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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: selfie on September 18, 2012, 02:06:44 am

Title: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: selfie on September 18, 2012, 02:06:44 am
I was bored and had to hang around at work waiting for a client to pick up some work so I thought I'd have a little play.

I've been wanting to design an all acrylic bartop cabinet as I have all the tools to work with it and I can do it in my sleep. The advantages of being able to glue rather than needing to hide screws and  no need for painting make it appealing to me and I hate woodworking...

Obviously inspired by this (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,115185.msg1220667.html#msg1220667)

I started with a half scale test run, fired up the LASER cutter, dug out some scrap material and I have this
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/selfie/20120918_143034.jpg)

Next to the line bender
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/selfie/20120918_144059.jpg)

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/selfie/20120918_144315.jpg)

A little 45 degree chamfer on the edge
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/selfie/20120918_150919.jpg)

Tidy up the edge with a flame polish
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/selfie/20120918_151149.jpg)

A little heat to form the round edge
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/selfie/20120918_151657.jpg)

A bit of glue and here we go.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/selfie/Untitled.jpg)

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/selfie/20120918_152852.jpg)

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/selfie/20120918_152903.jpg)

There are some issues I will have to fix before going full size but not bad for an hours work.

Why are my pictures upsidedown :banghead: No Australian jokes please  ;D
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: CoryBee on September 18, 2012, 02:13:10 am
ǝʇɐɯ ǝɯosǝʍɐ ʎpoolq sı doʇɹɐq sıɥʇ

 :cheers:
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: MadMagpie on September 18, 2012, 03:58:39 am
that looks brilliant!
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: Ond on September 18, 2012, 05:01:27 am
I thought this looked familiar, I'm glad someone's built it. Nice work. I'll do a version next month.
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: MacGyver on September 18, 2012, 05:08:21 am
If you can make those in an hour, you stand to make a great deal of money on e-bay.   :cheers:  It looks super smooth.
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: 404 on September 18, 2012, 09:07:16 am
I absolutely positively want one.  :hissy:
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: Le Chuck on September 18, 2012, 09:54:09 am
Where does he get these marvelous toys!
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: Nephasth on September 18, 2012, 10:04:43 am
Very nice!  :applaud:
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: ChadTower on September 18, 2012, 10:07:57 am

Very, very cool... a man with that sort of plastic skill could make some serious cash producing pinball ramps...
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: Paladin on September 18, 2012, 10:31:50 am
That is sweet! 
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: jpS14 on September 18, 2012, 10:50:05 am
I would love one of those for some shmup action. That is to awesome   :applaud:
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: cigardude on September 18, 2012, 01:03:36 pm
Very nice. What if you do not have a line bender at home. Can you recommend an alternative?
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: HaRuMaN on September 18, 2012, 01:18:14 pm
(http://soshable.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpg)
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: ChadTower on September 18, 2012, 01:36:06 pm



Fry has a bender.  He can make his own.



(http://soshable.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpg)
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: dekar24k on September 18, 2012, 02:11:38 pm
Wow .. You put that together like a boss. Impressive. :)  :notworthy:
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: selfie on September 18, 2012, 05:35:40 pm
Thank guys. I will defiantly have to make the full size one now, well soon.

A home brew line bender is easy enough. You can make one with some element wire, a motor speed controller and an arc welder. I can supply more details if anyone is keen. The easier way to bend acrylic in a clean line is to use a heat gun and a few pieces of MDF spaced a minimum of 3 times the thickness of the material apart to keep the heat contained to a clean line and fold away.
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: Gray_Area on September 18, 2012, 05:40:15 pm
Yeah, jesus christ that's fab. (Pun intended.) You might really think about selling those here.

Custom jobs might be worth it, too....although anything larger probably wouldn't be feasible, but that would be my interest...wait a minute. How about custom control panels at least??

Oh, except you're very far away from me. Drat.
Title: Re: I had an hour to kill, so I made a thing...
Post by: Slippyblade on September 18, 2012, 06:35:54 pm
I hate seeing builds like this.  Gives me MASSIVE inferiority complex.  I've been working on my plain jane upright cab for about 6 months...

*starts braiding noose*