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anyone have any lessons or plans they would be willing to share. we have had our 4896alpha for a few months, have done sign projects, starting a chair project suggested by TJ. I am looking for more ideas, the physics kids in my physics class are making trebuchets. 2analog, one group is going shopbot ting, but any ideas would be welcome.
Jim…
Here’s a project I do for the school my wife works for, as a summer “kids college” project.
I do this with a group of about 30 kids ranging from 1st through 6th grade. I precut the parts and deliver them as a kit containing a V-carved block with the kid’s name on it.
The kids and the parents love it! Younger kids use them for toy caddies, many Barbie accessories are carried around in them! Dads love them to start a tool collection for their sons and the ones that are gifted to moms become center pieces!
Depending on the age and abilities of your students, they can modify/customize them to show their personalities. A larger version could have a removable integrated tray.
Hope this helps…
SG
consider that design stolen....er.....borrowed!
what are you using for a cutter to cut the box joints? 1/8"?
here's one of the first projects we cut. Someone had donated a pallet of ash that was milled to 10" wide by various lengths so we made these shaker-esque stools. They were built the old school way but the parts could easily be cut on the Bot. We only used the Bot to personalize the seat. if we did them again, we'd make the leg pieces on the bot including through mortices for the stretcher piece, and we'd put dados on the underside of the seat.
in this instance, we countersunk 3/8" holes, screwed all the pieces together and plugged the countersinks. This was the exemplar and I need to get a kid to finish it.
Karl Hoyt
Anything with the school logo/mascot, ect.... Graduation plaques,, awards for top teacher,,, student,,
I cut graduation plaques for a HS band. Every grad in the band gets one
Karl…
I’m pleased if you can use the design… I would have liked to have used a compression bit to cut the 12mm Baltic Birch but that would have made my dog bone fillets too conspicuous as the smallest practical ones I have found are ¼”. I used an ⅛” upcut “O” flute bit instead… Just what I happened to have on hand.
I marked a v-bit dimple on two of the box joint fingers per side as a guide to placement of a finishing nail… By tacking the glued up box with finish nails we eliminated using clamps that we didn’t have in the quantity needed. Besides… hammering is the best part for the younger students! We counter set the nails before we sanded the ends of the fingers that were left .02” proud by design.
When I first started doing this, I made the hole for the dowel rod handle a through hole and slid the rod in and glued it after the box was assembled… lately I’ve been making it a pocket. This gave another type of joint to talk about, let us use a screw to fasten it (another topic of discussion) and most of all solved the problem of never knowing what size the dowel rods were actually going to be today. I make the pocket big enough to work for most of the variance we find in 1” dowel rod…
As an aside… My project is done with a group of kids with a wide range in age and ability. To keep the quicker students occupied while I’m helping younger/slower students, my kit includes a version of the 3D cube puzzle scaled down to work with ½” MDF. The parts have an onion skin “flash” intentionally left on that requires sanding before they can attempt to assemble it and win a prize for doing so. The candy prize is available for all who successfully complete the puzzle and the older students become mentors and teachers before the week is over!
http://www.shopbottools.com/files/Projects/SquarePuzzle.pdf
I’m happy to answer any questions that anyone has about this project.
SG
The attached PDF contains vectors...
Interesting…
Apparently the vectors were stripped while uploading. Try this!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8GtiBWUjRyRbkZDajVtT2lnalE/edit?usp=sharing
SG
thanks for the effort on this project... we'll give it a try: the new semester is starting up and a few kids want to use the Bot to do most of their stuff..... (I also have four grandsons... all who will be getting a tool box:-)
kfh
I have used my shopbot for creating lots of different projects with my students. We have had our PRT Alpha for going on 8 years. When we first started I struggled with ideas for implementing besides the obvious sign projects. But we have come to do a lot of unique award and memorabilia. Each year we cut out over a hundred plaques with the next years graduation year and our school name to pass out to the 8th graders when they come to open house. Each spring we cut coasters in corian for retiring teachers. If you look at my posts on here we make step stools in my beginning woodworking class and personalize the tops. The remainder of the components are cut traditionally. In my cabinet making class we have made different pieces for our school including a 4'x8' oval conference table with the school logo vcarved in the top and covered with epoxy. They also construct a dovetailed memory box traditionally and then cut an inlay for the top of their box.
In the past my engineering class has utilized the shopbot for trebuchets. We did large ones one year for a competition and then each year after that We made them on a smaller scale. They were allowed 18x24 baltic birch plywood. The trebuchet was to be considered "flat -pack" no mechanical fasteners or adhesive allowed. When assembled they threw grapes. Another engineering project was stamp and die. We used Aspire to create a stamp and die and tested them with tin foil and then cut sections of pop cans. The possibilities are endless.
My latest commission came after a conversation with our principal. He would like a school spirit stick. Since I have an indexer that I needed a reason to learn to run...it never ends. Where else could you get paid to do something so fun?
That's what I'm finding, Mike:
even after only 10 or months with the desktop we're only limited by our imaginations: (and the size of the table). in my generic woodworking classes we are still doing the large percentage of stuff the old school way but there's always that AHA moment when we realize that the Bot will cut that piece efficiently and accurately.
My principal is a huge supporter . After the first time seeing it in operation he said" we need a bigger one!" and he's right. I already have the design 80% completed for a "nauset electric guitar' design that we'll be able to spit out: Painted basswood bodies, solid maple necks: cool body shape and great pickups/hardware. These will be fund raisers for the new machine in addition to a sign making campaign. We should be able to get a 4'x4' machine with the sale of about 10 guitars or some combination of signs and guitars.
you're right: we're paid to have fun! One of my favorite things is when we start to run a part: everyone stops what they're doing to come watch the machine do it's thing.
happy Friday
Karl Hoyt