Found Dreaming

Geoff, yes there are tapered bits available in just about any degree you want. One of my favorites is the tapered ballnose from precisebits.

Mike, also if you cut them off long you can mill them down to where you want them easy enough.

geoff_p wrote:Mike,
I like the idea of using CNC for your pattern-making but ...

How do you get a draft-angle on the patterns?

I've often wondered if there are tapered router (or milling) cutters available? or will I have to manually hack one from a straight cutter?

I guess that commercial pattern-makers must have something ....

Geoff

Yes, you can get tapered cutters. You can even get custom angles. I bought 2 at a 12.5* angle

google tapered end cutter..

Harry wrote:Geoff, yes there are tapered bits available in just about any degree you want. One of my favorites is the tapered ballnose from precisebits.

Mike, also if you cut them off long you can mill them down to where you want them easy enough.

latzanimal wrote:

geoff_p wrote:Mike,
I like the idea of using CNC for your pattern-making but ...

How do you get a draft-angle on the patterns?

I've often wondered if there are tapered router (or milling) cutters available? or will I have to manually hack one from a straight cutter?

I guess that commercial pattern-makers must have something ....

Geoff

Yes, you can get tapered cutters. You can even get custom angles. I bought 2 at a 12.5* angle

google tapered end cutter..

Hi Geoff , the person that I brought the cutter from is a saw doctor and sells a lot of other cutting type gear, he also tappered the cutter for me
Hi Harry, that was the plan, cut them off and mill them down

Mike

Geoff, I bought mine here. Highly recommend them...

http://www.jrstoolcrib.com/

Thanks, All,
I confess I was somewhat gobsmacked at the prices of most of the carbide cutters - a quarter of my month's pension for just one cutter. Doesn't leave much for beer (or food?)

But I have just now written to JRStoolcrib in the hope that he can do HSS and a lot nearer to my available money. Otherwise I'll hack-off an older parallel, carbide, straight woodbit, and make-do.

Geoff

Routing out a solid piece of wood is not the easiest way to make a pattern of this sort, cut and glue to build up

http://s1104.photobucket.com/albums/h323/HT1/

check out this album on a plaque I made, it shows the way to make a recessed plaque fronts by sanding and glueing, it is much easier, and less likely to have a critical fail like routering can., the same technique would be used on the back to recess it

I would make the main body of the clock 1/8 thick, recess the back 1/4 or 3/8th, and then place a rim around the edge of the clock 1/8 thick, this would make the entire clock appear to be 1/2 to 5/8 thick, but weigh only a bit more then a 1/8 thick plaque since that is how thick the majority would be.
I would round over the outer edge of the clock, and put a deep fillet on the inside, this would round the heart, and soften it,

remember to use some sort of texture on the face of the clock I use leather alot, but textured paper works well for a few rams, you can use naugahyde(sp?) but not vynal(sp?) it cannot be painted or sealed, large cast flat surfaces, dont look good unless they are high gloss buffed, which is a real pain

One of the big benefits of what HT is suggesting is you drastically reduce the warping of the pattern. 3D carving introduces stress relief to wood and can be a mess. Using something like MDF eliminates a lot of this and making a pattern and using it right away can also help. Mounting a pattern to a rigid plate works too.

Good food for thought though on building up.

HT1 wrote:Routing out a solid piece of wood is not the easiest way to make a pattern of this sort, cut and glue to build up

http://s1104.photobucket.com/albums/h323/HT1/

check out this album on a plaque I made, it shows the way to make a recessed plaque fronts by sanding and glueing, it is much easier, and less likely to have a critical fail like routering can., the same technique would be used on the back to recess it

I would make the main body of the clock 1/8 thick, recess the back 1/4 or 3/8th, and then place a rim around the edge of the clock 1/8 thick, this would make the entire clock appear to be 1/2 to 5/8 thick, but weigh only a bit more then a 1/8 thick plaque since that is how thick the majority would be.
I would round over the outer edge of the clock, and put a deep fillet on the inside, this would round the heart, and soften it,

remember to use some sort of texture on the face of the clock I use leather alot, but textured paper works well for a few rams, you can use naugahyde(sp?) but not vynal(sp?) it cannot be painted or sealed, large cast flat surfaces, dont look good unless they are high gloss buffed, which is a real pain

Thanks HTI I appreciate you posting that, I have a 60th birthday coming up in August and I've been hinting for a scroll saw sooooo if it turns up I'll be good to go

A week ago, I wrote to JRSToolcrib. Thanks to latzanimal for the nod. I am very pleased to pass on to you that:
A/ They have been a pleasure to deal with. Thanks especially to "LJ."
B/ They have found some cutters that will suit my needs at Very Reasonable Prices, which are now heading my way;
C/ They even offered to make a new carbide-cutter to my specification at a cost which was lower than competitors' off-the-shelf prices.
--------------------------------------------------------
I take your points about fabricating the larger parts of patterns and I do that as a matter of course, while the smaller details are cut and 'stuck-on'. Cutting those details has been a problem for for me.

I too have a scrollsaw, which is almost permanently set to a draft-angle, but I cannot achieve decent surfaces with it. This is 'my' problem rather than that of the machine, and I hope that by milling the twiddly bits my patterns will improve.

Geoff

geoff_p wrote:A week ago, I wrote to JRSToolcrib. Thanks to latzanimal for the nod. I am very pleased to pass on to you that:
A/ They have been a pleasure to deal with. Thanks especially to "LJ."
B/ They have found some cutters that will suit my needs at Very Reasonable Prices, which are now heading my way;
C/ They even offered to make a new carbide-cutter to my specification at a cost which was lower than competitors' off-the-shelf prices.
--------------------------------------------------------
I take your points about fabricating the larger parts of patterns and I do that as a matter of course, while the smaller details are cut and 'stuck-on'. Cutting those details has been a problem for for me.

I too have a scrollsaw, which is almost permanently set to a draft-angle, but I cannot achieve decent surfaces with it. This is 'my' problem rather than that of the machine, and I hope that by milling the twiddly bits my patterns will improve.

Geoff

Its really cool and helpful when these people offer to work with their customers and to do custom jobs
@ Harry, above I have done a double post above when I was replying to HTI. Can you delete the one that only has the quote from HTI please. I had no idea I had a double post till now and I cannot find a delete button

Mike