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Jim Jakosh
1383 posts
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More from Jim Jakosh
"Tim's Workshop" Sign
This is a sign I made for my buddy ,Tim's workshop out of a slab of walnut someone gave away at one of the guild meetings. I didn't take a shot of the sign when it was off the duplicator but here you also see how I made it. It was finished with clear lacquer.The letter templates are real shallow so I first cut the lettering into another board with a 1/8" ball router bit. If I slip up there I can just throw it away. I do the final cut using the 1/8 wide letters and I have a stylus that fits very well to insure perfect tracking
I can use the letter templates over again for other shops.
Cheers, Jim
I can use the letter templates over again for other shops.
Cheers, Jim
Cheers, Jim ........................ Variety is the spice of life...............Learn something new every day
16 Comments
I bought a Radio Carver a few years back and decided I should experiment with some of the many lettering and numbering templates I already had on hand.
I was most drawn to the brass ones that offer a pathetic 1/16th of an inch or less to track on, making for a LOT of opportunity to blow it at any stage of the project.
To solve the problem, I made an absurdly simple holder, which just holds the perimeter of the templates. Using Masonite, the brass templates are raised so there is about a 1/4" air gap under the templates. This gives about zero chance of blowing it using super thin templates of brass, plastic, Masonite or what have you.
From there, it was a simple matter to make negative patters for relief carvings too.
I was most drawn to the brass ones that offer a pathetic 1/16th of an inch or less to track on, making for a LOT of opportunity to blow it at any stage of the project.
To solve the problem, I made an absurdly simple holder, which just holds the perimeter of the templates. Using Masonite, the brass templates are raised so there is about a 1/4" air gap under the templates. This gives about zero chance of blowing it using super thin templates of brass, plastic, Masonite or what have you.
From there, it was a simple matter to make negative patters for relief carvings too.
Good job Jim.
-- Soli Deo gloria! ( To God alone be the Glory)
Nice sign. like the walnut.
Main Street to the Mountains
Impressive set-up for the duplicator, looks like it does a great job. Mike
Hi Kelly. Mine are thin bakelite with about 1/16 wide letter groove but they do not go through. I turned a very small ball end stylus and have to hold it down when tracing or else it slides off the line and makes scrap. That is why I cut an wider/deeper tracing so I can follow it with a 1/8" ball stylus and it hardly ever misses( except if I have a couple beers before duplicating. This is a poor analog person's HNC-(Human Numerical Control) machine !!!!!!!!!.What is size piece can you duplicate on the Radio Carver??............Cheers, Jim
Thanks Oldrivers, Eric and mike!!!!..Cheers, Jim
Thanks Oldrivers, Eric and mike!!!!..Cheers, Jim
Cheers, Jim ........................ Variety is the spice of life...............Learn something new every day
A nice sign made with the duplicator. This makes it clear that you don't always need a CNC machine.
Thanks, Dutchy. A CNC makes all the detail look more professional. I have a lot of places to get and CNC work done and it is cheaper than buying the machine and spending a lot of time programming. I'm an analog person anyway and shy away from CNC. I like to swap my metalworking for CNC work!!
Cheers, Jim
Cheers, Jim
Cheers, Jim ........................ Variety is the spice of life...............Learn something new every day
Hi Jim
Nice sign. Awesome duplicator.
Nice sign. Awesome duplicator.
Jim, my Radio Carver is the same - I'm the CNC driving mechanism.
My first few runs made for some unique fire wood too.
It does have a drive to duplicate things like gun stocks. The guy sold it because he was a smith and the drive would be up to 1/16" off for the fine fit details. I noted the chain drive had a lot of slop and no idler to take up the tension, so the solution was an easy fix.
My first few runs made for some unique fire wood too.
It does have a drive to duplicate things like gun stocks. The guy sold it because he was a smith and the drive would be up to 1/16" off for the fine fit details. I noted the chain drive had a lot of slop and no idler to take up the tension, so the solution was an easy fix.
I missed answering your question: I can do gun stocks about four feet long (e.g., muzzle loaders) and things about 15" wide.
I built a folding stand for it using old swing set pipe. It came with bowling ally maple as a base and weighed gazillion pounds. This weighs about the same, but can be rolled anywhere in the shop.
On a side note, I drooled over a carving machine (Marlin, Duplicarver, etc.) for about thirty years, before this one fell in my lap.
I built a folding stand for it using old swing set pipe. It came with bowling ally maple as a base and weighed gazillion pounds. This weighs about the same, but can be rolled anywhere in the shop.
On a side note, I drooled over a carving machine (Marlin, Duplicarver, etc.) for about thirty years, before this one fell in my lap.
Thanks George !
Hey, Kelly that is a huge unit. I can see why you have such a large carving area. Mine is not motorized. It is on a stand that rolls around and stores vertically in the shop. I can do a long sign if I do it a part at a time and hold a gage point on the piece and the one being copied. They are nice to have if you don't have a CNC
Cheers, Jim
Hey, Kelly that is a huge unit. I can see why you have such a large carving area. Mine is not motorized. It is on a stand that rolls around and stores vertically in the shop. I can do a long sign if I do it a part at a time and hold a gage point on the piece and the one being copied. They are nice to have if you don't have a CNC
Cheers, Jim
Cheers, Jim ........................ Variety is the spice of life...............Learn something new every day
How did you make the original to copy? Did I miss that part?
I'm the one with the beard
Just to be clear, all the motor does is turn the pattern and the blank at the same time so you can do things like gun stocks.
So you still move the stylus like I do on a part sitting still?
I want to built a traces for my Nova lathe with a rounder and long straight bit. I had a Craftsman tracer with a scraping bit and it created more work that is did because it tore up the surface. a high speed router will make a clean cut but it take a pretty massive frame and It is still in the drawing stage -planned with an aluminum frame rather than wood like I see some made.................Cheers, Jim
I want to built a traces for my Nova lathe with a rounder and long straight bit. I had a Craftsman tracer with a scraping bit and it created more work that is did because it tore up the surface. a high speed router will make a clean cut but it take a pretty massive frame and It is still in the drawing stage -planned with an aluminum frame rather than wood like I see some made.................Cheers, Jim
Cheers, Jim ........................ Variety is the spice of life...............Learn something new every day
Exactly (on the "I am the CNC part of the piece of equipment).
Luckily, the carver came with several styluses and I have about eleven routers and "a few" bits to go with them.
Your plan for mods sounds worth while and interesting. Looking forward to seeing the end result, sometime in the future.
Luckily, the carver came with several styluses and I have about eleven routers and "a few" bits to go with them.
Your plan for mods sounds worth while and interesting. Looking forward to seeing the end result, sometime in the future.
Here I thought I was doing good with 9 routers.....You win.
Hey, I make all my own styluses. If you need a special one, let me know. I have a metal shop too.
Cheers, Jim
Hey, I make all my own styluses. If you need a special one, let me know. I have a metal shop too.
Cheers, Jim
Cheers, Jim ........................ Variety is the spice of life...............Learn something new every day
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