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View Full Version : Best way to get a perfect fit?



GRASSHOPPER
07-08-2007, 10:14 PM
Hello everybody.

I have been doing wood work for about 30 years as a hobby and am looking at getting money for some of it. This Compucarve was a Fathers day gift from a new son in law who wants me to build the cabinets in the house he is going to build (I suspect he wants some fancy cabinets).

I have a potential customer who is a custom gunsmith and is looking for exact fit presentation boxes and if done right the cost is a small matter. This guy gets big bucks. I am trying to achieve that perfect fit and will need to get the scanning probe to get it right. What I am asking for is the best technique.

The indentation has to be about one third the width of the gun. Is it possible to place the gun on a sled and set the probe at a zero point that is actually not touching anything so as to only scan the top one third of the gun and then invert the scan in the software? Would it be better to press the gun into some material to make the proper outline and then scan that material? If so what is the best material to use?

As you can see I will probably be on here with a lot of questions. I have already read a lot in here and learned a lot.

I am having a problem with the edge sensor and have found a couple things to try to fix it.

Thanks in advance for the help and advise.

pkunk
07-08-2007, 10:28 PM
Hello everybody.

I have been doing wood work for about 30 years as a hobby and am looking at getting money for some of it. This Compucarve was a Fathers day gift from a new son in law who wants me to build the cabinets in the house he is going to build (I suspect he wants some fancy cabinets).

I have a potential customer who is a custom gunsmith and is looking for exact fit presentation boxes and if done right the cost is a small matter. This guy gets big bucks. I am trying to achieve that perfect fit and will need to get the scanning probe to get it right. What I am asking for is the best technique.

The indentation has to be about one third the width of the gun. Is it possible to place the gun on a sled and set the probe at a zero point that is actually not touching anything so as to only scan the top one third of the gun and then invert the scan in the software? Would it be better to press the gun into some material to make the proper outline and then scan that material? If so what is the best material to use?


Thanks in advance for the help and advise.
The scan depth is 1" and you can set a 0 point. I think it will work perfectly for you. Use the actual scan and invert the carving/pattern.
You might think about making a mold and lining it with felt, because you might need the clearance for felt in the carving.

GRASSHOPPER
07-10-2007, 03:10 PM
I have an idea I would like to bounce off of you folks. As I said I am trying to get a perfect fit for a gun cut out and have to allow for the felt that will be added.

My plan is to scan the things I want in the box and carve them in the exact size, which will probably be too tight. The next step is to pour plaster of paris into the carving to make a jig. After removing them apply enough paint to equal the thickness of the felt then mount them on a sled as I want them carved and rescan the whole thing. Finally invert the scan in the software and carve it.

If the idea won’t work please shoot it down before I waste all that time.

DocWheeler
07-10-2007, 03:31 PM
Grasshopper,
What about covering the gun with a thin material and placing some air tight wrapping over that - exhaust the air, and scan that combination?

I warned you;)

GRASSHOPPER
07-10-2007, 04:07 PM
That would probably work but from what I have seen that air tight stuff usually gets a lot of wrinkles when it goes around an edge. Wouldn't want to include them.

BobHill
07-10-2007, 05:23 PM
I'm skeptical about doing a decent probe of any gun with any degree of accuracy due to having to reduce the thickness of the area to probe to 1", which means you'd have to use something to form the outline within that 1" depth in the first place. However, if you have a digital camera (and who doesn't today), take a good perpendicular photo of the weapon, being sure to take the measurements of what would be the actual physical bounding box (a rectangle which just encompasses the weapon's outline" and with that photo, use something like PhotoShop (more likely Adobe PhotoShop Elements. which for our purposes is as good as the "real" thing, but a lot less expensive) to eliminate the background. Take that into Designer as a PTN, then use OUTLINE PATTERN tool to set the path you wish to make. be sure to enlarge that pattern so the bounding box is slightly larger than the actual weapon (including what would be needed to accept the velvet) and then use the CARVE REGION tool.

Having said all that, my collector pistols don't use wood under the velvet, but have the form cut in foam with the covering over it. Only the pistols boxes are wood with designs on them.

That's how I'd do it. Besides, I wouldn't like the probe to even come close to scratching the skin of any of my weapons.

Bob Hill
Tampa Florida

DocWheeler
07-10-2007, 06:02 PM
Grasshopper,
I was concerned about scanning the actual gun surface also, that led to my first idea. Now I have another one - since I do not have a probe, I'm not sure how to go about this.
Put tape or something on the probe point that is about as thick as the felt you will use, that way the probe will "see" a larger object and you won't scratch the gun.

rjustice
07-10-2007, 06:28 PM
This is a really cool idea actually. I had my probe order canceled or something because it was backordered, and they wouldnt honor the lower price, so i got irritated and didnt reorder it. The reason for explaining that is that if i had a probe I could probably machine a delrin tip to either replace or "cap" the original tip. If someone wants to send me a probe i could work something out.

Ron

rjustice
07-11-2007, 09:25 PM
Grasshopper... I should be able to give you an answer on this within the next few days.

Ron

GRASSHOPPER
07-12-2007, 02:01 PM
I can't wait. Actually I can since i will be calling service tomorrow to see if I can get past the Z axis failure during finding surface.

dcalvin4
09-12-2009, 09:43 PM
I can't wait. Actually I can since i will be calling service tomorrow to see if I can get past the Z axis failure during finding surface.

Reread and think about bob hill #6 answer I think its best

Steven Alford
09-12-2009, 11:06 PM
Do you realize you commented on a 2 year-old post??
I would imagine by now he has his project done.

dcalvin4
09-13-2009, 01:07 PM
Do you realize you commented on a 2 year-old post??
I would imagine by now he has his project done.

slow reader

geekviking
09-13-2009, 08:03 PM
:) ........