 2009, 06:56

Congratulations John! Very nicely done. :)

jhiggins7

Wed 16 September 2009, 07:01

John,

Congratulations on a great machine and Serial #34. Looks really good on that special flooring.

The updated Builder's Log is here (http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AttqjIPMBEXKcExveGc4d3U0V25zQmMyX1U1eUVhU Xc&hl=en).

Please review your entry and let me know any changes you'd like.

Greeny

Wed 16 September 2009, 09:38

Congratulations on your superb build.

Cheers
Greeny

buibui

Wed 16 September 2009, 19:43

Thankyou, thankyou guys! I'll wear the #34 proudly! John Higgins, everything looks right. I can't believe it's been 6 months...my back still hurts from lifting steel.

Now off to study Doug's tutorial! :)

Medemt

Thu 17 September 2009, 10:33

John,

Awesome looking machine. When I build mine, It will be based on your design. Hope that is OK.

Two quick questions, what is "Doug's tutorial"? I did a search and did not find it. Could you point me to the right place. Also, could not help but ask, who is the manufacturer of the flooring in your garage? I just built a new workshop and am looking for good flooring.

Can't wait to see some output from your machine. I have this thread on automatic updates by email.

Thanks,
Dan

domino11

Thu 17 September 2009, 12:32

Look here.
Basic Cutting Tutorial (http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2061)
:)

jehayes

Thu 17 September 2009, 15:28

John: Well done! An inspiration to the rest of us Pacific Northwesterners following in your footsteps. Joe

buibui

Thu 17 September 2009, 21:55

Dan: My floors were installed by the previous owner of the house, but I think they are the same as Playmaker Court flooring. They look nice and are comfortable to work on, but not entirely practical...they trap dust, and I hesitate weld or grind in the garage. Now that the Mechmate is done, I will probably remove some of the tiles and epoxy paint the floors...once I get motivated enough to take it apart again.

Joe: Thank you, I've been watching your build too and can't wait to see the finished product. Let me know if you need a hand flipping it over!

Alan_c

Fri 18 September 2009, 11:04

When you epoxy paint, dont forget to include some sort of grip material (sand or similar) to the final coat, MDF dust and a smooth epoxy floor is a recipe for disaster (unless you enjoy visits to the emergency room:))

domino11

Fri 18 September 2009, 11:50

And, for the those of us who get it, dont forget snow on your boots. Slicker than grease when walking on painted or smooth concrete. :) Alan, you probably don't have that problem. :)

Alan_c

Fri 18 September 2009, 15:09

No such luck Heath, my closest snow only appears at the top of the mountain outside my front door, and only when the conditions are right, in the middle of winter.

buibui

Fri 18 September 2009, 20:01

Thanks for the tip, Alan. I'll definately plan for some sand, especially after reading your post on safety :eek:

Medemt

Tue 22 September 2009, 10:04

Heath: Thank you for the response. I will be reading and giving the process a try.

John: Thank you for the info on the flooring. Good points. By the way, I couldn't bring myself to take apart that beautiful machine. I think I would live with the floor and buy a good shop Vac.

Dan

buibui

Sun 18 October 2009, 04:13

Hello,

I finished the final wiring of my machine, and have been spending some time learing how to use Vectric and operating the machine. Below are some pictures of my first project...a nice sign for the garage.

I'm very happy with how well the machine runs and the quality of the cuts!!

6709

6710

6711

6712

6713

6714

6715

6716

6717

6718

6719

javeria

Sun 18 October 2009, 08:52

i can just say WOW!

Kobus_Joubert

Sun 18 October 2009, 11:05

Nice John, just hope that you have the correct undercoat and paint to make that sign SHINE. I battle to finish MDF properly...let me know what you put on. I made some Yo-Yo's for the kids this weekend, but am not happy with the paint results...otherwise the yo-yo is working fine.

Kobus_Joubert

Sun 18 October 2009, 12:24

One day while workin on the motorbikes, I wanted to have something powder coated. The chap at the shop took a piece of cardboard, put some powder on it and used a Heatgun to melt it....I am sure this Heatgun method will work on small items.

Also look at this

http://www.mdfcoaters.co.uk/one-coat-powder-coatings.html

lumberjack_jeff

Sun 18 October 2009, 21:32

John, gorgeous machine AND sign!

Kobus, doesn't the heatgun blow the powder off?

If it were me, I'd coat the MDF in thinned epoxy prior to painting.

... but I'm in boat-mode so maybe I suffer from "if your only tool is a hammer, all your problems begin to look like nails" syndrome.

buibui

Sun 18 October 2009, 23:06

Thank you guys.

I've never painted mdf so this will be a learning process. I was going to experiment with wood sealer, followed by primer, then rattle can paint. I'll let you know how it goes!

Jeff, what do you use to thin epoxy? And let's see some pictures of the boat!

Gerald D

Sun 18 October 2009, 23:10

John, your X and Y motor cables pass through your switch button boxes. This is okay if the motor cables are not joined (open cores) inside those boxes, as I am sure that yours are.

I just want to guard against some people thinking that the boxes are a convenient place to hide the joints in the motor cables. The motors radiate electrical noise, while the switch wiring is susceptible to noise.

buibui

Mon 19 October 2009, 13:39

Yes, that's correct, Gerald. My motor cables only pass through the box to keep things neat, but no joins.

John

cncb

Tue 20 October 2009, 05:32

John your machine looks top notch really clean slick work. The color blue you did is very brilliant in tone. Is that enclosure you used a nema 4/12 Wiegmann? Just purchased another box yesterday from Wiegmann and it looked familiar. If it is how did you find the backpanel, was it stout enough to tap? Was hoping it will be fine and I don't have to get some aluminum plate to replace it. Again, well done!

smreish

Tue 20 October 2009, 05:36

lumberjack_jeff

Tue 20 October 2009, 08:40

Jeff, what do you use to thin epoxy? And let's see some pictures of the boat!

Sorry John, no photos yet, we're still in the modelling stage.

The best way to thin epoxy is to either heat the components prior to mixing or (better) heat the workpiece to about 110 degrees f prior to applying the mixed epoxy.

In a case where maximum structural strength is not a big issue, (such as your sign) you can use up to 5% acetone, denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner (the Gougeon Brothers recommend lacquer thinner, but I'm sure most any solvent will work)

http://www.seqair.com/skunkworks/Glues/WestSystem/Thinning/Thinning.html

I would test it on a bit of scrap mdf first because I've never used epoxy with mdf before and I don't know how the cut-edge fibers will behave.

cncb

Tue 20 October 2009, 20:58

Brian,
I have similar issues on some of the back planes that come into our shop. I typically install riv-nuts (http://www.mcmaster.com/#rivet-nuts/=452mox) when this happens. Of course, you need a riv-nut installation tool to use these wonderful little gems.

Some are a joke some are very nice. This is my first Wiegmann box but from what I hear they come pretty stiff and nice to tap with large folds to stiffen them up. Hoping I don't have to buy an aluminum plate or use rivet nuts but those open ended knurled rivet nuts are nice.

buibui

Tue 20 October 2009, 22:09

Jeff, thanks for the info...like many things I learn here: Wish I knew earlier!

Brian, yes the box is a 4/12 Wiegmann. I didn't have any problems tapping the backplate and thought it was very stiff, even after cutting holes for the cooling fan.

cncb

Wed 21 October 2009, 05:21

nice, how big is that box?

Rad Racer

Wed 21 October 2009, 21:31

Nice machine John.....I like the paint scheme:D

buibui

Wed 21 October 2009, 22:13

Brian, it's a 20 x 24 x 8, a nice comfy fit.

Wayne, thank you...You can say I was inspired :D

buibui

Wed 28 October 2009, 00:33

Tonight, I experimented with a couple new things, the bitmap trace feature in Vectric and the prismatic v-carving feature. Not bad for the first try, although I should have spent more time cleaning up the vectors because the lines didn't come out perfect from tracing. I just got too excited to cut.

The artwork is made by my friend, who creates ambigrams as a hobby. An ambigram is lettering that can be read forwards and backwards, like in the book Angels and Demons. This one is of his last name. Pretty neat stuff!

V-carving the letters sure was dusty. I used a 3/4" 90 deg v-cutter, and a 1/4" single flute bit for the profile. Material is 1" mdf.

6837

6838

6839

6840

hennie

Wed 28 October 2009, 05:23

Nice john!

buibui

Wed 28 October 2009, 23:43

Thank you, Hennie! :)

domino11

Thu 29 October 2009, 08:33

Beautiful. :)

Travish

Thu 05 November 2009, 18:33

John, Where did you get your push button boxes from? Those are clean and simple looking.

Castone

Thu 05 November 2009, 18:38

Looks great!

buibui

Thu 05 November 2009, 23:10

Hi Travis. I believe they are the boxes from FactoryMation, with WEG button. Hope your build is going well. I'm hoping to do some cutting on Sunday, so it might be a good time for you to swing by and help me lift some MDF. :D

Thanks Leo!

ljunior

Fri 06 November 2009, 06:41

:eek:That's amazing.

buibui

Mon 30 November 2009, 00:58

This weekend, I worked on a two-person chinese checker set that I had designed and wanted to make for some time. I love the look of old wood-laminated surfboards, and like to incorporate the look into a lot of my projects. This game set is made with glued up strips of hard maple, bloodwood, and ebony. I have not decided on the finish yet, probably some Danish oil or the like.

This was the first time cutting hardwood on my MM...much more enjoyable than MDF. Less dust, more chips. It was also the first time I had to care about indexing the material properly due to the stripe down the center. This was nerve racking after all the time spent gluing up the board. I'll need to work on some sort of fixture for this type of work.

Here are some pics of the project, along with some MDF prototypes I made before deciding on the final shape:

7389

7390

7391

7392

Final game board without finish...
7393

J.R. Hatcher

Mon 30 November 2009, 05:26

They are great looking. A cross hair laser would make alignment very simple?? Where did you get the pins?

buibui

Tue 01 December 2009, 00:50

Thank you, J.R. A laser would probably help...I haven't read enough about this yet to figure out where to get one, how to hook it up, and use it. For this project, I had used a pointy stick chucked in the router :o

Regarding the pegs, I bought them from craftparts.com. Mine are the 5/8" dia. size.

John

dragonfinder1

Wed 02 December 2009, 08:32

John

I find the center of my project and use a very sharp pencil, make a small line. The use a laser pointed v-bit, center it on the pencil line, then go to the MDI page of Mach and move half the width of my project, then zero the DRO. It's fast and you can get very close to the center of your project.

Given the width of the lines I've seen with lasers, you can get as close with my method. For sure not as fast, but you never have to worry about the lasers being knocked out of align.

Dave

Castone

Wed 02 December 2009, 08:57

Most people just touch off the sides of there parts with the tool they are using in Y and X, zero your tool and then you can move exactly were you want to. Or make your self a referance jig to locate your parts the same after you set up the first one. It is the same practice machinest use. Send me a PM if you want to try it and I can explain it a little more.

dragonfinder1

Thu 03 December 2009, 09:38

Castone

How do you set up when you want the file that your cutting to be in the center of a pattern in your material that might not be or is not centered in the base material?

Castone

Thu 03 December 2009, 10:07

If you start as I was talking about before by finding your 0Y 0X . You can measure the board you are cutting, then you can just jog to what is the center of the board by looking at your computer. Or you can go MDI Type G0 X10 Y5 F20 and hit enter and it will jog to that location for you. Most parts do not require it to be this close but when it does this will always work.

ikeike

Sat 02 January 2010, 23:07

John,
I'm so impressed with your design for the bolt together table. Do you mind sharing the dimensions of the I-beam stock you used for the X-axis and legs? Great work!

buibui

Sun 03 January 2010, 22:41

Thank you Isaac. The I-beam for the main beam is 8" x 4" (I think they're called "long flange"?), and the legs are 4" x 4".

John

buibui

Sun 03 January 2010, 22:48

Dave and Leo, thank you for the advice. I've been away from the machine for a few weeks and haven't had a chance, but will give it a try.

John

buibui

Fri 21 January 2011, 01:20

Hi Everyone!

I can't believe it's been a year since I've last posted...time FLIES when you have a MechMate in the garage, especially when you're trying to learn how to use the thing! Anyways, here are a few projects that I've done since I finished my machine. Nothing too complicated, but a learning experience nonetheless.

John

11072

11073

11060

11061

11062

11063

11064

11065

11067

11068

11069

11070

11071

11066

Robert M

Fri 21 January 2011, 03:45

John, you shouldn’t expose those, some will become jealous of your talent !
I know I am :rolleyes:
VERY nice & thankful of you to share these !
Congrats, Robert ;)

MetalHead

Fri 21 January 2011, 05:27

Great stuff. Can you share what you used to make these. I mean wood type (I reread the thread), method you used to paint them, bit etc. This is some nice work !!
What software did you draw these in?

domino11

Fri 21 January 2011, 07:48

Beautiful John, Beautiful! :)

Kobus_Joubert

Fri 21 January 2011, 21:50

I like it..very well done and thank's for sharing

buibui

Fri 21 January 2011, 22:47

Thanks for the compliments, guys.

Mike, for the v-carved stuff, I've been experimenting with HDU foam (top two pictures) and hardwoods like poplar and maple (fourth & fifth picture). I've used various bits, but narrowed down my favorites to Whiteside 90 and 60 degree bits for carving, and 1/4 straight flute and Onsrud Super O for the profile. I'm all over the place with feeds and speeds, but I normally cut b/n 100-200 ipm...maybe a little on the slow side.

I'm still trying different techniques for finishing, but I'm getting the best results so far with painting first, masking, and then v-carving through the mask. Long process, but i like the crisp edges.

fanefane

Sat 22 January 2011, 13:14

Beautiful work, congratulations!

Sergio-k

Wed 02 February 2011, 03:16

liaoh75

Thu 03 February 2011, 07:58

Beautiful Work Sergio!

buibui

Thu 03 February 2011, 19:35

Hi Sergio, no the paint doesn't melt, it just cuts away. Only the lettering gets paint after carving.

John

liaoh75

Sun 06 February 2011, 08:48

John, can you tell us what you use for the "mask"? Is it transfer tape the sign industry use to transfer vinyl lettering to it's final location? I've tried this technique before, but found some problems with my masking "tape" peeling away the original paint in patches. If you've not had this problem before, the question may seem confusing but if you've had similar problems, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Also, what type of paint are you using? Water based or oil? How long was the dry time before applying the mask. After you carve, how long do you wait before removing the mask? Sorry about asking so many questions in one go, but I've just about given up on the masking--> carving-->peeling mask strategy. Then I saw your beautiful work and felt inspired to try again:)

buibui

Sun 06 February 2011, 21:59

Hi David,

Yes, I had a lot of problems with lifting, but after a lot of trial and error, I'm now getting pretty consistent results. I use Oracal 813 for the masking, it cuts very cleanly, and a little less tacky than masking tape. It can still lift off paint, though, so I have to be gentle removing it.

I use both oil and waterbased paints, and let them dry for at least 24 hours before applying the mask...more if possible. I've found that certain brands work better than others. Here in the states, Sherwin Williams work great for me, but cheaper brands like Valspar tend to peel away.

John

Gerald D

Mon 07 February 2011, 00:32

A liitle tip I picked up on a forum.....only paint/coat wood while it is cooling.

Wood is porous and full of air. While it is heating up, it breathes out..while cooling, it sucks in. You get the worst adhesion (and finish) if you paint in the shade and then put in the sun to dry. First put in the sun, then take inside to paint, and leave inside until touch dry, then maybe risk heating a little to speed drying.

cmd1991

Mon 07 February 2011, 06:58

Those are some Great looking signs!
Maybe one of these days we can "invest" in some v-carving software.:D

ChiknNutz

Mon 07 February 2011, 07:53

Being an ex-sign maker (lost our business to the crappy economy), I love this type of stuff! Excellent work. If you want true sign-grade paint with lots of pigment, look for One-Shot (oil-based) or Ronan (typically water-based).

isladelobos

Tue 08 February 2011, 10:13

Hi John.

Very nice machine.

Im not see in the photos were is the method you use for fit perfect the racks in the main beams under the main rails, is possible you cut your main beam 0.6" ?

Regards

HomeMadeCnc

Wed 06 April 2011, 10:13

Thanks for posting all your projects, keep the rest of us motivated!
Tim

slobato

Tue 25 September 2012, 13:04

Save this topic as favorite in my profile it´s possible? how to do? it´s for easily more find. Thanks
John your MM it´s amazing!! CONGRATULATIONS

slobato

Tue 25 September 2012, 13:58