New Member - Hello everyone!

[ViperTX]

I would put a kit on the holley....mechanical secondaries? I never did like the unitized construction and that front subframe....wish I had my 55 chevy back...now that you could put a late model monte carlo front end and make it steer & ride like 21st century cars.

I didn't think you could punch out a 289 that far....are you sure it's not a 302 that was transplanted after it was bored and stroked? Break out the caulk, pop the cowl and caulk away.

When you start looking at your cycle times and since it's a serial process...you'll change your mind about casting resin sides. Anyway, you need your cnc mill or router before you can do anything.

[lurch]

Fellow clemson pkg sci grad here! Welcome to the board! There are great sources of help here. Did you say you had access to cnc equipment?? You could cut your own pieces.... On a personal note, Is Dr. Testin still teaching occassionally?? And is Dr. Cooksey still onboard??

[Halfnutz]

Ive got both a mini mill the same size as the Taig and a gantry router like the K2 24x36 inch and the table router is much more practical than the mill. The mini mill's are just too small, unless you want to make intricate small machined parts, like miniature engine stuff or jewelry. For small aluminum parts there the best, but forget about making a decent size sign with a mini mill like the Taig. Its an excellent machine, but not what you need. From what youve been describing, I think a gantry style router would be much more practical for you.

Take your time and learn as much as you can before spending your money. Dont get in a hurry, theres alot to find out about your needs and the different options available. This forum will really guide you well, if your patient and you read some of the old threads.

Good luck and welcome aboard!

(The above comments are the authors and do not represent the oppinions of CNCZone or it's management.)

[ClemsonGirl]

Viper,

nope, i had a guy take a 72 shorty (302), bore it out .40 and install all the 331 forged pistons and stuff - im not an engine person, but i can put on manifolds, and accessories. Only has 4000 or so miles on it. still...i cant get that carb right, just drives like junk at slow speed...so i just drive faster!!

I just purchased a new intake manifold, and am delaying on installing it, since it is my daily driver...therefore i kinda feel like spending alot of time on the carb is gonna be stupid cause i am going to have to tweak it again after I install my new weiand

I'm really looking into these K2 setups, are they as really problematic as this board puts them out to be? And, how complex is the servo setup and installation?

Lurch,

Cooksey is still teaching everything, and Testin does not come in anymore. I do not have access to a CNC...and doubt the engineering (a.k.a foreign people department) would like me milling out junk on "their" stuff.

Sadly, the department's new trend is hiring professors who have little to no experience in the work world. One guy has worked for 4 years on autoCAD and teaches a few 400 level classes (wow...my experience beats that), and another one just went through grad school, never stepped a foot out of the university, and teaches alot of the intro classes. Pus, Michigan state grads take all the good jobs. im kinda wishing i can somehow turn into a minority and join the mechanical engineering folks and go into automotive engineering. (i know that last comment was uncalled for - but if you just saw what was going on down here, you would say alot worse)


Halfnutz,

Thanks!! there is just so much information...hard to process all of this, but it looks like the larger setup is the way to go (just more practical)...but its gonna hurt the bank.

[buscht]

Clemson girl, you could machine those little houses out using a machine like the Taig.

There are some limitations, but also advantages compared to your existing process.

Let's say that you want to make them out of wood, or a machinable plastic or foam.

You have to machine 5 sides of the cube.

They can be done with a 3 axis machine, with a 4 axis rotary indexer.
See http://www.deskproto.com/features/newinv4.htm

The grassy base would have to be added as a secondary piece.

You can create the houses very easily in Solidworks using cubes. A couple of days experimenting will give you all the experience you need.

The house would require an extension at the bottom which would be gripped in the indexer collet or held in place with a screw. After machining, you would cut this part off with a saw and then attach the grassy base.

Anyways, once the solid model is created, save it out as an STL file. This file can be read into a program like DESKPROTO or MESHCAM http://www.meshcam.com/

This is the CAM program which will create the G code to run your CNC.

You will need 4 indexes to create almost any house you have designed.

A few practical issues.

1. Because these are small items, you will need a small router bit to get the required detail. All this means is that it will take longer to cut. I'd estimate that these houses would take 1/2 hour to one hour to cut on your CNC using a 1/16" dia bit.
This might sound like alot of time, but I'd guess that you have that much time invested doing the painting. So you could be painting while the router is cutting. You could use a bigger bit to do the rough out, and go back with a smaller bit to detail and this will save you clock time, but will be more labor intensive.

2. You mentioned a lathe to create Chess pieces. With an indexer you can create these parts and won't need a lathe.

3. Don't discount the learning curve, but once you've mastered it CNC is very easy and you know exactly what your results will be.

[ClemsonGirl]

wow, lots of great info...few questions though:

does the indexer rotate automatically, and the g-code continue though?

I clicked on that CAM website and noticed some really detailed designs...how hard is it to draw on a CAM, are images (3D) easily done?

Though the smaller unit is really nice, what if I want to design my own front door? Can the smaller units be "upgraded", and extend the x,y,z's? Or would I be forced to create a bunch of 6x6 sqaures and connnect?

[ViperTX]

ClemsonGirl...the small units can't be easily extended at least the mill's can't.

With your envelope you could get by with a 15 X 15 X 3to5" unit....

Indexer will only rotate automatically if it has been converted....ya know....a stepper or servo added to turn the wheel, it will then be your 4th axis.

You will most likely want to create your models in something like Rhino 3D....the CAM is to drive the X-Y-Z table. Since you're a student...Rhino 3D is only about $195.

It might not be a carb problem if you installed an agressive cam....does it have the loppy idle?

[buscht]

Originally Posted by ClemsonGirl wow, lots of great info...few questions though: does the indexer rotate automatically, and the g-code continue though?

Vipertx explained this well.

Originally Posted by ClemsonGirl I clicked on that CAM website and noticed some really detailed designs...how hard is it to draw on a CAM, are images (3D) easily done?

Creating the piece is done in CAD - computer aided design. The CNC program is created in CAM - computer aided machining (manufacturing).

Your houses would be easy. A design like sculpture of a face is usally sculpted by hand and then recreated in CAD using a 3D scanner.
http://www.rolanddga.com/products/3D...50/default.asp

Originally Posted by ClemsonGirl Though the smaller unit is really nice, what if I want to design my own front door? Can the smaller units be "upgraded", and extend the x,y,z's? Or would I be forced to create a bunch of 6x6 sqaures and connnect?

Yes and no. This question has many potential answers depending upon your exact needs.

Your best option is to define exactly what you want to do and then proceed. If you say that you want to do 3D figurines and valve covers that points to one solution. If you want to do front doors that points to another.

It sounds like what you want is the most flexibility possible because as opportunities come up you want to take advantage of them. Be aware that the more flexible a machine is means that there are usually more compromises.

For example, let's say that your business is making small house sculptures. You may need a 4 axis machine with a footprint of no more than 2' x 2'. A total cost of $2000/$2500.

A machine to do front doors would need a travel of at least 36" x 84", meaning a footprint of probably 4' x 8'. Cost of $8000.

You just spent alot of money to get the capacity to do front doors that you may only need once in awhile. Plus for the same money, you could have 4 little machines pumping out alot of houses.

Another option is to make sure you have a gantry style machine with a stationary bed. If the bed is made correctly, you can have your part (door) sticking out the end of the machine. You might only be able to carve 24" at a time, but you can manually move the door 24" at a time and then cut 24" more until the entire part is done.

Just my 2 cents, but for a small business you should get a machine that will do 80% of the ideas you have. Later, as it pays for itself, (and some profit) then look into getting another machine for the 20% of wild and crazy ideas that will pop up.

There is no reason that you have to limit yourself to one machine or one style of machine. I personally have 3, a CNC scrollsaw, a 3 axis machine for signwork , and a 4 axis machine for sculptures. As my business develops, I see potential for maybe up to 20 machines all churning out products.