Tech Today: CNC Machining for the 12-Volt Industry, Part 2

WORDS BY JOEY KNAPP

In the second installment of this feature on CNC machining, learn how to set up efficient dust collection for your machine, and take a closer look at the processes involved when it comes to planning and creating one-of-a-kind projects.

Last month, we took a look at my journey to wet my feet in the world of CNC machining. We left off with my Shapeoko XXL assembled and trued. This month, we’ll take a look at what I chose to use for dust collection and a few of the first projects I have completed with the machine.

Before we start with the dust collection solution, I wanted to briefly address how I have been securing pieces to my wasteboard. If you recall, the last steps in the previous article included installing the T-track and sacrificial pieces on top of the Shapeoko wasteboard. I have since added an additional ½-inch MDF piece on top of the new wasteboard. I used template tape and clamps at the rear to secure it. I held down everything I have cut so far with template tape—with the exception of some aluminum brackets we’ll be looking at later.

So far, it works well for me. I have plenty because I use it with the router table templates. Many people will attach painter’s tape to the wasteboard and the substrate and then CA glue them together. If I ever have a failure with the template tape, I will be giving this method a try. The only complaint I have about using the template tape is that it can gum up the bit when cutting through the substrate to the wasteboard. It hasn’t posed a problem for me so far, but it does require a bit of cleanup.

Making Dust Collection Easy and Efficient

I knew I would need some kind of dust collection setup if I would be cutting any amount of MDF with the machine. Initially, I wasn’t sure where I would be storing and using the CNC. There isn’t enough room in my woodshop for it without making the space feel crowded. So, I built the machine into a corner of my bay, and that’s where it has been ever since.

While I was researching options for how to remove dust while cutting, I kept running across the Suckit dust boot attachment. The Suckit is made to bolt to the Shapeoko XXL and provide a removable, efficient dust collection solution. I checked in with Charles Brazil to get his opinion. He was using the Suckit attachment and said he was pleased with its performance.

The completed dust collection solution has worked flawlessly.

The Suckit is comprised of two parts. The first part is a sliding arm assembly that bolts to the Z mechanism. The second part is a removable housing that has a fitting for a vacuum hose and brushes on the bottom of it. The second part slides into a track on the bottom sides of the sliding arm assembly. Magnets on each piece keep the second part in place during use, and allow a toolless removal when dust collection isn’t necessary.

To maximize the vacuum, it is important that the boot be as close to the substrate as possible. To that end, the Suckit sliding arm assembly, well, slides. The arms can be positioned and tightened by hand to just the right height ensuring the best performance.

The Suckit is a great solution for helping to contain dust while cutting.

The second challenge with the dust collection system was what to do with the vacuum hose. Our normal tools that have dust extracted from them, such as the table saw or routers, are stationary. The CNC dust collection point is a dynamic, moving thing. To make matters even more complicated, I wanted my table to be able to move. I researched what others were doing with their plumbing and found that most had the hose suspended above the machine from either an enclosure roof, or the roof of their shop. Neither of those points were there for me.

I settled on the concept of a swinging arm that would support the hose above the table. Because the arm would be supported at just one corner of the cart, I wanted to keep the weight down. Aluminum was a natural choice for this. A piece of angled aluminum stock would provide the necessary strength, while also being easily sourced. The angled corner would provide a bottom and side surface on which to strap the hose. To make securing and removing the hose simple, I decided to secure the hose to the aluminum with Velcro straps. I riveted the Velcro to the aluminum with a washer on the top, to keep the rivet from pulling through.

The Velcro straps are riveted to the arm and allow for easy adjustment of the hose, while holding it secure.

To suspend the arm above the table, I used a piece of one-inch angle iron. The vertical supports for my table are a pretty thick steel, so I was comfortable that it could adequately support the weight of the riser and arm. The part I had the most trouble with was determining how I would facilitate the arm freely swinging. I wanted to make sure I didn’t put any additional strain on the belts, so the movement needed to be very smooth.

Initially, I thought to use a medium-sized bearing and create a carrier and mount for the arm. It was a weekend evening in small-town Florida when I thought up this plan. My sources for parts were limited to big chain hardware stores or Harbor Freight.

After striking out at the hardware store, I drove to Harbor Freight to see if I could find some bearings. I stumbled upon what I thought would be an even better solution than my bearing contraption—a wheeled castor with bearings for a smooth movement.

Perfect! The castor I chose had a threaded stud for mounting and a U-shaped cradle for the wheel. The cradle was just right for supporting the aluminum angle stock. It only took a simple spacer and a bit of trimming to tailor it to my needs.

To secure the arm to the vertical support, I welded two washers together and then welded them in the top corner of the angle iron. This gave me a sturdy support for the threaded stud of the castor.

The caster was just the solution I needed for an easy pivot point.

The remaining piece of the puzzle involved how to support the hose directly above the Suckit. I added an aluminum bracket with a Velcro strap. The bracket and strap allowed me to position the hose so there would be enough free space between it and the router moving in the Z axis. I am happy to report that the swinging arm has worked out great, and so far, I wouldn’t change a thing about it!

Honda Civic Si Acrylic Trim

The first car-related project I worked on was for a build at Simplicity in Sound. I made some trim pieces for the space behind the rear seat of a 2018 Honda Civic Si. I left an opening in the border of the trim that was proportionally sized for the SiS logo. Before I left California, I made a template of the size I would need to fit that spot and brought it home to Florida with me. The plan was to have the logo engraved into an acrylic window. The window would be bottom-lit to illuminate the engraving. While planning the project, Bing requested that I make an additional trim ring to border the window opening and help focus attention on the logo. The drag bit is one of the easiest bits I have used. The etching path gave the logo a dimensional look. The white and red lighting looked great!

The cut pieces were ready to be shipped out to Bing and Jesse at Simplicity in Sound.

I started by taking a few measurements of the template and created the shape of the piece in the Vetric Vcarve software. I haven’t really mentioned Vcarve yet, so I will take a few moments to interrupt this Civic project explanation to do so.

I started with the Shapeoko using the Carbide Create software, which is free with the machine. I had really good experiences with it. It’s easy enough to quickly begin designing simple things. I came to realize that I wanted a little more control and a few more features that Carbide Create didn’t offer. After reading up on a few Facebook groups, it seemed the natural progression was to move from Carbide Create to Vcarve. Vcarve was also very easy to pick up and offered a bit more flexibility in the design aspects as well as the toolpaths.

Now that I had the template digitized, I added in the logo and a border. I thought I would cut the design as a very shallow pocket using an endmill, but I was concerned that the light would stop at the break and not uniformly illuminate the whole logo.

To help provide a steadier lighting throughout the piece, I used a diamond drag bit to etch the logo into the acrylic. The drag bit was nice because I didn’t have to worry about feed rates, router speed or depth of cut. The tip on the bit is springloaded, so it just needs to be in contact with the substrate. The bit drags, so the router is not even powered on, and because it’s doing minimal work, the feed rate can be pretty high.

The path the bit took when etching made the logo almost look 3D—an added bonus! Once I had the pieces ready to go, I shipped them back out to Bing for installation. The light evenly lit the entire logo and the piece fit the window perfectly.

Golf Cart Subwoofer Level Trim

Columbia High School has a rapidly growing welding class. I went to this school, myself, and my instructor was Daryl Thomas. I’ve since been following the work he does with the students.

When I learned the class was working on a golf cart project, I approached Daryl about partnering with him to add an audio system and some lighting. He happily accepted, and with the help of JL Audio and Sony, we created an awesome audio and lighting experience for the class.

One of the unique things about the cart is that it also has a trailer. We used it to house an enclosure with two JL Audio 10-inch subwoofers.

I normally save the perimeter cut for last, so the piece is as stable as possible while being engraved.

The two-part epoxy was mixed, tinted and applied to the trim piece.

When the epoxy dried, the piece was sanded, wet-sanded and polished.

The installed ring looked really great and will also serve a functional purpose for people driving the cart.

To control the subwoofers, we added an RBC-1 controller. This was a perfect opportunity for a CNC project! The space on the dash that the knob was to be installed in had a bit of extra room around it. I used that space to make a round trim out of aluminum. I added the words “subwoofer level” to the perimeter, and tied them together with a line.

The words and line were cut with a 90-degree .5-inch v-bit. Once the piece had been cut, I filled the cut areas with epoxy tinted black. I waited for the epoxy to dry and then sanded and polished the piece. The result is a trick accent that can quickly and easily be reproduced.

Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Signs

I had been bugging my wife to give me a project so that I could show off my CNC acumen. She responded with a little more than I had planned on. My wife works for the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch, an incredible organizations that serves kids all over Florida. She wanted to replace the signs on the front gates of their main office. She had some 30-inch decals, but needed a way to attach them to the gate. After consulting with Darren Fettik of Audio Designs and Custom Graphics, I suggested using 3/8 acrylic for the signs.

The completed signs fit perfectly thanks to the built-in adjustments I added.

This material was chosen for its strength and durability in all kinds of weather. To secure the acrylic to the wooden gates, I cut out four aluminum brackets per sign. The top to bottom measurements on the gates varied by over ½ inch. To accommodate the varying measurements, I cut out brackets with oval mounting holes. I used the same oval holes on the acrylic. Because the stickers would run the full length of the opening, I had to cut out arcs in the aluminum brackets that would leave the stickers visible.

I learned that the Home Depot aluminum might not be the best choice for this application. It was very soft, and would fuse to the flutes of the cutter if I didn’t keep a stream of air on it. It was slow going, but I got them cut. I installed the signs and brackets using all stainless hardware to ensure it looked good in rain or shine.

Pinnacle Autosound Keychains and Logo Bars

These keychains were cut with a 1/8-inch endmill and a 90 degree V-bit. Tabs were used to keep the pieces from coming lose when cut.

The subwoofer enclosure badges were designed with holes at each end that would accommodate a #8 screw.

I worried about cutting aluminum with my machine, but interestingly, about 80 percent of my projects have been in aluminum. One of my first aluminum projects was a small Pinnacle Autosound keychain. I made these to practice using Vcarve, and to start machining aluminum. I used the most conservative settings I could find and pretty soon had a number of keychains. I later went on to fill these with black epoxy and polish them.

Using the same design, I made a slightly larger version with holes at both ends. As an installer growing up and then as a shop owner, I always thought it would be nice to have badges to add to enclosures that I built. Now I had the capability to make those myself! As with the keychains, I filled the badges with epoxy, too. Some of the badges I polished, and some of them I sanded in one direction to offer a brushed aluminum look.