Oh hey, what about wood?

[LaughingCheese]

I was just watching some videos over at tk560.com.

The guy was using MDF to make molds to be used in vacuumforming.

What do you guys think about wood?

Link

 

[AoBfrost]

Wood is fine, but you are limited to the shape, unless you have some serious wood shop tools and skills.

It will withstand heat, pressure, and keep shape for many many pulls. But say making a helmet, impossible without the tools and skill.

 

[Keegan]

Wood is better for more squarer objects like weaponry, but as far as armor goes, it would be tough. As frost mentioned it can be done with the skills, but yet it would still require alot of work to round it for pieces like the forearm and the helmet.

 

[AoBfrost]

Alot of stormtrooper diy people use wood blocks the right size for the belt of the stormtrooper, it's just a thin piece of wood with fat wood blocks glued to it and then vacuum formed. Just angular shape. It is very nice to use, but shape is a problem.

 

[Keegan]

But arent they squareish like the Mark V belt? So it would be easier to do with wood correct?

 

[AoBfrost]

I can see a hand plate being done with a dremel and sander and easily be vacuum formed, maybe the little containers on the side of the belt/crotch, but the entire crotch piece being done in wood I cant see being done.

 

[Keegan]

I agree with you 100%! Im sure though a small piece like maybe the top of the boot or the handplate asa you mention could be done possibily with some hard work, but with under half of that work used you could be peping or molding and being wayyyy more accurate with it.

 

[LaughingCheese]

Wood is fine, but you are limited to the shape, unless you have some serious wood shop tools and skills.

It will withstand heat, pressure, and keep shape for many many pulls. But say making a helmet, impossible without the tools and skill.

Orrrrrr....carve it with computer controlled robotic drill.

100% accuracy, 0% sweat and blood.

Computers>skill.

 

[rowan]

Orrrrrr....carve it with computer controlled robotic drill.

100% accuracy, 0% sweat and blood.

Computers>skill.

were are we to find such a magic wood carving robot? i would very much like one (i know its all jokes )

 

[Vrogy]

were are we to find such a magic wood carving robot? i would very much like one (i know its all jokes )

You require more vespene gasss?

CNCzone forums- best, biggest CNC forums. This one's their DIY CNC forum.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=48

Open source controller hardware:
http://www.linuxcnc.org/

Cheap driver+motor sets:
http://www.hobbycnc.com/

Actually, damn nice kit here:
http://www.hobbycnc.com/

You'll probably see a build report from me on the Rockcliff plans soon.

 

[SPARTAN II]

Wood is fine, but you are limited to the shape, unless you have some serious wood shop tools and skills.

It will withstand heat, pressure, and keep shape for many many pulls. But say making a helmet, impossible without the tools and skill.

I concur with Frost's statement. Wood is great for withstanding the heat and pressures involved in the vacu-forming process, but as for detail it's a very tricky deal. That's not to say a vacu-formed piece won't pick up any detail off the master, but it could be somewhat obscured/distorted.

Trying to do a decently-detailed MC helmet out of wood or MDF board would be damn near impossible without a lot of experience and skill.

And as for the vacu-forming process itself, a helmet would have far too many little "nooks n' crannies" which the plastic would either get stuck in, or wouldn't even take in those spots, possibly resulting in lost details.

Personally speaking, I wouldn't use either material for anything more than a molding master of the TNG Medkit. It's got some angles and opposing surfaces to it, but all of the details (panels, greeblies, plant-ons) can be applied to the molded copy afterward. That's about as far as I'd go with that for vacu-forming...

 

[AoBfrost]

The only way I can see this working is if someone has a 3d cutter, and has a PC hooked up to it, only body shops, and tech schools have these machines, they cost thousands of dollars, but will cut anything out of anything.

 

[Vrogy]

The only way I can see this working is if someone has a 3d cutter, and has a PC hooked up to it, only body shops, and tech schools have these machines, they cost thousands of dollars, but will cut anything out of anything.

Neat, it's that other thread, just again. I'll just repost what I said there..

This

Will do what this does

To moldable materials.. about the same, maybe slower.
The price difference is enormous.

CNC is not expensive anymore. Do some research.

Also, MDF isn't exactly wood- it's paper pulp and epoxy. It's the same consistency through and through- no knots to grind through or grain to work against, no splinters or cracking.

 

[Keegan]

That thing looks like those interactive arcade games like Jurassic Park or Star Trek. Thats a CNC cutter?

 

[Vrogy]

That thing looks like those interactive arcade games like Jurassic Park or Star Trek. Thats a CNC cutter?

The bottom pic is the rockcliff CNC, which I posted earlier in the thread.
The top pic is a giant Bridgeport CNC mill.

 

[LaughingCheese]

Trying to do a decently-detailed MC helmet out of wood or MDF board would be damn near impossible without a lot of experience and skill.

AHEM:

Computers>Skill.

Simple as that.

And as for the vacu-forming process itself, a helmet would have far too many little "nooks n' crannies" which the plastic would either get stuck in, or wouldn't even take in those spots, possibly resulting in lost details.

Good point.

But, are you saying I could use it as something to make a master mold from, from which I could then fiberglass?

Neat, it's that other thread, just again. I'll just repost what I said there..

Not exactly; here I'm asking about a specific material, versus a construction method.

 

[AoBfrost]

Those cutters, all you need is a pattern/model and they will cut it out slowly, sometimes they can take hours to cut a small but detailed piece, I've seen them used on the discovery channel alot.

 

[Vrogy]

Those cutters, all you need is a pattern/model and they will cut it out slowly, sometimes they can take hours to cut a small but detailed piece, I've seen them used on the discovery channel alot.

Wow, frost!! The discovery channel now provides in-depth discussion of the drawbacks and benefits of using "cutters"? That's wonderful!

My CNC machine isn't finished, so I can't tell you exactly, but I can estimate from this thread: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8004
A 6"X6"X12" piece of layered MDF could be reduced to swarf in about 2:30 using those speeds.

Seriously, the capacity of CNC milling machines depends on a large number of variables, but once you dial it in and set it off, you can go play Halo, read a book, make love to your girlfriend, drink coffee, walk your dog, design the next CNC model, post on a forum, finish or vacuform or mold other post-CNC parts... etc.

I don't understand humans arguing against automation. Robots are good at repetitive, exacting, boring, hazardous jobs- leave it to them.

 

[Ral Partha]

By some strange coincidence, I saw a short commercial on TV this morning about the Sears CompuCarve machine:

WARNING: The videos are VERY LOUD!

 

[AoBfrost]

I cant say what cutter was used, but then again I do remember they were cutting aluminum blocks. I'm sure cutting a metal would take longer than wood.