Jewlery box and more projects by Doc Wheeler

[DocWheeler]

One of the things that I do not yet understand - the Bit Optimization.
I am making a window-seat/shoe storage that has four drawers (mpc is too big to attach).

With the Best optimization it took 8:16:29, but with no optimization it takes two hours longer. I thought it would be the other way around!

I got the pattern from the forum (Pratyeka I think) and it carved great. Did the first one in "Best" and after sanding for awhile, I did the second one in "Optimum", a lot less sanding but went from 3.5 hours to 8.25 hours.

If someone could give me a short answer, I would appreciate it.

[Pratyeka]

HI Doc, in this case, the way I believe the software work is it eliminates many of the kinks in each raster lines to make the path travelled by the carving bit more efficient. Hence the name "optimisation". The software takes into account the tapered shape of the bit, looks at the depth and shape of each nook and crannies of the pattern and figures out the path that will come closest to the original project.

This pattern has many deep and narrow cavities, not something that the tapered carving bit can do easily, so the optimisation will reduce the depth but keep the width of the cavities to keep the general appearance. In so doing, that reduces the total lenght of travel by the bit.

The shortest route between 2 points being a straight line, the more curves and zig zags you make, the longer it takes. The more up and down motions the bit makes in each raster line, the longer it takes.

I"m not being very clear, not had my coffee yet

show us pics when done, I haven't carved this pattern yet myself.
I noticed the frame on the right side is overlapped by the weave, but not on the left side.

[chebytrk]

Hey Ken,
Do you have the .mpc file for this pattern? Looks pretty awesome! Thanks

[DocWheeler]

Pratyeka,

Forgot to mention the problem on the right side - I could not get rid of that and decided to just sand it off. The mpc contains about 40 copies of your original pattern and the last ones on the right are turned 180 degrees and overlapped on the prior patterns to completely cover the carve area.

It looks really nice when carved - nice pattern!

Maybe when you have some time you could produce a "reversed" pattern.
When writing that, I wondered if I could not do that myself somehow - maybe I gave up too soon!

chebytrk,

It is 2+ meg, too large to include!

[DocWheeler]

Sorry, I just wanted to post my "Senior membership" here, if indeed the break is at 1000. (eat your heart out cnsranch!)

Thankfully, someone at LHR has shortened this thread, but some images were lost.

[Kenm810]

Congrats Ken, -- 1000 posts "Senior Member" --- Now Quit Dilly-Dallying and catch up

[DocWheeler]

No way my friend, at least not for a week or so. Remodeling is keeping me away from my computer at home!

You and Al are so far ahead that I feared that the threshold would raise before I got here - this the second time I've become a "Senior" member.

Taking this opportunity to add a picture of some things I made for my brother-in-law.

[Kenm810]

Congrats Ken, -- 1001 posts

I've been catching up reading all the posts this week,
more knee surgery this past monday (Hope it's the Last)and had to trade in my walking stick
for a four leged monkey bars contraption to get around. Good excuses for hanging around the house for a while.
"Boring"

[DocWheeler]

I need some advice on box corners, see the picture of the box pieces. I normally use dowels to pin the corners together, but this box has dividers inside that will make it a little more than difficult to fit everything together before the glue sets. I don't want it to come apart a few years from now!
Whatever I use will have to be done after assembly. I considered using a staple (recessed) in the top of the corners and covering them with wood, small nails through the sides in inconspicuous places, and using nothing but glue. I'm open to suggestions here.

These pieces have been sealed and sanded - a whole lot of work yet to do.

Another picture is of a problem I'm having with purple heart, it leaves very visible wheel-tracks. I have to back into the elevator, so the turn to the left is to turn around when I don't back out of the shop.

[dbfletcher]

Ken,

I think i have seen other posts where you say you either avoid biscuits or dont use them (cant remember which), but I really like biscuits for joining corners. The biscuit cutter ends up being more or less self-aligning so you always get a nice tight fit. There is a decent amount of "manipulation time" before the glue causes the biscuit to swell and lock everthing together.

Again.... very green newbie here... so take it for what its worth. If you are woried about exposing any biscuites, size #0 would probably work ok. That is the smallest I have, but there might be even smaller ones.

Doug Fletcher