Hey gang,
I'm taking on a rather huge building project this summer/early fall. I'm adding 2,000 sq. feet to the house and, if winter doesn't come too early, I'm hoping to get a new shop at least closed in before the rain and (hopefully) snow comes. All of the lumber has been milled from trees that were killed by bark beetles this past fall. I'm doing pretty much all of the work myself, so it's going to be an intense few months of dawn to dusk nail pounding. Up to this point, I've just been doing the preliminary stuff (drawing up and submitting plans to building dept., excavation, lumber prep, etc.), but I've definitely been finding it more and more difficult to squeeze in on-line time. Starting tomorrow, building begins to get pretty intense, so I doubt I'll have time to contribute to skibuilders for awhile, though I hope to at least pop in on the site every 2 or 3 weeks to see what other folks are up to. I'm hopeful of getting in some time over the next few weeks to finish up the CNC machine, but I doubt that I'll have time to build any skis for awhile. If I don't fall off the roof and break my neck, I'll be back sometime in the fall.
Best regards to all,
G-man
G-man's checking-out for awhile
Moderators: Head Monkey, kelvin, bigKam, skidesmond, chrismp
Hey Jason,
Thanks much for checking up on me. Summer is really flying by and I'm way behind where I had hoped to be at this point in time... which sounds more than just a bit odd to me today, after some of the lessons regarding planning and expectations that I've learned this summer.
So often, I create these 'schedules' or time tables that I attach to projects that I take on that really don't leave much room for all of the life events that are unforeseen, but that happen everyday… some days more than others. This summer, there just seems to have been much more of the unforeseen events than usual. Here's a typical one… I’ll be outside trying to get some work done on the addition and my wife walks up and says, “Um, sweetheart, um, I think that the well went dry this morning cause we don’t have any water… and I think that the pump burned up because there wasn’t any water for it to pump… and it seems like the water level in the water heater might have gotten too low and burned up the water heater because it made a loud ‘pop’ and the little red light went out… and everything in the garden looks like it is shriveling up and going to die now, cause there’s no water. Do you have time today to fix all that stuff?” These scenarios have become so frequent that they have almost begun to be humorous. Anyway, I’m having to re-learn a bunch about ‘going with the flow’ this summer, which is a good thing.
I haven’t done any ski building since late April. I have, though, been squeezing in some time on the CNC machine project. It’s coming together very nicely, even if it is taking a bit longer than anticipated… which probably means that it’s right on schedule, eh. The primary function of the first machine is going to be core shaping and cutting out the bases. I should be able to sit down at the computer and draw out a completely new ski shape, shape two cores, route the edge relief groove, and cut out two bases in about an hour. All will be vacuum clamped to the CNC table. Cutting and shaping will just be a matter of telling the machine to cut on the ski shape line, cut outside of the line, or inside of the line. CNC will also mill the insert holes and index pin holes. A second machine is now on the drawing table. It’s purpose will be to mill the flash away after the ski has been pressed. This machine will be totally enclosed in a sealed box that is connected to a dust removal system, and will reduce my exposure to that nasty ol’ fiberglass dust and will eliminate the problem of band saw and saber blades becoming so dull so quickly. The cutter guidance system will most likely be an electromagnetic sensor the senses where the outer metal edge is located, but there are a couple of other methods that I’m looking into.
For those folks who are interested in a ‘greener’ ski, I have ordered and received some of the bamboo laminating cloth that hafte mentioned on a post a few weeks ago. It looks more like it was intended as a clothing textile (t-shirt material), and may not work for ski building. I’m looking into it further to see if the fabric maker has a product that is more similar to a traditional composite weave. I also got some samples of a corn based polymer that looks similar to UHMW or ABS. I’m going to do some bond testing and freeze testing on it to see if it might work for sidewall material. It also seems that we are getting very close to having a corn based epoxy resin… lots of activity and research in that area right now, mostly because the corporations and investors see that there may be a buck to be made, but that’s just the way these things usually work.
Sorry to cram all of this stuff into one post, but I’ll probably be disappearing for a few weeks again, until early fall. I did review much of what has gone on in the forum over the past couple of months… lots of new members with great input and lots of continuing good work from some longer standing members. Nice to see the movement continuing to grow.
G-man
Thanks much for checking up on me. Summer is really flying by and I'm way behind where I had hoped to be at this point in time... which sounds more than just a bit odd to me today, after some of the lessons regarding planning and expectations that I've learned this summer.
So often, I create these 'schedules' or time tables that I attach to projects that I take on that really don't leave much room for all of the life events that are unforeseen, but that happen everyday… some days more than others. This summer, there just seems to have been much more of the unforeseen events than usual. Here's a typical one… I’ll be outside trying to get some work done on the addition and my wife walks up and says, “Um, sweetheart, um, I think that the well went dry this morning cause we don’t have any water… and I think that the pump burned up because there wasn’t any water for it to pump… and it seems like the water level in the water heater might have gotten too low and burned up the water heater because it made a loud ‘pop’ and the little red light went out… and everything in the garden looks like it is shriveling up and going to die now, cause there’s no water. Do you have time today to fix all that stuff?” These scenarios have become so frequent that they have almost begun to be humorous. Anyway, I’m having to re-learn a bunch about ‘going with the flow’ this summer, which is a good thing.
I haven’t done any ski building since late April. I have, though, been squeezing in some time on the CNC machine project. It’s coming together very nicely, even if it is taking a bit longer than anticipated… which probably means that it’s right on schedule, eh. The primary function of the first machine is going to be core shaping and cutting out the bases. I should be able to sit down at the computer and draw out a completely new ski shape, shape two cores, route the edge relief groove, and cut out two bases in about an hour. All will be vacuum clamped to the CNC table. Cutting and shaping will just be a matter of telling the machine to cut on the ski shape line, cut outside of the line, or inside of the line. CNC will also mill the insert holes and index pin holes. A second machine is now on the drawing table. It’s purpose will be to mill the flash away after the ski has been pressed. This machine will be totally enclosed in a sealed box that is connected to a dust removal system, and will reduce my exposure to that nasty ol’ fiberglass dust and will eliminate the problem of band saw and saber blades becoming so dull so quickly. The cutter guidance system will most likely be an electromagnetic sensor the senses where the outer metal edge is located, but there are a couple of other methods that I’m looking into.
For those folks who are interested in a ‘greener’ ski, I have ordered and received some of the bamboo laminating cloth that hafte mentioned on a post a few weeks ago. It looks more like it was intended as a clothing textile (t-shirt material), and may not work for ski building. I’m looking into it further to see if the fabric maker has a product that is more similar to a traditional composite weave. I also got some samples of a corn based polymer that looks similar to UHMW or ABS. I’m going to do some bond testing and freeze testing on it to see if it might work for sidewall material. It also seems that we are getting very close to having a corn based epoxy resin… lots of activity and research in that area right now, mostly because the corporations and investors see that there may be a buck to be made, but that’s just the way these things usually work.
Sorry to cram all of this stuff into one post, but I’ll probably be disappearing for a few weeks again, until early fall. I did review much of what has gone on in the forum over the past couple of months… lots of new members with great input and lots of continuing good work from some longer standing members. Nice to see the movement continuing to grow.
G-man
G-man,
Sounds like things are on par as far as the work schedule goes! A two hour job takes only four hours....
I wanted to pass this by you and see what you think. I am trying to get someone to do a bit of trimming on some base material (x-country ski type).
My desire is to build and BC touring type ski (IE: Atomic Guides). I plan on stopping by the only place I'm aware of that has a CNC machine on my way home from work in the AM.
After reading your post I thought I'd ask you if you think your newly fabbed CNC would be capable of doing this? If so, would you be interested in trying it? Let me know if this is something you would be interested in trying, obviously at your lesiure!
ra
Sounds like things are on par as far as the work schedule goes! A two hour job takes only four hours....
I wanted to pass this by you and see what you think. I am trying to get someone to do a bit of trimming on some base material (x-country ski type).
My desire is to build and BC touring type ski (IE: Atomic Guides). I plan on stopping by the only place I'm aware of that has a CNC machine on my way home from work in the AM.
After reading your post I thought I'd ask you if you think your newly fabbed CNC would be capable of doing this? If so, would you be interested in trying it? Let me know if this is something you would be interested in trying, obviously at your lesiure!
ra
Hi rockaukum,
Sorry to not reply sooner, but If had my nose to the grindstone with other tasks and haven't checked in for awhile. Regarding your question about cnc'ing base material, am I understanding correctly that you are interested in machining a waxless (fish scale type) pattern into some base material? If so, I think that the process would be pretty difficult to do on a 3 axis (x, y, z) machine unless the base material were mounted at an incline on the work surface. The programming would then be pretty complex to get the cutter to step up (for each new row of scales) just the right amount. A 4 axis machine could move the cutter into base material that was mounted on a flat surface by advancing the cutter at an angle into the base material via the 4th axis... still pretty tricky, though. I'm also thinking, from my experience machining UHMW, that the overall machining job would leave a lot of 'deformed' plastic that would have be trimmed with a razor... I have a difficult time getting clean edge cuts on UHMW unless I have super sharp cutters. However, I'm really new at this CNC stuff, so others might have a method in mind that would work.
By the way, great job on the Brewskis. Should be a really fun ski.
G-man
Sorry to not reply sooner, but If had my nose to the grindstone with other tasks and haven't checked in for awhile. Regarding your question about cnc'ing base material, am I understanding correctly that you are interested in machining a waxless (fish scale type) pattern into some base material? If so, I think that the process would be pretty difficult to do on a 3 axis (x, y, z) machine unless the base material were mounted at an incline on the work surface. The programming would then be pretty complex to get the cutter to step up (for each new row of scales) just the right amount. A 4 axis machine could move the cutter into base material that was mounted on a flat surface by advancing the cutter at an angle into the base material via the 4th axis... still pretty tricky, though. I'm also thinking, from my experience machining UHMW, that the overall machining job would leave a lot of 'deformed' plastic that would have be trimmed with a razor... I have a difficult time getting clean edge cuts on UHMW unless I have super sharp cutters. However, I'm really new at this CNC stuff, so others might have a method in mind that would work.
By the way, great job on the Brewskis. Should be a really fun ski.
G-man
G,
Thanks for the reply. I knew you were / are very busy so I really was not expecting a timely response. I have visited a profesional shop re cnc machining the base. I got the impression from them that what I am requesting was going to be a very labor intensive activity and therefor they were not interested. I think I need to get ahold of someone in the industry and figure out how they do it.
rockaukum
Thanks for the reply. I knew you were / are very busy so I really was not expecting a timely response. I have visited a profesional shop re cnc machining the base. I got the impression from them that what I am requesting was going to be a very labor intensive activity and therefor they were not interested. I think I need to get ahold of someone in the industry and figure out how they do it.
rockaukum