Student Projects

[R_kowalski@duxbury.k12.ma.us]

I thought it might be nice to have a little area where students projects might be detailed. What got me thinking about this thread was a project that a girl started today in class.

Project: Barbie Coffin.

A student in my sculpture class is casting a barbie in pewter (lead free for all those safety people)The barbie will be cast solid in a two part plaster mold. The pewter barbie will have a form fit case made from mahogony. The student will scan the barbie, calculate some sort of clearance around the barbie, make the sbp file and cut the depression.

What does a pewter barbie in a mahogony box mean, I don't know.

[canyontxshop]

We just had our Regional Contest, I thought I would show some of our projects that my High School Students used the ShopBot on. The first is a bed that the student designed some elliptical curves in.


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[canyontxshop]

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[canyontxshop]

This Guitar was made from scratch, he used the ShopBot to cutout the middle hole as well as the inlaid grooves around it, as well as the fretboard and the grooves for the metal pieces along the frets.
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[canyontxshop]

My beginners used the ShopBot on even their first "beginner boxes"

This student got the design off one of his T-Shirts, scanned it in, then imported into MicroStation the Cad software we use and drew over the image, then exported into Parts Wizard to cut his design


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[gerald_d]

Great stuff!

[Brady Watson]

Yeah!

Nice Work!

-Brady

[Matt Barinholtz, Covenant House Washington D.C. (Unregistered Guest)]

We're very impressed - so good to see another talented set of young 'botters, with an especially inspired instructor out there! Please tell us more about the tall cabinet - there seems to be a lot of opportunity for the 'bot there! We'd love to know.
You should be proud - you have figured out how to integrate the ShopBot as a tool in the shop (the means), instead as an end in itself - so many other HS programs that offer cnc's don't have the resources or skilled staff to deploy much more than a "tech ed" environment, which may limit student's involvement to creating part files and cutting on pre-made blanks. You're obviously integrating CNC maching into your curriculum, and allowing the students to use it to solve individual project steps.

Best,

Matt Barinholtz
Covenant House Washington
Artisans Program

[phil_o]

One of my seniors, the Golden Hammer winner built this earthmover. The wheels - tread pattern and name on the sidewalls were done on our benchtop Shopbot.
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[kivimagi]

Very nice.

[sagreen83]

Lindy,

Im curious what tool was used to cut the fret slots on the fret board of the guitar above. These slots are very thin, and generally cut with a very small saw. Can you describe the tool or tell me what the student used?

Thanx,
Scott...

[soonerhop@netzero.net]

Scott,

What we ended up using, was a very small v-bit that was actually a dremmil bit, but it had a 1/8" shank, so we had to use an adaptor that dremmel sold also, so that it would go into the router. I'm not sure the angle, it was very sharp, like 20 degrees. It was just something we tried, we bought it at Lowe's. We had looked everywhere for something that would work, and it was just small enough that it worked perfect.

Lindy Hopper

[canyontxshop]

I just thought I would send some pics of my latest project that has consumed mine and my students time the last couple of weeks. We were asked to make these 48" round basketball plaques to replace the old painted ones that were left in our old school gym. These will be hung up tommorrow in our new school gym. These plaques recognize the 13 State Champion Basketball teams that Canyon HS has won since 1950. 11 Girls and 2 boys. They were cut into circles, painted purple,covered with a vinyl paint mask, then the letters were V-Carved on the Shopbot, the carved letters were then painted, and the mask removed. This was my first attempt making painted signs, so I was really pleased with the results. It took a while to type in and layout all the names, then it took about 1 -1 1/2 hour to cut all the names in each plaque. Every bit of the techniques I used on this project I picked up in this forum so I really appriciate all the information everyone.

As most teachers know, we don't get paid near enough, so we have to at least show we are producing and teaching the kids the latest technology so the school district, will want to buy the tools/machines to do the job right. Trust me the best PR I could of done to impress my administrators is doing these signs. It helped they paid us pretty good for the work also.

If any of you would like to view pics of our new school shop go the the following site:

http://canyonisd.net/chs/index1.htm,
Then go to Clubs> Technology Education> facilities.


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[Brady Watson]

Lindy,
It's nice to see that someone is still carrying the torch with trades in school. The metal and wood shops are long gone in my old HS since the emphasis is on executive or service oriented jobs in this area.

Since everyone and their brother is now doing IT work...I'm back to working with my hands and the shopbot & loving it!

Keep up the great work!
-Brady

[Tommy Glasscock (Unregistered Guest)]

I am in the process of looking at purchasing the shopbot I have a lot of questions about what I need to get started such as what software I would need Help me someone I teach Building Construciton and woodworking

[Brady Watson]

Tommy,
When speaking within a SB user's context, we break the software down into 3 categories:

1. CAD to design your actual parts in, IE AutoCAD

2. CAM instructions created in this software tell the CNC how to cut our parts from information you you provide...such as material dimensions, how much to cut in each pass and what type of bit you will use to cut your parts. You take the CAD file into CAM and create a toolpath.

3. CNC control software such as the ShopBot operating software, reads the instructions that you CAM software created & moves the tool.

Shopbot includes PartWizard, which is a CAD/CAM package. You can both design and toolpath with it. It is very easy to learn and has enough functionality for most users. It is a 2D software package, meaning that if you want to V-carve designs and do 3D reliefs you will need a more advanced package to do so.

Software selection and price is very dependent upon what type of objects you will be cutting.

-Brady

[phil_o]

Tommy, I am a woodworking teacher. Our school bought a Shopbot a year and a half ago. It's been a great addition to or shop. Where are you loated? I'm in western Massachusetts. The Shopbotters on this forum are very helpful. If there is someone in your school with CAD experience they will be helpful. The Shopbot CAD software, Part Wizard, is fairly easy to learn.

[Tommy Glasscock (Unregistered Guest)]

I am located in Central Alabama I would like to find someone close who has the shopbot set up so I could look at it We are very interested in purchasing one. I like being able to talk to other people about the product maybe we will have one soon Excited in Alabama

[waltie]

Tommy,

send me a email
I am located in Bay Minette,AL

[tommy glasscock (Unregistered Guest)]

this is an awsome forum I cant wait to get a shopbot and start a project my students are equally excited I just want to make sure I get what I need to make it work. in the past I have bought thing to find out later I needed to spend a lot more money just to make it work

[fleinbach]

Tommy

I assure you it works even with minumal expenditure. The extra's make it nicer but the basic works just fine.

[phil_o]

Tommy,
We bought the benchtop Shopbot, the smallest one available. It is all I had room for. I've been able to do any project that has come up so far. The people at Shopbot were very helful in helping me decide just which accessories I really needed.

[eric_rimel]

Tommy,

Nice to see that not all shops are shutting the doors and turning into computer labs. Incorporating newer technologies into the traditional woods courses is a great way to go.

We have a fairly new ShopBot in our Technology Education Department at the University of Idaho. So far we've incorporated it into Communication Technology, CNC/Robotics, Manufacturing, Advanced Manufacturing, and Construction Technology courses.

Email me at erimel@uidaho.edu (mailto:erimel@uidaho.edu) and I'll share whatever information I have for set-up and use of the ShopBot in general and in a classroom setting.

[mjensen@dubuque.k12.ia.us]

I am wondering if anyone near Dubuque, Iowa would be willing to let me see their shop bot. I am considering buying one for my Ind. Tech. program.

[mrdovey]

Mike...

You have mail

...Morris