Well that sucks bud! At least you got the toughest parts done, and everybody makes mistakes now and then :) Best of luck on try 2, and keep at it!
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Well that sucks bud! At least you got the toughest parts done, and everybody makes mistakes now and then :) Best of luck on try 2, and keep at it!
I recover from disappointments pretty well especially if I can still use it for another rig :D but the type of accidents that can happen like dropping a piece that took a long time to do & it mangles, those are a bit harder to get over because it ends up on the scrap pile. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
I sorted my project folder out so I won't go printing the wrong model again. :redface::facepalm:
I'll be back to progressing tomorrow, just had a little checkpoint break after the 10mm alu marathon. :D
Preparations, wow nearly a week of prep work lol as well as waiting for other bits.
Figured I should do an update of some sort & make this as a mini tutorial project interval, :D not been slacking much at all & this bit took many many hours to do overall although I have been enjoying some more skyrim with some of the time I been waiting for extra supplies :D but mostly been preparation work.
3d concept, I keep all individual pieces as groups which keeps them as individual components so they don't become stuck together in the design that are easy to move around so I can just select 1 & edit it whenever with minimal fuss.
Here is how I work out what dimensions of material I need for curve pieces, triple click a curve piece & measure each section on the outside of a curve which gives really close accuracy, would give perfect accuracy but when you get odd measurements like 1.56mm or 1.63 is says it like 1.6~mm so I add up to the closest big measurement which I note as 1.7 to be safe so I work entirely with 0.1mm difference for any pieces like that & then I can sand down the super faint difference to perfection & do the same for any cut outs like the round bars I'll be using on this piece, makes the holes a bit oval when it's laid out in 2d but should allow for the same as the model.
Separating every piece including curved pieces ready for 2d printing on a-4 paper & adding 2 2mm squares with crosses inside them for every joining edge, then finalise the last save with camera parallel projection & then standard camera view as top, ready for layout.
A-4 is 297mm x 210mm but when setting things up to print I pretend it is 280mm x 190mm which prevents where it won't print on the paper so you keep all your needed lines, yes you can choose to print without borders but I think this way give best accuracy especially on a budget printer. :D I could give it a bit more than what I do but I like to keep it safe.
Layout which lets you dump your sketchup model & make multi page printable pdf file templates, you don't get this part of sketchup on the free version though but if you look around you can find ways to buy a student license which is a heck of a lot cheaper than the retail version meant for commercial use. ;)
Multipage pdf file ready for printing.
And all the little files ready to print.
Printed all of them & I have them in 2 different stacks, 1 for the gaming rig & the other for the HTPC, next stage is to cut them perfectly with a nice steel ruler & razer, tack them together perfectly measuring all the while & then using the spray glue to mount the templates to the materials ready to cut/drill, think prep work takes the longest to be honest but it should let the progress really flow fast once it's done.
One of the stands side panels after cutting, I have quite a bit of spare 10mm alu from the big cut outs & 1 of the pieces I will make drilling, tapping helpers which can clamp to any panels, even edges & ends of bars so I can drill perfectly where I want to & drill perfectly straight with a manual power drill, so yep more custom tools to be made for doing this how I want it. :D
Currently at 5 big steps forward & 3 big steps back but with a load of prep work done lol. :D
Wow, lots of work put in to this! It's gunna be great! And yeah, a lot of prep work done, but I'm sure it will pay off when you get to the difficult stuff! :D
I seemed to have gone to the same level of design work as someone who has parts made with CNC on this one but I shouldn't have much stalling from here. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
One thing I'm a tiny bit worried about with the gaming rig is with the 10mm mobo spacer mounts I'll be using I should have 1mm space between the cpu cooler & side panel if I do go for the be quiet dark rock pro heat sink, hopefully it will be spot on or even 2mm space, either way it will be cutting it fine. :D
With all the work you've put into planning this thing, it should go just fine :D Best of luck, and keep up the hard work!
:) Thanks Aldersan. :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
Here is the bits I needed to cut the prints nicely.
Back to the 10mm alu, turned out it was delivered next door & the courier didn't leave a note so I waited in 2 full days for nothing, annoying to say the least.
As soon as I lost a cold, my bro gave me the flu arrrrrgh lol but I wouldn't let it hold me down, figured if I stay in bed groaning or sit at my pc moaning I may as well mod on because I'll feel like crap whatever I do except making progress really appealed to me after so little lately. :D
I could have done pictures again but I already done that for these htpc pieces but in wrong size so I thought an ultra speed video of the whole cutting process which is 3 hours 38 minutes at normal speed but I reencoded it twice at 12 speed so 24 speed but doesn't add up for the 1 minute 30 seconds of fast video but whatever. :D
:banana: Ooohh I wish I could work that fast. :D
My first & only youtube vid until I get around to upgrading my camera to a 550d. :D
I only intended to do an example of how slow it cuts for 1 straight edge but thought meh I'll do a full panel, used my old kodak z950 which is why it isn't great quality.
I'll be going quiet again now until I have the other panel & the front low piece done so I can move on to the easier to cut panels. :)
Great work! Hurry up and get the other pieces done, I want more updates and pictures and ridiculously fast moving videos :D
Lol, I'll have a go at getting the other 1 done today & maybe the front low piece also then I can take a good big sigh of relief of getting past the 10mm alu. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
If I get it done by a reasonable time today I might even have a go at making some sandng blades to get all the edges real nice. :)
LOL I just couldn't go to bed with being eager to try the sanding blade idea out since all the 10mm alu is now cut. :D
First up I tried making a simple sheet at the size of a band saw blade, it snapped as soon as I tried tightening it. :D
This is the example piece fresh after cutting.
Next I cut double wide to fold it over, this allows for it to be used even at high speed & has some flexibility to it but is still quite prone to ripping out of the holder but as shown on a bit of the front piece it does the job nicely but takes too long to get the finish I'm after, want that finish & better, no teeth marks at all & possibly a polished edge I should have tried to quad it up which should give it pretty good strength which I'll try when I go at it next.
Other thoughts to do it is card in the middle of a folded piece of sand paper or if I want really stiff then something like the band saw blades but without the teeth & smoothed edges all around, 1mm aluminium might do, or 0.5mm stainless steel which I think would be the ultimate for doing this & would be reusable over & over, I do know I'd be best starting the process off at 100 grit or maybe even less to get the bulk of the teeth marks out & maybe work towards 1000 or 2000, it's getting rid of all the teeth marks that's going to be time consuming, from there it will come to a good shine very quickly. :D
Here is how the stand side panel was intended to look like with the htpc side panel & a shot of all the 10mm alu freshly cut ready for smoothing, I'll be saving getting rid of teeth marks & polishing the edges until the last step of the project but want to get prepared for how I'll do that. :up:
Due to popular demand, picture progress report. :D
Started back up today after a little break to recover from man flu & lack of enthusiasm due to spending absolutely ages cutting the 10mm panels. :D
Got all the 10mm, 4mm cut & 1 of a heck of a lot of the 3mm panels done, it is getting easier but there is some high detail 3mm panels to be done & have no idea how long those might take I would do those next but I could do with getting a stronger spray adhesive to make sure it stays held down for the whole panel, soooo many cut outs to be done on them & this spray adhesive is only any good for simple panels.
Also shown here is the drill helpers, these particular ones are for drilling spot on on bars & on edges, I'll make a bigger one for big flat panels, will help make sure every single mount position is 100% perfect on edges of the 10mm panels & on any panels with a normal power drill.
On to easier thickness of 3mm now, then 2mm then 1mm then adding all the drill mount points then an epic sanding session, then acrylic which cuts incredibly easy on the saw then gluing some of the acrylic parts together, then hmmmmm woooooooo hoooooooooooooooo. :D
Because I've gone to such lengths on the design it would probably be able to be mass produced also but have no plans at all for that but it is my most complete design so far.
*cracks whip* Why aren't you on the 1mm at least yet?! :D Just kidding, its looking amazing so far!
:D Thanks Aldersan, I'm aiming to have the cut work done by the 10th March, 2 weeks from yesterday, might have it done sooner we'll see depends on how much I go at it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
It was proving to be a tad difficult searching through the 3mm alu I cut up to get the project started which I didn't label what cuts were what :facepalm: so it took an hour or 2 just to work out which are which & get them all labelled so continue I could. :D
Took me about 24 hours altogether to cut close to all the edges & cut spot on the seams for the multi page templates, just decided to get them ALL done so they are ready for sticking to the materials, will make for a lot less messing.
So with the 10th March deadline I set for myself I have 12 days with 1 of them being today a partial day to cut it ALL now lol. :D
I will do updates every 2 days showing how much I'm getting through. :)
Can't wait!
:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
Was a little concerned about sticking the busiest templates to the material with the weak spray adhesive but remembered I bought 50 a4 sticker sheets :D so printed all the busiest panels on them & got them cut up & taped together & did a final measure of them to make sure they are spot on & just stuck them to the alu.
I'll get busy drilling for access & cut them tomorrow but I'd be nicely surprised if I manage doing them all tomorrow but think it's doable, there is the front & back & both sides of the gamer rig & the rear htpc panel which are all the most detailed panels for the aluminium so expect updates to be rolling every 2 days from now with the first of them tomorrow evening or night. :)
So I'm staying with the do the lengthiest bits first & remembering I bought some a4 sticker sheets I chose to tackle the busiest aluminium panels of the build out of the mountain of alu I have to cut up. :D
Freshly cut, taped together, stuck on & drilled ready for cutting, only about 4 holes I think needed to be 1mm holes, all the rest were 2mm.
This is what I was hoping to do lol. :D
Took ???????? to do 1 of the gamer side panels
Took ???????? to do the gamer back.
Took ???????? to do the gamer front.
Took ???????? to do the htpc back.
But it took an hour to cut 6 of the smallest cut outs on 1 of the gamer side panels lol wow this will take quite a while but to be honest these tiny cut outs take far more effort to do than the bigger cut outs so I might still manage to complete 1 panel today & if I do I'll do another update later to complete this particular update but still aiming for an update every 2 days & these high volume cut out panels are definitely the most time consuming out of all of them besides the 10mm stuff already done. :D
Anodised colour selection :D I'll know for sure which colours I'll want once everything is built up.
Now I'll get right back into it but felt I was going at it for quite a while & not getting very far so stopped to check how long I was going to get those 6 tiny pieces out lol but it is very quiet work so I could go all day, all night & all day again which I very well might do & just take a 40 break every few hours to watch an episode of Chuck. :D
Checkpoint 4AM :alien: but I'm going to treat each of the rows as checkpoints now I've got my technique good, each thickness takes some readapting to. :D
40 min break for each checkpoint & no more picture updates until tomorrow. :)
It is tomorrow, no? lol jk.. Looks awesome so far, can't wait to see more!
That is some brilliant scroll saw work!
Great work! I shall hound you every 2 days for updates then!
:D Cheers Outlaw, yep still every 2 days just a bit late posting this 1. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Outlaw
Thank you Technochicken :):up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Technochicken
Hehe :D cheers Aldersan :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
Not sure if I mentioned it here yet but I set a crazy deadline of 10th of March to get all of the aluminium cut & been grinding away like crazy to try & meet it. :D
Wowzers 8 days left to get all the aluminium cut ready for further stages, this is 1 ultra tight challenge. :alien::D
Update as promised although not as progressed as I hoped for. I feel a slap incoming on the 10th if I don't dig deeper. :D
Trust me I'm very aware I bit off a little bit more than I can chew with ease at the time limit I set for myself but I'm still grinding through the damn thing XD, I know that once I get past these 3mm high volume cut out pieces the rest will be nice & easy (in comparison), just these gamer sides I absolutely underestimated the effort they would take, I did consider making it less cut outs but left it & now I really know how hard I made things for myself. :)
Here is where the first side panel is at, it seems to take a day per row but with each cut out taking a while I found myself moaning quite a bit in a state of bewilderment instead of just getting on with it so that's the key to getting heaps more done (shut up, stop thinking & mod not walking away for a quick break that turns into a couple of hours lol). :)
:lol: Had to rotate the picture upside down to show correct orientation. :p
I'll be extremely glad I chose to work through the most endurance pushing bits first but at this moment it's flipping tough going & a true test of patience to get through. :alien::up:
The 10th sure was too tight of a deadline, simples, but a deadline is a deadline or it's a fail deadline, looks like 5 more days or less if I don't muck about on these gamer sides, then a day each for the front & back & htpc back which makes 8 days leaving no room for the rest of the 3mm easy panels & 2mm & 1mm, only way I can do it all in the deadline is if I wake up each morning & go straight at it & only pause for food & light chores not slacking off 1 bit until it's done, I feel it is doable & I shouldn't burn out neither & I'm not rushing it, just dedicated. :up:
Failure is NOT an option! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod! Mod!
Also, amazing work! That does take a lot of dedication, and its going to be amazing when you finish! Which you will finish, by the 10th! :D
:D Thanks Aldersan, I really doubt I can meet my silly deadline without rushing & working myself into the ground so I'm dropping the deadline ;) but I'll just keep progressing each day. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
Okay I'll accept dropping the deadline as long as we still get updates at least once every two days! :P
Deal :D:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
Peanut M&Ms & nice coffee & the remainder of a heck of a mission. :D:banana:
Worth every minute & now I have another 1 of these to make. :eek::)
:banana::alien::up:
Wait, ANOTHER one???
Don't tax yourself too much! :):up:
Looks amazing! And yes, another one for the other side :P
:dead: Yep, another one :eek: but I'm not burning out, just going at it nice & relaxed & just get what I can done in each session, the nice thing is after these high volume cut out panels it just gets easier. :D:crossed:Quote:
Originally Posted by AmEv
Thanks Aldersan, like some have said I must like punishing myself lol. :facepalm::DQuote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
I'll relax for a few more minutes & then start on panel number 2 of these. :):up:
Best of luck!
I just need to get on with it & not moan. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
This. Progress each day and enjoy yourself. Read that again... enjoy yourself. That's what we do this for, right?Quote:
Originally Posted by Waynio
This, sir, is beautiful. There was a lot of time involved but it's beautiful. I remember spending three hours marking and cutting away paper on a side panel for an acrylic mod and asking myself after an hour why I was doing it. When I was done I knew.Quote:
Originally Posted by Waynio
This is why. You're certainly no stranger to taking your time and detail, as evidenced by your prior work, so you know that, but I wanted to let you know that it shows here too. You have a thing with fluidity (also evidenced by your past work) that I could never tackle.
Well-deserved +rep.
Absolutely blue :) I enjoy creating a lot & watching other peoples creations come together, guess I just find it hard to know when to call it a day though.Quote:
Originally Posted by blueonblack
It's pretty much an old habit from when I started creating really that is dying hard where I feel when I start a particular piece I have to finish it in that session or at least make it to an ideal checkpoint & with me making my designs more complex or difficult to do with each new project they simply can't be done in 1 fell swoop with the amount of time it takes but I still have the mind-set of trying to but think I'm getting the hang of some parts can't be made in a quick time when doing it all manually. :D
I do know that if I just casually went at this it would take a really long time like years & there's nothing wrong with that I know, I've followed many projects that have spanned years & it's great to see updates on them.
I found if I take a few days off it can very easily turn to weeks & months so I tend to grind away at it as long as I'm feeling good & I have way too much free time really so it keeps me in high spirits. :)
Cheers for the nice post mate, appreciated. :)
And guess what?
Another update lol :D small one but thought of how to do the other panel quicker.
Didn't do much today so not much to show but when I was cleaning up around the saw I found some 10 TPI blades I forgotten about, 18TPI on the left, 12 TPI in the middle & 10 TPI on the right, they are far stronger than the others so can cut faster.
They are very good for making quick work of the cutting but not good at very tight turns & useless at U-turns so I wasted a bit of time before I got my thinking cap on. :D
I decided to take out the need to go from the opening hole to the sides with a curve by adding start holes close to the edges, this will allow me to do all the longer curve lines quickly with the 10 TPI blades & then go over them all with a more flexible blade to take out the ends, I expect I'll have this panel done tomorrow if I get a good session in, already taken out the most fiddly holes with 18 TPI blades.
So early night, early rise & intend to get through this panel, would be quite something managing what was taking 4 solid days in a day.
But I will learn properly when to call it a day in my sessions. ;):up:
Enthusiasm, energy & focus was getting scarily low so had to let it recharge plus there are a few other things that's been making me not want to spend much time in the cellar so things have been on pause the past few days.
The 10TPI blades cut fast but easily get stuck to the aluminium so not a good option risking high damage to the panel, already know using a lube makes it impossible to see the cutting lines so not an option, the extra 5 packs of 12 TPI came today so can get right back at it & change blades regular instead of rationing them out until they wouldn't cut a thing. :D
I'll only do thick high volume cut pieces on metal now & again because of the time they take but will stay dedicated to doing the ones on this project.
I am going to sand all edges to get an awesome all over look but I'll do that after fixing parts together but of course I'll have to sand any connecting edges so they are perfect before fixing them but the disc sander & sanding drums & sanding blades will make quick work of that. :)
This is an update on the status & a little eye candy of what is done so far for something good as a last post for a bit because I'm going to be getting really stuck into getting the high volume cut panels done & then I'll start updating again once I've got through them because I'll be able to do regular significant updates then, think doing updates between the time consuming panels is making it seem longer. :D
Been having a big flood prevention job done over the past 5 weeks & the room I got sorted was soon filled with the stuff from the other room so has been like modding in a big bin so it's been pretty bad for keeping my mind in awesome mode really.
But when they finish the job which should be this week I'll be able to get it straight again & I'll be sorting the room with the saw in to be an awesome little modding room moving all my tools & bits into it :D I'll eventually make it a sound proofed room also so I can mod whenever I feel like it which will be awesome since my energy levels seem to mostly peak at night time.
Plus I'm going to make a really good photo booth soon, it's something that has been way overdue for quite a while. :)
Great work so far!..BUT
That took 4 days for an update. Bad, bad, bad!
That better mean I get extra updates soon :D
Keep it up!
Time to start filing!
And when was your last update?? :whistler:Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
LOL I honestly haven't done much..I've got the side panel from TL mounted and everything, but I don't have the front one done quite yet..Maybe I'll find the time to do that today, Mass Effect 3 kind of had my brain for the past few days but I've saved the galaxy, so time to move on to other things :P Plus, I never made any promises about regular updates!Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuganater
Crap...:facepalm:Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuganater
...6......
...
.....Months????
:D Updates come when they come lol but should be able to properly dedicate now ;) the mess was getting me miserable with doing long sessions in there. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
:D This why it's taking longer with cutting right up to the design lines so no need for filing, but still a need for sanding & still waiting on a couple of sanding drums I ordered, taking the company ages to get them in but the sanding stage will be after I get all the cut work done which still might take a while, with the ideas for the sanding it should be a fairly quick task. :):up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuganater
Hehe, games can suck up your time like a black hole :D skyrim :eek: so many hours can just disapear playing that. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Aldersan
And sure I won't make promises about updates again unless I am totally sure. :D
Ugh lol :D 2 weeks doesn't feel so bad now hehe. :banana:Quote:
Originally Posted by AmEv
The other room is done now & spent the night sorting the cellar so I can at least stand long sessions in there again.
Before :(
After :)
I can get on with the cutting now without feeling like I'm sat in a garbage dump, already feels a lot nicer in there so you can definitely expect regular updates to start rolling on again now but first I need a rest, just thought I'd update that it's waiting for me to spring back into action now instead of anything holding me back, think I'll continue doing all the time consuming stuff first as planned. :)
Still loads of hoarded useless junk that fills the shelves though & want to clear it all out ASAP & get some really cheap but decent kitchen worktops to go along 2 or maybe even 3 walls for all my main tools & have a nice dedicated assembly spot, then all I'll need is a load of chunky wooden beams to form them into tables :) already got a very nice piece of kitchen work top which I'll make my scroll saw table with as soon as I can with all the different blade types having their own holders because the silly long table I'm using is very prone to rattling & I'd much prefer a sturdy smaller table that I can bolt the saw to so it's nice & solid not a bit prone to rattling.
But really I think I can complete the project with the room as it is & will bring my other tools & the foldable workbench over later today & just use them on the floor for the time being, got the space now, woo hoooooo, can’t wait to really get stuck back into this. :D
I would get back to cutting right now but I am very knackered & really need a few zzzzzzzzzz lol. :D
I think you should finish this with regular updates, then make a worklog of transforming your work space :P
