The Tinkers Workshop

Another CNC Machine Build..... But Smaller And Cheaper

2012-02-21T08:11:00.000-08:00

This is my friend Neal Meeker from the QC Co-Lab maker space in Davenport Iowa with his newly designed and hand built desktop CNC machine. I was fortunate enough to be at the Co-Lab yesterday to give advise and watch his new machine come to life after Neal had spent the last couple of months building it.

Neal did a lot of research online to figure out how to come up with his design that only cost him around $300 to build. As you can see from the photos below he managed to get the machine to do some test drawings for the first time running which is a big step forward for any new design. Drawing on a piece of paper is cheaper than ruining a good piece of wood or worse yet damaging a CNC bit or the machine itself.

The machine is mostly made of MDF board and stock hardware parts. It can run up to 20 inches per minute using small stepper motors and a USB connection to Neal's laptop. The software is also custom designed for the machine and is fed to the stepper motors using an Arduino circuit board. This in turn will make everything move including the trim router for cutting and engraving of parts up to twelve inches square.

Great work Neal! I can't wait to see it cutting the first parts.

Hedge Hopper Jet Plans Now Available Here!

2012-02-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

After some time I have finally gotten these plans placed on my blog here for sale. This is the Hedge Hopper Jet that I designed and build so that anyone can build it using one refrigerator box. These boxes are thrown away daily at most appliance stores so the cost of build the jet can be very inexpensive and repairable.
These plans are very detailed and easy to follow so that you can build this big jet in a very short time. Watch the video below of the review of the build manual and you will see what it takes to put this bird together.
To buy the plans select the "Plans" button at the top of this page to order. Very inexpensive at only $25. Once you have placed your order it will be sent to you by email as a zip file and you can start the build immediately!
These plans were originally listed on Payloadz.com but have been removed and are now only available here.

Check out the review of the plans here.

British Police Call Box Plans Now Available Here

2012-02-19T08:35:00.000-08:00

Dr. Who Fans rejoice! Now The Tinker's Workshop has complete plans for a British Police Call Box available! After some time I am finally able to offer a complete set of plans to this project here. Just select the "Plans" link at the top of this page to order a digital download of the plans.

These plans are very complete and detailed. Professionally prepared with over 70 drawings, 60 illustrations and 14 assembly drawings. All dimensions for the project are in feet and inches so you won't have to learn the metric system to build it.

Check out the video below for a review of what is in the manual to see what it is all about. Again order plans here not through PayLoadz.com. as this site is no longer carrying the plans.

Watch the video here. Press the YouTube button for a larger view.

New Clock Concepting Work Using Blender 3D

2012-02-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

Today I have been working on some concepts of a new clock that I have in mind. The internals of the clock are displayed using the same principals as the Angel display shown below. I used Blender 3D software to do this work and I think my efforts have once again paid off nicely. I have two similar yet different clock displays shown as though they were already built and sitting on my desktop.

The original clock was laid out in a horizontal layout but after doing some calculations and looking at the dimensions of it, this did not look good. It would have taken up way to much desk space. The vertical layout you see here seemed to be a better idea. It still could display the clock numbers the way I wanted and yet take up a lot less space at the same time. Also the clear display was discarded as it made reading the clock more difficult to do so.

As you have seen in previous posts I use Blender 3D software a lot in the creation of many of my projects. It's a free way to see if and idea is even worth looking at and I can do the concepting work in a fraction of the time it would take using engineering modeling software. I think the clock will be a worthwhile effort to put together.

My friend Steve Hamer from the QC Co-Lab maker space in Davenport Iowa helped me test out the display idea using high intensity LED lights and so far it looks promising. The next step is to make the display a bit brighter (maybe double up the amount of lights?) and figure out the outer case as you see here. I like the black case but the wooden case would also be very nice and probably simpler to put together. Just will have to keep plugging along on the idea. Once step at a time..... one step at a time.

New Promotional Video!

2012-02-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

Click the YouTube button for a bigger view of the video.

This is a little video that I put together to show off the update that I just completed on the Makerbot Video Camera Dolly that I had built months back. The video looked so good that I decided to use it as a promotional video for my blog site here. Check it out and let me know what you think of this project, the video or anything else that I have up on my site. Enjoy.

QC Co-Lab Video Tour Part Two

2012-02-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

Press the YouTube button for a bigger view of the video.

Today I was able to finish the video editing for part two of the tour of the QC Co-Lab maker space in Davenport Iowa. In this video we continue the guided tour of the maker space with Steve Hamer the president of the group that we started in part one. Steve shows us the different work spaces, tools, and equipment that is available to anyone interested in creating, build, or designing a project that they need help with or simply do not have the space to do so at home.
I have been with the group for almost a year and a half now and there is always something new being worked on or planned at the Co-Lab. Check out the videos and the website (www.qccolab.com) for more information.

QC Co-Lab Video Tour Part One

2012-02-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

Press the YouTube button for a bigger view of the video.

Today I spent a good portion of the day working on the Solsylva CNC machine I have been building in Davenport Iowa which I've video taped for my blog here. Along with this work I was able to persuade my good friend Steve Hamer of the QC Co-Lab maker space who also is the president of the group to allow me to video him giving a guided tour of the space. The amount of video that I filmed was quite large which I was happy about but I had to split it up into two parts for easier viewing, editing, and placement online. Here is part one of that video. Part two will be posted here as soon as I get it edited. Enjoy the tour.

The Solsylva CNC Machine Build Part 4.... Progressing Nicely

2012-02-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

Press the YouTube button for a bigger view of the video.

This week members of the QC Co-Lab maker space (Davenport Iowa) and I started assembling a good portion of the parts for the Solsylva CNC machine. With the helping hands of John Richards, Ben Ziegler, and Steve Hamer work progressed nicely. Steve is the president of the QC Co-Lab maker space and is a driving force when it comes to projects like this one. These friends of mine are shown in the video putting the machine together as I directed the construction and handled the camera work. It's much easier having someone else handling the tools while trying to create video at the same time.
A group effort that makes this whole project that much easier, fun, and better in the long run. Enjoy this installment of the build and see how easy it is to put one of these great machines together.

The Solsylva CNC Macine Build Continues....Part 3

2012-02-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

Press the YouTube button for a bigger view of the video.

This week at the Tinker's Workshop I continue on with the building of the Solsylva CNC machine designed by David Steele. This video covers a lot of the parts that I have made which will be assembled in the coming weeks (with videos of course) for the CNC stand and major components of the CNC machine itself. It will start taking shape here very quickly in the coming weeks so keep checking in and see what it is all about to build your own machine for your workshop!
Also if all falls into place I will be putting together a video tour of the QC Co-Lab maker space in Davenport Iowa very soon. I hope to get this video shot over the coming weekend along with interviews of a few of the members of the maker space. This should be interesting and fun at the same time.

The Solsylva CNC Machine Build Video Part Two

2012-01-18T18:43:00.000-08:00

Press the YouTube button to see a bigger video.

Lot's of progress again today on the Solsylva CNC machine build for the QC Co-Lab makerspace in Davenport Iowa. This video show the next step in the assembly as I put together part of the gantry for the "Y" axis of the David Steele Solsylva CNC machine. A good start to another great project.

Building The Solsylva CNC Machine Video Part 1

2012-01-17T21:19:00.000-08:00

Click the YouTube Button For Bigger Video

After spending the last couple of days gathering emails, drawings, notes, tools, parts and my video camera I started building another Solsylva CNC machine. The video posted here will hopefully be one of the first of many videos that will step you through the process of putting one of these wonderful machines together designed by David Steele.
A lot of what is on this blog already is because of this machine. Check out the video and follow along in the coming weeks and hopefully I will give you a good idea of how to put one of these together for your shop. I will not give you all the particulars concerning this design as you will have to buy a set of plans from David Steele from his website. http://solsylva.com/ It will be the best money you ever spent for a tool that you will love to build and make things with. I'm a big fan for sure.

Building The Solsylva CNC Machine....... Again

2012-01-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday I was once again in Davenport Iowa for a group meeting at the QC Co-Lab maker space. As usual I enjoy rubbing elbows with the guys and ladies at the Co-Lab and compare notes, projects, and ideas that everyone has. It has been finally decided to start the build of another Solsylva CNC machine for the Co-Lab and I am to be the driving force behind this project. This is all well and good as having built the same machine for The Tinker's Workshop I am considered the expert in our little group at the Co-Lab.
I spent all day today going over old emails and notes to figure out where I ordered all the intricate obscure miscellaneous parts that will go into the machine that you can't buy at your local hardware store. Luckily so far this has been the least of my worries about this project. I will build the more intricate parts of the machine in my little workshop and then haul them down to Davenport to do the final build. The guys at the Co-Lab will do the major construction, painting and electronics. With my guidance of course. Then we'll get it up and running, dial it in, and start making more interesting stuff at the Co-Lab.
My plan is to document the build here on my blog to give you a good idea as to what it will take to put this wonderful machine together. I have a lot of photos of my first build and so as I progress with this build I will lay out what needs to be done step by step. I do not plan on giving away the plans or the detailed information that is in them as I did not design this CNC machine and do not have the right to give this information out freely. It was the ingenious work of a gentleman by the name of David Steele. I do not wish to take away anything from Mr. Steele so you will have to check out his website for information on how to get your own set of plans for his design. http://solsylva.com/
I think with the information I plan on passing along to you in the coming weeks will better show you what it takes to put his wonderful machine together. After having already built this design once before I can tell you that it will take some work but it is far from difficult. I give a gold star to David Steele for the information that he lays out in his plans that makes it all doable by anyone that is just a little bit mechanically inclined. I also can give everyone some ideas that I have come up with to make his design a little easier to build and use. If you like my ideas then go ahead and use them. If not build the machine the way David Steele designed it. That's up to you. No biggie.
So check back here over the coming weeks and you'll see the process that I will lay out for you to build your own Solsylva CNC machine.

A Wide Load Ready For Area 51

2012-01-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

After six months of work I spent this past week making a big push to finally complete my Makerbot Semi tractor and trailer assembly. Last Friday I printed parts for eight hours to make the cradle for the UFO and all of the tires for the Lowboy trailer. Today I spent an additional six hours to print the rims and hubs for these tires. Here is the end result.

This last photo gives you a good idea of the scale of this model. It's big to say the least. That's a five dollar bill laying next to the model. The model from bumper to bumper is 30.5 inches long. The tractor is 7 inches tall and is 4.25 inches wide. The scale for the model is exactly 1/24th scale. The UFO also made on a Makerbot 3D printer is ten inches in diameter and has been coated with fiberglass resin, then sanded and sanded and sanded some more to make it smoooooth and painted silver. (See earlier posts on how this was built.) The complete model took over six months to design, print, and assemble. It would have taken less time if I had my own Makerbot as I have to travel 70 miles just to use one at the QC Co-Lab maker space in Davenport Iowa. The complete model has close to 500 parts in it and took almost 90 hours to print. This does not include the time it took to print out the parts for the UFO which has 133 parts in it.
This has been a great project to design and build. It could also have different trailers made for the model. It could have a regular flat bed, a tanker, or a cargo box trailer. Or even a car carrier. This would be great as a lot of different cars could be made on the Makerbot to be displayed along with the carrier. Probably would be another six months at least to do the eight or so cars that would be on the carrier. Something to think about for future projects.

In these two photos you can see the detail that was put into the assembly of the Lowboy trailer to make it align properly and be strong at the same time. 1/4 inch wooden dowel pins were cut and inserted into alignment holes for the rear chassis.

These photos show some of the intricate locking parts that make up the Lowboy trailer. Again all of the components are tied together using 1/4 inch dowel pins that were cut and sanded to fit into mating holes. All of these components were epoxied together to add additional strength to the assembly.

These three photos show all the work that went into the front of the Lowboy trailer that make up the hitch. Lots and lots of dowel pins had to be hand cut and fitted then as before epoxied to the rest of the trailer for strength. Time well spent as the trailer now is quite strong and more then able to hold up the weight of the UFO sitting on it.

Additional wooden bracing was added to the underside of the low section of the Lowboy trailer. I painted the wood gloss black to make it stand out and then epoxied this in to position. This stiffened up the trailer a great deal and it still looks good underneath.

Rediscovered Projects From The Past

2011-12-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

During my yearly Christmas routine of putting up and taking down ornaments, trees, and various decorations I came across a folder with a lot of old photographs in it. What made this find even worth looking at was the fact that the photos were of projects that I had worked on decades ago. I thought the photos were long gone and forgotten. So to show off some very early designs long before the Tinker's workshop even was a fleeting thought I present them to you here now.

The four photos here are of the airplane that I built from 1982 to 1984. A long two years in a workshop of a friend of mine that I just recently have been in contact again with. The plane is a Mitchel U-2 and was a real project to say the least. It had a 35 foot wingspan and was of wood and cloth construction. With the wings folded up it was still eighteen feet across. The engine was a converted Zenoah snowmobile engine. Complete with instruments and electric start. A lot of people had asked me if the plane was a kit. It was a kit only in the littlest sense. If you can call a pile of wood and a set of blueprints a kit than I guess that's what it was. The only thing that I did not build on the plane was the engine, wheels, instruments, and bubble canopy. Everything else was built by hand with little or no support from the company that produced it. Was a pain at times but also one of the best projects that I ever took on. I learned a lot about airplanes and how to build them.
I never flew the plane. I just did the ground testing on the plane and then donated it to an aircraft school in southern Iowa. A lot of people are surprised that I never flew it. I simply got burned out on the project before I got that far. That and the costs to just keep it were getting higher each month it just sat in an open hangar at an airport 30 miles away from home.
I read some place about guys who build airplanes and the statistics about the subject. It stated that if 100 guys each started building an airplane only 20 of them will ever complete it. So just the fact that I accomplished that much in this project I felt good about.

This project turned out very well and took a lot less time than the airplane. I still have this beautiful cedar chest at home and have had more than just a few people want to buy it from me. The chest is four feet long, two feet from front to back, and around three feet high. It is all solid cedar that I hauled all the way from a mountain in Tennessee to Iowa and then planed down to one inch thickness. It is heavy! It takes two people to pick it up and move it.
This was built in 1985 and still looks as good as it does here. Under each wooden button is a wood screw. Over 300 were put in. A lot of drilling to say the least.

These two photos are of my drafting table that I designed and built in 1993. My son at the time was four years old and is a good indication as to how big the table is. I still have it but now is collecting dust in a storage room in my home. It is solid oak and can be completely dismantled so that it can be moved from one place to the next without a lot of hassle.
I used the table to do engineering drawings for my brother for a couple of years and then later to create British sports car pen and ink drawings for a business that I ran for seven years. That was another very successful project that actually made real money too!

This photo is of my king sized canopy waterbed that I designed and built in 1979. It took an entire day to put the bed up or take it down. So you had to figure out where you wanted it and then measured the room very carefully because you would not even want to think about moving it once it was in place. It stood seven feet tall and was made out of pine stained in oak. The waterbed as I said was king size which measured out at six feet by seven feet just for the mattress. So with the framework it now measured closer to seven feet by eight feet. It was a beautiful bed complete with a mirrored canopy but very big to be sure. I had it for a lot of years and then moved on to something a lot less time consuming to move.

All of these projects were a lot of fun to build and now that I have the Tinker's Workshop up and running it just gives me a lot more chance to work on even more and exciting projects. So keep checking in and hopefully you'll be even more entertained and encouraged to work on some ideas that you have been putting off in your own workshop.

I've Brighten Hearts And Living Rooms With My Christmas Angel Light Display

2011-12-26T08:59:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas has come and gone I'm able to get this post put together and show off another project that I had worked on for a couple of Christmas presents. I didn't want this shown until my sisters each had gotten a Christmas angel light. The angel image I created using Corel software and it was engraved into a 1/4 inch piece of acrylic plastic. I then cut it out using my band saw and sanded the edges smooth. Also the bottom edge of the acrylic was heated with a butane torch to clear the plastic of the foggy effect you get when you cut it or sand on it. This allows the light to shine through the finished piece better. In the rest of this post you see how I put everything else together.

I started this project with a very nice piece of poplar wood. I selected this simply because it is a very easy work to work with and as you can see it has no knots in it. I machined the three wooden parts using my CNC machine to allow placement of the light and the electronics to run it and engraved the word "Peace" on the top face of the outer cover.

Here you can see how I clamped the two bottom pieces together to drill out the hole for the light switch using my drill press. The pieces were held on the drill press using a small vise. This made it a lot easier to hold the parts tight enough to make the perfectly straight clean hole. Another smaller hole was added to allow the wire for the power cord to be feed into the base of the display.

A small slot was cut out of the center top groove that is used to hold the acrylic angel. This allows the light to shine through the clear plastic.

The two lower pieces of the base were glued together at this point and allowed to dry. I realized after I had drilled the holes for the switch and wiring that I could have glued these parts together first and it would have been a lot easier. Live and learn.

Two small wooden pieces made from 1/4 inch plywood were drilled out to accept the small led light that was used in the display.

The light, light mounts, power switch, and a small 12 volt transformer were then installed into the base of the display. I set up grooves on the outer edge of the large pocket to accept the wooden light mounts. This made for quick and easy assembly of the electronic components.

Once I was satisfied with how the electronics were going to fit into the base I removed all of it to go onto the next step in the assembly. The top lid was screwed on to the light base using wood screws that were recessed into holes on the bottom of the base unit. This made for a very clean look when the base was completed. The parts were left assembled and then sanded smooth on a drum sander on my drill press.

The wooden parts at this time were removed from one another and four coats of polyurethane varnish was applied to each piece. Between each coat I sanded it very lightly to get a good clean smooth finish.

The electronics were then reinstalled into the base unit and tested. At this point I could breathe a sigh of relief as I am just a day one rookie when it comes to electronics. Even if I only had to solder a couple of wires together. Like every other tinkerer I am learning new things every day in my workshop. Just have to put a little effort into trying something new once in a while. I think my efforts have paid off very nicely. My sisters think so too!

Thank You!

2011-12-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

As Christmas is close approaching and the New Year will be here soon I wish to say "Thank You" to all the visitors that have taken the time to check out my little blog site. You have given me a lot of encouragement over the few months that the blog has been up to continue working, designing, and dreaming up new projects for the workshop. May you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

When I say "Action"...... Roll Camera!

2011-12-19T15:16:00.000-08:00

It's been another busy week here at The Tinker's Workshop with another fun project and trying to get ready for Christmas and all the hustle and bustle that it brings. This week I've completed something for all the people that are into creating video for the fun of it like me.

In professional movie making the big guys like Spielberg and Lucas have unlimited budgets and they get to use the latest and greatest gadgets to make their movies really something special. This week I've completed a video camera dolly that is small, lightweight, inexpensive and easy to use. It can be used on a table top and makes difficult video scenes a snap to make.

The video camera dolly was partially created using one of my favorite tools.... The Makerbot 3D printer. The red axle supports between both sets of wheels were printed using this 3D printer. Each section took about an hour to print.

The arm for the little dolly comes from a company named Pico and is purposely built for a dolly like this. They sell their version of this dolly online (without the arm) for $100. This was way more than I wanted to shell out for this little gem so I designed and built my version using the Makerbot for $22. The skateboard wheels I picked up on Ebay for $12 brand new complete with double sets of bearings no less and the rest of the hardware I found at Lowes for another $10. Quite a savings don't you think?

The arm for the dolly is special built and I did not even want to attempt to duplicate it as it is very unique in what it can do. This and the fact that it only cost $28 to buy which I thought was a good deal. To adjust the arm all you have to do is turn the knob with the "PC" on it and the arm unlocks. It then can be positioned in almost any configuration that you can dream up to get you video camera pointed where you want it. The arm is eleven inches long fully extended and is very well made and worth the money.

Here's a video demo that I put together showing you how the video camera dolly works and looks in action. So pull up an easy chair and get your popcorn and soda ready. All I have to do now is call up Spielberg and Lucas and tell them to stand back as I make my next epic video!

Is It Real Or Is It Blender 3D?

2011-12-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple of days I have been busy once again at the QC Co-Lab maker space in Davenport Iowa making more parts for my Makerbot Semi Lowboy trailer. Once I get a few more parts made I will post the latest progress with that project.
In the meantime I have been also working at home on the latest version of Blender 3D. Blender is a great 3D software that you can download for free to create beautiful 3D graphics, full animation and even create your own games. This software even has a full video sequence editing software built right into it. I use it to edit my videos complete with sound, title, and effects editing. Great stuff.
I have been using Blender 3D for around ten years now and I also use it for concept work to see what a project may look like before I even build the first part. I actually did this for John Deere for a time for a new concept that they wanted modeled up faster than what we had previously been using to design with.
Blender just updated it's render engine and so I am learning new things as I always am and have been having a ball with the latest version of Blender. Below you will find just a sample of what I have been up to.

This first image is not a photograph but a 3D computer model I created using Blender's new render engine called Cycles. Pretty amazing to be able to create something that looks this real in a computer. The new render engine is not difficult to use. Just a bit more steps to make it all do it's thing in the computer.

This little guy on the trike is a concept idea that has been stirring in my head for some time now. The vehicle started out as a pedal powered trike but now has evolved into what could be a full vehicle that runs on gas or electric power. Check out the detail that Blender show in the rendering. Looks about as real as you can get without having it sitting in your garage.

I wanted to see what the concept would look like for real and Blender now has made that possible without spending a small (or large) fortune to get there.

In this image I was playing around with the front suspension and steering set up so the driver had room for his (or her) legs to be stretched out. The first version of this concept was more cluttered and not as clean looking as this one.

In these two images you get a good view of the steering and suspension with and without the driver. This concept could be just a small commuter car or a even just a toy for a small child. When using Blender the computer model can be saved and a new one copied and changed in minutes which saves a lot of time in making modifications to the design. My cargo trailer for my motorcycle (see photos elsewhere on my blog) was created this way. This makes for an easier way to concept out a new design in a very short time.

This is a nice top view of the trike concept. For now this vehicle is a fun idea but the concept has a long ways to go and still has a lot of bugs in it before I would ever consider building it for real. But with Blender it gives me a good idea of what the finished vehicle (or at least the frame) will look like long before I decide to spend the time and money to actually put it on the road.

If you have not yet looked into using Blender 3D I suggest that you do so by checking it out and other images that I have here on my blog. The software can be downloaded for free online by going to Blender.org for the latest version which now is at rev 2.60. There is also a nice set of beginner instructional videos online at BlenderCookie.com which will get you started using this wonderful and fun tool to help you concept your next project. Worth a look for sure!

Makerbot Semi LowBoy Trailer Construction Has Started

2011-12-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have not been following my blog for the past few weeks this entry will get you caught up with my Makerbot Semi build that I have been working on. I have completed the assembly of the Semi tractor and the UFO (see earlier posts) and am currently working on printing out the Lowboy trailer for the complete model using the Makerbot 3D printer. I have been compiling some interesting data on this build over the past couple of days. So far the number of hours I have spent just printing the UFO and the Semi tractor has exceeded 80+ hours. I have also gone over my computer model that I used to design the complete model and the grand total of parts in the model will be almost 500 pieces. The best calculation that I can make on the total amount of time it will take to print out the complete Lowboy trailer is another 60 hours. But all of it is fun so it is another labor of love.

In this image is the computer model of the Lowboy trailer by itself. It is 23.8 inches long with a triple rear axles made from aluminum rod. With this trailer the total length of the Semi/Lowboy trailer assembly will be 30.5 inches long.

These two images are of the rear chassis of the Lowboy trailer with the axles and wheels mounted. This will help you better understand the progression of photos to follow below.

The Lowboy chassis for the rear wheels is made up of three separate main sub-assemblies. Each section took a little over an hour to print and I was happy they turned out so well. In black they are perfect for the build.

These "U" shaped connector pieces are what will be used to hold the three main sub-assemblies of the frame together.

With two of the chassis sub-assemblies flipped upside down I slid the "U" connector over the two mating cross pieces and snapped it into place. The fit was nice and tight and no glue was needed to hold it all together. I designed mounting holes in the "U" connectors to run plastic filament through to hold this portion of the assembly together. It was so tight that the holes were not needed. You would break the parts if you tried to take them apart at this point so my design worked out better than I had hoped.

A very nice looking assembly and 3D print job at this point.

As before another chassis sub-assembly section is added to the build at this point with another "U" connector to make a nice clean looking rear chassis.

Very tight assembly with good stiffness. The rear chassis portion of the Lowboy is complete at this point. It is 2 inches wide by 5.5 inches long. As pictured it is only 1.5 inches tall. Not a big assembly but nice detail just the same.

Here I've added the axles that will be used in the trailer. They were made from polished 1/4 inch aluminum rod and cut to 4.5 inches in length. The tips of each rod were then drilled out to accept a cotter pin to hold the dual wheels on each side. With having to print the twelve wheels for the rear chassis assembly it will take roughly another 15 hours of printing on the Makerbot. I will hold off on that portion of the build until the very last of the assembly of the Lowboy. All the wheels will match on the Semi so it will look really good. Look back at some of my earlier posts to see the Semi tractor build and the completed photos of it with the completed UFO.

Makerbot Semi Tractor Is Completed After Marathon 40.73 Hours

2011-12-01T17:40:00.000-08:00

After what seemed like months, today I have completed my Makerbot Semi Tractor. I counted up the hours and it comes to a staggering 40.73 hours of printing. This total does not include the design time nor the assembly time to put this portion of the model together. But I am not complaining in the least as it has been a lot of fun so far creating this little beast. The Semi at this point stands 7 inches tall, 4.5 inches wide and 10 inches long. The following photos show the wheels being installed and the photos of the completed Semi now has the air dam on the top of the roof also installed. The air dam alone took four hours to print. But I think it was all worth it.

In this photo are two of the three axles that I made using 1/4 inch aluminum rod. I drilled out the ends of the rods so that a cotter pin could be installed in the axle to hold the wheels on. This made for a much stronger assembly though I think the Semi could still be done using wooden dowels and then just glue the wheels on to the axles. A small end cap was originally designed for this purpose but again I thought the aluminum rod was a better way to go.

Lots of parts for the wheels had to be made for this porion of the assembly. Each wheel is made up of three parts. The tire, an inner hub (either red or black) and a white rim. It was a very tight fit which was like snapping Lego block together..... no glue was needed as it was a very good fit.

This is a good shot of the front wheel with the cotter pin installed. I added a small washer behind the cotter pin so the wheels actually roll.

Here I am test fitting the rear dual wheel assemblies for the Semi. This part of the build was easier than I had expected and that is always nice to have happen in a big build such as this.

The wheels really dress out the Semi with the red inserts and the white rims!

I really like the red tail lights in the rear bumper of the Semi. A lot could be done with this model as my friend Neil had pointed out that I could have put LED headlights and tail lights in the model. I told him he can do that when he builds his Makerbot Semi.

These two photos give you a good idea of how big my completed Makerbot UFO and Semi really are. The UFO is 10 inches in diameter. I had not posted photos of the completed UFO so if I missed it here it is again.

The original UFO had a Makerbot solid printed dome on the top. I replaced this with a clear plastic dome and a complete interior with seats, controls and instrument panel. Makes for a much more interesting model.
Next on my plans for projects will be Lowboy trailer that will go along with these two models. The completed model of the Semi with the trailer will be 30.5 inches long and have a special carrier on the trailer that will enable the UFO to be carried on it. I think the trailer will be simpler to assemble than the Semi tractor has been but the amount of time to print it will also add up very quickly. This should be interesting to see how it all turns out and the number of total hours it will take to complete this large model. I'll keep all of you up to date on my progress so keep checking in from time to time and you'll see my progress.

An Ipad App We All Wish We Could Have

2011-11-29T15:48:00.000-08:00

As most of you already know if you have been following my blog I am into a lot of different projects. One of these I have been playing around with again today is Blender 3D. Blender is a powerful 3D modeling and animation software which I have used to created concept 3D computer models of ideas that I have in my head for future projects or just for the fun of creating an interesting 3D computer generated image or CGI for short. Today I got a wild idea after shooting a sample video of my Makerbot Semi that I have been creating using a Makerbot 3D printer. What most people do not realize is that Blender 3D has a built in video sequence editor that is very powerful for creating CGI for movies. Blender can take a normal video and change it to do something more than just adding titles or background music.
I am still learning this portion of Blender as I am always learning new things with the projects that I play with and so today I put together this little video. I thought I would post it here just to possibly give you a laugh and maybe make you smile. That and the fact that my video can show you what can be done using just a little imagination and some help from Blender 3D. Also there is no one that wants this Ipad app more than me.

My Makerbot Semi Project..... 27.87 hours and counting

2011-11-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

With all the projects that I have my fingers into lately I did not want anyone to think that I have given up on my Makerbot Semi build. Progress is still being made one part at a time and today I was able to put a lot of these parts together to get closer to completing the Semi tractor assembly. Current time now just printing parts has reached 27.87 hours. This does not even include the design time, painting or trial parts that just did not work out just right. So I would say to double that amount of hours would be a fair guess as to the time I have put into this project. But it is all looking really good so it is worth it. My sister thought I need a time clock to keep track of all the hours I put into a project. Sounds like another project in itself to put a time clock together.

In this photo the Semi cab complete with seats, steering wheel and windsheild were added to the main frame. Also the front bumper was glued and mounted at the same time. The sides of the cab were located using 1/4 inch wooden dowels that were inserted into mating holes in the parts. Photos of this process are included in this post further down the page.

These two photos show the floor/back wall of the sleeper test fit into the assembly. I was able to print this part all in one piece which worked out very well.

Here you can see the locating dowel pins that are used in both sides of the sleeper. This 1/4 inch wooden dowel is sanded slightly to make it easier to be pushed into the mounting holes. Then they are glued into place.

I slide the sides onto the center sleeper floor/back wall part and it was nice and tight so the sleeper is finally starting to come together. I even have a clear plastic rear window mounted into the back wall of the sleeper compartment.

In these two photos you will see the red mounting clip that is used to hold the floor of the sleeper to the Semi chassis. This clip has two oval shaped protrusions that slide into two corresponding oval slot in the sleeper floor.

In these three shots the Semi cab and sleeper parts are glued together using modelers glue for plastic and then taped together to hold everything together until it all dried.

Once all the glue had dried I was able to mount the sleeper in it's proper location behind the cab by glueing the sleeper to the Semi chassis along with the chassis/sleeper mounting clip into the sleeper floor. This made for a nice easy installation. Next will come the printing of the roof air dam, and the ten tires, rims, and hubs for the Semi. I'll use 1/4 inch wooden dowels for the axles to make the asembly easy and strong. I also will mount the exhaust stacks last as these will be the safest way to keep them from getting damaged during the final portion of the assembly.

Once I have the Semi tractor assembled a low boy trailer for the model will be next on my to do list. (See earlier posts of photos of the tractor and lowboy together.) As usual I will keep tracking the hours that I will have in this assembly for anyone that is interested.

It will take me a while to finish the rest of the model as I have to travel 70 miles to get to the 3D printer in Davenport at the QC Co-Lab maker space. Needless to say I want a 3D printer of my own here at home. A Makerbot or a Ultimaker 3D printer would be great. So if anyone out there is feeling REALLY generous this year and is listening, Christmas is just around the corner!.................. I can dream can't I?

Let there be light.....and some time to go with it...... The Plexi-glass clock project

2011-11-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working on projects such as the Makerbot Semi that I have posted before on my blog and some secret projects that I won't post simple because they are Christmas presents that I want to keep secret. Along with these projects I have come up with another idea that I hope will interest everyone as it has already for me. My CNC machine has made it possible for me to make some interesting things like the 40 inch blimp that I just completed so I thought I would figure out the correct way to do engravings with this wonderful tool. It took me several tries to work out the best CNC machine settings to engrave acrylic plastic and to do so I just took a piece of scrap that I had laying around in my workshop and started experimenting. With this playing I aquired the know-how to engrave whatever I wanted to make so that it was near perfect and then more ideas started popping up in my head. The photos below will tell the rest of the story.

This is the simple little engraving I did with the piece of acrylic plastic and of course I just had to put my name on it. It is only three inches long and an inch high and a half inch thick. Nice material that I want to find more of. After doing the engraving I taped off the back side of the part with painters tape and I cut it to size on my bandsaw and then sanded the cut edges smooth. The tape on the back of the part keeps it from getting scratched on the table of my bandsaw. The bandsaw by the way cut through this stuff like a hot knife through butter. The next step was to carefully and slowly heat the sanded edges with a propane torch. Slowly is the word here as if you go to fast the plastic will simply melt out of shape or worse yet burst into flames. The heating with the torch clears the foggy effect you get when you cut and sand clear plastic and gives you a nice smooth clear finished part. It's nice but not that impressive to look as some people may say and I agree, but that changes once you see the next photo.

Now this looks a whole lot better! I took a small piece of cardboard and cut a hole in it and then shined a light through the hole. Then I placed the little name plate engraving into the cut out which in turn lights up the engraving like a neon sign. Again some people will say "Ok...so what?". Wait there is more.

Now this is a photo of the famous Pink Panther engraved on acrylic plastic with a red colored light from a lighting base. Just a bit more impressive than my little name plate engraving. Getting more interesting as I go along don't you think? Keep reading.

Now comes the idea and another interesting project. I got to work using Blender 3D graphics on my computer once again and created a 3D model of my idea for you to see. How about making a plexi-glass lighted clock? It would be made up of several layers of clear acrylic plastic that would be lit like my little scrap name plate and the Pink Panther. Each column in the clock would have three separate layers of clear engraved plastic. One number would be engraved on each layer. On the left of the display would be the hours and on the right would be the minutes. This clock would have a black case and background for the display. You could also so the seconds on the clock if you have to be that precise in your time keeping. Me personally I would be happy that it just displayed the correct time.

This clock is exactly like the previous image only the display would be clear with no black background. The individual numbered layers in any column would be lit by led lights from the base and a small circuit board with an internal clock would keep the time. It could be made to practically any size that you wanted. My design here would have a display that is three inches tall by ten inches wide. The overall size of the clock would be a couple of inches more on both dimensions to include the clocks outer case.

This would make a nice desk top clock that would not be overly large. I will have to print out a display on paper to double check that it would not be to big for a desk. If it is I will adjust the display size accordingly. I also plan on making some test clear plastic pieces for lighting each column in the next couple of days. If this works out as I suspect it will I'll then proceed further and start building parts for the Plexi-glass clock project.

Follow along with me and we can both keep our fingers crossed that it will all come together as I have planned.

Lighter Than Air..... Almost

2011-11-07T15:11:00.000-08:00

After a busy two weeks I can finally let the dust settle just a little bit in my workshop once again. Everyone has been wondering what my latest project that I have been working on is so now I can bring it out of my little shop into the light of day. I talked with my friend Steve Hamer at the QC Co-Lab about building a blimp for the maker space in Davenport a month or two ago. We have a lot of empty space to fill up so I designed this one which will be on display when I make my next trip to the maker space. The blimp took me around three days to design and the next ten or so days to build. With the help of my now trusty CNC machine and the MakerBot 3D printer at the Co-Lab it saved me a ton of work and all in all the parts went together as planned. So check out the photos of the construction here and leave a comment or two on what you think of another one of my creations.

This is one of the ten rings that needed to be cut on the CNC machine. I used luan board which is only .20 inch thick. Nice stuff to work with.

Here are all of the rings cut out and laying on my living room floor. Total time at this point was around five hours work. I love the fact that the accuracy of the CNC machine in making the slots for the outer spars made this project possible.

These odd shaped pieces are the mounts for the two radial engines that you will see being built next.

Cut little radial engine don't you think?

These were printed on the Makerbot 3D printer one half of an engine at a time. Time to make each engine was around 40 minutes. Not to bad considering the time it would take to make these by hand in wood. Would be a real pain to try for sure.

Here are all of the parts that I cut out for the blimp using my CNC machine. As my machine can only cut pieces up to 24 inches long I made the front and rear spars link together like a puzzle piece and then bonded them together using fiber glass to get the length I wanted for the blimp.

These intricate looking pieces make up the gondola for the blimp. The white colored piece is the plastic floor. I was really happy that these parts turned out as well as they did. The floor was a nice touch to the model to put in a little more detail.

Here the radial engines, prop spinners, and engine cowls are laid out. The engines have a small bolt that runs through the center of each engine with a rubber washer that will be used to hold the prop disk off of the cylinders.

The engine cowls were then glued to the engine mounts. I like the contrast in colors of the white, silver and red with this set up.

The prop disks, prop spinners, and radial engines were then glued into the engine mount assemblies using epoxy resin. The clear disk I cut on the CNC machine which again saved me a lot of work to get just right. I like the look with the disk in this photo as it give you a nice effect of a spinning prop.

Another good shot of the radial engines and mounts. I left these assemblies sit over night to dry so everything would be bonded nice and strong.

These two interesting pieces are the nose and tail mounts for the eight spars that make up the shape of the blimp. The larger piece on the left took an hour and a half to print on the Makerbot 3D printer. Again something that would be more than a little difficult to make by hand and get the accuracy that is needed.

Now the painting begins. I laid down a lot of paper in my basement workshop to spray these and all the rest of the parts. After getting the job done I think I should have papered the entire basement. I had paint dust over spray all over the place. Just another reason to sweep out the cob webs again. Or should I say red cob webs now.

Test fitting the blimp rings to the spar sections. A little fussy but not bad.

Slowly starting to take shape.

Almost all of the spars are installed into the rings in this photo. Notice the nose section that was made on the Makerbot printer. Worked out very nice to finish off the nose and tail. I thought for a minute or so that I might like to leave the spars unpainted at this point but then realized that it would be more difficult to finish the assembly if I did not. You'll see why later on in this post.

In this photo the spars are painted and just starting to be put into the final assembly. I could not install all of the spars as three of them needed to be repaired when I was removing them from the test fit up. I wanted the assembly to be tight..... just not that tight. After a quick fiberglass and epoxy repair on the damaged parts they were better and stronger than when I started.

Nice symetry in the design.

Looks more like a submarine than a blimp in this photo. Here the upside down blimp is getting all of the joints bonded together with fiberglass epoxy resin. This made for a very strong and light structure but was hours to put together. Each intersecting joint had a fillet of epoxy applied to each face. I counted up all the fillets including the ones for the gondola. Would you believe 240 fillets? Believe it. I now can caulk my bath tub blind folded.

The painters tape in this photo of the gondola help hold all the little pieces together so that I could fillet the joints properly. I applied the fillets of epoxy using nothing more than a popsicle stick. Makes a nice smooth fillet and is easy to reduce the amount of epoxy resin that is needed for each joint.

Finally all of the filleting work is done.

Here the blimp is finally hanging in my computer room for final photos after painting a couple more times to cover up all of the white epoxy fillets.

The radial engines with the white cowling and prop spinners really stand out now. The clear prop disk is another nice touch.

Also a good shot of the tail feathers of the blimp. The center tail mount blends in nicely in the assembly after all of the painting is done.

I had to put this shot in to show the scale of this model. It is 40 inches long and very light weight. Cost to build? $20 tops. Half of that cost is just the paint. Another fun project that I can cross off of my bucket list.

How To Get Started Using Blender 3D

2011-10-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

Over this past week I have been hard at work on another new project that I will post on the blog once it is farther along. In the mean time I have been asked by several people to post some help on how to get started creating 3D images and animation using Blender 3D a free software you can download online. Here is the first of a set of videos I now have posted to do just that. These videos come from a site called Blender Cookie.com. This is a perfect way to get your feet wet and start learning how to use this software. If you have not already seen some of the creations that I have made with this wonderful software check out my Blender 3D Creations page here on my blog. Also at Blender Cookie.com there are further tutorials and information that will help you to create a lot of different things once you learn the basics. I hope you will enjoy using Blender as much as I have over the past ten years.

Getting started with Blender - Interface

2011-10-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

In this video you will learn about the Blender interface and navigation.

Getting started in Modeling with Blender - By Blender Cookie

2011-10-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Watch this video for an intro to modeling in Blender 3D.

Getting started with Materials in Blender - by Blender Cookie

2011-10-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

This video will get you started with materials in Blender 3D.

Getting started with Animations in Blender - by Blender Cookie

2011-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

In this video you will learn the basics of animation in Blender 3d.

Getting Started in Blender Rendering - by Blender Cookie

2011-10-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here is the video to learn how to render your computer image in Blender 3D.

Getting started with Lighting in Blender - by Blender Cookie

2011-10-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Getting started with Lighting in Blender 3D by Blender Cookie.

Cardboard Hedgehopper Jet Build Manual Review

2011-10-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

For some time now I have been wanting to put this video together and the information contained in it for a small toy jet that I designed and built for my son Eric many years ago. He is now finishing college so that will give you and idea how many years it has been. The jet was made using one refrigerator box! Eric loved the jet and played with it until he could no longer get into it. Anyway I finally knuckled under today and got all the information together in one place and put the plans for the jet online for sale. Here is the link to the site where you can check out more information about the Hedgehopper Jet and how to buy a set of plans.

http://store.payloadz.com/detail_html.asp?Id=973044

Here also is the sales pitch that goes along with that information and on the site you can download free sample files to check it all out.

This is a complete set of plans to build the one and only Hedgehopper Jet. A toy jet that is made from one refrigerator box Fast, easy, inexpensive construction that your children will love to play with. The plans will walk you step by step through the construction process with this 35 page manual. It has over 60 photos, 36 illustrations, and 25 technical drawings professionally prepared to make the build that much easier. The build manual also comes with 13 full size templates and another 13 full size, full color paper decals to decorate your Hedgehopper Jet once it is built. Light weight cardboard makes it safe and practically free to build when you pick it up from your local appliance store. They toss out large boxes every week and you can get them for little or nothing just for the hauling. Your son or daughter will love this big jet and it won t cost you an arm and a leg to build it. It is around five feet long with a wing span of 43 inches. It can be moved around easily and stored on it s tail when not in use. Build a squadron of them and do formations in a parade. Your kids will love owning a Hedgehopper Jet.

Makerbot Semi Sneak Preview

2011-10-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been faithfully following my blog I wanted to pass along the latest progress that I have been making on my Makerbot Semi project. Here are a couple sneak previews of how the cab will look on the semi chassis that has already been completed.

I was at the QC Co-Lab maker space in Davenport Iowa most of the day yesterday and got a few more parts made for the cab assembly. I could not resist and had to take a few shots of this assembly. None of the parts are glued in place yet but I was able to prop them up into place to get these photos. Gives you a much better idea of how the Makerbot Semi is taking shape. This portion of the semi is ten inches long 4 and 1/2 inches wide and once the wheels have been printed and put on the semi will be 7 and 1/2 inches tall. Stay tuned for further progress here on my blog!

Jacob's Ladder CNC Case Parts

2011-10-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of days I have been cutting parts on my CNC machine. The parts will be used to make a display case for a Jacob's ladder. For those of you who do not know what this contraption is the best description I can give is this. In a lot of the old time Sci-Fi movies there is always a laboratory with a mad scientist. In this lab is a Jacob's ladder running. It is two wires that form a "V" and a large electric spark moves up this "V" getting larger and larger and it looks very scientific. My friend Steve Hamer at the QC Co-Lab maker space in Davenport Iowa built one of these devices.

This is a Blender 3D image that I put together of the Jacob's ladder case. As in real life this devise is dangerous with the use of high voltage to make it work so a display case is must. The case would be approximately two feet tall or so. Originally Steve and I thought that a plexiglass clear cylinder would be a great idea until I tried to find one online. Great idea but EXPENSIVE! So I came up with this design. The plastic for the cylinder is actually the center sections from two liter pop bottles. The labels on the bottles can be easily removed and with a little WD-40 the glue cleans off nicely.

These parts make up the base and outer rings of the display case and are cut from 3/4 inch pine. I drew up the parts in my ProE design software and then did all the conversions that needed to be done in order for my CNC machine to understand what I wanted to make. This involved modeling the parts in the computer, creating a STL (stereolithography) file, sending it to Mesh Cam software which takes the STL file and creates the G-Code for the CNC machine. It sounds rather complicated but really it's just a matter of learning a bit of software and hitting the right buttons when needed. After the rings were cut out on the CNC machine I sanded them smooth with a sanding drum on my drill press. The CNC machine cutting bit leaves a rounded corner when you cut a slot so I cleaned up these up with a band saw in order to square them up for the outer support rails.

These three pieces are the outer support rails that hold the display case together. These parts were a little to large to make on my CNC machine so I marked the wood up from a drawing I created on my computer and then cut all the parts out on my band saw. It was actually faster this way and it all worked out very well. As with the wooden rings and base parts these parts were also made from 3/4 inch pine and are 23 inches long with the widest portion of the supports only being one inch wide. The notches in the parts will lock the rings and base in place when assembled. With some good wood glue it will be plenty strong enough for this display case project. I'll post more photos of the cylindrical case once Steve gets all the parts put together and painted. Hopefully I'll even get a video of the mad scientist's Jacob's ladder running. Just what we need for the QC Co-Lab.... something else scary looking and dangerous. What could be more fun to build?

Makerbot Semi Building Once Again

2011-10-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

After months of waiting for new plastic material for our Makerbot 3D printer in Davenport Iowa, I was finally surprised and pleased to see new spools of multicolored plastic waiting for me and ready to be used at the QC Co-Lab maker space. The first thing that needed to be done was to modify the original spool setup that would only hold one color of plastic. I got an immediate brain storm once I got my hands on the new spools of material. The inner diameter of the opening was exactly two inches so I started looking for a suitable shaft that would work with this diameter. Luckily laying in the workshop of our maker space was a piece of PVC pipe. It was a diameter of one and seven eights outer diameter. It slid into the spools perfectly with enough room too spin freely. Unluckily the piece of pipe was way to short to use. I dashed off to Menards picked up a new section of pipe with some nice end caps and was set to modifying the spool holder. This is how it turned out with the help of my friend Steve Hamer at the QC Co-Lab maker space in Davenport.

The new spool holder can hold five spools of plastic for the MakerBot. For some reason we did not get a spool with the white plastic but if we had it would fit easily on to the new holder.

So with this task completed I immediately started printing parts for the Makerbot Semi I had started on weeks and weeks ago.

I had already gotten the tractor frame painted and printed (see earlier post for photos and description) so the next step was to start the cab of the semi. Now with the new colored plastic I would not have to paint the new parts.

These pieces are the sides of the cab along with the floor. The floor pieces have a couple of pieces already installed in them in this photo that I call dog bones. This will hold the floor together without glue.

Here is the completed floor of the cab with the dog bones installed. The holes in the floor are the mounting holes to hold the floor in place on the frame and to mount the seats in the cab once they are printed.

These two photos are set up just like the cab floor and are of the front grill and hood assembly for the cab. I will have to make inserts for the grill in black which will make the grill stand out better once it is all put together. The parts that I printed yesterday took a total of five hours to complete. This brings the total time to print the frame and what parts you see here to 22.5 hours total. Needless to say it will be a lot more hours before the semi is completed. I will keep a running tally to let you know the grand total once it is all done. A long time to be sure. A challenge to design and build and a lot of fun along with that challenge.

A little sanding and three coats of varnish.

2011-10-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

I put the finishing touches on my caliper box late last night. With the engraving that I did on the box it really stands out just with the varnish and no stain. The box is made from poplar and not aspen as I originally said in an earlier post. The box also is 1 x 4 x 9.75 inches in size. If I do make another box in the future I will build it piece by piece instead of carving it out of on solid block of wood. Probably will take less time and will be a lot less mess on my CNC machine for sure.

Another Day...... Another Project

2011-10-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

After working for a couple of days dialing in my CNC machine and reworking G-Code files I completed another small beginners project on my machine. I did about a half dozen test cuts in styrofoam so as to not waste more expensive wood and since I've got a pile of foam in my garage it was the perfect thing to use.
I wanted to make a small box for my calipers that I use on a lot of my projects. The calipers is nothing real expensive but it works and so I thought the box project would serve two purposes as I need the practice in working with CNC and the box actually could be useful. The little plastic container that my caliper came in was nothing more than a plastic blister pack. Real cheap and flimsy to be sure. I wanted something that would be a lot more sturdy.

The foam gave me a good visual as to the size of my box and if I had designed it to fit my needs. This was cut at 30 inches per minute.

The vacuum system worked.... kind of. That was until It got clogged and I was removing very little of the sawdust that was left on my part. I cut this part at 30 inches per minute but dialed it back to 20 which worked just as well and the machine ran smoother too.

There's a part under there some place. Needless to say I removed the vacuum skirt and foot and ran a straight vacuum hose directly on the part. It was a bit messy but not anywhere near this bad. I will keep the guard when I am doing engraving or not trying to make a massive cut though wood like this one.

This looks a hundred times better. I still want to varnish the box but that is the easy part now.

Pretty close to a perfect custom fit. I'm pleased with it considering it is the most complicated piece I've tried to put together so far. A friend of mine at the Co-Lab in Davenport said that the hardest thing to make in wood is a box. After doing this little one. I believe him. Looks simple but it's not.
I'm glad to put my tools down for the day and let the dust settle.

CNC.... A Real Learning Process

2011-10-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

Over the past two days I have been working with my CNC machine trying to get to know how to make it work properly. First on the list was getting the table level with the "Z" axis so that when I want to engrave a piece that it is a constant depth throughout the entire part. I had to level the upper rails for the "X" axis so that at every corner of the table the cutting bit when touched to the part would read "Zero" on the Mach3 milling software that runs your part you want to make. I had to figure out how far out the table was in the first place and it did not look good. I started with the lower left front of the table and set my cutting bit to zero at this point. Then I checked the lower right corner. This was 3/16 of an inch lower. So was the upper two corners. In order to correct this I had to make some washer shims that I could slide under the mount for the "X" axis. This axis runs from the front to the back of the machine. The "Y" axis runs from side to side and the "Z" axis is the vertical axis the moves the cutting bit up and down. After about an hour or so of work and a couple of days of thinking about it I managed to get the table leveled to less than 1/64th of an inch on each corner. I was smiling at this point. Now I could do engravings and it would look great.
The next problem I encountered over the last two days was a problem that cropped up while trying to cut a simple little wooden box for my micrometer. I tried to cut this two part box in foam luckily as after five bad tries I was ready to pull my hair out of my head with frustration. What was happening was that the "Z" axis started to loose it's zero calibration that you set up before you start cutting a part. This calibration tells the machine that all measurements come off of the top surface of the part. The problem that cropped up was that the zero calibration started to change during the cutting of the part. In other words instead of cutting a 1/4 inch cut into the part the machine now would cut almost 1/2 inch deep cut. This made for bad parts every time. Luckily the parts were test cut in styrofoam instead of wood. Would have been a very expensive couple of days. After doing some research online I finally think I have the problem solved. I had made adjustments to the speed at which the machine cuts on all axis. I wanted the fastest possible speed without bogging the stepper motors down. Good idea but not for the "Z" axis. This axis as I said earlier moves the bit up and down into your part. But with too much speed the machine looses calibration and the cutting depth starts getting deeper and deeper somewhere in your part. I slowed the axis speed down and now it looks to be cutting correctly. One of the test pieces that had failed earlier today came out beautifully this afternoon. My sanity has been restored! Stay tuned for the final word and photos of the next finished part from the CNC machine and my workshop.

My Hamilton Technical College Lectures

2011-10-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

I had a big day yesterday giving a series of five lectures to the students at Hamilton Technical College in Davenport Iowa. I was asked by Gene Brack one of the faculty members if I would give the lectures to help kick off a new program called the Student Creative Initiative that the school is just starting. I agreed to do the lectures and so my day was filled with informing close to 200 students during the day of what I have been working on over the years and what projects I am currently working on and some ideas for future projects.
The students will have the opportunity to submit their ideas to the faculty for a project that they may have been thinking about doing but simply could not start because of lack of tools, guidance or money. If the project they want to create is approved it will be funded by the school and the students have until next March to complete their projects. Hamilton Tech is heavy into electronics but the students were told that their projects need not be only about electronics but must include this aspect of their schooling. I was asked to do the lectures to hopefully inspire the students in to thinking about different things that they could create and how the creation process takes place. At least how it takes place with me anyway.
It was a busy day for me and I was asked a lot of good questions concerning the projects that I have designed and built and also some great ideas about future projects. Hopefully I managed to spark a few ideas in the minds of the students with the slide presentation that I showed them and the smaller projects that I could pass around the room during the lecture. As you can tell by my blog here I enjoy doing what I am doing and hopefully a little of that enthusiasm has rubbed off me and on to the students that I spoke to. I wish them good luck with their ideas and hopefully something great will come out of the program.
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What Every Kitchen Needs..... Emergency Ketchup

2011-10-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here's my first completed project that I put together with the help of my new CNC machine. I had come across a very small bottle of ketchup in my travels and saved the full bottle for just such a project.

I encased the little bottle in a display case for my kitchen.

The case is 3 1/4 inches square and 4 inches tall. Made of aspen wood and stained in red oak with countersunk brass screws. The enclosure is complete with plexiglass windows that are recessed on the inside of each side panel.

Not that I ever would, but the labels on two sides of the ketchup bottle case are there because it just had to be done.

For All Dr. Who Fans......British Police Call Box Build Manual

2011-09-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

Here is another project that I put together earlier this year that I thought I should finally get put on my own blog. This project is for all you Dr. Who fans! This is a video review of a complete set of plans to build a British Police Call Box. Very complete and detailed plans professionally illustrated with drawings, instructions and technical drawings. 63 page manual with over 80 drawings and over 60 illustrations. All dimensions for the plans are in feet and inches so you won't have to learn the metric system to build this project. Complete instructions on how to buy the plans are on the video so check it out. Here's the link to order a set of plans.
http://store.payloadz.com/details/934673-eBooks-Technical-British-Police-Call-Box-Plans.html

The Vacuum System For My CNC Machine Is Up and Working!

2011-09-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

After a bit of work this morning I got the vacuum system for my CNC machine up and running. The parts for the vacuum mounts were designed by David Steele who also designed the machine itself.... The Solsylva.

The parts are nothing more than wooded pieces that I had made on the CNC machine a few days earlier and some plastic pipe from the plumbing department at Lowes. The black piece is the plastic tube that came with the shop vac hose that I had bought for the ceiling mount.

The small plastic pipe is mounted into the foot of the vacuum with epoxy resin.

Then the parts were painted and a plastic skirt was added to the foot. The skirt is nothing more than a section of plastic cut out of a two liter pop bottle. This pop bottle tube slid on the vacuum foot with a little elbow grease and some slippery dish soap. It is VERY tight so it is on to stay. No problem.

All the parts are now combined to make the complete vacuum setup. It stands just about 12 inches tall at this point.

A series of cuts are made into the plastic skirt so that it is more flexible. It curves inward naturally and looks really good at this point. I like the fact that it will keep the cutting dust from flying all over the place and you still can see the bit when you are using it.

Here the vacuum foot is installed on the CNC machine. A hose clamp is all that is needed to hold it into place as it is very light weight and does not move once it is mounted. The black screw just above the foot on the white plastic tube is a quick mounting screw for the foot and skirt so that it can be remove or installed easily for bit changes without having to remove the extension tube.

The vacuum system is connected to a standard shop vac hose that is mounted to the ceiling and the wall behind the CNC machine. The black piece of tubing that I spoke of in the first photo in this section slid into the white tube easily as it is tapered. All I had to do was slid it in until it I got a snug fit. That's it. Then all I have to do is plug my workshop shop vac into the other end of the hose and it's ready to run. I fired it up and it draws air in nicely with the vacuum skirt just touching the part I needed to cut out and form a good barrier and vacuum chamber for the setup.

My CNC Machine Is Making Real Parts!

2011-09-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of days I finally got up the courage to try and make some real parts on my CNC machine. I am already amazed at what I've been able to create in such a short time. The first parts are a simple little display box for a very small bottle of ketchup. The parts for the box I modeled in Pro Engineering (ProE) software so I thought it would be a good little project to get my feet wet using the CNC machine. I ran the first parts at only a cutting speed of ten inches a minute. I thought this was safe enough for a first go around until I realized that this machine has much, much more capability. See the explanation and photos below.

This is the parts that I made for the display case for the little bottle of ketchup. They all turned out better than I had hoped but each piece took me over 20 minutes to make. This being as I was only running the CNC machine at a very slow speed.

This gives you a good idea how small this bottle of ketchup really is. It stands only three inches tall and holds 2.25 oz of ketchup. Should be a nice little display for my kitchen with a small sign on the display case that reads "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS". I'll post more photos once I get the project all together.

Now for something really interesting. The rectangular part in the lower portion of this photo is one of the sides for the little ketchup bottle display box. It took over 24 minutes to cut on the CNC machine. The larger part in the upper right of the photo is about 1 1/2 times large with much more machining and only took 16 minutes to create. This being because the CNC machine was cutting at somewhere between 30 and 40 inches a minute. It was flying! The other two parts took only six minutes each to create. I'm still in awe over how fast and beautifully these parts were cut. The special parts are pieces that I will need to mount a vacuum hose to the CNC machine. This will keep the cutting table a lot cleaner while parts are being cut. I'll post photos of that assembly once I get it set up on the machine.

Let there be color..... silver and black for starters

2011-09-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

I got the Makerbot Semi parts painted today and the big model truck reassembled. Worked out very well if I do say so myself. I'm looking forward to printing out the rest of the truck when the QC Co-Lab gets the new colored plastic for the Makerbot that we have been waiting weeks for. Or is that months? Ouch! Just will have to keep my fingers crossed that our order will show up quickly.

I really like the look of the exhaust stacks. The black inserts really show off the exhaust guard holes. Already the model is 10 inches long and stands almost 6 1/2 inches tall even without the wheels on it. It will be much more impressive once I get the cab and sleeper printed out in bright red plastic. The model will even have a clear windshield and rear window. That along with a complete interior which will have seats, steering wheel and a bunk in the sleeper. Stay tuned for future updates.

Makerbot Semi Parts, and Parts, and more Parts!

2011-09-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks I've been print parts for my Makerbot Semi at the QC C0-Lab in Davenport. I finally have enough parts to start assembly of the Semi tractor so I thought I would post my progress here to let you see what I've been up to. Here is an image of the tractor what it will look like once it is completed.

Here is the main chassis of the Semi tractor. Thirty three parts so far and 17 and 1/2 hours of printing. Needless to say it was not done all at one time. So you can see why it has taken a number of weeks to complete so far. This does not include the designing of the Semi. Almost all of the parts will be painted silver for this portion of the Semi. The fenders at the lower center of the photo have already been painted so I think the rest should look just as good.

This photo is of the underside of the front axle mounts and the frame connector. Also in the photo you can see the front fenders and fuel tanks. The frame is joined together in three places using frame connectors (the square piece in the middle of the photo) and small pieces of cylindrical plastic taken off of the print spool that the parts are printed from. Makes a very strong, tight joint.

Here is a photo of the frame upside down on my computer desk. I'll paint all of the parts before I reassemble the Semi. It will be much easier than trying to work out the painting with such a detailed model.

These parts will make up the exhaust for the Semi. I'll paint the exhaust guards (the tubes with all the holes in them) silver with a center cylinder being painted black. The exhaust tip and mount will also be painted silver. The center cylinder being black should show off the guard nicely.

Here are the exhaust stacks mounted on to the frame.

This is a good shot of the Semi frame sitting without the wheels and again with the exhaust stacks in place. Once the QC Co-Lab gets a new shipment of plastic for the Makerbot I will continue on with this project. I have to print out the cab of the Semi and the sleeper next. These will be in colored plastic so I won't have to spray paint anything else. Once these are completed the tires will be the next thing on my to do list. I will use the one with the heavy tread instead of the smooth tire as pictured above. I think it will look a lot better with the truck.

Progress with my Makerbot Semi and The Hamilton Tech Student Creative Initiative.

2011-09-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

I've finally got started printing parts for my Makerbot Semi yesterday at the QC Co-Lab in Davenport. I had spent the previous few days attending a funeral for a family member so the Makerbot Semi was put on hold for a bit. I was at the Co-Lab all day yesterday printing for a total of five and half hours. I will take photos of the progress once a few more parts are made. I want to keep the progression in a logical order otherwise it will not make much sense in the photo sequence. That and the fact that I want to paint the parts all silver for the first portion of the build. I am working on the chassis for the semi tractor and had to correct a modeling omission before I proceeded. I have that corrected now but being as the Makerbot is in Davenport and I am seventy miles from it in Dubuque it will all have to wait till tomorrow when I can spend the entire day once again.

I also had to work on a presentation today that I will be giving to the students at Hamilton Technical College in Davenport next week. Hamilton Tech is starting a new program called the Student Creative Initiative which will encourage students to create a project and Hamilton Tech will foot the bill for it. I was asked to give a presentation on what I have been creating, dreaming of, and designing to hopefully spark some ideas in the students to get them started on their own projects. I have ten minutes to talk about projects that I would normally spend a couple hours on. A tough thing to do but I think I have it pretty well dialed in for the presentation. Should be interesting no matter what.

My CNC Machine

2011-09-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

I just completed this video/slide show of my CNC machine being put together on my Ipad so here it is for all to see. In the coming months as I have said in a previous entry I will be building another one of these wonderful CNC machines called the "Solsylva". This was another great project that was far easier to build than I had hoped and I am looking forward to making a lot of different things on this machine. I am still learning on how to run the machine and I will pass along what I learn as I go along. Again keep an eye on my blog here and I will try and keep everyone up to date.

The Tri-Yak Kayak..... My three section fiberglass composite take apart ...

2011-09-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have not already seen my three section kayak here is a video that I put online some time back which shows the boat in sections being put together, and paddling in the water. It will give you a much better idea of how it all works and looks in the water. A great project.

A 12 Foot Flying Saucer?

2011-09-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of days I've been working on my Makebot flying saucer. This is a 10 inch diameter 50's style flying saucer that all started because of a discussion I had with a close friend of mine. He wanted to know if I could design and build a 12 foot flying saucer for his front yard for Halloween. His wife and I both shouted "A 12 foot flying saucer?".

It has yet to be built but the idea stuck in my head so I decided to see if I could build a model of the saucer on the Makerbot.
The completed saucer pictured here turned out very well on the Makerbot. The sign next to it is displayed on my IPad so it give you a good idea how large this model is. Over the following weeks I smoothed out the body of the saucer using fiberglass resin, painted it and found a clear bubble for the top instead of the solid one and even created a complete cockpit with an instrument panel, gauges, control stick and seat.

The photo above will give you a good idea as to how small the cockpit instrument panel is. The dot on my finger tip is the decal for one of the gauges in the panel. I had to use a very large magnifying glass in order to cut out the decal from the sheet it was printed on. All in all it was worth the effort and will be a nice model to display.

The saucer is just the first one that has been made and may lead to other variations other than just being a model. One idea is to use the design as a desk lamp. Other ideas have come up to improve the model by possibly having working light and actual retractable landing gear. Stay tuned it could happen here in the coming months along with a longer list of improvements.

By the way this is what a 12 foot flying saucer would look like if you were standing next to it.

Why I Love My 3D Printer by Schuyler St Leger, Ep 86

2011-09-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

I saw this video posted online a few months ago which was created last February by Schuyler St. Leger. A ten year old young man explains better than anyone I have seen thus far on how a Makerbot 3D printer works and what you can do with it. I've posted it again here for those of you who do know know about this wonderful little machine.

1912 Indian Motorcycle Photo To Drawing and Da Vinci Homer Simpson

2011-09-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

Been a pretty busy day today working on converting a 1912 Indian motorcycle racer into a drawing that I can use to do an engraving with my CNC machine. The drawing was pulled up in Corel software and traced over line by line as you can see below.

This is what the rear wheel looked liked after it was traced and the photo was removed. Starting to look pretty good at this point.
Next the work continued on to complete the motorcycle as you see below of the photo and the completed drawing. The hardest part was the engine and all the detail that I put into it. This was a good day to work on this kind of thing as it has been raining most of the day and that is about the amount of time it took to create the drawing.....all day.

Below is what the complete Indian motorcycle racer looks like as a photograph complete and as a drawing complete. I will convert the drawing to a Windows Meta File or WMF and then it will be converted again to create the Gcode to run in my CNC machine. I think it will be a good engraving to make something that is sizable. I thought possibly that I might add the Indian Head Logo behind the motorcycle. This would be an easy thing to accomplish with Corel. Probably will take at least a couple more hours to set it up. I will have to look into it and see what it look like.

On another drawing I worked on a few days ago I traced out another Homer Simpson that I want to do an engraving of on my CNC machine. I call it Da Vinci Homer or what a lot of people are calling it online is Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man - Homer Simpson. Homer is shown holding a TV remote, a can of Duff bear, a pastry, and a hot dog. Behind him is a giant doughnut. Again I think this will be a fun engraving to put on a lot of different things. I've already ran a test on Mach 3 and it will take a little over an hour to do the engraving so that's not terribly long.

Welcome to The Tinker's Workshop

2011-09-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
Welcome to my blog site. I have been working on a lot of different projects over the past couple of years and I thought that it would be a good idea to get this out to the rest of the world. As you've seen from the opening page I am a retired designer and am still designing, dreaming, and building all kinds of stuff for the fun of it. I am a member of the Quad City Collaboration and Hackerspace or QC Co-Lab for short and have a lot of fun with the great people there. We share ideas, projects, stories and each others company so it's always a good time. In my blog you will find past projects that I have completed, am currently working on, and new ideas that will be future projects. The CNC machine that you will find photos of under "Completed Projects" was constructed with a good deal of help from the guys at the QC Co-Lab. They helped me get through all of the electronics work that needed to be done and I built the rest of the machine by hand in my tiny basement workshop.
In the coming months I plan on building a duplicate of this machine for the QC Co-Lab so that everyone there can have access to such a wonderful tool. I will document this build as I go along in my blog here so that everyone following my exploits will benefit by what I have already learned and maybe you will be inspired to build your own CNC machine for your workshop.
Also on the blog are photos of my composite three section kayak that I can easily haul on my Mini Cooper, a cargo trailer for my motorcycle with custom coolers, and a composite recumbent bicycle. The kayak was a great project and a lot of fun to use also. I designed and built the kayak from scratch again in my little workshop and it was launched a year ago last July. The recumbent bicycle also in the completed projects page is a composite fiberglass construction. I'm still trying to find time to get the tweaking done on the bike but the good news it is rideable and a very unique bike.
Another section in my blog is the work I have done using Blender 3D software. This is a 3D animation, render and game software that you can create either pictures or full animations. Games have been used with the software but with everything I am into I simply have not found the time to check that portion of the software out yet. Not sure if I ever will. I enjoy working in Blender as it is a great software to learn and create images of new ideas that come into my head.
One more section on my blog that I must point you to is the Makerbot 3D printer page. This is a great little printer that will create 3D objects from your computer files. I've have just begun to start learning this machine over the past year and hopefully will have one of my own in the next coming year. It will make a great addition to my CNC machine.
So this will give you a little idea of what my blog is about and hopefully you will check it out from time to time to see what new creation I am working on. Again welcome to my site and I hope all your projects turn out the way you've always planned they would.