Poor Man's Laser Cutting

If you're into drawing a design up before you build it is pretty easy to use the computer printer to print out all the parts to make exact size templates.

I use an old program called Drafix(since taken over by Auto Cad). It prints to a standard Windows printer, which allows you to specify a custom paper size, all the way up to 44 inches long. The program uses a process called "tiling" and will print the drawing out on a number of sheets that you can tape together to get a final, full size drawing. Look at your Printer>Properties>Paper menu. It will give you a list of all the paper sizes you can print to.

I usually set up a custom 8.5x44 sheet in the printer menu. Pull all the parts you want to print from your drawing onto the sheet, and print it to a dot matrix printer, or an inkjet that can print a banner. If you just have a few parts, you can print them onto a standard 8.5x11 sheet. If you can't print long sheets, the program should break up the drawing onto standard paper- 8.5x11. It's a bit messier to handle if you want fuselage side templates, but still works pretty well.

Fix the patterns to balsa or ply and cut out with a fine blade scroll saw. My Epson LQ510 can print the drawing accurate to about .005 in. If I saw the parts just kissing the line they come out exact size. Lots of intricate, interior cutouts are time consuming, since you have to drill a hole, thread the saw through, and then do the cutout. But it works very well to cut that first set of parts and make sure everything fits.

The really nice thing about learning the basics of CAD is that when you are done you have a complete set of plans. It's easy to give a copy to a friend, or cut a new set of parts to rebuild after a wreck.

That's a very good strategy. Laser cutting beats the heck out of over-the-hill cutting dies, but manual precision with patterns, a saw, and some sanding can be just as good.

The same thing works for cutting out graphics and text on monokote. I use rubber cement - works for the balsa, too.

>That's a very good strategy. Laser cutting beats the heck
>out of over-the-hill cutting dies, but manual precision with
>patterns, a saw, and some sanding can be just as good.
>
>The same thing works for cutting out graphics and text on
>monokote. I use rubber cement - works for the balsa, too.

The idea is a great one, and works. Seems that is the program that the fellow who offers the 1/2A Cobra plans used. I printed out the fullsize plans, sheet by sheet, in a couple minutes.
Flip side, I sent a set of plywood templates to a laser cutter who in turn scanned them (program found a few thousandths asymmetry in the root template, which it corrected) and sent me a set of perfect ribs, ridicuously priced. And by that I mean "low" priced.
Technology is wonderful if used correctly!
Bill <><

Bill,

I just took the same 1/2A Cobra plans you have and enlarged then at Kinko's. Cost was $3 plus tax. Who do you use for laser cutting? I would like to try that soon. Thanks for the help.

>That's a very good strategy. Laser cutting beats the heck
>out of over-the-hill cutting dies, but manual precision with
>patterns, a saw, and some sanding can be just as good.
>
>The same thing works for cutting out graphics and text on
>monokote. I use rubber cement - works for the balsa, too.

'rubber cement - works' Is that like Appleworks?

I have a friend that is a sign maker. He does all the signs on the computer then prints them on magnetic material. The magnetic material comes in rolls like carpet. The magnetic material goes through the printer and gets cut out too. He does a lot of fancy stuff and sells it at car shows. Photographs, letters, flames. The printer will print the colors on the flames and cut them out in the shape of flames. All you have to do is stick the magnetic flames on your car and it looks like they have been painted on. I wonder if the same printer cutter device could be used to cut balsa.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-11-04 AT 02:40 PM (CST)
 
>I have a friend that is a sign maker. He does all the signs
>on the computer then prints them on magnetic material. The
>magnetic material comes in rolls like carpet. The magnetic
>material goes through the printer and gets cut out too. He
>does a lot of fancy stuff and sells it at car shows.
>Photographs, letters, flames. The printer will print the
>colors on the flames and cut them out in the shape of
>flames. All you have to do is stick the magnetic flames on
>your car and it looks like they have been painted on. I
>wonder if the same printer cutter device could be used to
>cut balsa.
>
>Gary Weaver

I think you answered your own question. "Comes in rolls" is kind of hard to do with balsa. I've seen a lot of the machines you mention, and they operate similar to a Hewlett-Packard pen plotter, only there are cutters in the head instead of pens. That's an oversimplification, but it does describe the principle, I think.

As before, it might be neat to see what one could do with monokote with one of those.

Affordable Vinyl cutter:
http://www.rolanddga.com/products/cutters/stika/default.asp
I think they can do Monokote trim sheet.
Pat MacKenzie

Hi Pat,
Thanks for the link.
$499, though, isn't in my affordable range.
I'm a teacher in NC.
If I were in a club with members close by, it would be a pretty good idea to get one.
Bill <><

Bill,
you are quite right. Affordable is relative.
I have wanted one of these for quite a while but the price is pretty steep. Just cheaper than the comercial alternatives.
They used to have a small one for about $200, but of course I wanted the bigger one.
"Affordable" laser cutters are ony 25K.
Pat MacKenzie

> Bill,
> you are quite right. Affordable is relative.
> I have wanted one of these for quite a while but the
>price is pretty steep. Just cheaper than the comercial
>alternatives.
> They used to have a small one for about $200, but of course
>I wanted the bigger one.
> "Affordable" laser cutters are ony 25K.
>Pat MacKenzie

Pat, actually, the smallest 12 x 18, 25W laser cutters are now under $10K. I don't know how good they are, but they are made by the same company that makes a whole range of sizes.

Google on low-cost laser cutters..

(Low cost to me would be under $1K..)

[photo not recovered: 3e69bb3870f12ad5.jpg]

"Sometimes you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right." -Jerry Garcia

Heck, I use an Aggie Laser (tm) all the time! It works fine.

[photo not recovered: 3e69bb3870f12ad5.jpg]

"Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory." -Albert Schweitzer