First product on the new laser

[Allan Wright]

I'd like to thank everyone here who have helped me with all my noobie questions. Towards that goal, I'd like to share with everyone my first new product that I've developed using my laser, rather than using the cutting service I used to use.

I'm amazed how much more efficently I could go through the development cycle. It's even better than I had hoped. Normal development cycle on a product like this would be months. I did this in an afternoon.

The product is a 1/12 scale World War I Lewis machine gun for radio-controlled scale aircraft. Laser-cut materials are 1/16" balsa, 1/64" plywood and cardstock.

Thanks everyone!

[Frank Corker]

That's pretty intricate stuff. For a first job it's amazing. Well done

[Jacqui Marlin]

Now you have me even more excited waiting the arrival of the laser I just ordered! I do miniature furniture and one of my plans is to cut nice hardwood for small scale kits (among other things). Looks very good!

[Larry Bratton]

Allan:
Great work!!

[Carol VanArnam]

Allan- it's no good without the little laser bullets... did you make any yet?

[Allan Wright]

Allan- it's no good without the little laser bullets... did you make any yet?

Damn! I knew I forgot something!

[Mitchell Andrus]

Alan, nice job. Go to McMaster and order some fine stainless steel mesh, (like window screen). Make a small table out of it and you can get rid of the webs... The screen will hold the parts in place for you. Aluminum screen will eventually burn through, and vinyl screen... well....

Better yet, make a small vacuum table with a bathroom fan. Just let it blow into the cabinet, run the cord in throught the exhaust pipe. (so you don't have to alter the laser cabinet) Small parts will be held in place and won't get blown out the exhaust vent. I've cut parts than would fit into Roosevelt's ear with no problem.

[Allan Wright]

That's a good tip about the screen. I'm using a vector table now that the parts would fall through. I can see a LOT of use for that tip for my own 1-off modeling.

For my production work the webs actually help me in packaging by keeping me from having to handle all the individual parts. R/C modelers pretty much expect to have to cut the webs, they're very common for R/C kits. On balsa, locating them on the grain helps a lot. For paper and ply I make the webs as absolutely small as possible to reduce the sanding the user has to do.

Everyone's feedback has been really encouraging - thanks!

[Mike Null]

Allan

A model maker here in St. Louis uses a lot of basswood for his models and accessories. Just passing that along in case you hadn't tried it.

[Allan Wright]

Thanks Mike, I have a stack of 1/32, 1/16, 3/32 and 1/8 Basswood to experiment on. I got a few sheets of each. It looks like a very nice material for items where I will need more strength than balsa.

I'd love to try sheet birch if I could find it in those types of thicknesses. I hear birch has a high bending strength for it's weight.

[Allan Wright]

A small update. Here are photos of the same gun kit, in 1/8 scale and painted. Having my own laser sure made scaling up the design to all four scales I sell them in easy. The small things that have to be test fit could be cut and re-cut in minutes instead of waiting for a vendor to mail them to me each time.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

[Mike Null]

That's truly impressive.

[Belinda Barfield]

That is really cool! Thanks for sharing!

[William Desrochers]

Wow! now thats small! Nice job!

[Allan Wright]

Product #2, German Parabellum Gun from WWI. This one is 1/12 scale, I'll be making it in other scales too. Dollar bill for size comparison.

Cooling jacket is laser-cut cardstock that is then rolled over balsa formers. Entire gun is laser-cut balsa, ply and cardstock with the exception of the barrel and the wire support for the ammo drum.