PRACTICE Materials ??

[High Seas]

Ok - I built a mill ( well, 2 if you count the rebuild too - see members gallery for System1). I'm posting here as I figgure that if you mill metal - you might know about the stuff I'm gonna ask about.
Now before I turn REAL expensive materials into dust - what do I use to "proof" the pudding (putting)? I have been using blue and white styro - works good for general fit and all - but been looking for other choices/options - less mess maybe and a bit more durable.
I've seen BLUE WAX occassionally on eBay. ANY GOOD? Worth the effort? Nice that you can apparently recycle it againg and again.
Also seen "Lost-a-Foam" and "Butterboard" referenced too. Where can I find these - I've seen one shop in CA that has both is that the ONLY place? Any good this stuff? Can they hold up to resins when milled too -- might be some material worth trying out - but wondering if there is any experience with these materials or other useful ideas.
Jim

[Mortek]

Check this site out. This stuff is more dense than the styrofoam or blue foam you are using, and less flighty. Still creates dust and recommend wearing a dust mask. But is easily machinable and is water proof.

www.goldenwestmfg.com/html/default_foam.html

[HuFlungDung]

Hi Jim

I like to use MDF myself. It is slightly fuzzy but serves to give the customer an idea of what the thing will look like. Its quite easy on tools, too.

I tried wax once, but the chips are kind of clingy stuff, and wax is not cheap either.

Of course, since I got into using OneCNC, it has 2 different ways to view the result of the processes I create, so this eliminates most of the need to prove out the program merely for the sake of debugging it: there aren't any bugs

[duluthboat]

I check my CAD work for accuracy, run a simulation on the CAM, and then make chips, no time for practice runs. Do I make mistakes? Sure, but that’s how you learn. If you don’t have good simulation than wax would make sense because you could use it over again.

Gary

[Dort]

We us RenShape at our school but it's pretty expensive (cheaper than wax however) Check out this site

http://www.freemansupply.com/RenShapeModelingan.htm

[Mortek]

Yes a lot of the cad cam programs have the option to check the machined model. But in my most recent case I am machining 4140 a block of material 4X8X5.5 inches in size. I don't want to waste the material so I run a part out of the proof board to have the customer inspect to make sure even my model is correct. In this case I'm metioning we caught an area at inspection that I had missed on the print while making the model. Using this proof board also for a prototype machines up really fast, an hour or so, as opposed to say 12 hours on the real material.

Ken

[High Seas]

Thanks Heaps mates! That Freeman Supply site is just the ticket - I've ordered up a set of their samples to check out the various properties. The goldenwest looks good too. And Ken, thats what I'm loking to do to - do the proof in practice materials. Thanks.
Jim