Mark asked that I post comments about my new PhlatBench here. The PhlatBench is a work bench to hold the PhlatPrinter, a router, and contains a drop leaf table extension for supporting the foam for cutting as well as an additional work surface. The initial workbench was $79 from Home Depot but I added a Formica top ($45), casters, and a drop leaf table (around $50). I am sure you can build it cheaper with a few 2x4's and some MDF, but I was in a hurry and wanted something as ready built as possible. You can read more about it here and view some photos of it as well.... viewtopic.php?f=47&t=220
Dude the Phlatbench is freaking sweet! Love the intergraded router! Just to cool for words man.. big thumbs up! Eric
You know I was thinking it would be cool to have a hotwire jig set up on the Phlatbench so that you could put a whole bundle of fff up there at once to cut the edges flush on the entire stack, then filp it over and do the other side. That way you would have all your sheets nice and trimed and ready to go Mark
What a great idea! Just so happens I have one of those already. I have some nichrome wire and a variac so I don't think it would be too difficult to do. hmmm, gets me thinking. Maybe it could even flip up from under the leaf so that it is out of the way until you want to use it.
Go for it! I think it would be great you could screw down a runner so that it cuts even all the time Mark
Hint, then again maybe this is what you were thinking for cutting the FFF. Lay it down so a little bit of the edge you want to cut is sticking over the edge of the work bench... then lay your bow on the sheet/stack where you want it cut. Then turn on the power and let gravity do the work. This is how I true up blocks when hot wiring a wing core. Gravity always makes a 90 degree cut. I hold the bow loosly so when it gets done with the cut it doesn't fall on the floor.
That's how I've done it in the past, but to true the edges of an 4 foot sheet gives pause to another thought. What about two vertical hot wires spaced 23" apart and about 6 to 8" high. Maybe could rotate them to the underside of the work surface when not in use. Attached files
Not sure I follow... Do you mean then push the stack between the wires? It would be best to have some sort of fence to keep the stack straight. If this is the case, it has been my experience that it would take a long time of smooth steady pushing to push foam through a hot wire, especially 4 foot worth I did this when building some parts for my 8' C123. Cut one side out of 2" foam, and ripped in half with the wire to get 2 identical 1" parts. I made a jig to hold the wire 1" above the bench, and then pushed the foam through. I had weights on the foam to make sure it was flat against the table, and it sure was hard to push it and keep the movement steady. Then again as these are just the edges of the sheet, and won't be used, a burn mark here and there won't be too bad.
Yes, that was the idea I had in mind. If I crank up the voltage on the hotwire, it should push thru fairly quick. It is easy enough to add a guide. Just clamping a 2x4 or 1x3 to the bench should do the trick. I'll need to put the PhlatPrinter on the floor and use the whole table surface, but I don't use that much FFF anyway. I would probably be cutting Depron down to 23 inches most of the time. I can get all the Depron I want for free, but it needs to be trimmed too, so the hotwire idea is very appealing.
I love it great idea! now I need to build it You know if you had holes in the table you could have the cut offs fall through into a collection bin underneath...just a thought. Mark
My secret.... 4x8' sheets of the stuff. Free for the taking if you look in the right places. Hint: Try sign shop suppliers. It's not called Depron to them though. Gotta go asking for samples of their products and if you are lucky enough, they will open these big boxes full of product which have a single sheet of packing material on top which they just throw out. Now granted, the quality is not what you pay 10 bucks a sheet for, it may be 7 or 8mm in one place and 5 in another, but you can usually find enough on one sheet to make a plane or two from. I will still buy the good stuff for the planes I sell, but for experimenting, it is a gold mine.
