Can it be done?

[jhatcher]

I have no lathe and even if I did, I will eventually need about 50 of these. Is there a way for the designer or pattern editor to do something like this even though from a drawing? 2 sided carve? Sorry about the small size.


Jeremy

[Kenm810]

Jeremy,

Take a look at this post, it's near to what your asking and trying to do.
Also do a forum search on "Chess Pieces"
for more ideas on how to do two sided carvings

http://forum.carvewright.com/showpost.php?p=111036&postcount=25

[HighTechOkie]

Wrong tool for the job.

Find someone with a lathe to turn the transition from some round stock. Then glue the smaller dowel to it. You'll spend more time trying to sand the parts than turning and glue-up combined. For 50, you are probably looking at 50+hrs in carve time alone. It will be difficult to get a perfectly round part due to the taper of the carving bit. You really need a 1/8" or 1/16" ball nose end mill to even attempt this.

Now, depending on how long the larger end is, it is possible to build a turning fixture for the CW, but again, time involved, I'd just pay someone to turn them on a lathe for me.

Rob

[bjbethke]

I have no lathe and even if I did, I will eventually need about 50 of these. Is there a way for the designer or pattern editor to do something like this even though from a drawing? 2 sided carve? Sorry about the small size.


Jeremy
First off I would ask what it is. You named it a "Pillar", what size is it? looks like the bottom is round, is the top square? You may need a Legacy mill to do that, I could help.

I could only make them 3 foot long and 6 inches square

[jhatcher]

Thanks guys for the info. All of the pillars are to be under 10" various sizes, but there are many of them. If I can get the CW to do a decent job, then that would save me time instead of trying to get them all the same on the lathe. I can do other things while the CW is carving, maybe setup like 10 on a single board. Or I thought maybe I can get one from a lathe, cut it in half and scan it in..

Anymore ideas are always appreciated. BTW, these pillars are just what the plans call for, I can make my own, but just want them to be somewhat cylindrical. As long as they are the right length and width, and fit with the genre on the project, anything could work.

Jeremy

[SteveEJ]

Or a 4 axis CNC.




Wrong tool for the job.

Find someone with a lathe to turn the transition from some round stock. Then glue the smaller dowel to it. You'll spend more time trying to sand the parts than turning and glue-up combined. For 50, you are probably looking at 50+hrs in carve time alone. It will be difficult to get a perfectly round part due to the taper of the carving bit. You really need a 1/8" or 1/16" ball nose end mill to even attempt this.

Now, depending on how long the larger end is, it is possible to build a turning fixture for the CW, but again, time involved, I'd just pay someone to turn them on a lathe for me.

Rob

[Dan-Woodman]

some thing like that could be done pretty easily with a router and box to hold the turning.
later Daniel

[Chief]

BJ,

What is a Legacy mill?

Chief

[AskBud]

BJ,

What is a Legacy mill?

Chief

Here is a link.
AskBud
http://legacywoodworking.com/index.cfm
Looks like another fantastic tool to have fun with.

[andes]

Legacy Ornamental Mill is woodworking machinery; you can get more info at http://www.legacywoodworking.com/OrnamentalMilling.cfm


BJ,

What is a Legacy mill?

Chief

[jhatcher]

I have an old craftsman router lathe. I think called a router crafter.... nah, that don't sound right.... Crafter Router?..... nah... hoobie joobie??? nah... oh you all know what I mean!!

Jeremy

[TIMCOSBY]

sortof like that about 6 months ago. it was more like a spindle in fretwork.

[SteveEJ]

It was called a Router Crafter. I wanted one BAD back in the day but could not afford one.

The Legacy Ornamental mill comes in 2 flavors, 1 - Manual operation 5 axis and 2 - CNC with 4 axis automated and fifth manual (on some) or 5 axis full automation (more expensive version). I own the Legacy 900 with the standard CNC upgrade (the 5th axis is manual). This type of turning is quite simple with the Legacy mill.

Legacy has 2 sites:
http://www.legacycncwoodworking.com -> Dedicated to CNC machines
http://www.legacywoodworking.com -> Manual machines

Hope this helps..

[Chief]

Bud,

Thank for the URL. I took a look at the site and the first thing that struck me was the "Legacy" by "Phantom Engineering". I hope their tools are better than their imagination with names.

Their Legacy models remind me of a tool that Sears sold about 40 years ago. You used a router mounted to a...... for lack of a better term, a stationary lath that you could index. I haven't seen one in a Sears store in years although I imagine you could find one on eBay if you search often and long enough.

Chief

[AskBud]

Bud,

Thank for the URL. I took a look at the site and the first thing that struck me was the "Legacy" by "Phantom Engineering". I hope their tools are better than their imagination with names.

Their Legacy models remind me of a tool that Sears sold about 40 years ago. You used a router mounted to a...... for lack of a better term, a stationary lath that you could index. I haven't seen one in a Sears store in years although I imagine you could find one on eBay if you search often and long enough.

Chief

Watch the video(s) and you will see there is no comparison to the old Sear's product. It can also be a CNC machine.
AskBud

[Chief]

Steve,

What's your opinion of the Legacy 900? The machines look interesting.

Chief

[SteveEJ]

Excellent machine. If I had it to do over I would buy a 900 non-cnc version, learn it inside and out, then upgrade to the CNC version. There is some really cool stuff you can do with it. The best thing about the CNC version is engineer once, cut many times.. Just like the CW/CC.. GCode and working with it required much more than the CW/CC. I use it for 4th axis work (spindles, rope mouldings, pilasters, columns, etc.)

Although the machine is high quality, sometimes it takes a while to get support. Other users are the best support, which is what you have here!

[Chief]

Steve,

I hate to put you on the spot or bother you again but what's the difference between the non- and the CNC versions. And, from what you wrote, this outfit doesn't have a forum for their customers.

Chief

[SteveEJ]

Chief,
The NON-CNC version, which was the original version, was gear driven and hand cranking. The gears were interchangeable and the router depth was manually controlled. There are some demo's on their web site (legacywoodworking.com). The CNC verstions of the 900/1200 are standard verstions with all of the gears removed and stepper motors and controllers doing all the work. The CNC machines will require all new software, a big learning curve and time to figure it all out. Go to LegacyCNCWoodworking.com for CNC information. Watch the demos on both sites. They will answer a lot of questions.

Reference the forums, NO, they do NOT have the forums that the CW/CC folks enjoy. Answers are slow coming from other CNC machines. Vectric has good support and so does Mach3 (both are software packages for designing and controlling the CNC machines). The CW/CC user support is excellent here and from other sites. Legacy could learn from that for sure.

I hope this answers questions. Again, go to their sites and view the demos. It is a GREAT and EXPENSIVE machine! If CW/CC has the 4th axis ability they could bite into a very large market for sure.