I saw a topic regarding this subject that is fairly dated and had some other noise in it so I started another thread.
I am starting a project that has lots of tabs and slots and I was searching for a way to do this somewhat easier than actually modeling them as that is pain for more than just few.
So I ran across two fusion add-ins that really seem to help a lot. The first is “box joint”. The second is “nifty dogbone”. The first is free and the second has a 60 day trial with a one time $20 fee following that.
The most useful for this task seems to be the box joint addin yet I could see the dogbone addin having value for this or other projects.
Nonetheless, with a little goofing around I quickly did these.
To get the dogbones to work I made box joints with 0 tool radius. Super surprised that worked by way happy.
The last pic with the tab through I put in an offset face on the four sides of the slot for clearance. I would have loved for that to be built into the software but not complaining.
I haven’t cut these yet but I am sure I have enough here to make nice work of this.
Tab width and tab count are adjustable, I just don’t see a need for more than one tab for my application because I am really not doing a “box joint” like you would want it wood. I need alignment and welding location.
Also I am no expert on these pieces if software. I just played with them for less than 15 minutes and got something I can work with.
That’s it for now. Just sharing. And if somebody has a better way…I am always teachable.
Yes, I like “Nifty Dogbones”. A few years ago Fusion did an update and it made “Nifty” not work. I contacted the author and he seemed very friendly and responsive. He explained that Fusion did not give him the typical warning that they were doing the update and he would have it fixed in the next day or two. It was done in a day. Haven’t had a problem since.
Where have you been??? You must be busy. Glad to see that you stopped in.
Good to hear from you Jim. I retired about a year ago and as a treat to me I am trying to stay off the computer a bit more than I could in my work life.
Raining yesterday and I still have strong affinity to this community so I thought I would share.
Take care and thanks for reaching out. Made me smile. Dave
I always appreciate your input. You, Craig and Tin start talking and I start going into a daze it is so beyond where I am.
I don’t know if you saw Erik’s post on building his house (72Pony) but Tin is making him fill out some form to evaluate his HVAC system and measure the yada, yada, yada…
…See, I blanked out there even trying to describe what the form was for!
Just a couple tips for tab and slot. I would suggest .007" clearance all the way around if you are laser cutting and .010" for plasma cutting. Also put a corner relief like this. I also don’t bring the tab all the way through the slot so that you can fill the void with weld. Just a couple tips I’ve learned over the years.
