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View Full Version : The Unofficial CarveWright Weather Repellent Cover



DurhamDev
02-22-2011, 11:05 AM
Hi all,

I have to admit, I love the sound of my CW machine carving, but my Wife does not. Some background: We live in a wartime house with no basement, and have a shed in the backyard that is (presently) packed to capacity, as storage is at a premium in our house. So, the few things I've tested out on my machine since I got it last week have been produced in the kids' toy room, while my Wife and kids have been out.

To that end, I've come up with a pretty basic idea so that I can use the CW on my back deck, until said time as we clean out the shed, or build my workshop. Please note, I'm not considering leaving the CW outside for extended periods of time, and this design is in no way going to be used during heavy rain, wind, or snow... ...it is really more of a shield for the most 'basic' of elements, although I would wager it would hold it's own against worse.

Here is my design, via Google Sketchup:

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/3060/cwcover1.png

I've built the design so that it can be portable, and broken down easily. The top and sides will have dowel holes cut into them, so that they can be assembled and disassembled quickly. I have yet to note if the vibrations from the machine will require me to make any changes, but if so, I've also designed the sides so that with a simple change, I could install bolts and wing-nuts, in place of the dowels. My Wife came up with the idea of using plastic from carpet runners to cover the frame and protect the CW from the elements, and I believe you can get this with a thickness of ~1/8".

As you will note from the pics, I have some preliminary cutting plans for the plastic, similar to what you might see at your local car wash. I've also made some vent holes for cooling, and a spot for the power cord.

I really just need a spot to use my machine, and I really, really, really don't want to have to wait until I have a proper workshop area available. (That, and I'm getting pretty sad every time I have to send my family away any time I want to carve something!)

Does anyone else have something similar in use with their machine? If so, are there any challenges (i.e. dust, heat, etc.) that you know about with this type of idea? What are your thoughts? Critique?

Rick // The DurhamDev

p.s. I'm happy to make my current Sketchup model available to the community, if you would like it.