Experimental Board Carrier

[CNC Carver]

Wonderful idea you are making this great!
Jeff

Still working on the pop up rails. Changed the design a little adding push buttons on the front and back. The buttons on the back pop them up. These are pressed before the carrier is put into the machine. The front buttons let them down. These are pressed with the carrier in the machine after the board has been measured.

[bergerud]

Wonderful idea you are making this great!
Jeff

Thanks. I just wish it was all easier to make and use.

the double side is my clock,, and spoon and fork I make for the highland games I am trying to save on the 8" add on or the old jig I made 3/4 thick with 4 " at each end but no worry I will keep on doing like I was before

The clock does not require much two sided accuracy. As long as you drill the hole from the front. You can do this as a two mpc project on the UCB. The spoon and fork, on the other hand, could use the two sided accuracy of the ACB.

[bergerud]

For something like your spoon fork, I would make a carrier board like this. (I do not know the size of the spoon fork so this would require resizing.)

These are the types I have been making and using. The clamps of the ACB do a double duty. They hold the carrier and hold the board in the carrier. (One does have to have a snug fit of the board in the carrier. I use my band saw to make it so.)

Here is a fail safe procedure to make a run of spoon forks. I call this the "sacrificial carrier" method. The carrier as well as the projects are all done at once.

First you make the carrier board in the ACB. You just choose center on board. Do not worry whether or not it is really centered, it does not matter. Wherever the machine decides the center is is now the center "by definition". When the carrier project is finished, slide out the carrier, clean it up, fit in the first project board, slide it back in to the stop block, clamp, and load the spoon fork back mpc. Just use center on board each time. When it is finished, slide out the carrier, flip the board in the carrier, slide back in, and load the spoon fork front mpc. Repeat as many times as you want to make a run of spoon forks.

As long as you do not lift the head, turn off the machine, or abort a project, the machine will be exactly calibrated to carve centered in the pocket. If you do loose the calibration, you can either start again by remaking the carrier or you can take your chances that the machine will measure the carrier the same as it did before. (The latter method can work but a pointer and a method to check the alignment may be more trouble than just to make a new carrier. MDF is cheap.)

[sunmiztres]

I thought I had subscribed to this thread but I guess I didn't as a lot has been going on. I really like the pop up sides idea. I have been using the ACB with great success on 2 sided carves and repeated carves. Keep up the great work. Your a brilliant man.

[bergerud]

Thanks. Good to hear that the side clamp method is working for you.

I am afraid, however, that I am confusing people as to what carrier is what and what changes have been made. Let me try and clear this up.

The UCB is the basic, simple carrier with sandpaper rails. It is meant only to hold single sided projects. When I get around to updating the project in the pattern depot, I will remove the front stop block and add the shim set we came up with.

The "modified" UCB that I made for the conference has the front stop block removed and has the ACB side clamping feature. Anyone who has purchased the UCB can also make it, but, it is not the ACB.

The ACB is different. The sides are higher and it is shorter than the UCB. Its use is for smaller, possibly thicker, double sided, multi sided, or repeated projects where accuracy is important. It is this carrier that I am working on. I am trying different methods and experimenting with things like the pop up rails.

[Sliverfoot]

Dan I've purchased the UCB from the pattern store but since I'm interested in doing two sided carves I then downloaded the modified UCB and I'm gluing it up now. I was just wondering, when building the modified version do I follow the same directions as the standard UCB? For example do I use the same measurements for drilling the touch holes and making the black areas? Also I've noticed on some of the photos posted that there are touch holes in the small touch blocks. Lastly, when using the carrier I follow the directions printed in the UCB project description NOT what was posted earlier as Advanced Carrier, correct?
Thanks for offering this as a project for us to purchase and use, I followed your threads on carriers for quite a while and to be honest, got a little confused as to what was what. putting it up on the pattern store was a big help.

[bergerud]

Dan I've purchased the UCB from the pattern store but since I'm interested in doing two sided carves I then downloaded the modified UCB and I'm gluing it up now. I was just wondering, when building the modified version do I follow the same directions as the standard UCB? For example do I use the same measurements for drilling the touch holes and making the black areas? Also I've noticed on some of the photos posted that there are touch holes in the small touch blocks. Lastly, when using the carrier I follow the directions printed in the UCB project description NOT what was posted earlier as Advanced Carrier, correct?

The modified USB is the same as the standard one except for the clamping holes and slots in the sides. (The stop blocks in the front were also eliminated.) Gluing together, drilling, and marking is the same. Depending on how it is used, the rails would be sandpaper up or sandpaper down. Sandpaper up for normal USB single sided carving (no need for side clamping). The rails would to be flipped over with sandpaper down for double sided carving.

Please do not hesitate to ask any questions. I was working on a set of instructions for different double sided carving methods for the ACB but have not gotten back to it.

Edit: the "touch holes" in the touch blocks are not holes. I put ebony plugs in them just for fun.

[Sliverfoot]

Got it. Thanks for the explanation.

[200k]

Making prototypes seems to me to be a use of the machine which should be more popular. I love it.

(There is no way anyone would guess what this is going to be!) First try on the table, second on the carrier. After a few more MDF carves, and I will carve it out of cast acyclic.

It's quite obvious that you are carving a prototype housing for a retroencabulator!
(ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k9x2gUHbQs )
200k

[mtylerfl]

It's quite obvious that you are carving a prototype housing for a retroencabulator!
(ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k9x2gUHbQs )
200k

That is hilarious!