not quite. One of the things like like about the top mount approach is that you
need repeatability to achieve accuracy, but not accuracy.
You are drilling three holes that matter, and then cutting around them. As long
as the machine will always drill the holes in the same place, you can move the
workpiece under it to cut the different parts. This includes cutting the
mounting holes in the sled.
Even if the sled ends up a drastic oval, the resulting machine will be accurate.
The 45 approach can also cut out the arms with the same method, but not the
holes in the sled (although there’s nothing magic about 45 degrees, so you could
cut three holes, put a pin in the middle, cut around the outside, rotate it to
approximately 90 degrees from the first cut, and cut the other holes)
That’s unless you’re mounting the mechanism on a sled already in use. A new sled for a new mount would be another approach, though, and would automate the hole location.
even there, you could move the router to the position of the center hole, then
position the existing sled so that this is correct, and the other two holes will
be cut in the right place.
Google drill guide, made just for this situation. Coincidentally, like many viewers of a certain Cannuckistan resident, I just ordered a similar tapping guide.
I have an old electric drill permanently mounted on a device made by (iirc) Portaline, somewhat similar to this that I’ve had for at least 40 years that does perpendicular holes. Very handy, but not so good for tight spaces
Thanks for that, you triggered my memory and I found the one I bought in 1973 - still had the old 1/4" drill attached. Time and the mice haven’t been kind to the cord, but some steel wool and electrical tape should bring it back to life. Much other old stuff up in that loft, good to look over every decade or so…
That goes for any linkage approach, not just the top mounted one…
Yes!! Totally accurate statement! Your bars could look like a hot-dog, the Eiffel Tower, a shoe, or a fish, as long as the holes are in the right place it doesn’t much matter what the rest looks like*.
for future reference, this guy isn’t interested in doing business with anyone other than people who can pick up the results locally. He refuses to consider shipping things after they are cut
If there is someone in that area who could pick up the results and ship them out (or ship them to me), it would be great, but since I don’t know what the final weight of things are, I don’t know if shipping is $50, $500, or $5000.
You don’t even need to know the weight
the cheapest way to ship heavy metal is priority mail flat rate boxes which is a volume exercise easily accomplished with a little math
you can also use the emachineshop.com to calculate weights of any DXF file or pretty much guesstimate the weight using standard mass tables available online with a 10 second Google search
It’s a little newer than the Monkey Wards rebuilt 3/8 drill on mine, although the Portaline is newer. It’s cord has some old age cracking but the swamp rats or their tiny brethren haven’t found that drawer yet
david, large flat rate boxes are $18 to ship. I’d bet a lot of money two boxes would fit that order. so that is $36 to ship. see how easy that was? He used to live in PA, maybe he moved to NC havent’ ordered from him in a while. maybe someone ripped him off online and he changed his ship policies? my experience is most business will ship if you make it easy on them. send them a label and prepay. anyways good luck,
USPS-Produced Box: 23-11/16" x 11-3/4" x 3" or 12" x 12" x 5-1/2" is the size of the flat rate boxes 120 pieces would probably fit in one box. actually!
he didn’t respond to e-mail and when I called he just said that he didn’t do
shipping and has over 300 happy customers without it and then there as dead
silence on the phone.
