Another Interesting Site

[VanIslanddan]

http://www.wikihouse.cc/
http://blog.wikihouse.cc/
Wiki house is an open source construction set. It's aim is to allow aim is to allow anyone to design, download and "print" cnc milled houses and components which can be assembled with little formal skill or training.

[bill.young]

I don't mean to hijack Dan's thread, but how many of you would be interested/willing/capable of doing a cutting job as large as a house? There is quite a bit of interesting work being done in cnc-cut housing...I've worked on a couple...but it's much more practical when the manufacturing is done locally, maybe even onsite.

I've got nothing specific in mind..basically curious at this point...but just wondering how many of you could be interested in taking on projects of that size and could deal with the logistics of a very large cutting project?

[myxpykalix]

It would seem at first thought that you would need some system to mark and identify the parts in such a way to separate them and to know you have cut all the specific components but i'd at least be interested in learning more about the process.

[Brady Watson]

...but just wondering how many of you could be interested in taking on projects of that size and could deal with the logistics of a very large cutting project?

Money talks and is a powerful motivator for large projects like this. If there is enough profit, it would be just like any other job that comes in the shop. Of course, a forklift and trailers do help for moving materials around.

-B

[bill.young]

Hey John,

The bean-counting part of large jobs can be tricky for sure...here's a Google Doc (http://goo.gl/6DhNE) with some thoughts we put together for the FabLabs.

[bleeth]

Bring the info with you next month Bill!

[michael_schwartz]

I would cut something like this.

You would want software that would automatically generate or print labels when you cut each sheet. Perhaps with a QR code as well so you could take your iPhone and see that part highlighted in a 3D model of the building, or a cad drawing of the assembly it belongs to.

I do wonder how anything like this could be anywhere near as efficient as the way houses are framed today but I suppose you could accomplish some interesting things architecturally. If I get around to build a home, I will likely experiment with some similar ideas for portions of the structure.

[bill.young]

Hey Michael,

Keeping track of parts is definitely an issue, and in our case we've dealt with it in two ways. In the New Orleans house at the MoMA almost all the parts were unique, so we had to cut a part number on each one that described where it went in the assembled building. A Cad drawing was used to check, but the assembly went pretty smoothly. A big help was that the MIT guys spent a lot of time organizing the sheet layouts so we could stack the sheets in the order they needed the parts and they didn't have a couple of thousand parts in a big pile!

Inspired by LEGO instructions we've been able to color code the pieces for projects like Shelter2.0 that have a limited number of different pieces, so that the assembly instructions can be done graphically and not require any text. That way it doesn't matter what country they go to, as long as they can follow the pictures.

I agree that it's hard to get anywhere near the efficiency of a framing crew, but if the design and construction method is done right you don't need people with construction experience or special equipment to put it together. A building can be assembled by family or community, with only a little supervision.

[michael_schwartz]

I have worked on a small timber frame and that is a similar concept. After spending a week cutting all the joinery by hand its pretty amazing watching the structure go up in a couple of hours.

You could get away with putting up a cnc cut structure where I live as long as an engineer would sign off on it, so building something like this in my neck of the woods would definitely be possible.

[VanIslanddan]

As I never seem to have enough space I have been considering building another shed or perhaps a "spray booth". I have looked at the shelter 2.0, MoMA, plyberframe and now the wikihouse. They are all very interesting but I am very courious if there is there a significant advantage in either cost, design or function. I would be very courious about peoples experience compared to conventional framing?

[CNYDWW]

I've been looking into this simply for a "cabin". I don't like building permanent structures out on the property. I tend to put up something that can be easily taken down in a year or two then recycled. The reason I put cabin in quotes is due to my usual setup. A few small buildings that are easily transported one usually containing sleeping quarters and another for a simple kitchen/lounge/hunting blind. Now you know why it only stays put for a few years:D. It usually takes a season for the viddles to get used to the sight and smell of a new structures. Simply due to medical issues, this is how I have to hunt. I wake up early, sneak over to the mess and setup. Due to snow load i don't know how well the structures they show would hold up in the winter although this winter they'd be fine. Still green grass showing although there has been some snow. It's been warming up into the 40's regularly with rain. Maybe i should make sure they don't float away before i worry about snow load.

Regards
Randy

[bill.young]

I was really just fishing at this point. We get quite a few inquiries from around the country about buying things like a Shelter 2.0/MakerSpace kit, but the shipping is occasionally a deal-breaker and not very green. I was hoping that there would be ShopBotters in different parts of the country that would be interested and have the capability to handle a lot of plywood and a pile of cut parts.

[woodworx]

can these be adjusted for sheets with different thicknesses?

[bleeth]

Bill: I've had a couple calls about cutting sets for that also. Never a booking. I think they had trouble understanding how long it takes to cut a whole set and what that much time costs.

[bill.young]

Hey Justin,

We usually try to design for a little variation in material thinkness, and depending on the designer we supply partworks and/or dxf files so toolpaths can be adjusted a little.

We've found, though, that specifying the material is the best way to make sure that everything turns out correctly. For instance we spec Advantech for the Shelters..it's stable, consistent, widely available, and long lasting.

Bill

[woodworx]

I see. I just think any outdoor application such as this that is cut on a CNC should take advantage of NewWood. It is virtually waterproof, and cuts nicely.

They only make it in 7/16" though.