[Woodgears.ca] seems to be a wealth of clever hacks, and this CNC box joint jig is no exception. Although one has to manually move the jig to make the actual cut, it still gives the user a lot of extra functionality. One only has to click the mouse button to advance the workpiece. One drawback to using a table saw, even with this jig is that some internal parts still may have to be cut. Check out the video after the break to see this device in action, or skip to around 3:08 to see what hand operations still have to be done.
Besides just being a cool build, we loved the box-jointed project enclosure for the electronics. As this was made in 2003, it’s nice to see that the idea of “self-replication” (at least in part) didn’t start with the [Rep-Rap]. The 10 year old (as of 2003) Thinkpad notebook computer running QBasic in DOS is a nice “hacker” touch as is using 100 Watt light bulbs as power resistors. Pretty clever electronics, especially for someone that’s known more for his excellent woodworking skills than his obvious electrical engineering knowledge!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTGO_NR6YiA&w=470&h=315%5D
Awesome!
That is really cool.
I agree; a very clever build! :-)
I wonder; how did he interface the PC to the stepper motor controller? Parallel port?
You could always read the (short) article, or even look at the pictures to find out.
This guy has so much Make-Fu that he dropped the CNC build because he does it better with his hands.
He’s the Chuck Norris of woodworking.
…no, woodcraft.
…no, woodART.
It is definitely a clever build. I can agree that there are issues that hinder the overall ease of use. But this is still really cool in my book, great job!