--- r e f l e X i o n ---

[Xion X2]

If your going to call your SSD theme "Zero Gravity".

Then the Perspex that holds them would be the "Gravity Stabilizer", right

I guess.

I'm exhausted right now as I've put in a full 12-hour day w/ the RZ. Made a lot of test cuts on some different bits to see which will work best for the windows. The 1/4" carbide cutting bit seems to be working the best of all of them as it slices through like a hot knife through butter.

A straight-edge is a must, though. I found that out quickly. And I wish that I could find a better guide that would fit as the one that comes w/ it is just "OK." Toughest thing so far has been rounding off corners and being careful not to overcut them.

[kgtiger]

Sounds like you need to toughen up princess, just pull a few more 12 hour days to get use to it?

I would just cut all edges square with the RZ and just round them with a hand file.
Try a, Flat Bastard to remove most of the waste and a, Flat Second Cut to clean the rough edges.
You could use a, Flat Smooth to clean up the edges, however as it very fine, you will find that the Ali clogs the file.
If/when this happens, just use a wire brush to clean it up.

To get a overall smooth edge, with out tool marks. Just use the flat second cut file, by, Draw Filing it along the edge.
Just look at the bottom of this page if your not sure,http://autospeed.com/cms/title_Using...5/article.html

Good luck mate.

[Xion X2]

[millertime359]

Less design, more sweat.

[Weevil]

I envy your design skills.

[Xion X2]

Alright, time for another update.

So the idea for the work I was to do over the weekend was to finish up the bay cover by cutting the windows for the pumps and (hopefully) the new SSD drive concept that I've coined "zero gravity." (TM )

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but I do want to keep everyone up to speed with how the build is progressing. I appreciate all the support that I've received from all of you on this project. I assure you that, although things may seem to be moving at a slow pace, I am committed to finishing this build in a reasonable timeframe. I'm just being very careful and precise, because I want this project to end as something special. I do expect things to pick up in the next week or two and am hoping *fingers crossed* to have the waterjet side panel by Tuesday.

So it was a weekend of getting to know the RZ. RZ, Xion. Xion, RZ. Xion to RZ: You going to be nice to me this weekend, or are we going to fight tooth and nail to get this done? Well, RZ gave me a little of both. He fought me a little in the beginning, but by the end of the weekend we were pretty good pals.

Speaking of pals, since I had a few requests for more pictures of Scully-cat, she's making another quick cameo. Here she is looking up at me and begging for treats practically as soon as I walked in the door.



She practically swallows her treats whole. I don't even think she chews them.

So on our way to the workshop/garage, and I'm setting up the RZ for a test run. I'll go ahead and drill a pilot hole large enough to fit the 1/4" carbide cutting tip on the RZ.



If you're a first-time user w/ the RZ, I'd highly recommend doing this. The motor in the RZ winds up like a Ferrari Enzo on steroids (sounds kind of like one, as well,) and may spin right off the surface if you're not careful.

Ok, the pilot holes are drilled.



Now we're ready to wind her up for a test run! I'm going to try this freehand to start with (yes, I'm completely nuts) just to get a feel of the power she has to put out.

Before we begin, here's another shot of the damage seeker.



She searches the metal yards.. seeking for whom she may destroy..

Oh right, we were about to freehand cut this thing.

Here we go!





See the spinning blade? How the *#^! does he take a picture while he's doing this, you might ask? Well, if you promise to keep it between us, I'll let you in on a little family secret. My father was an octopus in a past life, my mother a black widow. My uncle, a centipede. You should see me play the drums.



Cutting away...



On a side note, is it raining metal shavings from the sky, or is it just me?





OK, yeah, that's just downright messy. We'll obviously need a straight edge to help us out. On the good side, 1, 2, 3, 5,.. ok, all my limbs are still intact. So we're safe to do some more cutting.

By the way, I think it really is raining metal shavings from the sky. I may need a snow plow to clean all this crap up...



Everywhere I walk now, I hear this: "cccrrruuNNCH, ccRRUUNCH, crUUNCH.."

Good thing dad's out of town! (dad, if you're watching, it's just a joke and I cleaned it all up before I left.)

Alright, I'm ready for the second run now, and things are looking much better with the straight edge.



That line's not too bad! It was time for a fist pump. *fist pump* And.. since no one was around, I high-fived myself.

Ok, now the other side of the window.



Sweet! Cutting in a straight line has never been so much fun.

The finished test cuts. Straight-edge on the left, freehand on the right.



Yeah, clearly the straight-edge cut is larger. It took a little practice to learn the distance needed between the bit and the edge of the guide to get it just on the line. And as is also plain to see, the corners were a bit tricky. I was trying to round them without cutting up too far from the adjacent side, but the RZ can get away from you so easily once it bites into a chunk of AL.

So, ok.. we're making progress. Still, I'm not quite comfortable with cutting into the final cover piece yet. I decided to cut one more test window first.



This one came out pretty good, I thought. That's getting closer to the kind of quality I'm looking for in this build.



Still a little rough on the corners, but maybe some work with the file could help iron those out. And it's tough to see unless you're right up on it, but some of the sides are just a hair off.

I gave this some thought, because I was being very careful to keep the guide against the straight-edge... then it hit me. Is my straight-edge really straight?



*Forehead slap* This whole time I'd been cutting with a piece of plywood with several knots down the center. You can see how the square is off at the bottom. See the gap?

Alright, mental note: "Hey dummy, the next time, step 1 is to square your straight edge."

Oh well, practice makes perfect.. I'm hoping.

Unfortunately, that's the end of the update. My jigsaw attachment broke when I was trying to adjust it, and I couldn't get any more cutting done. Just when I was getting the hang of things...

I have an appointment at the waterjet on Tuesday. I doubt that I can pick up a new jig attachment before then as the local hardware stores don't seem to carry them. So what I may end up doing is letting the shop cut the windows. There's an initial setup charge that I get 10 cuts for, and I'm going to see if they'll let me use different designs for those cuts.

Thanks for checking in!

[Xion X2]

Less design, more sweat.

Oh ye of little faith..

(read one post up)

I envy your design skills.

Thanks man.

[millertime359]

Oh ye of little faith..

(read one post up)

Woot. You also included kitty photos too.

For Roto-Zip attachments, check Home Depot or Lowes. They have a pretty nice selection of that stuff. Just head over to the tool crib.

[Xion X2]

Woot. You also included kitty photos too.

For Roto-Zip attachments, check Home Depot or Lowes. They have a pretty nice selection of that stuff. Just head over to the tool crib.

Yeah, I checked both of them. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything that I thought would work for this kind of stuff. They had no replacement jig attachments that I saw. There was one edge guide but it was very thin and looked like its primary use was for circle cuts.

If anyone has any suggestions on a good jig/edge guide attachment for the RZ, please let me know. Having trouble finding one.

[millertime359]

Why you not using a jigsaw for the windows?

It's a little easier to control for straight cuts. The Rotozip is more suited for a tighter radius that a jigsaw can't handle.

[Xion X2]

Why you not using a jigsaw for the windows?

It's a little easier to control for straight cuts. The Rotozip is more suited for a tighter radius that a jigsaw can't handle.

A jig for this? Really?

To me, this is more suited for a router since you're boring out metal. It's tough to make room for a jig. I think a jig is more suited for making edge cuts where you have more room to work. These windows are only a few inches in height/width.

The RZ worked really well as long as I wasn't cutting along a knot in the plywood.

[charles_h]

Awesome update!

There's an arm/guide attachment for the Roto-Zip Jigsaw base you have but I never bothered with it - seemed a bit junky.

Just find a nice piece of Aluminum angle to use as a guide. Home Despot sells the stuff in short lengths - 1/8" x 1" x 3' will do ya.

Nice, clean edges come as a result of the time you spend setting up for cuts. Take your time - be one with the RZoD...

Looking forward to MOAR.

[Xion X2]

Awesome update!

There's an arm/guide attachment for the Roto-Zip Jigsaw base you have but I never bothered with it - seemed a bit junky.

Just find a nice piece of Aluminum angle to use as a guide. Home Despot sells the stuff in short lengths - 1/8" x 1" x 3' will do ya.

Nice, clean edges come as a result of the time you spend setting up for cuts. Take your time - be one with the RZoD...

Looking forward to MOAR.

Thanks, Charles!

Yeah, unfortunately that's the one drawback of this tool. There don't seem to be any decent jig attachments. The one it comes with is too short and rounded and is cheaply made. Simply adjusting the screw a little too much caused it to dislodge from the internal plastic casing, and I never could get it to right itself.

Excellent tip about the AL right angle. Will probably work better than the knotty plywood, eh?

And I completely agree with you.. set-up is everything. That's where I spent the majority of my time. I was even breaking out the digital calipers toward the end for measuring.

[dingdong555]

W-O-W..... this story is awesome!

[millertime359]

A jig for this? Really?

To me, this is more suited for a router since you're boring out metal. It's tough to make room for a jig. I think a jig is more suited for making edge cuts where you have more room to work. These windows are only a few inches in height/width.

The RZ worked really well as long as I wasn't cutting along a knot in the plywood.

Yep, You drill 4 holes, one in each corner big enough to insert the blade.

Then connect the dots.

It gives you nice rounded corners and straight edges.

[Xion X2]

Yep, You drill 4 holes, one in each corner big enough to insert the blade.

Then connect the dots.

It gives you nice rounded corners and straight edges.

Appreciate the suggestion, but I think it'd be a little more trouble than cutting with the RZ for this kind of stuff where you're working well within the metal boundary and with such a thin/soft metal. The AL is thin without a lot of support, and so it's not exactly easy to drill holes through and will wobble a lot more with a jig. Also, drilling just 1-2 holes to fit the RZ compared to probably 7-8 to fit jig blades is a lot easier. You could place plywood underneath for drilling support, but then that means you're clamping/sighting twice instead of once since you'll need to jig where the plywood sits and will need to move it.

The good thing about this kind of work is there are a number of solutions to a given situation, and I certainly appreciate any and all suggestions.

[aka_GK]

had fun reading this update, keep up the good work!

[kgtiger]

As you said "number of solutions to a given situation".

The challenge to you is finding the fastest and easiest for you. I for one, do aggree with Miller, a jigsaw is, in my opinion, the way to go.

You can buy blades that are only 4-6mm wide and are made for cutting ali.

Altho I have not worked with the RZ, which is basicly just a jigsaw with a router bit.

This job would be far easier with a jigsaw.

As the blades are only 1.5-2mm thick you would be removing far less material, spend less time cutting and have less to clean up, I hate cleaning up, its like sanding, it sux.
Also with 4-6mm wide blades, you would only need to drill one hole just to start off, or like Miller stated, a hole in each corner to give you nice round corners.
Then all you need to do is measure from the inside edge of the blade to the outside edge of the jigsaw foot and clamp your square ali angle to suit.

Just remember Please measure twice and cut once, it's so much more fun.

Nice clean cuts await you.

Good luck and have fun.

[Vinas]

Agree about the jigsaw. I use one with a laser guide for my build and it worked good with exceptionally straight cuts on flat surfaces. With a good blade it looks perfect.

To drill your corners you should consider using a titanium unibit with your drill. Measure the circumference and cut the round corner first with the unibit, then just connect the lines using a high speed jig with a good metal blade. Now that I think about it, you could always use a plastic edge dressing to make it look clean. As long as the edge is level it will look perfect with edge trim. http://www.trimco.info/edge-trim.html

Keep the pics coming!

[Xion X2]

You guys like your jigs, huh.

We'll see how things go at the shop tomorrow. If I have to take another crack at this, I may try the jig. I still think the RZ is the best and easiest solution for this particular job, though.

[kgtiger]

This is just my opinion.
This forum is a place to show and tell, learn and to teach those that are open to the idears arond them.

I for one, have learnt that I know nothing at all compared to those around me.

Like you said there are a number of solutions to a given situation.

Theres lots of way to do thiings, some are simple, some more complex, some are quicker than others and some will give you better results than others.

If the only tool you have is a hammer, then everything starts to look like a nail.

Just keep an open mind.

Spend another weekend with RZ, take your time, get a decent straight edge ( Like charles sugested use an Aluminum angle) and see if you can get the results that you want.

If so, congratulations to you, if not, then try something different.

All in all more power to you for trying.

Looking forward to your next detailed update.

[millertime359]

^^^^^

Nicely stated. +1 on that.

[shazza]

Good Luck, Xion!

I'd give you some hints, but I think it's better if you do it without my help (no, seriously, you're much better off without my help )

[Xion X2]

Teaser.

[shazza]

Wow!!!! Really nice render of that hand.


j/k obviously. Looks gorgeous.