CUSTOM CUTTING

[CRAFTYMAD]

:?: IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP ME FIND A COMPANY,OR IS THERE SOMEONE WHO COULD DO IT FOR ME? I NEED A COMPANY WHO CAN CUSTOM CUT WOOD SHAPES FOR ME? I HAVE THE PATTERNS AND A SCROLLSAW BUT DUE TO ARTHIRITIS IN MY HAND I FIND IT HARD TO HOLD ONTO THE WOOD.I AM HOPING TO MAKE AND SELL HAND PAINTED ITEMS AT CRAFT FAIRS TO START,AND MAYBE GO ONTO BIGGER THINGS.THE WOOD I WOULD LIKE TO USE WOULD MOST LIKELY BE PINE,AND MDF.CAN ANYONE SEND ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION PLEASE. THANKS,MATTY. P.S. I LIVE IN SOUTHAMPTON AND HAVE A GARAGE WHERE I HOPE TO WORK FROM.

 

[Alf]

Welcome to the forum, Matty.

I'm afraid I can't help, but just a tip - typing in block capitals is generally considered to be the typed equivilent of shouting here on the 'net. It's also a little tricky to read. For future reference you might find it easier to go easy on the caps lock.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum. Unfortunately I can't help. Have you tried asking anybody who already exhibits at craft fairs if they would supply pre-cut blanks for a reduced price?

Adam

 

[jasonB]

Take a look in yellow pages for lazer and CNC cutting services, both these methods will work but may be pricy for small quantities.

Jason

 

[MixedHerbs]

Pardon my ignorance. But if you have the patterns, why are you using a scroll saw? You may be better off converting the patterns into plywood templates and use a light-weight router. That way, you would be able to tack the wood and template to a work surface and use both hands to steady the router.

Regards, Peter.

 

[CRAFTYMAD]

:lol: i would like to thank everyone for their help.keep it coming i'll get there in the end.LOL

 

[jasonB]

This is the type of company you need

http://www.cncrouting.co.uk/What.htm

Jason

 

[Scrit]

Hello and welcome

It depends on how fine the pieces are. I run my own CNC router and I do custom cutting of MDF, plywood, plastics, etc. up to 3.2 metres x 1 metre (max). I also make children's furniture and do general component machining. If you're interested please PM me and I can advise.

Here's my little baby:

Scrit

 

[ProShop]

Wow! very nice Scrit, very nice indeed.
\/ =D>

got any more babies ??

 

[Scrit]

Can I class that as a super gloat, then FM? :wink:

One of the other babies is the pin router in my avatar - Wadkin UX, weighs-in at 1350kg complete with automatic power feeder for manual and semi-automated copy routing of components (it's one of a pair of UXs). Then there's the Rye auto shaper/copier, another great big cast iron lump - haven't got it running yet, though!

Scrit

 

[Jake]

What sort of parts do you make on them?

 

[Scrit]

Mainly furniture components - plywood, MFC, MDF, some solid timber and occasionally plastics - acrylic, polycarbonate, HDPE, Tufnol, ABS, etc. Pretty much anything I'm asked for (providing I've got the tooling). Main speciality is dowelled construction stuff in sheet stock (MDF/veneered MDF) - the beast has 20-odd individually-addressable vertical drill heads, and 10 horizontal ones for panel end drilling. Also jhas 3 off x 7.5HP router motors

Perhaps I should have said that most of this work is 2D or 2-1/2D, i.e. flat work with straight or profiled edges and some on several planes (different depths of insets for hardware, etc). Seem to do a lot of undercut work (bull nose stuff for kids furniture, etc).

Scrit

 

[CRAFTYMAD]

wow! what a machine... i think you are just the chap i am lokinng for! can i send you a couple of my patterns to see if you could cut them for me? if you can you could give me a quote for the wood,postage and your time etc;, i also want to do small items of furniture,little stools and 'pouting chairs,' i'll see if i can download them to you,if you agree that is, or i'll post them to you if that's not possible. let me know.

 

[Scrit]

Hi CM

Yes, quite a big so-and-so (just under 4 tonnes) - took 6 of us and the fork lift to manhandle it into position. The only thing it won't do is angular drilling, but for that I use the pin router with the tilting table.

eMail is fine. I can read quite a few formats and I'm used to working from everything between back of the proverbial fag packet to full-blown AutoCAD drawings. My eMail address is attached to my profile

Scrit

 

[CRAFTYMAD]

Pardon my ignorance. But if you have the patterns, why are you using a scroll saw? You may be better off converting the patterns into plywood templates and use a light-weight router. That way, you would be able to tack the wood and template to a work surface and use both hands to steady the router.

Regards, Peter.

WHAT TYPE OF ROUTER WOULD I NEED,I HAVE A B&D K.W. 800. BUT NO 'BITS' WHAT WOULD I NEED

 

[Gill]

Hi CM

Ooooh your 'Caps Lock' key needs a good talking to :roll: ! Can you try to avoid typing in upper case, please - it's difficult to read?

Your current router should be able to accept a template cutting bit such as those shown here. The bearing rides against the template whilst the cutter trims your workpiece to the exact profile. You'll still need to cut away as much waste wood as possible and you'll have to cut any sharp corners with a scrollsaw because the router bit won't reach into those.

Gill

 

[CRAFTYMAD]

oops! sorry for 'shouting' but i'm a female,you have to expect that... lol...
thanks for your help i'll try these 'bits'.. cheers

 

[MixedHerbs]

Dear Craftymad,

Without knowing your level of expertise, this is the point at which I suggest you go on a training course. In what part of the country do you live? I am sure someone can make a recommendation.

Regards, Peter.

 

[JFC]

Crafty this is the type of cutter you would need for your router http://www.axminster.co.uk/name/CMT...T-Straight-Cutters-with-Top-Bearing-20615.htm
You can get them alot cheaper than the one shown but i couldnt find them on the search . You want a flush cutter with the bearing at the top .
Edit ; Ops i see Gill beat me to it :lol:
A bottom bearing cutter may be better if your just starting out too .

 

[Scrit]

Pardon my ignorance. But if you have the patterns, why are you using a scroll saw? You may be better off converting the patterns into plywood templates and use a light-weight router. That way, you would be able to tack the wood and template to a work surface and use both hands to steady the router.
Regards, Peter.

WHAT TYPE OF ROUTER WOULD I NEED,I HAVE A B&D K.W. 800. BUT NO 'BITS' WHAT WOULD I NEED

If going this way the main thing you'd need to buy is a bearing guided template cutter - either a top bearing template trim if you are tacking the template to the top of the work piece or a panel trim with the bearing at the bottom. The main problem with using a router this way (i.e. above the workpiece) is that of securing small workpieces so that they don't move whilst you are routing them and making sure that you can support the base of the router to prevent it tipping.

A better alternative IMHO is to go for a router mounted upside down in a router table. This doesn't need to be fancy and can be as basic as a piece of kitchen worktop (end offcut) or Contiplas screwed onto a Workmate with a hole for the cutter and the router screwed to trhe underside. If you do go this way I'd recommend two additions, a No Volt Release (or Direct On Line starter) switch - this will protect you form the router restarting in the event of a power failure and subsequent power restoration AND a top guard to protect you from the cutter - this is a piece of clear acrylic or polycarbonate plastic mounted on a bolt through the "router table" - protects your hand from hitting the spinning cutter. I'll post a piccy if you're not sure what I mean.

Your templates for table routing need to be big enough for you to handle them safely without your hands coming into contact with the cutter and need to hold the workpiece securely. I'd recommend you go for the template above workpiece configuration with a bottom bearing panel trim cutter - this has the disadvantage that the template cannot be viewed but it is intrinsically safer than having the spinning cutter exposed. For durability templates need to be made from either a good quality birch plywood or better still Tufnol or solid high pressure laminate (HPL), although for one-offs MDF templates are good enough. The workpiece is best secured using wedge-shaped points - woodscrews inserted through the top of the jig which poke out of the underside and are sharpened into a wedge shape using a file. The blank is then secured by setting onto the jig and sharply hitting with the flat of the hand. f you are doing much routing you'll need a vacuum cleaner por dust extractor to keep your work area clear (and stop you from choking on MDF dust). Finally I'd recommend roughing out uour blanks on a bandsaw or the like, especially as you have a low-power router. Roughing away a lot of the waste will mean that your router labours a lot less.

Scrit