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-   -   Man I'm having fun with this machine #101 - St. Louis Mo. (http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3124)

Tom Ayres Sun 22 June 2014 16:45

Darren, not to change the subject, but do you remember your cut rates and speeds for solid surface off the top of your head? I've got a real quick job I got to do

darren salyer Sun 22 June 2014 17:49

Not exactly.
I cut it at a lower RPM and faster IPM than wood.
The idea is to cut at low RPM and fast speed to keep heat out of the bit, which melts the plastic onto the bit and your kerf.
Don't let it scare you. Its easy to get right.

Tom Ayres Sun 22 June 2014 19:00

Thats ok I already cut it. I have a single flute insert bit I use for solid surface, I just kinda matched the PC router speeds I use and rough guessed the feed rate, worked out beautifully, I've never had solid surface melt on me except when overheating it for a bend, gets kinda stringy in a flash. Now I gotta do the buildup here in a few minutes, sucks because its an oval table, uses alot of extra material and is a pain in the butt.

parrulho Sun 22 June 2014 19:14

Daren, take a look at http://enrouteadventures.blogspot.com/ there are a lot of inspiring signs and "how to" articles. It's for Enroute software but Aspire should be able to use same techniques.

darren salyer Mon 23 June 2014 05:33

Thanks for posting the link, Paulo.
I've followed Dan Sawatsky for years.
I'd love to take one of his classes sometime.

racedirector Mon 23 June 2014 06:43

Ditto on Dan's classes...one day....

darren salyer Mon 23 June 2014 06:51

Lets make it a mission to coordinate Bruce.
Be a great chance for us to finally meet....

racedirector Mon 23 June 2014 07:26

Excellent idea Darren. If/when my MM makes money I'll squirrel bits away for the trip/class. Also want one of his texture DVD's, would be nice to know how to use them :)

pblackburn Mon 23 June 2014 19:32

How is that design coming Darren? I liked what you had so far. Any changes or progress?

darren salyer Mon 23 June 2014 20:33

Funny you should ask Pete.......
I took the concept you saw to them on Friday because I was picking up material anyway, and all they want a simple oval with their logo and CNC Services, two sided, to hang in their front window.
They are making their own radius millwork display, and I'm sure I'll have to do something for them on that.

NOW, the rest of the story..... I liked the design I shared with you also, and I've been thinking the woodworking portion of my company, Absolute Basement Finishing needs to spin off into an independent company to pursue more work on its own.
So, I present to you ABF Wood Concepts.
Heres where I am so far, just Vectors, not toolpathed yet.
I'm thinking the oval will be Corian with inlaid epoxy, the curved portion will be a piece of 5 1/4" fluted casing with inlaid prism letters, and the rest is still up in the air.
I'm still open to criticism and suggestions....

http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...psd235dac7.jpg

I did a quick shallow v carve on the vectors so I could save as a jpeg preview image to upload to Photobucket, that's why you see red toolpath lines.

lonestaral Tue 24 June 2014 05:38

I would not dare to criticize such a work of art.
(Just get rid of the red lines):D

darren salyer Wed 25 June 2014 05:52

Thanks Al, will do.

When I finish a basement, I try to hide the support columns in walls, but sometimes the design doesn't allow it.
Here is a column wrap I did with some 3/4" MDF and scrap trim.
Used the fluting toolpath in Aspire, and ramped the flutes at beginning and end.

http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...pslzwqwg54.jpg

darren salyer Sun 29 June 2014 21:00

KER-PLUNK!!

150 balls from Amazon.com $18.99
4 feet of fencing from RuralKing $12.00
Scrap MDF, leftover paint and some rips of leftover pine 1x $0.00

Hours of fun for kids at a birthday party.....PRICELESS!!

http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0gn9ojej.jpg

IMMark Sun 29 June 2014 21:08

Thats awesome...well done!
Mark

Tokamak Thu 31 July 2014 09:56

http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...psdd79e5e3.jpg[/QUOTE]

Darren,

I'm want to try cutting the 2" Corning Foam Insulation. Looking for info on a good place to start. What length/style of cutter do you use? Is it a long reach, single pass or multiple cuts? Anything to watch out for?

Thanks
John

hennie Thu 31 July 2014 23:30

That is a good sign!:)

Tom Ayres Fri 01 August 2014 04:35

How well does that foam stuff paint? Does it last long in the sun? Bet you can cut it fast too.

darren salyer Fri 01 August 2014 05:58

Foam can be cut at a lower router speed and faster machine speed than wood. The idea is to not melt the foam back onto itself or onto the bit. Heat is the enemy.
Single passes shouldn't be a problem, no strain on the cutter.
On a lot of these foam projects, I'll grab an aerosol can of "textured ceiling" finish, which gives it a sort of stucco look, and seals up the sign surfaces.
Any exterior paint works well, and mine seem to be holding up well, as long as they are out of reach of curious hands...(and hail).
Ease of painting is dependant on level of detail, and number of colors, just like with anything else.

Tokamak Fri 01 August 2014 07:15

Thanks Darren, I'll try some test cuts this weekend.
All your work is excellent! Innovative, inventive!

darren salyer Fri 01 August 2014 12:42

Thank You, John.
Good Luck.

danilom Fri 01 August 2014 23:50

I cut pink foam if thats "Corning Foam Insulation" using 10mm long straight woodworking end mill, 10-15mm per pass, If I go any deeper there is too much material inside cut and it sometimes packs it in the edge.
Blowing out with air would help. 12000 rpm and around 2500mm/min or more.

Paint with acrylic, I use white lacquer and add wall paint pigment to color it. 3 coats.

Tokamak Sat 02 August 2014 19:17

Thanks danilom, thats some good information.

darren salyer Wed 27 August 2014 19:46

Been flying pretty far under the radar lately, not getting near as much shop time as I'd like.
Did this little job the other day for a person exhibiting at an Art Gallery....
Notice all the sawdust? who's the genius who forgot to turn the dust collector on?

http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...pseyq0bvmg.jpg

servant74 Wed 27 August 2014 20:06

Some wonderful cuts. What are you 'gearing up for'? ... I recently got an 'automatic' switch on my dust collector. Turn on my machine tool and the dust collector turns on, and turns it off 10 seconds after the tool is turned off. I found a place to get the controller refurb. But it works well... better than my memory anyway!

http://www.ivacswitch.com/ and I have the little iVAC Switch, other models work better for different setups. I am just a happy customer.

lonestaral Thu 28 August 2014 02:42

Dust, what dust.

Are those sunglasses ?

Sprocket to me baby.:D

KenC Thu 28 August 2014 02:58

Gears! Lots of gears!!!!
Now you are officially an MMer.

Tom Ayres Thu 28 August 2014 03:19

"Sprocketeer"- connoisseur of sprocketry

darren salyer Sun 26 October 2014 20:23

Still checking in daily.
Haven't had much to post about lately, still battling Lyme, which has been a real roller coaster. At the moment, things are good.

I cut this Red Oak Island counter top from a 5'x10x1 3/4" glued up slab blank supplied by the customer.
Probably the most expensive hunk of wood on the MM to date, and while I was nervous to press Start, it went easy peasy. Rest assured I double checked everything first, including zero.....http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...psz75eezac.jpg

pblackburn Sun 26 October 2014 20:27

I wish you the best on your fight. I hope you get it eliminated soon.

sailfl Mon 27 October 2014 02:28

Darren,

I have not been on here much and I must have missed the post about you being sick. I hope you recover quickly.

I did the same checking when I cut the large 2" thick Acrylic slabs. Looks like a nice job.


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