hi, this is Joel Hofer, i see u posted a while ago looking for some parts cut out of apple ply, did you get somebody to do this for you yet?
Hi, we use some parts made from apple ply, a type of baltic birch with inner plies made from birch and a maple ply surface.
Most of our parts are either 15 or 6 to a sheet of 18mm thick x 4x8 material.
We can supply drawings in autocad format, but some cleanup is required as my son only has taken 1 course in autocad so far.
All of the cutting results in 100 % cut through, so no 3d carving. Really just 2.5D stuff. If you have an auto tool changer, it might make sense to consider also having you router some 1/8 round edges and drill a few holes.
Up to now, we have been using templates, a hand router, and a drill press to make the parts, but I would like to outsource as much as possible of our standard parts.
Our volumes are not large - 1 - 4 sheets of material per month.
One thing that I can tell you is that this material likes to burn the edges, so it takes very sharp bits to do the work, and I am very interested in having as clean of edges / minimal sanding as possible.
I am looking for someone with a very sold, rigid, machine that can handle a 4x8 sheet in one loading.
Honestly I am more focused on performance than price on these parts, as the result of imperfect machining is a lot of sanding for us and I don't like sanding parts.
We are near Livermore CA and my preference is to find a shop to work with that is within 500 miles or so, and I can visit to look at the equipment and results.
Thanks
Harry N.
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hi, this is Joel Hofer, i see u posted a while ago looking for some parts cut out of apple ply, did you get somebody to do this for you yet?
Thanks Joel, short term I am making the parts with a table saw, hand router and drill press.
Volume is still 1 - 4 each 4x8 sheets per month.
Really would like to have someone make these parts on a cnc couter and provide very smooth, well cut edges that need minimal / zero sanding.
At least with a hand router and a 1/2 inch, 3 blade whiteside bit, the cutting speed for this material is around 1 inch / second to get a nice finish and no burning.
I don't mind stretching the distance some but there are practical limits to shipping plywood parts.
I have a guy that uses 400 grit wet / dry on the edges and faces now prior to us finishing them.
What I am looking for is someone that will provide really professional results, not just cut as fast as the machine can go.
You'll never get "zero sanding". Due to the nature of the plywood, with alternating grain, the different layers cut differently. A saw blade makes a much smoother cut on baltic birch than a router.Really would like to have someone make these parts on a cnc router and provide very smooth, well cut edges that need minimal / zero sanding.
Gerry
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(Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)
I agree on the table saw making nicer edges. As a practical matter, it would be fairly difficult to cut these shapes with only a table saw as virtually all of the edges are either 1/2 inch or 1/8 inch rounded over. All "corners" are rounded.
Some sanding will probably be required, but I want to absolutely minimize it.
We currently use a table saw to cut out the major shape and use a band saw, templates, and routers to complete the job. A local cabinet maker makes some of them, and I make some of them. When the real pro does the work, they come out nearly burn free. When his helper does the work, we get burned edges. After some experiments, I can really tell that it is quite sensitive to having very sharp blades and always moving that bit at the right speed. I am hoping that having the work done on a cnc will make this all easier - and I have other work that needs to be done.
Not to jump in here but I have a CNC router with a 12 station tool changer in California, that,s available If you are interested... I also have a new CNC Haas V2 coming in a month, if you need some precise metal parts made...
If you still require these services, let me know if not have a great week...
Thanks,
Charlie
Thanks Machinster, Yes I am interested and sent a private message. Please call or email at your convenience.