DIARY: Corbels and a Dish

I cut a lot more 2D components for Tom P who I share the barn with with week. Although these are mostly simple shapes they are interesting to cut as they are typically 50mm (2 inches) or deeper material so present interesting challenges with deep cutting and part hold-down. I mostly use a 1/2 inch tool for these and impressively the vacuum hold-down on the Exel CNC has been up to all challenges so far with these and everything else I've thrown at it. Another more complex part I made for Tom was a corbel, this was 120mm thick so I cut it in 2 x 60mm pieces which could be glued up as shown below. I used the very efficient Moulding Toolpath in the Aspire software to create the toolpaths for these with 1/2 inch diameter ballnose for the shaped areas and a 1/2 inch diameter end-mill for the flats and to cutout. 

I also had chance to work on a 2-sided project this week to create a decorative dish. These projects require you to cut one side, then flip the material and cut the other. I designed an elongated partly oval shaped dish with convex cutouts at each end. On the back I created a gentle ripple effect which tapered towards the middle of the dish. This was cut into a 60mm thick piece of Sapele wood. I used an beta-copy of Vectric Aspire V9 software which has an excellent new feature to help work with both sides of something being cut with a 2-sided setup. I cut the first side (the inside of the bowl). Then to locate the second side I used a sheet of MDF as a base on the machine and cut dowel locations into it, which corresponded to some I had already cut the top side. These ensure the two sides align. Everything with both the CNC and the software setup worked perfectly. You can see a couple of images below and a lot more in the Ripple Dish Gallery. This has yet to have a finish applied but has sanded up very nicely. 

I also did final finish on some Simple Signs I've been cutting for friends and family and did the final hand-work and some Danish Oil on Abraham Lincoln, more pictures on the process to make this in the Abraham Lincoln Death Mask gallery. 

The other less fun jobs I took care of this week was setting up a tool library in the software, tidying and unpacking everything and finishing the office, so now I have a good space to work on my new PC which is as yet unused. Now these mundane things are done I'm looking forward to moving on with some more interesting projects in my temporarily organised environment. 

DIARY: 2D Bits and Abe Lincoln

I worked on a few components for Tom who I share the workshop with this week along with finishing up my replica of Abraham Lincoln's death-mask. My new computer arrived, which required some set-up and I finally assembled workbench, so the workshop is now 90% operational. Next week I just need to get legs on the desk in the office and move everything to its final position before organising all the tools and finishing materials - at the moment they are all stuffed into boxes so I can never find anything. Like any good workshop, I want to lay everything out in logical places so I feel like I should be able to find things even though I'll still end up leaving them lying around and actually never be able to track down what I need... 

The relatively simple components I made for Tom this week presented some interesting challenges and were a good test of the CNC's vacuum hold-down along with its power and precision for deep cutting. One of the shapes I cut was out of 75mm (3 inch) thick poplar. I used a half-inch tool to cut them out and the machine did a brilliant job with them, I did not cut all the way through but still down to 70mm which was impressive (see first two pics below). These will be used to create corner coves. Another job he asked me to look at was to cut some simple door stop shapes with countersunk drill holes. I was able to make a single quick-prototype which we checked to make sure it would work. Once that was passed as being OK then I setup the machine to cut 78 of them which was as many as I could fit on the oak board. (see pics 3, 4 and 5 below) Again the machine performed really well cutting these and the only thing I should have taken the time to do was to optimise the toolpaths more in the software although this was not too problematic as I had other things to work on. One of these was finishing up my replica of Abraham Lincoln's death-mask (see pic 6 below) which involved some work with the Dremel and sand paper. This is made from oak butcher block kitchen worktop scrap. Originally it was just a proof of concept but  I'm really pleased with how its turned out and the butcher block gives it an intriguing patchwork effect. There is still a bit more sanding and oiling to finish this but I'll properly document the whole project soon.

I think therefore I CAM

How are René Descartes sleeping habits and what I do at CeorfanWorks connected?  

Descartes (1596 – 1650), the French mathematician (scientist and philosopher), apparently did not like to get up early. Allegedly, while Monsieur Descartes was enjoying one of his frequent morning lie-ins he was watching a fly on his ceiling. Being the curious type of fellow he was rather than thinking about what he was going to eat for breakfast (or lunch depending what time he decided to get up), he was trying to work out how he could describe the position of the fly mathematically. He realised that if you use the corner of the ceiling as a point of reference you could locate the fly by measuring the distance along each straight edge going from that corner of the ceiling.

Nowadays we typically use this way of indicating a point as horizontal and vertical positions on a graph and they are called Cartesian coordinates, so named after our favourite late-rising French polymath. These values are described as X values for the horizontal axis and Y for the vertical axis. They can be used to describe individual positions and even shapes (using algebraic equations) on any flat plane.

If you now imagine laying our flat piece of graph paper on a table and then adding another straight axis coming up from the surface of it, we can locate any position above or below our grid by giving the 3rd dimension which is indicated as the Z-axis. This means that based on a given reference point to measure from we can describe any point in space by giving the X, Y and Z measurements (positive or negative) from that point – for more technical info see Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartesian_coordinate_system.

This way of indicating positions is critical to how the CNC-machine we use at CeorfanWorks operates. The CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machine is essentially a robot with a spindle (like a powerful drill) attached to it that can be programmed to cut out parts using rapidly rotating, shaped, cutting-tools. Each time you use the machine you provide it with a reference point for the end of the tool, typically on the corner or middle of your piece of material. This is X-zero, Y-zero and Z-zero. Now based on moving from that position we can send it to any point within its work-space using our Cartesian coordinate system described earlier.

Positions are fed to the machine many times per second by computer files that may contain thousands and potentially millions of coordinates. While it is possible to program these values as a manually written list, that would not allow you to cut anything very complex in a timely fashion. This is where the Computer Numerically Controlled part comes in. Complex cutting-programs are generated using specialist software to first draw either the 2D or 3D shapes you want to carve. Then either the same or different software can be used to create the list of coordinates, derived from what we have drawn, that we can feed to machine to get it to move our tool and cut the parts. These lists of Cartesian coordinates are typically known in the CNC world as “toolpaths”.

The design part of this type of software is called CAD (Computer Aided Design) and the part that generates the paths for the CNC-machine is known as CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing). This of course is where Descartes involvement goes full circle as using this technology for making things you can literally say “I think therefore I CAM”…

DIARY: Setup and Signs

At the moment I'm still working on getting the workshop and office setup so worked on a few quick sign projects this week while also ordering a new computer and more finishing supplies, such as gold-leaf and various paints. I also setup a Twitter account @ceorfanworks and have a long term project on-the-go to replicate an antique mantelpiece which needs a lot of 3D modelling - so that will be ongoing for the next few weeks and if the client allows I'll post more about that in future. 

The quick projects this week were mostly signs that I'm making as gifts that are also allowing me to continue to test how the CNC cuts in different situations and try out a few finishing ideas. You can see below a simple house number which was v-carved, sealed, painted and then the face sanded to leave a clean edge on the numbers. The Wisteria Lane sign (for my desperate housewife sister...) used a combination of a flat-bottom cutter to clear out the space between the letters and a v-shaped tool to get the detail. It was sprayed with white paint then run through a belt sander to remove the paint off the top layer. Both these methods worked well and the CNC performed really well with really good accuracy when lining up the two cuts. 

The other fun project I am currently working on, is machining a facsimile of Abraham Lincoln's death mask. I'll write more about this when its complete but you can see it as a work in progress in the second image below. 

A couple of simple signs - v-carved, painted and sanded. 

A couple of simple signs - v-carved, painted and sanded. 

Abraham Lincoln's Death Mask - a work in progress.

Abraham Lincoln's Death Mask - a work in progress.

The bonfire of my vanities

Girolamo Savonarola was probably the most famous organiser of a "bonfire of the vanities" in February, 1497. He encouraged his followers to burn objects they considered likely to cause sinful behaviour, these included playing cards, cosmetics, works of art and books amongst other things. There is no indication in the historical record of whether the lack of these items caused a reduction in sin or not... 

I certainly don't plan on encouraging anyone to burn anything, however what I'm planning to do with CeorfanWorks for the next 6 months may well be an exercise that ends in the burning of my own vanities. 

Allow me to explain...

November 2016 I left my very good job in a software company as I wanted to take some time-out and decide what I wanted to do next with my life. Part of this was a desire to do something more hands-on with tangible end results as well as to spend a bit of time out the rat-race. This is not the first time I have done this and would highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about a change, try reading Seth Godin - "What to do when its your turn" for inspiration.

This has meant a very enjoyable 6 months starting to learn a language (Italian), an instrument (guitar), getting fitter both mentally and physically and a bit of travel thrown in for good measure. In addition I've been organising a work space where I can start to use my software skills to create things using digital manufacturing. The main tool I'll be utilising is a CNC-Router which I'll explain more about in a future post. Essentially though its a robot that can be programmed to cut parts out of wood, plastic, aluminium etc. Something I have been around in one form or another for the last 20+ years. 

So where do the vanities come in?

My natural inclination is to approach this as strictly business, create a plan, find markets, opportunities, make products, market them, sell, repeat... A perfectly good approach if I just want to generate an income again. This time though I want to take a different approach as I have the luxury of a cushion of time (money) before I need to worry about it becoming self-sufficient. So for at least 6 months I plan to make what I want to make and to learn and explore the materials and technology. Or to put it another way - complete indulgence of my vanities.

Will anyone else like what I make?

I don't know, and I would like to say I don't care but that is probably not true. As such I'll be documenting the process, what I make and various other things associated with what I am doing on this Journal and in the Gallery. If anyone does find what I am doing interesting then that would be great. At the end of the 6 months I'll either be developing the potential for a business or just have spent a very enjoyable period of time enabling parts of my imagination to be made real, in one form or another.

As most of what I plan to make will be wood, then at least if it does become a bonfire of my vanities then it will burn well...

Thanks for reading,
James Booth

Savonarola Preaching Against Prodigality - Ludwig von Langenmantel

Savonarola Preaching Against Prodigality - Ludwig von Langenmantel

First Cuts

While I was in Japan (more of that in a future blog post), the electrical supply was connected for the CNC so it was ready for action on my return. I've been limited for time to get into the workshop but managed to grab a couple of hours today to cut some quick tests.

To begin with we levelled the machine using its adjustable feet and then plugged it in and a re-orientated myself with the control which thankfully is very straight-forward to use. I set up some toolpaths in Aspire to cut some simple circles, squares and text and ran those in some scrap MDF to make sure everything looked right. The vacuum table was excellent for holding down the material and tool setup was quick and easy. 

Next I took a piece of oak and ran through the process of machining it flat with a surfacing bit. This is a good test of how level the machine is. Even though the oak had rough surfaces and was not perfectly flat, the vacuum still managed to hold it. The finish on the "planed" surface was excellent, so once one side was done I flipped it and flattened the other. Ordinarily with access to a planer I would not do this on the CNC but as previously mentioned its a good test for everything being in good shape. 

For the first proper cut carved the logo using a nice big 90 degree V-Bit, creating the V-Carving toolpath in Aspire. It cut really smoothly and again showed the machine is nice and level as the corners were sharp. Lastly I flipped the same piece of material over again and cut a wave texture using a 1" diameter ball-nose, really just to see how the tool worked. The cut was impressively smooth particularly given the amount of material it was removing on each pass. 

All in all I was very happy with the machine on its first outing, the quality of cuts and ease of use of the control. Looking forward to when I can free up a bit more time to get back in the workshop!

CeorfanWorks logo carved into oak. 

CeorfanWorks logo carved into oak. 

Wave texture cut in a single pass with 1" ballnose tool. 

Wave texture cut in a single pass with 1" ballnose tool. 

Arrival of the CNC

We've been busy working on weekends to build an office and prepare a space for the CNC for the last month or so. You can see some photos of that in the Work section. Its almost complete now but more exciting than that is the CNC arrived and with some help from a neighbouring farmer we were able to get it up onto the mezzanine floor where its going to live. 

Next I'm off to Japan for a couple of weeks for some further inspiration then mid-April we'll hopefully start actually making something... 

CNC crate being picked up. 

CNC crate being picked up. 

Just managed to find enough space for the tractor to lift it and put it into the top floor. 

Just managed to find enough space for the tractor to lift it and put it into the top floor. 

Side of the crate off and ready to take out and put into position. 

Side of the crate off and ready to take out and put into position. 

Getting Started

Once we're up and running then we'll be writing about, photographing and videoing what we're making in the workshop and also the odd essay on subjects we find interesting.