home..

Week 08 - Computer-Controlled Machining

group page // repo source files // objectives

hero
tree hanger

hero >

hero

tree hanger >

solidworks (cad) -> vcarve pro (cam) -> shopbot (fab)

Rain is a part of the Boston life, and unfortunately that means bringing wet umbrellas and rainjackets into the lab. the tree hanger seeks to create a conveniently located hanging interface for wet accessories instead of putting them on the ground, or your dry chair.

cad >

For press-fit, many-part 2D objects, I find that it’s easier to start with a single-part 3D body and use body features (like split, body copy/move, combine, etc.) to create my model. I learned that explode view isn’t a strictly assembly feature; body explode is an analog for body maneuvers.

cam >

John trained us on operating the large ShopBot.

for the shopbot

fab >

OSB is a sad, flaky material… but it’s cheap and accessible!

I enjoy the idea (and freedom) of building large things, but I think it also comes into direct conflict with storage and clutter, which I have a long history with.

With Quentin supervising, I fixtured the OSB to the bed using an impact driver and the screws John introduced earlier. Drilling some pilot holes first helped guide.

we jogged the machine to approximate origin and set xy 0, which was near the registration wood (our known 0).

using the built in conductive plate (directly wired to the spindle, so no alligator clips required), we touched off the z.

first, a test piece for fit:

discovering that the geometry needs to be tighter for press-fit results; a lesson that sometimes even while ideating, it’s a good idea to build in offsets early into the cad.

I fixed some of the constraints to create press-fit geometry, but in the interest of time ran with what I had and planned to use 3d printing as some post-processing functionality “glue”.

finishing >

Dave taught me that removing a tabbed workpiece from the bed, flipping it over, and using a small hand saw was his favorite strategy for leaving faces intact, particularly for OSB.

I found that adding a file, chisel and rubber mallet to the mix enabled fast de-tabbing in addition to the hand saw.