Cheating Way Of Making Clock Bases..

[kmmcrafts]

I've been real busy making clocks and something that I hate doing is the base.. typically for the car clocks the base is 11 x 2" with rounded corners.. Over the years I've tried many ways of trying to make them in a productive way.. I used to just scroll saw them out.. but doing those long straight 11" length of cuts and then the rounded corners takes a lot of patients and time.. Then I started just cutting 2" strips on the table or band saw.. But then the challenge was getting the rounded corners.. either scrolling the ends still or hand shaping them on the belt / disc sander..  this requires a lot of sanding and shaping.. and a challenge to get all rounded corners symmetrical..

I've been wanting to do this for a long time now but never got around to getting a spoil board set up on my CNC so I don't cut into the CNC bed..  Well a few weeks back I had a custom request to engrave a message on the clock base.. so I set up the machine to engrave the base and then cut the outline ( profile ) so it left 1/8" left to cut on my scroll saw.. still leaves me a bit of cutting sanding and minor shaping but a lot faster than scrolling the whole 3/4" thick stock.. Even with a spoil board I'd have to leave tabs ( bridges ) to hold the piece from flying off the machine so there is still going to always be a but of sawing / sanding / shaping..  This makes things so much easier for me as the CNC can be cutting bases while I scroll the clocks.. etc.. Plus.. I'm able to engrave my website on the bottom.. 

I haven't cut these out just yet and sanded shaped etc.. but the custom one I did a few weeks back was very quick and easy to cut and shape.. as the CNC does the majority of the work..

Here is a short video of the machine working for me and then a photo at the end of the bottom of the bases after I painted the text..

Some will probably disagree with using the CNC to help out. I understand that.. you have to understand this is a hobby / living for me.. and making 4-5 hundred bases a year is not a fun process for me.. Love scrolling the clock itself.. but not so much doing long straight cuts for the base's. etc..  Having the machine make these allows me now time to make the stuff I enjoy making.. 

 

  

[Fedido]

You just made me drool with that! 

[WayneMahler]

I prefer hand crafted. That said I will admit being in the same business that working smarter not harder is the way to go.  Glad you found a solution to make thing easier for you and raising your production rate a bit. 

[kmmcrafts]

I prefer hand crafted too.. That is why it's still hand crafted.. I'm only carving the web address on the bottom.. then carving "most" of the material away of the profile of the base.. then I take it to my scroll saw and hand cut it the rest of the way out ( close to the edges of the profile ) and then hand sanding on my belt sander to shape the 1/8" small amount flush to the  rest of the work the CNC did of the profile.. this gets almost a perfect rounded corners.. You see.. before doing it this way the scroll saw was never ( rarely ) involved with the bases.. as I cut the boards into 2" strips and the rounded off the corners with the disc / belt sander.. These cut out with a scroll saw a lot faster when I'm cutting 1/8" thick vrs. the 3/4"..  

I see this way no different than before.. other than I no longer hand sign my website on the bottom with a Sharpe.. I bought a high end wood burner set to sign with but waiting for it to heat up and cool down to put it away for 1 custom ordered piece was too time consuming to do.. I like doing things in batches.. but it doesn't always work that way when a made to order or custom order piece comes up.. The bases are almost always 8" or 11" so I made these two programs for the CNC to run.. I made 16 bases today just playing around testing things.. total time was probably around 1.5 hours.. normally I have 20 - 30 minutes per base the old way.. The CNC can run it's thing while I'm scrolling next to it to watch over it..

I also do not see this being any different than someone buying laser buttons from Steve Good and drilling a hole to put them in.. I just skip the outsourced piece to put in and carve it in with my CNC.. I'm getting busy enough that it's either this or hire a helper.. I don't want to get into the hiring business and the headaches that come with it.. I'd rather automate some of my process's to cut time down while still doing hand crafted.. 

The word Hand crafted can be defined in so many ways.. I mean in my mind.. hand crafted is just that.. doing everything by hand.. no power tools involved.. and last I knew a scroll saw is a power tool.. I bet the guy with a coping saw doing the same patterns we do with scroll saws had the same thoughts many others do about CNC stuff..  

 

[jerrye]

Might just be me, but I would be far more interested in the clock being cut out on the scroll saw than the base. I couldn't care less about the base; it's only a means to an end to display the real handcrafted work, which would be the clock section.

I think you've found a way to speed up production while keeping your focus on the real handcrafted draw to your pieces: the clock. Goodonya!

[kmmcrafts]

Thanks Jerry, that's how I feel.. and as I said.. handmade / handcrafted can have a very different meaning from one person to another.. The important thing to me is that my customer is satisfied with whatever they buy ( most could care less how it's made.. they're just happy to buy something unique that cannot be found in a local Walmart ).. If my products were to be 100% handmade.. heck I have no idea how to make the clock fit-up.. nor can I hand draw patterns..  

Lot's of folks make "handmade" round signs.. They scroll the words and glue them to purchased rounds.. most of which are made in China.. I feel my CNC carved base is more handmade than the China purchased rounds that the handmade signs are made from.. which by the way.. I do consider handmade.. I just wish they'd buy USA made rounds etc if they're doing that.. but who am I to judge them.  

My opinion.. saying my CNC made base makes my products not handmade anymore is like saying a hand woodburned image on a china made wood shape purchased from hobby lobby isn't handmade..LOL and I'm sure some feel that isn't handmade because of that.. At what point does one draw the line to decide what is really hand made and what isn't..

 

[Rolf]

THANK's Kevin!, I am fortunate that I don't have anymore space, because your short video makes me twitchy. 

What a great solution, removing the tedium of something basic to free up more time for the important and enjoyable scrolling parts.

Remind me, what CNC router did you end up buying, and what software are you using?

Regarding signing your work, the majority of mine will now be signed using my Laser engraver (not a cutter, not enough power for that)  It is no different from using a hot stamp but I can easily make the signature as small or large as I want.

Edited June 7, 2020 by Rolf

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, Rolf said:

THANK's Kevin!, I am fortunate that I don't have anymore space, because your short video makes me twitchy. 

What a great solution, removing the tedium of something basic to free up more time for the important and enjoyable scrolling parts.

Remind me, what CNC router did you end up buying, and what software are you using?

Regarding signing your work, the majority of mine will now be signed using my Laser engraver (not a cutter, not enough power for that)  It is no different from using a hot stamp but I can easily make the signature as small or large as I want.

I like the laser way of signing the works better to be honest.. and I did buy a laser a couple years ago when I got the CNC.. I haven't messed with it at all yet because I wanted to learn the CNC first and thought I might get confused with learning two machines at the same time.. I'm getting close enough now with the CNC stuff that I think I'll set up the laser sometime this summer..

The CNC I bought was one of the larger models.. they have much cheaper smaller models.. I think some would fit on top of a desk or bench... Anyway mine is a Nextwave brand Model Shark HD4 I also went with the water cooled spindle.. I wouldn't have a CNC without a spindle.. the routers are way loud.. you don't even really hear the spindle running.. the bit carving is all you really hear.. but if you have a router they're typically so noisy you barely hear the carving , LOL

The Software is Vetric V-carve Desktop 9.5  The software is actually very easy to design and work with.. in fact.. I've been using it to design some of my scroll saw patterns.. It's a lot like Inkscape I think.. But for me.. it's actually easier to work with because inkscape and the others come with a lot of design stuff that pattern makers really never use and there is just a hunt to find the right stuff for patterns.. having less garbage to sort through with Vcarve and smaller amount of buttons to work with makes it simple and quick..

Anyone interested in the software or machines a good Youtube source is to look up Mark Lindsey ( hope I spelled the name right ) ..

[amazingkevin]

Big boy toys!!! Something new is exciting!!!

[Rolf]

Kevin nice to know that the dedicated spindle is so much quieter.

I bought a small desktop laser KKmoon master 7W , the ratings on these laser is a bit misleading. The 7w is not the actual power of the laser it is the power that it consumes.  It was under $200,  if I were to buy it again I would still buy this style but a different brand.  for those of you who understand G code not all of these lasers accept it. Mine has a proprietary controller which limits certain things that you can control.  You want it to support laserGRBL control software. Ortur brand does. 

I did not do my homework and did a impulse buy. I know better. But it does what I need it to do. It will do a 150 mm x 150 mm area  (~6 x 6)

[kmmcrafts]

13 minutes ago, Rolf said:

Kevin nice to know that the dedicated spindle is so much quieter.

I bought a small desktop laser KKmoon master 7W , the ratings on these laser is a bit misleading. The 7w is not the actual power of the laser it is the power that it consumes.  It was under $200,  if I were to buy it again I would still buy this style but a different brand.  for those of you who understand G code not all of these lasers accept it. Mine has a proprietary controller which limits certain things that you can control.  You want it to support laserGRBL control software. Ortur brand does. 

I did not do my homework and did a impulse buy. I know better. But it does what I need it to do. It will do a 150 mm x 150 mm area  (~6 x 6)

When I got my CNC I had the option to get the water cooled spindle or a 7W laser.. I went with the spindle because at the time that was a $600 upgrade.. same for the laser attachment.. Instead of getting the laser for the CNC I bought a Chinese K-40 40Watt Co2 laser.. Its powerful to cut through 1/4" supposedly.. I plan to not install the software it came with and instead will use Whisper designed for the K-40 machines.. I've bought some upgraded parts for it like air assist etc.. but I have not even plugged the thing in yet..  

[Rolf]

Kevin have a look at "Lightburn" software also. Unfortunately I can't use it with my "Toy" laser.  I just looked up what the actual power on my 7 Watt laser is. 2.5 W blue laser, that is why it is only good for engraving, which is what I wanted.

[Woodmaster1]

It's handcrafted you had to use your hands to program the laser or Cnc, put the wood on the table and clamp it down.

[don watson]

Kevin, I use V-Carve desktop 10.0 on my Stepcraft CNC router and it is a good combination. I used it to cut the parts for a wooden geared clock which it does almost perfectly compared to cutting with the scroll saw. I also have a large laser engraver, around 500 mm by 650 mm that does a great job engraving but can only cut through 1/8" ply. This engraver I use 'T2 Laser' program on and it works faultlessly. I recommend you have a look at 'T2 Laser' as Zax (the writer) is the most knowledgeable person I know with laser programming. His programme is a free download and free trial and I think about $30 to purchase, I have it on 3 machines, the original I purchased and then 2 others I installed on other computers at half price. The free trial is limited to 30 minutes at a time then you have to reload but it gives you a good idea of what you can do.

I think it all 'hand crafting' whatever way you look at it and I am happy saying my stuff is 'home made'. Just my 2 cents .....

PS I don't think you are cheating

Edited June 9, 2020 by don watson
PS

[kmmcrafts]

Thanks Don, I'll check those programs out.. I hope to fire the laser sometime this summer.. I need to order a fire extinguisher before I set the shop on fire with it, LOL I've read some pretty bad stories on some of the laser groups.. I'm not firing the laser until I have some safety measures in place... otherwise I'd have probably already done a test run.. 

[Rolf]

Fires? Fume extraction would be my biggest concern.

Cutting the gears for a wooden clock with a laser, wheres the challenge in that.  Scrolling precision gears was the most fun on all three of my clocks.

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, Rolf said:

Fires? Fume extraction would be my biggest concern.

Cutting the gears for a wooden clock with a laser, wheres the challenge in that.  Scrolling precision gears was the most fun on all three of my clocks.

The K-40 comes with exhaust extraction fans and a like Dryer vent hook-up.. Though they say it's weak but doable in the beginning stages.. Most just vent the tube out the window.. 

[don watson]

Kevin,

I am also a member of the benboxlaser.us forum and have learned everything I need from there. Ralph has created a great program and explains a great deal of what you need to know and why. A great site and has a section for the T2 laser users as well.

take care

Don W

 

[Rolf]

Don I will check out that site.