Getting my wood cut in The UK

[Ragtop]

:lol: No pun intended! Had to...

 

Anyway. My mind is running around in circles trying to figure out cockpit plans, prices, space constraints and a million other things, and I'm gassing myself out!

 

But my fundamental issue - Materials and preparation of said materials.

 

I need opinions on the best way to get this done!

 

A) I go to Wickes/Homebase/any material store it's bought in large boards and I need to have the pieces cut to shape. This can be done by them, but they don't promise accurate cuts and the amount of intricate cuts gets quite expensive.

 

B) Having the pieces CNC'ed by a professional, but I imagine that could be a very expensive venture.

 

C) Cutting myself with a circular/jigsaw, but I'm afraid that I wouldn't be accurate enough to do this well.

 

Ideally I'd like to send in my cuts in a blueprint form and have a company supply and cut for me, but I have no idea how I'd go about this?

 

How have you guys tackled this in the past and what would you recommend?

 

Price is the biggest killer for me!

Edited September 13, 2011 by Ragtop

[Mike Powell]

Cuts made with circular saws and jigsaws can be quite accurate. The trick isn't having super human control of the tool. It's planning that minimizes the need for super precision, accurate layout and marking, and using guides when making the cuts.

 

I vote for "C".

[CubPilot]

Well, you might be able to get some of the big sheets cut in pieces that are a bit bigger than what your finished size is for a component (inst panel, side panels, etc.). Then you could trim them to the finished size. If you have a circular saw & jig saw an aluminum cutting guide would keep the straight cuts straight. The guide is clamped to your workpiece and the base of the saw is run against the cutting guide. The guide will take a little work to get into the proper position, but it can be done.

 

Of course the panels will need to be laid out on the material so you have finish lines to follow. The various dimensions would have to be planned ahead in order to do this.

 

I used a Router for the MFD & keypad holes in my of my little desktop panel along with the cutting guide. The basic panel I started with was cut on a small contractors table saw (you can do the same with the Circular saw & cutting guide with careful setup of the guide). It would also help to have a good builders square to help keep things........ well..... square.

 

Not having many tools to work with just makes it a bit harder to do some things and will add to the build time, but it is not impossible.

 

 

:pilotfly:

[Ragtop]

Well it looks to be decided, (By my girlfriend mainly, to stop me going round in circles!) tomorrow we'll start work on Dimebug's left and right consoles! When they're done, The Simhangar ACES II will be underway.

 

I've figured out that I can get all the fundamental shapes cut on a single 2440x607mm board which was one of my biggest concerns, so I think I'll be having a try with the circular saw, then the jigsaw for the little parts. I'm going to use 18mm MDF which I am confident will be tough enough to survive, and easier to manipulate with handheld tools.

 

I'm going to design my own display/keyboard section for now, then as I start to learn how to build switch panels, I'll start working on the replica centre console.

 

I may well be starting a build thread in the morning!

Edited September 13, 2011 by Ragtop

[CubPilot]

Well it looks to be decided, (By my girlfriend mainly, to stop me going round in circles!) tomorrow we'll start work on Dimebug's left and right consoles!

 

When they're done, The Simhangar ACES II will be underway. I may well be starting a build thread in the morning!

 

You better keep her, you are a very lucky man! :D

[Mr_Burns]

I started the same, we have similar shops here in Aus to B&Q called Bunnings and I wanted them to cut the sheets but I didnt trust the Bunnings guy to make cuts on their 'big' machine that would be as accurate as a trained chippie so here is what I did.

 

Went into bunnings and wrote the sizes they supplied in the thickness and type of wood I wanted.

 

Used some squared paper and drew the sizes of the wood. Then took the shape of each panel and put a square around it and drew as many squares of panels as I could fit in the sheets to minimise scrap.

 

I was then going to get the Bunnings guy to cut the sheets into the squares cos they could get this right surely. But their saw broke big time so I bought a decent jigsaw with some decent blades and some clamps and did it myself.

 

It was suprisingly easy and you can get it very accurate, although I am a bit lazy and some of the cuts are slightly off.

 

You can buy thin jigsaw blades to cut round corners, and you can cover some mistakes with the switch panels.

 

Your better half will probably have to help becuase some of the panels are pretty big and if you dont take the weight off the wood it can 'tear' at the end of the cut and you need to have it clamped well to stop the jigsaw chewing it up.

 

Or you could build the frame and have the front panel done at a workshop, thats really the only one where the cuts need to be nice cost the sides will all be covered by Square Panels

[Ragtop]

Cubpilot: No kidding! I can't help but feel like I'm in some sort of debt from now :P Loving your little desktop pit btw, very nice build with great attention to detail!

 

Mr. Burns: Some very useful info, thanks. I've worked every cut onto a single 2440x607, so if I can't find 2x 1220x607's, I'll just get the shop to cut it down the middle for transport, then it's down to me!

[cichlidfan]

With her willing help you should do pretty well.

 

My biggest problem with wood is all the cuts I make and realize part way through that I am cutting the wrong way or something.

 

That's where the help comes in, she can slap you on the back of the head before you ruin another piece of wood.:D

 

Good luck with it.

 

Oh, and yes, you should get used to that "forever in her debt feeling"!;)

[HitchHikingFlatlander]

Ragtop it might help to get a long straight edged piece of metal or wood to use as a saw guide. There are many good guides and tips here too:

 

http://www.familyhandyman.com/

[Ragtop]

I've made a start, borrowed a neighbours circular saw which cut through wood like butter, Used clamped beams as a saw guide which was a huge help.

 

I'm going to have a tidy up and I'll start on my build thread!

[Lumper]

Don't fail to use the internet to find out how to use power tools or do woodworking. Also if you use any power tools use safety glasses, and read about how to use your tools. Also, the ACES II plans you are looking at is not 100 percent correct and is for an F-16 seat, there are some differences for an A-10 or F-15. You can look at www.viperpits,org under ACES II for help. Have fun and enjoy.

[Ragtop]

Thanks for the advice Lumper, although simple it's something I think we're all guilty of - Attempt something, get into trouble with it, but continue trying without actually looking into what the problem really is!

 

As far as the ACES II goes, I'm not really going for a specific design, more a general ACES II style. I'll probably make it a little less deep, a little shorter - to fit my size better.

[HitchHikingFlatlander]

The F-16 design has a better seat angle IMO kinda like the "gangster lean" in a car lol!