Eric's Blandford Build

Hi Eric,
Welcome to the group build, we are looking forward to seeing your model progress, if you need any help just ask. Have fun.
Mike
 
Thanks fellas, I would have had something up before now but the electronics that drives my CNC died, they hadn't been run for two years!, the stepper motors are ok. I have been practicing with my scroll saw but the timber I am using is either too thick or too thin. I have two planks of hardwood that is of a Malaysian wood (sorry don't know the name) but looks a lot like Oak and is quite heavy. I will use the CNC as a thicknesser and also to level out the slight warp and then cut out the parts. All of the parts have been redrawn and the CNC code created for most of them so far.
For Mike41 Mike I felt that some of the parts ** should have been symmetrical, that is, the inside curve and outside curve the same, to that extent I have made them symmetrical and if you would like them I will send them to you.
** Parts 2 & 3 and their opposites, likewise the back pieces 9 & 10 etc.
Unfortunately the site won't allow me to upload a .dxf file.
 
The program I am using to redraw the frame parts also has the ability to to resize or better RE-SCALE the drawings, so I can effectivly change the size of the parts to 1/16, 1/8 or 1/200(too small tho').
I am doing the build in 1/32 which make the hull approx.10 x 10 inches, 1/16 will be double that. WHEN THIS project is finished I will build the model in 1/16 incorporating the following features.B3.jpg
This is possible in 1/32 but very tedious!
 
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OK, so the electronics finally arrived, picked up and old computer case for $10 and this is the end result.
The power supply on lower left supplies the 5 volts needed for the electronics, the power supply in the top supplies 24 volts needed to drive the stepper motors, the little black boxes on the right are the drivers that drive the motors, cool huh?
The small green board at the bottom is called a "Break Out Board", it recieves the code from the computer and disseminates it to the various drivers ie. X, Y & Z. I have four drivers as I have two motors working the Y axis. Below is a small sample of what the code, known as G-Code looks like, for those who know something about plotting this will look familiar.

G1X2.8621 Y0.3896
X2.8665 Y0.4359
X2.8689 Y0.4772
X2.8696 Y0.4992
X2.8709 Y0.5212
X2.8725 Y0.5461
X2.8733 Y0.5692
X2.8738 Y0.6241
X2.8756 Y0.6502
X2.8759 Y0.6724
X2.8742 Y0.7213
X2.8698 Y0.8182
X2.8659 Y0.8863
The Z (depth) will have been pre set prior to this snippet of code.
P1010810.JPG
 
Hi Eric,
It looks like you have an above average set of tools for this project, this will be an interesting build.
I reduced the amount of detail shown in Goodwin’s book for this project, but you are welcome to add any or all the detail he shows to your build.
One of the nice parts of a group build is seeing the different building styles used for the model. I am looking forward to your progress.
Mike
 
Ahead, below, somewhere here are 15 pictures showing the basic steps I go through to redraw MIKE 41's drawings which are in PDF format. The program I use accepts the pdf's but will not create a "Toolpath" for the CNC to follow. Well actually it could BUT it would follow EVERY single line in the drawing! So what I need is a single line drawing.
In this image the whole pdf has been imported, the white area is 297x210 mm / 11.5x 8 in. All I am concerned with is the parts including the spreader bar.
DEMO 1.jpg
Demo 2, everything other than what is in this image has been deleted and the page changed to 4x12 in. the size of the board they will be cut out from.
DEMO 2.jpg
Demo 3, the part in pink has been selected........
DEMO 3.jpg
Demo 4, part 1,1 being selected has been "Grouped" i.e. clicking on any area selects the entire part as opposed to a small part if NOT grouped, and all other parts moved out of the way so that I have a clean work area.
DEMO 4.jpg
Demo 6, Lines are drawn around the part using the slanted "Z" tool on the left above middle, this is the most laborious task as a line is drawn to match each "Facet", see the facets in DEMO 8, then grouped.
DEMO 6.jpg
Demo 7, mmm, seem to have jumped a step, I move the part number out of the way, a lot easier to work on the main part.
DEMO 7.jpg
Demo 8, shows the original part with the new lines overlaid. Much later I removed all the circles as I will drill them later at assembly time.
DEMO 8.jpg
Demo 9 shows a closeup of one end, once again, much later I shifted the pink vertical line to the outside of the oblique facet. See note at end end.
DEMO 9.jpg
Demo 10, original selected for deletion.
DEMO 10.jpg
Demo 11, finished.
DEMO 11.jpg
Demo 11a, all parts with the exception of two have an opposite, in this case 1,1 has 1,7, so instead of redrawing all I have to do is create a copy.
DEMO 11a.jpg
Demo 11b, copy created by simply selecting then copy and paste (ctrl-C then ctrl-V) then use the cursor keys to shift it.
DEMO 11b.jpg
Demo 11c, see Mirror choices in Demo 11a on left. The part is flipped horizontally, the number changed and the original deleted.
DEMO 11c.jpg
Demo 12, shows all the parts relevant to Frame 1 positioned on a 4x12 in "board" ready to be cut out using a 3mm End Mill cutter, the G-Code for this image takes up 118 A4 pages (single column) !
DEMO 12.jpg

Note at end end. After changing the drawings so thet the lines are on the outside, when I onverlaid the parts onto the full frame I found that the parts were overlapping increasing the overall length of the frame by almost a 1/4 inch, nothing that can't be fixed at time of assembly.
Hope you found this enlightening.
 
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Hi Peter, the program used in the pictures above Vectric Aspire 8.5, the program I use that cuts the toolpaths created by Aspire is Mach3.
Mach3 is the brains, Aspire is the brawn.
The thing with using a laser is that the Z axis is virtually never used (the Z axis is the height).
Please give me some information about your laser/CNC/setup.
By the way, Aspire will import .dxf, .dwg files and will also export drawings to .dxf.
 
I build ships in bottles. Usually you put the masts on a hinge and fold them down to insert into the bottle neck, but I have also built the whole ship through the bottle neck also. That is way more difficult, but a lot more fun. When you install an assembled ship you will have long lines to the mast you pull those to stand each mast up then the line is glued to the bowsprit and cut off to a #11 blade glued to a stick. Usually all lines to stand up masts run through the bowsprit each mast is tied to racks or rails in the read to prevent the masts being pulled to far forward. Once masts are upright the sails need to be positioned as they are usually turned sideways to fit in the bottle. I'll be make a tutorial on how to do all this shortly I have to wrap up a couple builds first
 
Hi Zoltan, by the weekend I will be ready to cut the first pieces out on the CNC, electronics(CNC), weather(no proper shed) and life in general has been getting in the way. I am going to have to cut a new jig as the other one got wet and the ply separated, I think the cat from next door had something to do with that, my cats don't go there. I will try and take a video of the process and will contact you later about posting it.
 
Yesterday I started cutting the pieces for Frame 1, did a rough cut using the band saw and a final cut with the scrollsaw, the low and high cuts were that undulating that you would need a 4 wheel drive to navigate them. So I decided to cut the whole frame, the timber I am using is 12mm thick, just shy of a half inch. The problem(if you can call it that) is that the timber planks are 4 inches wide and each frame is considerably more than that, so, halve the frame and cut the two remaining pieces out of the internal scrap wood. You know, I frighten myself with these flashes of brilliance, actually it is not a flash more like the glow from a dying candle.
The pieces were all cut on the band saw, who said you cannot cut curves using a band saw, the blade is 7mm wide BTW and the wood is pine with the most delightful aroma, sorry that was my coffee!
No animals or insects were harmed in the execution of these parts, only my finger tips (thinks, I must remember to wear my reading glasses next time.)
P1010856.JPGP1010857.JPG

Cleanup will be done using scrollsaw and belt and hand sanding.
On the back side of the pieces where they join I will recess the timber to half depth and place a filler piece in there.
 
I am having a translation problem with the CNC, if I tell it to move 20 inches (the width of the work area) it will only move 3 inches. The movements are not proportional i.e. 18:3, 12:4, etc. My frustration is bordering on anger that's when I walk away, hence scroll-saw and band-saw. Rest assured the feeling has now passed and today with a clear mind and focused and a sore arm (flu shots today) I will get back into it.
I was once referred to as a "Thinking man's Thinker" I shall now exercise that!!
I have an analytical mind but frustration/anger cloud that, I shall also practice the Zen of CNC!
 
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