New thread for Mike to ask me questions about my shop [Archive]

mikejohn

04-02-2006, 03:24 AM

Ed
Thanks for the opportunity.
Pics 1 - 7 Interesting to see inside the holy of holies!

Pic 16 - 23 What is the story behind the wrong leg hole positions? Was this just a one- off on your table, or have others similar experiences?

Pic 32 I guess this is a cyclonic dust collector. Is home made?

Pic 33 You appear to have left a raised portion inside the maximum table size. If this is correct, why?

Pic 36 This appears to be 18mm (3/4" ply) Did you cut it in a single pass? What router / spindle do you have?

Pic 39. Won't the reindeer get sick, eating sawdust?
Pic 41 What is thsi for?

Pics 42 - 51. You have explained this very well elsewhere, but could you explain 46 and 47 to me? (I'm a non-vac man). Is the heart shape the shape of the piece you are cutting?

Pic 52 This is where I get lost with vacuum.
I beleive from your other post, that its a plexiglas sheet lying on the gasket in the Corian.
And that there is a shaped gasket in the plexiglass for the timber.
Does the plexiglass suck flat to the corian (and the board flat to the plexiglass)?or is it help of the surface by the gasket?

Pic 52 onwards What wood are you cutting? How many passes?

I said I had many questions. I feel there may be more to come.

Is mucking out the reindeer as big a problem as we have mucking out rocking horses?

..................Mike

ed_lang

04-02-2006, 08:58 PM

Pic 16 - 23 What is the story behind the wrong leg hole positions? Was this just a one- off on your table, or have others similar experiences?

I have not heard of anyone else having the same leg hold trouble. I just fixed this myself and continued the installation.

Pic 32 I guess this is a cyclonic dust collector. Is home made?

Yes, that is my Clear Vue Cyclone. Check them out on the net. I ran 6" duct from it to most of the machines and some, like the Shopbot, I connected with 4" flex hose.

Pic 33 You appear to have left a raised portion inside the maximum table size. If this is correct, why?

That is a picture of the surfacing routine running. The Shopbot has just started and I took the picture. My entire table is flat edge to edge. Good eye!

Pic 36 This appears to be 18mm (3/4" ply) Did you cut it in a single pass? What router / spindle do you have?

It is 3/4" and I just don't recall how many passes. This is the computer stand that you can download from the Shopbot web site. IT was my first project I cut, followed by the deer.

Pic 39. Won't the reindeer get sick, eating sawdust?

It seems to have had affected them! They are still real thin and don't move much.

Pic 41 What is thsi for?

The machine on the shelf is my vacuum pump. It is a low volume high vacuum type pump. If you notice the inlet is 1.25" so it is not so little volume either. It is a two stage oil pump, thus the clear tube, which is the vent to the outside. I ran the Blue Quest pipe in my shop for vacuum and air. I have quick disconnect fittings on both at every place I might want air or vacuum. The big guage is so I can watch the vacuum while the Shopbot is running so I can rest easy knowing the part will not move. The white cannister is a whole house water filter with a string element in it. This is how I filter my vacuum before the pump. I did remove the spring from the bleed valve and tighten the screw so the bleed valve would not allow air to suck past it. It is there to allow you to PUSH it and release any trapped air after you replace the filter cartridge in your water system.

Pics 42 - 51. You have explained this very well elsewhere, but could you explain 46 and 47 to me? (I'm a non-vac man). Is the heart shape the shape of the piece you are cutting?

46 is the top and 47 is the bottom of the same jig. I mounted a slab of Corian on the table and then placed this "puck" and then put my solid wood block on top. I have made quite a few heart shaped boxes and the Shopbot does the inside area clear then the outside profile cut. Next I mount a thinner square of wood and then the Shopbot cuts the top. I either laser engrave the top or scroll saw it. Here is an example of one.
http://kc4ylx.smugmug.com/gallery/49114/1/17582867

Pic 52 This is where I get lost with vacuum.
I beleive from your other post, that its a plexiglas sheet lying on the gasket in the Corian.
And that there is a shaped gasket in the plexiglass for the timber.
Does the plexiglass suck flat to the corian (and the board flat to the plexiglass)?or is it help of the surface by the gasket?

In this picture, I am using 1/4" MDF painted with latex paint to keep from leaking. This never worked out good for me so that is why I use plexiglass. The idea is the same, just different material. I first lay Plexiglass on the Corian and suck it down. I run a outside toolpath that just cuts the surface of the Plexi so I know where to but the gasket. Then I drill a hole in the Plexi so the vacuum will hold it and the wood down for the real cutting.

Pic 52 onwards What wood are you cutting? How many passes?

This is an Arrow of Light award plaque for a local Cut Scout Pack. When the plaque was finished, I laser engraved on the bottom so each one was personalized for each Cub Scout. There is also an arrow hung under the plaque. They were cut from Red Oak. The one in the pictures is pine and is one of my prototypes. I cut them with a 1/4" down spiral bit running about 16K RPM and 2 or 3 inches per second. Two passes for the outside cut. I backed off on my cutting since the oak let a fair amount of air leak thru it. It was 1/2" thick. With good vacuum, I could run it much faster.

I said I had many questions. I feel there may be more to come.

I'll be happy to answer them if I can.

Is mucking out the reindeer as big a problem as we have mucking out rocking horses?

I expect it is about the same..... The Clear Vue Cyclone does most of the mucking out for me. What it does not get, my 10 year old and a plastic snow shovel takes care of!