Thread: Some More CNC Projects

Hi Mark
I love the picture of the girl dancing. Is it in Aluminum? The whole picture just flows and lives. Well done.

Bob Willson

Hi Bob... nope just melimine coated MDF. I then painted the girl in a metalic grey and the rest in a dull grey to create a duo tone look (not really visible in the pic). As the melimine doesn't absorb the paint its an easy job to just splash paint on with a big brush then using a squeegee to remove the excess off the white melimine "foreground" bit of a clean up with a rag and hey presto its done.

Whats cool with doing this in a very low res line screen is that the image is not very obvious from close but gains resolution as you step back or from an angle. Like Lithophanes high contrast pics work best. doing a bit of work in photoshop also can help alot.

You are very talented Mark.
Look forward to seeing more of your work.

Mark
Love the fish tank one, what shape and size cutter did you use on it? It look brilliant.The finish is so smooth.
Russell

Thanks guys.

Rusel the bit I used is a beading bit (also called veining bits) from Carbitool TBF8 1/2.

beading bits fine point

so its the same curved profile that is following the vectors.

Something a little different.
A water wheel for SWMBO that will be powered by a solar panel and 12 volt pump. The wheel is 400mm diam and has 24 paddles. I have placed a nozzle of the silicone gun in the photo to help size it.
It is quite heavy but becasue it is reasonably balanced it doesn't take much to make it rotate.
I have included the Aspire graphic so you can see how the hubs were made.

Hi Rod

I love the concept and that this could be made from scratch on a CNC machine. (Or, as you prefer to call them .. engraving machines)
A couple of questions.
Is the whole thing made from Perspex?
Have you used a bearing in the centre or is it just a bolt shank, or not even that?
Is the inner circle part an actual ring or was it formed by the accurate juxtapositioning of the water carrier blades?
Are you selling these at the weekend markets yet and if not why not?
OK, that's two couples of questions.


Bob Willson

Thanks Bob

Originally Posted by Bob Willson

Hi Rod

I love the concept and that this could be made from scratch on a CNC machine. (Or, as you prefer to call them .. engraving machines)


Your a tease Mr Wilson. I suppose it is like the Ikea flat pack concept.

A couple of questions.
Is the whole thing made from Perspex?
yes. Dumpster Diving for it so was limited by choices - I think black would have looked better.

Have you used a bearing in the centre or is it just a bolt shank, or not even that?
I turned a 10mm axle but it could run on a bolt or rod. I have a washer glued to the rim so it is bearing on 12mm of material each side.

Is the inner circle part an actual ring or was it formed by the accurate juxtapositioning of the water carrier blades?
The rim is a piece of 3mm acrylic and 100mm wide that was bent around the circular groove you can see in the drawing. It was like a giant spring and the join is under a vein. I super glued the rim to the hub and that held it together well. The veins are siliconed in the slots to make each compartment water proof.

Are you selling these at the weekend markets yet and if not why not?
No. I'm just into playing around in the shed and would rather be there than spruking at the markets..

OK, that's two couples of questions.
Actually there was an extra one in there as the last one was a double banger.

Bob Willson

This is a bit OT but the design of the water wheel is a credit to our ancestors.

When I researched designs on the net I wondered why the veins were angled upwards and not at right angles to the rim - a much simpler design. When you draw it up it becomes obvious that the compartment will not spill water until it is much lower in the rotation and therefore drive for longer than a right angle paddle.

This is an adapter block I made today from a piece of 32mm thick ally billet. The centre pocket is 26mm deep and I used a 6mm HHS roughing bit to pull it out quicker as the finish isn't critical. Outside it is 127mm diam. Tubot handled it with ease at 1500mm/min and 1mm DOC.

Top surface has been orbital sanded as the billet was ex scrap yard and a bit untidy.

These machines are not engravers when you can produce stuff like this.

I commissioned the water wheel tonight and had to slow down the flow of water. It is so efficient that is was going way too fast to qualify for a relaxing pond ornament.

Originally Posted by rodm

This is an adapter block I made today from a piece of 32mm thick ally billet. The centre pocket is 26mm deep and I used a 6mm HHS roughing bit to pull it out quicker as the finish isn't critical. Outside it is 127mm diam. Tubot handled it with ease at 1500mm/min and 1mm DOC..

So this is to adapt from the round plastic end cap to a square one?

Originally Posted by rodm

These machines are not engravers when you can produce stuff like this.

Surely this is just very deep engraving?

Originally Posted by rodm

I commissioned the water wheel tonight and had to slow down the flow of water. It is so efficient that is was going way too fast to qualify for a relaxing pond ornament.

Maybe if you attach a generator to it, it will supply enough power to run itself.

I didn't know what to call it but it will have a 80mm 12 volt fan in the square pocket and pipe adapters each side.

Yeah you got me a beauty on the deep engraving.

Well I've been finishing off the boat bits and one of the pieces has a large oval hole in it... this left some interesting scrap... soooo.

The billet silver surfer was born!


Been watching too many kids movies and the other day they had the cartoon "surfs up" on TV.... the board is inside the wood (*edit ally) Cody... you just have to release it

Arrrrh, surfs up mate!

Hi Mark,
I missed this one. Did you attach the fin or is it cut from the block of ally.
Keep these coming I am enjoying seeing what you get up to.