late night cnc

ttocs · Jan 23, 2019

this was actually just a quick project to fill some time while waiting on some parts. The switches in my switch panel started to fail on me one at a time till 3 out of 8 were bad. I am pretty sure it was my own fault from doing some fine sanding on the pieces and then trying to fit them. The way the latching push buttons work I have had issues before that dirt/dust can collect around the top and then when you push it down it pushes the dirt down into the switch. I contacted the nice folks at sparked innovations and asked if they had a high failure rate on the switches and they did not. After telling them it was my fault they were nice enough to send out a new set all I had to pay was shipping.

Now with them I can install the panel, the console, the front seat and then aim the lights and put them together, the last real thing keeping me from putting it on the road. But I have realized that it doesn't really mean anything to finish it as I still can't go anywhere with my stomach crap. In the last 10 yrs I have only been able to make it 90 miles away for a day/night at most. If I get out of my house for a quick trip to the auto parts or hardware store once a week, that is usually about it.

Got the epoxy out and put it together tonight. Amazing how the camera pics up finger prints on gloss black, the crap on the right wiped off after I saw it in the pic.

Unfortunately it will be a little bit till its lit up I didn't realize the amazon place I got them from was out of china till they shipped them....

evilcw311 · Jan 23, 2019

Wow, imagine that Scott. It’s your car and if you never wanna do more than customize it then who is anyone else to tell you differently?!?! [emoji1787]

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ttocs · Jan 25, 2019

i got the lights in today and got them mounted. I can only light one up at a time right now though.

And a shot from the back in case your curious. You can also get an idea of how I made the shrouds for the two smaller gauges starting with pvc couplers.

ttocs · Jul 12, 2019

my latest project starting point. I moved the buttons from my radar detector from the coin holder/vert top switch location below my radio which opened up a new place for, something.... Its hard to see but they are the same size, the switch is just sitting about 3" above the pieces I cut because of how tall it is. There are 3 pieces there, a .22" piece of acrylic with the back painted black(the ring around the outside) and then the center of it was cut down to allow the inserts to sit flush. There are then two pieces that go inside that hole cut out of .1" thick acrylic. One is a trim ring .1" wide that I want to make out of aluminum just to help hide the edges of the EL lighting I use and the larger insert in the middle I will paint/engrave. I have some lighting to go under it that I think I will use to illuminate something security related for the alarm. It would also be easy to turn into a usb port for a radio or a custom light if anyone else likes it.

ttocs · Jul 20, 2019

1/8" end mill
1/32" end mill

ttocs · Jul 22, 2019

more fun stuff

This was a project for a freinds daughters bmw. He said it was for his kid, I assumed it was for his son and said we could fill the space with "Deez nutz" or something just for fun. He corrected me it was for his daughter, but they shared the same sick sense of humor so.....

This will be an air bag cover and my first project doing inlaid lettering. I was impressed as the fit is tight enough you have to snap them in place and they will stay there. It was also my first time taking a real life shape and making a cut out for it to go around the pony logo I had. I took a pic of it, loaded it into the software and then traced the outside of it and then resized it.

In case someone is not yet aware how I am doing this its with a CNC operated router. CNC just stands for computer numerically controlled which is a fancy name for a very very accurate computer system to move the router around. For the air bag cover to get into the small corners/lines on the "5" as well as in the pony I was using a 1/32" end mill bit.

and if anyone needs a dog or cat tag hit me up and I can make a fun custom tag and mail it out.

ttocs · Aug 7, 2019

so far I have only worked with plastics, abs, acrylic, ect. I have been wanting to move up to aluminum and the handibot has the ability I just need to figure out all the numbers for how fast it moves for each bit. Tonight I finally started to make some glitter and really happy with how it came out. I was surprised I got the tolerances right that after a very short sand all the pieces slid together so tight that if I didn't have the hole on the back fo the lighting I would not be able to get them apart.

I just need to polish the trim ring, round off the outside edge and the lighting is easy to insert and it will slide right into the coin holder/switcharea. I might make it say "security" or something for the alarm. I might have to make this one into a keychain or something just cause.

Now I can't wait to make a trim ring to polish up for the switch panel. The one that is on there is made from acrylic and then backed with chrome vinyl and it looks nice but its really the only part of the panel holding it back from looking marvelous....

ttocs · Aug 8, 2019

I was THIS close to making just a big "FUCK OFF" for the security led but I decided to make it cleaner and still fun.

Yet another door has been opened with the cnc....

ttocs · Aug 11, 2019

there was some learning to be done with aluminum as the material that ended up with a little more scrap then I liked and a LOT of glitter. I remember years ago hearing about a practical joke where you mail someone a glitter bomb just to be a PIA to clean up. At the time I remember thinking that it seemed like an very cruel joke, and that I just didn't have any glitter. Well now my friends are afraid... Its either that or I find a good chemical reaction that likes aluminum oxide

The pics really do not pic up how much better the aluminum trim rings look over the acrylic but it really finished it off nicely.

Hey logan what is your address?

evilcw311 · Aug 12, 2019

That’s funny cause I have your address.

Paybacks are hell my friend!!!! [emoji38]

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ttocs · Aug 12, 2019

evilcw311 said:
That’s funny cause I have your address.

Paybacks are hell my friend!!!! [emoji38]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

unless someone really gets me mad I am really leaning more towards the thermite option. Now I just need to find something to burn through....

ttocs · Aug 18, 2019

I had the worst week with my stomach in a long time. I got to dreaming a bit and decided to design some pedals to machine up just for fun. I thought I would show the design phase a little as well as to ask some opinions. I went through a couple of designs before I settled on something that looked like the horozontal tail lights(since they are better) with the ford logo in the middle. The only part I have not completely solved yet is I want some grip on them so I want to put a rubber insert that I am hoping to find a friend with a laser cutter to make.
The gas pedal starts with the plexi. I will probably paint it and go with red just to help show the idea its modeled after the tail lights. The foggy areas are machined down to .2" thick and the sections that stand up are .22" tall. The raised sections will be seen, the lower section will not.

Next was the base plate. This is .1" thick and will really not be seen at.

These are the rubber pieces. It is .125" thick so it will stand .025 above the plexi and the top plate that goes around this.

And finally the top plate out of .1" thick aluminum goes on top of it all.

For the clutch and brake this is the plexi, same as above

And then the back plate that the plexi goes through

Then the rubber

And the top plate

For finishing I am leaning towards having the aluminum anodized black, the plexi windows red and then stainless screws for the hardware. The rubber is black of course as well. I thought about just brushing the top plate as it would make them stand out but I kinda like the black pedals with red plexi with the black carpet I have. I think it would look a little more evil but I am open to ideas if anyone has any.

ttocs · Sep 20, 2019

did a small change for a buddy.

ttocs · Nov 17, 2019

I have been wanting to test out its 3d carving capabilities and learn a little about how to do it. This is my first attempt at it and I like it overall but I didn't have the right V-bit for the letters and there are a couple small spots that were not perfect. I think I found what to do for christmas gifts this year.

evilcw311 · Nov 17, 2019

I like it!!!!

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ttocs · Dec 5, 2019

my stomach has been holding me back the past 2 months. I have been lucky to be out of the bathroom long enough to get anything done before I am running back for one reason or another. Because of this I started to use the time I was laid up to learn a little about the next relm that this can do, 3d carving. The program has a number of different patterns that you can make all kinds of adjustments to. My first one was just a simple weave and I didn't know how to adjust the depth or a couple of other things so it came out pretty flat and boring but it gave me an idea of what it could do.

For the 2nd one I made some adjustment to the depth and then decided just to make a sign with my family name on it.

This was all on mdf just to use cheap wood to get a feel for it. I am going to prime/paint it to finish it. I wanted to do something a little cooler this time and see some more of the carving ability. My brother said to make him a skull if I could and well its a start. This was made from poplar to try real wood.

After that I wanted to try a design program to download rather then off of the software. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do as there are thousands of designs that some cost a buck, some 15. I found this one for $4, Nicholson from "The shining" and this is the computer rendering.

my brother is an artist so I am going to have him paint it and then after that I will have to find a way to flush mount it inside our lower level bathroom door inside.

The next step I wanted to try was double sided carving. Its really easy in theory as you carve one side as well as use the cnc to drill two holes through the material and into the spoil board below it. Then you flip the piece and insert some dowels through the holes into the spoil board so that its in the exact same place and then you carve the 2nd side.

I have a couple small project for friends I need to finish but those are all things I need to sit/baby sit the cnc while it worked and I have not been able to stay out the restroom long enough to do them. These were all long programs that once I started it could be 1-3 hrs before it was finished. After all those carvings I was not surprised that the cheap shop vac that we had burned out after the long run times, but I was AMAZED at how nice of a super fine layer of dust that the cnc can create and spread so evenly in a 10 ft radius after 10 mins with no vacuum. If you look at the videos, it burned out on the last one and you can see the dust it is leaving already just a minute after the vac burned up. I hit the black friday sales for a new/bigger vac and then made a dust collection system from a fast food places pickle bucket to go between the cnc and the vac to help take some of the strain off of the vac itself. I hope I figured out yesterday what might have been the problem with my stomach this time so I can finish my friends projects and get back on the car but it has been rewarding to see this stuff be made. I think I know what I will be doing for christmas presents now.

ttocs · Jan 18, 2020

this means something.......

96blak54 · Jan 18, 2020

Appear to me you are taking the garage back!

PinkieT · Jan 18, 2020

Hey ttocs! Cool stuff you are doing. I bought a toolbox with a mixture of things in it, some I didn't recognize. Turns out I have 20 small diameter chucking reamers and countersinks. Got no use for them. I can put them all in a USPS small box. You pay for the ride, and you can have them. Just let me know. I can post a pic using Tapatalk if you like.

ttocs · Jan 18, 2020

96blak54 said:
Appear to me you are taking the garage back!

nope. This also means something...

PinkieT said:
Hey ttocs! Cool stuff you are doing. I bought a toolbox with a mixture of things in it, some I didn't recognize. Turns out I have 20 small diameter chucking reamers and countersinks. Got no use for them. I can put them all in a USPS small box. You pay for the ride, and you can have them. Just let me know. I can post a pic using Tapatalk if you like.

Post a pic and I might have to take you up on that. This box was empty which was how I wanted it but found it used on facebook classifieds for only $100 for a lightly rusted kennedy box.