Radiused Molding

[elcruisr]

OK, I've been doing tons of production cutting on sheet stock for years. I've got this one regular customer though that keeps pestering me to get into radiused hardwood moldings. Anybody doing a lot of this? Wonder if it's worth the investment in software and setup. We're talking orders topping 300 feet a clip not onesees and twosees.

Appreciate any info an it.

[gary_n]

I too have had a request for 3D images on radiused moldings from a local cabinet shop. I have not done any as yet. I will be anxious to see what other responses you get.

[patricktoomey]

Eric, I have done some of this but not large volumes. I would have to charge a lot to be worth it , if a customer would pay I guess I would try it. I was at your shop for the ShopBot camp and you definitely have the room and the machines to do it. I have been trying to only do moldings where there are relief carvings involved so that it is a piece that couldn't be done with anything other than a CNC router. For regular radiused moldings a molder capable of radius cutting would seem a much better way to go since it would spit a piece out in seconds rather than minutes. I can envision a jig that could hold a table full of parts so that they could all be cut in a batch, that would help matters quite a bit but it still seems like the bot is the most expensive way one could accomplish the job.

[jhicks]

Eric and Gary, There is some nice $ in radiused mouldings BUT I wouldn't really plan to run the profile on the Bot. We have a nice percentage of our business with radius and linear mouldings but the best use of the bot (In my opinion) is to cut the arch, then profile on a profile machine. I could fill you in on a lot of the why's and wherefors but too much for the forum this am.
So check our web site and blog for photos
www.wellhousewoodworks.com (http://www.wellhousewoodworks.com), and blog link at base of our home page.
Then either e-mail me direct or call to discuss.
There is something very special about arch and radius work but ITS NOT based on dimensional cnc work. It's all about how they are typically made and the alternatives available with the Bot and a moulding machine that create the true value so Think about what the competition does, what they charge, how you can do them better, and what that could mean to you and your customers.

[btk]

Eric,

Generally, I would say that MDF Mouldings are not cost effective on Shopbot in a production setting.
Better off cutting the blanks on Shopbot and running thorugh moulding machine. However shopbot can be quite effective in custom and for 1 or two mouldings where getting the moulding knifes made are not going to make sense.

Most 3D cam software would do, however those with a "Machine along Curve" Strategy would be most effective because the milling would follow the arch (I use RhinoCam/Visual Mill), however I beleive that Bill Young has posted about a curved extruder that he was working on and I think also Morris Dovey had worked on one as well that would take a partwizard profile and sweep to an arch.

If you insist on a shopbot only solution for production (without moulding machine), I would try to pick profiles that can be milled with combination of stock router bits (as opposed to using a 1/8" ball end mill slowly create).

Attached is a Trupan Eliptical Moulding done with Ball End Mill to match an existing profile provided to me.

8357

Brian