How to make an electronic template out of this?

[myxpykalix]

I have some plastic templates that you insert on a jig and rout the design for pins and tails for small boxes (like dovetail joints) and I would like to make these into an electronic file and cut on the shopbot. If you notice it is the same design but one is offset to be able to line up with the other. How would i go about getting this into an electronic form, what programs would i have to use? Also would i have to make some kind of jig to register the bottom (or top) of the material to a common point shared by both sides of the material to be joined? thanks

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[john_david]

Jack,
You could digitize them, but that would take a long time. I would draw one of the individual shapes exactly in half and do a block copy then join them together, then make a copy of that string and move it aside, then draw the outer box and join it to the shapes just offset the copy draw another box and join that. A simple process in Part Wizard.

hope I explained it good enough

good luck
JD

[drodda]

Jack,

You don't want to digitize this exactly as it is made for use with a bushing and your shopbot will not be using the bushing. You could use parameters to make the bit offset the same as would be with the router but that would add a chance to mess up.

Draw your own shape similar to the ones that you are showing in this template and make the pattern yourself. This does not have to be exact to the template unless you are trying to merge a new piece to an already cut piece from the templates. You can use your imagination or just closely copy these.

-D

[myxpykalix]

You are right regarding the bushing but my thought process was that the thickness of the bushing was offset on the jig where the material was held. The reason for mking this shape..simple because i had it! You are correct in that you could make any shape you wanted and just repeat it. I'm still a little unclear on how i would make the adjoining part to register so the male part would fit in the female part. Where you insert your wood within the jig to be cut for either side is specific so what i was trying to understand is how to register them equally.
I HAD A FLASH!!
In making a jig to hold the wood above the table with edge to be cut exposed..
(discontinued) I couldn't figure out a way to adequately explain it in words so i'll go take some pictures. After all "a picture is worth a thousand words"

[drodda]

Jack,

If you have a straight edge on your bot to align with 0,0 you could easily make a spacer to offset the second piece the propper distance to align the two pieces. This would allow you to cut both pieces at once in one file and toolpath.

You could just program the cutting file for both in one file without the offset.

I personally would draw this in Autocad and then import it into the PW to get the cutting file. This would allow you to draw one pattern and copy it with precision to get the rest.

-D

[myxpykalix]

I get your "spacer" idea much like you have a spacer when making box joints on the table saw. Only that is dealing with a square equal distance between pin and space in a box joint. I'm not sure how i would do that with this odd shape. Also since i don't have/use autocad i'm not sure how i could draw it up. I did get my probe back today. I might hook that up and probe it (say the first 2 inches) then copy/paste to multiply that.
thanks for the advice

[Brady Watson]

This was done in ArtCAM. I hate to take away a learning opportunity but...

This is not to scale and not exactly the same pattern...you get the general idea.

[Brady Watson]

Squig.zip (http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/312/Squig-16619.zip) (12.1 k)

[brian_h]

This may help those looking for a good strategy for designing this in a cad program.

You have positive "teeth" and negitive. Find the midpoint between the two and draw a "Y" axis through that point. Then draw an "X" axis through the midpoint of one of the teeth. You'll notice that you only need to draw the design in one quadrant, using curves with end radius equeal to your router bit. From there, you can fill in the rest of the pattern by either copying or mirroring.

I use Bobcad, because I already own it. There are certainly other programs that can do this for less money.

[Brady Watson]

You could do this in any program that deals with vectors...You can use a couple lines just like Brian points out to mark the midpoint of the X & Y and then mirror to your heart's content. All patterns are like this...you just have to find the midpoint, and make sure that your bit will fit in every nook & cranny.

-B

[drodda]

Jack,

They say a picture is worth, Well you know the rest. Here is a DXF file of what I was refering to before. you can scale this up or down as you wish but it is drawn so that you can use a 1/4" bit to do the cutting. You would need to scale it up a bit to use a 3/8" or 1/2" bit as the radius inside is too small. I made this to have a .0078125 (1/128th) gap between the male and female parts. If you need more or less this could be adjusted easliy. The file is set to remove 1/8" of material from the edge of te board so that it cleans all the edge. So cut boards 1/8" long if the length is an issue.

Also if you wanted to use just one file for both cuts you need to use a 1.591" spacer to move the second board over this distance from the X axis towards the center of the table.

The lower left of each of the two parts is 0,0 on your table and these are a match set if you line the boards up with the 0,0 on the bot.

Any questions ask,


wavy Dovetail
wavy_joint.zip (http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/312/wavy_joint-16626.zip) (6.5 k)

[myxpykalix]

Brady, ...The next thing I expect you to tell me is..."When you can snatch the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to start your journey"...hmmm...Thank you Master Po. Thanks to all for your help..

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[Brady Watson]

You funny, grasshoppa. Me thanks you for posting my molested picture for all the world to see...

[supertigre]

Wow, what a small world. Those templates look exactly like ones made by Wayne Sutter at Woodline USA and he makes them on a big blue mechano set. He has been known to post on this forum. Drop him a line and he may be able to help you.

[myxpykalix]

Yes that is where i got them and thought i could make them so the bot could cut them out instead of doing it manually.

Brady, I figured you had a good sense of humor, this was my way of thanking you for your help! (Some thanks huh?) thanks buddy...