carving action figures

[JMecham01]

Yep, I figured as much... Though with all the advances in robotics and software that are being applied to other fields - even children's toys - it's amazing that the world of CNC routing is still in the dark ages. A shame.

But I'm glad I joined this group. Probably saved me a boatload of money. ;-)

Thanks!

John

[RCaffin]

Dark ages? Chuckle. You have been deceived by the popularity of the cheap little 3D plastic printers - which are just toys.
The world of CNC has progressed a long way beyond that, but because of the power and precision involved, so has the cost.

Do a search for 'Boris the spider CNC' (NOT the pop group!), and see what is possible. But note that the SW cost close to $100k and the machine cost about the same - and I think it took 48 hours for the carving.
Oh no, not the 'dark ages' by any means.

Cheers
Roger

[awerby]

[QUOTE=RCaffin;2102334] naivete on the table along with my ignorance: I suppose I had this idea in my head if I found the right type of machine - and something not too enormous or expensive (under a couple grand) - and the 3D images, I would just plug the thing into my computer, tell the machine which image to carve and then voila... But the more I learn about the subject, on here and through other sources, that's just wishful thinking.

I don't think that your basic idea is all that far off, actually. You can buy a machine for a few grand that will, given the right software, carve small 3D objects, assuming they're designed so that the tools can reach all the surfaces of the model. But it's not a very fast process, or altogether automatic, especially with a material like stone. So you can't expect to necessarily make money doing it, particularly if the competition is coming in at a very low price. I'd be happy to sell you a mill and the software, but I wouldn't want you to spend that boatload and be disappointed. If you can think of something you could make that someone would pay, say, $100 for, that would be a whole different proposition.

[RCaffin]

$100 for something carved in wood - that might be economically feasible.
But carved in stone? NOT a chance - unless you are talking about a stone which is do soft you could cut it with a knife.

Cheers
Roger

[awerby]

Soapstone is soft enough to carve with a knife.

[RCaffin]

Oh.
Lends a whole new meaning to the word 'stone', doesn't it?

Cheers
Roger