Tool Shelf (October 2014)
The tool shelf was machined from an original casting and like most of the casting based parts required a substantial amount of hand filing in order to achieve the correct look. The dimensions on the drawing were limited at best and the dimensions to position it against the horn plate were totally left to the imagination of the builder!
To start with I milled the underside and then worked my way round holding it the best I could in the milling vice. The top recess was one of the later features to be machined and needed to be suited to the outer surfaces finished dimensions. The CNC mill came in very handy for this part as the front recess corner featured a larger radius than the other three, which would be very difficult to complete on a manual mill.
The 'checker' finish was initially drawn on a 2D plane in AutoCAD, then exported as a *.dxf file to Cambam and converted to a engraving G Code file. The cut was made using a 20 deg engraving cutter at about 4000 rpm, 0.3 mm deep. The finish turned out to be very effective.
The tool shelf was then offered up to horn plate and front plate, clamped in position and drilled though.
The tool shelf was machined from an original casting and like most of the casting based parts required a substantial amount of hand filing in order to achieve the correct look. The dimensions on the drawing were limited at best and the dimensions to position it against the horn plate were totally left to the imagination of the builder!
To start with I milled the underside and then worked my way round holding it the best I could in the milling vice. The top recess was one of the later features to be machined and needed to be suited to the outer surfaces finished dimensions. The CNC mill came in very handy for this part as the front recess corner featured a larger radius than the other three, which would be very difficult to complete on a manual mill.
The 'checker' finish was initially drawn on a 2D plane in AutoCAD, then exported as a *.dxf file to Cambam and converted to a engraving G Code file. The cut was made using a 20 deg engraving cutter at about 4000 rpm, 0.3 mm deep. The finish turned out to be very effective.
The tool shelf was then offered up to horn plate and front plate, clamped in position and drilled though.