BOTTOM FEEDERS= a place for everything modified and/or custom made

[turbocad6]

don't get me wrong I appreciate one off hand made custom pieces, heck I think that should be pretty obvious by now, but man I've always wanted a cnc "something".

I almost built a cnc plasma table a few years ago. didn't even know what I wanted to make with it but once I have it and learn how to use it I'm sure I'd come up with something

building and learning to use a cnc is nothing like just pressing a button and poof a mod pops out. there is a whole world of knowledge you need to obtain, knowing how to machine stuff manually will make you a better cnc operator but it still takes a lot of creativity and design work to design and build a mod and it also takes a lot to build a cnc setup too.

maybe it' the entrepreneur in me but I sometimes think it would be cool to build mods to sell, heck I've even thought of that without cnc, but the truth is that it just takes too many hours to make one mod for it to ever be very profitable. a CNC wouldn't be something I'd want to do to only build my own personal mods though, that's for sure

 

[EagleTa2]

Hi guys... thanks for posting the pics of my corian mod! Here are some tips for working with Corian
1 - the stock thickness (the thickest avail) is just about .470 thick (1/2" nominal). You will need to laminate two slabs together face to face to make a blank almost an inch thick
2 - You don't need to use the fancy color match adhesive, Use Medium CA on the face of one panel... relatively thick. Just float it on. Then clamp the two panels together and leave for a couple hours. The seam will be INVISIBLE and strong.
3 - Corian machines just like a dense hardwood but better. Use carbide saws and router bits. HSS will not get it done. Drill with standard twist bits up to 1/4" and forstner bits over 1/4" Coarian also taps well...

Since it is plastic, it does not need a finish. sand to finish that you desire. If desired, it can be polished to a high gloss, but this takes a ton of work. You can use microgrit sandpaper... I have used up to 25000 grit on corian and got a glass smooth finish.


On the topic of woodworking vs churning out mods production style... It is called woodworking... not machining. It takes a certain level of skill and patience to see if all come together. This is where being detail oriented comes with an entirely different definition. I am an imperial guy... so I cant shave off a couple hundreths of a MM. My brain hasn't made the transition to the metric system yet. I have all of my equipment set up to within a few thousandths.
Working with metals, a few thousandths tolerance is pretty wide open. Working with wood and corian, a few thousandths is like a mile.

I love paying attention to the details and the design that goes into making a mod. I still draw on paper, just to put my mind at ease... then it is out to the shop to see what happens. It reminds me of my model airplane days. The joy is in the journey for me. It was just as much fun to build a plane than it was to crash it and rebuild it again.

I don't know that I would get the same satisfaction out of cranking mods out on a cnc in a matter of minutes. But, that's just me.

Enough rambling. have a nice night all.

Thanks
Geo

 

[holycrap]

Hi all, I've been on the road driving since page 215. The mods posted that I missed are just awesome. I wish I had the ability to do the quality of work that you do. Just thought I would chime in and let you know that I think yall have done an excellent job with your mods.

 

[RiverNut]

I sometimes wonder if there is a market for a kit that would include simple pre-cut wood panels for a wooden box mod (for example). I think this would enable a lot more people to build, who are otherwise sitting on the fence.

there is definitely a market for it. I don't know about pre-cut panels but this guy has some decent wood shells for very reasonable prices thomassouthernsamurai | eBay

there are other complete kits on ebay as well

 

[CaptSteve]

I'm sure some people can achieve a kind of immortality with the mods they make. They will become treasured family heirlooms perhaps.

I'm sure i can too, but for opposite reasons. Think Vapezilla!

T

Well I'm not so sure about immortality (I mean hey we make mods, it's not as if we cure cancer here ) but thanks anyway T

 

[CaptSteve]

don't get me wrong I appreciate one off hand made custom pieces, heck I think that should be pretty obvious by now, but man I've always wanted a cnc "something".

I almost built a cnc plasma table a few years ago. didn't even know what I wanted to make with it but once I have it and learn how to use it I'm sure I'd come up with something

building and learning to use a cnc is nothing like just pressing a button and poof a mod pops out. there is a whole world of knowledge you need to obtain, knowing how to machine stuff manually will make you a better cnc operator but it still takes a lot of creativity and design work to design and build a mod and it also takes a lot to build a cnc setup too.

maybe it' the entrepreneur in me but I sometimes think it would be cool to build mods to sell, heck I've even thought of that without cnc, but the truth is that it just takes too many hours to make one mod for it to ever be very profitable. a CNC wouldn't be something I'd want to do to only build my own personal mods though, that's for sure

Agree 100%, I mean whoever here says I wouldn't like a cnc is probably just fooling himself. I've thought of converting my milling machine to cnc but frankly what worries me is exactly what you described. I'll need a whole new set of skills to run that thing and frankly I can't be bothered to invest both the money and time to do it just to make some mods for myself.
If I were to do this professionally I would get 4 cnc's at least and run them 24/7

 

[Quigsworth]

Well I'm not so sure about immortality (I mean hey we make mods, it's not as if we cure cancer here ) but thanks anyway T

...you never know Cappy, I could see a "CaptSteve" original in Honduras Rosewood burl with Titanium hardware and accents on Christie's for $1.2M (of course you'll have to be dead )

 

[CaptSteve]

...you never know Cappy, I could see a "CaptSteve" original in Honduras Rosewood burl with Titanium hardware and accents on Christie's for $1.2M (of course you'll have to be dead )

If I'm dead it's not gonna help me much Quigs but I like your thinking

 

[dhaiken]

After a thorough review of the replies to my previous posting, and deep soul searching contemplation...
...I still want a CNC!
As much as I respect and admire the hand crafted aspect of mod building, I would rather invest my time & effort in mastering 3D Design and outsource the fabrication to a sophisticated piece of automated equipment.
But that's just me. A High Tech Redneck.
Embrace whichever path you choose. It's your journey.

 

[supertrunker]

After a thorough review of the replies to my previous posting, and deep soul searching contemplation...
...I still want a CNC!
As much as I respect and admire the hand crafted aspect of mod building, I would rather invest my time & effort in mastering 3D Design and outsource the fabrication to a sophisticated piece of automated equipment.
But that's just me. A High Tech Redneck.
Embrace whichever path you choose. It's your journey.

Totally agree. I spend my workdays doing the CAD necessary to run CNC machinery (but not lathes, milling machines etc, sadly). I find that extremely easy by virtue of having done it for so long.

My practical skills allied to an unparalleled ability to procrastinate on days off, have led to HRH drilling all her own atty topcaps!

T

 

[CaptSteve]

After a thorough review of the replies to my previous posting, and deep soul searching contemplation...
...I still want a CNC!
As much as I respect and admire the hand crafted aspect of mod building, I would rather invest my time & effort in mastering 3D Design and outsource the fabrication to a sophisticated piece of automated equipment.
But that's just me. A High Tech Redneck.
Embrace whichever path you choose. It's your journey.

I guess it beats being a low tech redneck luck us Nothing wrong with going for a nice cnc to do the work for you just be warned that a cnc will require your G code programming skills with specialized software. If you master programming and that will also require some knowledge of milling because you have to tell the machine what cutter to use (based on experience) as well as how many passes and at what depth (affects the finish) so all in all it takes some skills as Turbo said

 

[Quigsworth]

Agree 100%, I mean whoever here says I wouldn't like a cnc is probably just fooling himself. I've thought of converting my milling machine to cnc but frankly what worries me is exactly what you described. I'll need a whole new set of skills to run that thing and frankly I can't be bothered to invest both the money and time to do it just to make some mods for myself.
If I were to do this professionally I would get 4 cnc's at least and run them 24/7

My one kid (the smart one) is currently starting his masters in mat.sci. engineering, he was part of a team in 4th yr that was building special cast molds for a magnesium engine block. He was showing me the CNC code they had to write for what appeared to be a really basic bracket...it was over 2000 lines of code ...granted there's a fair amount of copy/paste with minor tweaks for similar operations, tool swaps, etc. but I'm sorry, unless I plan on making 3000 mods that's not happening

I would love power feed on the mill though...that's my next upgrade.

 

[CaptSteve]

Totally agree. I spend my workdays doing the CAD necessary to run CNC machinery (but not lathes, milling machines etc, sadly). I find that extremely easy by virtue of having done it for so long.

My practical skills allied to an unparalleled ability to procrastinate on days off, have led to HRH drilling all her own atty topcaps!

T

You mean to say that HRH doesn't get you to do it for her??? Mine does, in fact mine doesn't even how to make a coil and she's been a vaper for 5 years

 

[supertrunker]

i have to make all the coils, yes. We have been vaping since August 2012.

I did try to get HRH to just 'fit' the coils, but that didn't go too well, so i just do it all now. To be fair, we each make our own liquid although i provide the ratios as a simple recipe.

T

 

[CaptSteve]

My girl knows how to fill her tank, I tell her how proud of her I am

 

[TheBikeGuy]

My girlfriend doesn't vape. She has a degree industrial maintenance technology and is fairly mechanically inclined so I'm pretty sure, if she vaped, she could build her own coils and tell me I was building mine completely wrong.

 

[supertrunker]

They don't need a degree to opine that!

T

 

[Rossum]

They don't need a degree to opine that!

Ya think?

 

[TheBikeGuy]

Ya think?

That's funny stuff right there.

 

[EagleTa2]

Hi Guys

Well, its a start. This will likely take me a long time. I am in no hurry and am taking my time, enjoying the journey.
Here are some progress pics of a DNA 40 squonker. Will look like a cross between a zero and a sunbox when complete.. I hope.
Here is the spline hole locations marked:


Here is the spine after center drilling (spotting)


And the spine machined with a slot. I didn't show the backside, but I had to shallow out the holes for the tact switches with a 3/8 end mill on the back.


like I said before... This part took me WAY longer to make than expected. I did not use a vise and do not have a mill... This took me about 2 hours.

Thanks
Geo