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Thread: I guess you'd call it architectural turning...

  1. #1

    I guess you'd call it architectural turning...

    I make my living as a low-voltage electrician, doing mostly luxury home automation (Control 4/Crestron/Lutron etc). Included in that is security/CCTV systems.
    On a recent job (new house), I went to install the outdoor cameras and found that on both cameras the wrong junction boxes had been installed, and they were to big! The corners of the box stuck out from under the camera.


    This is a >$4 Million property, and was being shown the next evening. After telling my boss, and us trying to figure out who I knew we might have a router and the proper bits and jigs to make some sort of bezel extension, I realized I already owned the proper tool to make great bezels! I measured the hole and camera carefully, then spent the night in the shop.

    I put 3/4" MDF on a screw chuck and shaped it with a bowl gouge, parting tool and spearpoint scraper. MDF machines beautifully but makes a terrific mess, make sure you wear dust protection! The odd bite out of the inner rim is a hole I drilled right on the cut line. It allowed me to judge the thickness of that point, while I worked from both front and back to get the proper depth reveals for camera bezel and box screws. I had to keep the inner rim to 3/32" thick so it would hang from the stock bezel without extra hardware.
    I painted them with Rustoleum black textured spraypaint, which matched the texture on the cameras impressively well. The result is great, they've been mistaken for metal and plastic, but never wood. Both the builder and my boss were extremely pleased, and I made a good chunk of change making them in such a rush. It was a good technical turning challenge, to turn two matching objects like this that had such small tolerances.


    I just thought this might be interesting, it's certainly a departure from what I (and most of us I think) turn much of the time. Homes like this are fun, this particular one was fairly thoroughly automated, you could control the pool, HVAC, security, audio/video/lights for the whole house as well as security and gates, fireplaces, blinds etc from any TV or remote. It had touchscreens in important rooms, and the system is such that you walk in the door and hit one button on the screen and the lights come on, tv, music, fireplace (if it's night), blinds open, and the air conditioner all turn on automatically.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Harvey, Michigan
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    20,804
    Scott - great save! Can't believe the contractors would leave such a large opening on the camera - but it is probably what the plans called for! Very nice work on the adapter ring! Doesn't look like wood - or anything other than the original camera mounting! Very nice work and a great save!
    Steve

    “You never know what you got til it's gone!”
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Everett, WA
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    Scott

    I really appreciate people like you who can transfer your incredible skills from lathe work to brain storming and coming up with the perfect solution to a huge problem.

    You did beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

    Dennis

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Goodland, Kansas
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    22,605
    Great job. Really nice work to cover up. Well done. Thanks for sharing.
    Bernie

    Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

    To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.



  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Caledonia, Ohio USA.
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    Very innovative. Looks like it suppose to be that way.
    Have a Nice Day!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    central illinois
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    434
    Scott, Nice save and a great job. Sounds like you and I are in the same line of work.

    John

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Atikokan, Rainy River district, Ontario
    Posts
    3,540
    Scott I think the overall looks is better now than before, even if the right size box had been used, a real improvement I would say
    Have fun and take care

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Willamette Valley in Oregon
    Posts
    375
    Great job! That looks really good, thanks for showing us.
    Chris

    What! There's no coffee!!?

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