What you will find in my Shop
I use a HAAS Computerized Milling Machine to produce all of my equipment. I am able to get dimensional accuracy of 0.0001" in all 3 dimensions. This allows me to cut 3 dimensional surfaces. For example, with the Opus1 gouger, the GUIDES around the blade are spline-driven surfaces that are derived from the blade curve. This provides for a very consistent result from machine to machine.
Guide Surface in CAD
Guide Surface in CAM with Toolpaths
Technologies Helping to Make the Opus1 Possible
There are many technologies available today to help design and build equipment that wouldn't have been dreamed of only a decade ago. From state-of-the -art Computer Aided Drawing Programs (CAD) to sophisticated computer driven milling machines that cut surfaces to an accuracy of 1/10,000 of an inch.
CAD programs allow us to do complicated manipulation of geometry to study the curves of the Gouge, Blade and the Shape in 3-D. We can project curves onto planes to understand what the "presented edge" of the blade is compared how it looks straight-on. In other words, we can see the shape of the blade that the cane sees.
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3-D Contouring Helps Create a Guide to Match a Blade Curve.
It is now possible to take the blade and construct a "unique" 3-D guide surface CONTOUR that matches the blade and enables it to cut in an optimum fashion. If there are areas that need to be adjusted after the surface is created, data points can be moved and a new surface can be generated.
Once the surface is generated, as in the picture on the left above, tool paths are created that use a BALL-NOSE endmill to produce this guide on the gouger. This procedure is repeatable. Slight modifications can be done in a NON-DESTRUCTIVE manner since the data is all computer code. If it becomes apparent that the guide needs further modifications after being tested by cutting cane, these modifications can be incorporated into the computer model of the guide and reproduced with great accuracy and consistency. Once you have a guide that you like, you can make it again and again.
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Computer Driven Milling Machine Cuts Guide and Blade Contrours
Once the data is ready, very sophisticated computer driven milling machines cut "tool paths" from this information with great precision. If the results are as expected, the milling machine can reproduce these contours with consistent repeatability.
