Sneak Peek at Manufacturing
Happy Wednesday Everyone!
Kickstarter Status Report
We’re excited to report that while we’re still waiting on actually getting the funding from Kickstarter, we’ve been able to scrounge together, borrow and beg enough money to put down deposits on all of the parts and everything is currently in production. We want to make sure we’re not waiting around and it feels great to be able to keep things moving.
We’ve asked our suppliers to share as many details about their production processes with us as possible so that we can share them with you and we’re starting to get some footage that we can share with you.
First, we got to see the rods in production with the new precision cutting and chamfering system.
Our last batch of linear rods had some slight variation in length, which meant that they didn’t fit perfectly. We wanted to make sure the length was exactly as specified this time, so our manufacturer is cutting them with a lathe for this round (pun intended) ensuring that the lengths are all correct.
Next, after some testing we decided to modify our idler gears slightly to allow for more clearance between the gear and the belt. When the belts are fully retracted, the belt touches the shaft of the idler gear. The belt touching the shaft there isn’t the end of the world and we wanted to pack as much belt length as possible onto the spool to give the largest possible work area and create more flexibility in where the anchor points are positioned. When the idler shaft and gear were separate parts we couldn’t make it thinner, but now that they are one integrated piece we are able to reduce the diameter of that part of the gear creating more clearance. It’s not a big change but since we have the opportunity to improve we’re going to take it.
As we discussed last week, the molds for this part have already been made so rather than create a new mold, we are going to use a lathe to reduce the size of the parts. It seems a little counterintuitive to do it that way, but it is actually more efficient in terms of time and money to modify the parts than to modify the mold, and the surface finish is nicer as well.
In addition to the linear rods and idler gears, we are working with our box supplier to get something a little sturdier than last time. We should have samples to show you soon. We are also working with our packing partner to make sure that they understand the packing process and everything that goes in the kit. With so many parts, and so many that look so similar, we really need to make sure everything is accounted for.
Another New Router Bit in the Shop:
We’ve also added a new kind of router bit to our line up this week. We’ve got a ¼ inch single flute router bit now! Having just one flute lets the router take a bigger bite out of the wood with each rotation keeping the bit cooler. Anna swears by these and refuses to use anything else. They’re a little more expensive to have made since more tungsten carbide needs to be removed from each bit so we held off on ordering them, but we did it and they are in stock now! Check them out in the shop.
Cool Projects this Week
@Andith made this beautiful orchid inlay cutting board with oak and poplar!
Forums user @steden was busy this week with 3 projects! First they made a cute Michigan shaped k-cup holder
Then they made a festive snowman and nativity set for Christmas!
Climbing Rope Chair Project Video
Anna took a dive into furniture design recently and made a chair by weaving retired climbing ropes through a plywood frame. She posted a new video on the project to youtube and outlined some of the design issues she ran into.
Here are the files if you want to make your own!
Drilling a bunch of holes was a key requirement for this project and the maslow performed admirably. Here is a photo of the relatively clean holes from the Maslow on the left. The photo on the right shows holes made with a drill after Anna realized that she set the hole diameter to be too small. Ooops!
On top of that, @mkrabset, the mind behind our favorite CAM tool, KrabsCAM, printed a tiny version of the project too!
Have a great week everyone!
-Bar and Anna
