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Time to fab a down draft enclosure to put your vent underneath.
Might want to think about a grid style slat setup to help with the smaller parts dropping all the way to the bottom…or tabs.
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We’ve already discussed down draft.
I agree, using the plasma slats was a quick hack. As in, how fast could I do this, about an hour.
For the most part, this setup is going to work fine particularly for steel.
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Made a little roller binder, cut the handle out on my CNC table, other then a little paint it’s done.
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Nice!
I need one of those, but for rolling rod or tube.
Don’t want to fork out the $250+ on the HF version for a one-time use.
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The cuts this time look rougher then your other cuts?
I did not want to say anything. I noticed the same.
Pierce clearance/lead in & out, or loose Z axis or X gantry?
OK, there are several issues that might lead to the cut edge quality.
- it was actually galvanized 18ga
- 250ipm, is near or above the maximum travel speed
- the cut lengths were short with plenty of corners
I don’t know what LS set grbl setting $11 - Junction deviation, mm to.
$11 sets the decel/accel performance around corners
see grbl/doc/markdown/settings.md at master · gnea/grbl · GitHub - The Crossfire Pro isn’t a rigid build, moving those speeds results in ringing
- Removing the dross with a flappy disk does not get the very last of it off. The last sliver gets pushed over the cut edge corner. If I want perfect edges, I need to sand off these pushed over slivers. Can’t easily do this on the fan grill without getting some grinder tool on a dremel or flex shaft.
- I know I wasn’t loosing steps because the final piece features look consistent.
The point of yesterday’s fan grill project wasn’t cut precision. I wanted to determine if I cut 18ga with lots of features will the stock heat deform. Can’t have this because I have no torch height control (yet 
).
Yesterday’s test results were a culmination of years of work towards my goal. Hopefully this year I will dramatically reduce my consulting workload with more shop and electronic bench time. My ultimate goal is building 100% custom vacuum tube guitar amplifiers, circuitry and enclosures. I’ve collected a disturbing amount of stuff like this over the years.
I’d like to create functional art pieces, kick ass visual metal sculptural designs that also function as a tube guitar amp. No more rectangular enclosures or simple wooden tolex-covered boxes. Think fireplace mantle pieces with a 1/4" jack. All the tooling and metal skills I’ve been working on came down to yesterday’s test results. The fan project showed that I can now achieve the intricacy I’ve been striving for all these years.
Am I crazy? I fell in love with distorted guitar tone after first hearing the Whole Lotta Love solo 50 yrs ago or so. 12 yrs of analog circuit design in college, EE career for 30+ years, learned CAD/CAM, built a high-end multi-material fab shop, learned to weld and machine. I spent 5 yrs reading vintage EE college texts from the 40/50s, also used python’s solvers to find solutions to all the non-linear physics differential equations.
Yes, I am crazy but building these amps will be my last hurrah of my lifetime of success. Thanks for reading this, now you know my motivations.
ps. I think the crappy cut quality of my 18ga fan grill is an unexpected blessing. Just enough variance and randomness for some designs.
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Mr Carlson’s Lab is one of my favorite YouTube channels. Old electronics are very cool.
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I’ve watched him also. When he got inside that radio transmitter, I knew he was just as crazy.
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I’m sure I can speak for @Knick on this, we were not criticizing, just observation.
I think it’s pretty kick ass what you’ve Frankenstein’d
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I didn’t take it that way. I intentionally zoomed in at the video end to spark a cut quality conversation. Of course, y’all chimed in with questions.
I’ll make another one with plain old 18ga, slow down to 200ipm and remove the bent over dross. Then take some hi-res images of the cuts without powder coating.
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Oh Man, Good reading guys. Thanks for sharing Craig, that’s cool. Good Job!!
Upholstery shop did way better than I ever could, this fucker is nice!
Quick mock-up
Oooh yeah
I’ve got a ton of leather left so I may just use some of it for a new backrest and return the one I bought from Vyper to use.
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Just gotta let her cool down but metal top, nut, and leadscrew are welded up
Later I’ll have to mount up the seat and run it down to mark where I’ll cut my leadscrew.
In the bottomed out position here, I will have a sit height of approximately 29.5" This is a no-go which puts me right at the same height as my current stool.
I’ll be cutting off about 7" from the leadscrew to give me a sit height range of 22" to 29", since 29" only works well at my laptop, and somewhere between 24" to 25" would be perfect for my welding table.
Ignore the footrest. I stole it temporarily off my other stool just to see how it’d look. I don’t have a tube roller and I haven’t found anyone nearby (not even my own customers) to roll tube for me with the exception of a shop.
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Yea, that particular tool from hazard fraud is garbage. Avoid.
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I use it while on my laptop at times!
Perfect height, but I don’t sit on it long since it’s uncomfortable and I’ve got a bad back.
You can always donate if you think I should buy a Vyper 
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Combines dont usually bounce that much, but having to run for tools is excruciating, especially sections or guards.