Yep sure am. I figure 1/16" ply will do fine. I'm doing the square tube as 3/4" for a 3/4" dowel.

 

cool shawn, very cool.....thats what i really wanted to do man. but i just did what i did, wile im waitin on the chip.. you could even do 1/8in thick, just double up your program, and laminate it. 1/16 should be good thou... all the pressure is goin to top of lid. hey im workin on your anti-skew fence thing....when i got more details i will post. with the spring mod and the fence mod, the printer should be real solid. randy.

 

I already did a cut with my fences on some ply and it worked great!
I'm wanting to try cutting thicker harder wood now but I need the pressure from those springs :mrgreen:

I have found the best thing when cutting slick type wood like ply is to first put masking tape on the outer edges. Works great for giving the rollers something to grip on to.

 

Just added the wood version of your pressure roller mod here:
http://www.phlatforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=547
Thanks for the great idea Randy!

 

your welcome shawn....i like the way the fellows act here in mark's forum....its a pleasure to share stuff with such nice fellows....what a public forum, no bickering?, what no bashing?, no condensending put downs?......yes we got spammers.... but i think i have that all figured out......someone out ther, probally "the big r/c forum's" is jealous of the way decent men and women act here in mark's phlatboyz forum. yep, it is probally eatin them up inside, as they know deep down they will never one of the phlatbroz. randy.

 

well fellas, wile i wait on my replacement chip, i figured i would have to do another mod, lols. ran up tp the computer joint, and got a couple heatsinks.....did the trish hacksaw mod....the sinks are way bigger and with the help of that 120mm fan, things should stay icy cool. just gonna stick on with some frag tape, or as non gamers know it as thermal interface tape. randy.
stock sink along with my modded one...

 

yea, the spring mod is my best mod i did....will also be good on mark's new machine as well. randy.

 

ok fellas, as i checked out the heatsinks on my control board....i seriously doubt they were even on the chip good. after i poped the sink off my burnt out chip....i could see that it probally didnt have good contact. the chip actually looks like it sits a little lower in the socket that the socket sides...cheezy to say the least. anyone that had a chip go dead be carefull to make sure the sink is not hitting on the walls, not making good contact for heat transfer. i had to mod my mod....i layed out the chip size on the sink, and relieved it so it wont hit the socket walls. also make sure sink is flat, never seen a flat one yet. the silicon is allways flat. i have read about the sinks falling off on them, and now i know why.....randy.
chip looks as if it is below socket walls...a smidge....

my solution, for good heat transfer....relieve sides...

 

shawn, 3-dmon....came up with a very clever mod. he had trouble cutting wood, and having the work shift in the rollers....he came up with a solution, check it out...
http://www.phlatforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=522 it got me thinking how to make a lil different, as i did not want to cut slots in the top of my printer. instead drill a series of holes, for ether blind nuts, or tapping the wood. i figure it would maintain more strength and integrity to the top of printer. also i think side rollers would be of benifit to the guide fences. the big piece will be used as a template to drill holes...also i didnt draw rollers, i made for 1.0in dia, with a .187 dia. axle hole. i am a noob at sketchup and drawing, as i am just going to post screenshots of shawns mod. after i cut and build i will post the cut files. actually it would probally be better having someone that can draw good did it, lols.... with shawns fence guide mod, and my spring loaded pressure roller, i think the mark's phlatprint can realize its true potential....... shawn, i gotta take off my hat to ya bud...great mod...good job man.....randy.


bahhh, the screenshots didnt post rite...ya get shawns idea, each guide rail is 3 pieces per rail....a bottom, top, and the center roller section...

 

You were right Randy I really like this idea alot.
My long slots have weakened the top some so this would help alot.
Great work. I should have posted my idea first then you could have revised it before I went and put the slots in.
Thanks for the idea.
I might still do this though, because I have that 1/8" plexi I've been wanting to put back on. :idea:

 

shawn. instead of using the plexi, get a piece of 1/8in thick aluminum, or ply. it would probally beefcake it up more. or actually get some of that mds wood or whatever its called cut some strips, and titebond 3. stuff is strong as heck. you seen how fat i an, lols, and i used it to fix my easy chair, lmao. whatever ya do, or do nothin at all, it should be fine man. randy.

 

good idea bro

 

tiger, the rollers can be as tall as ya want them to be, just the bottom part of the rail needs to be thin. for skinny stock thats just the way i drew it, i just wanted to get the idea out....even cut the bottom plate open were the rollers go, and just suspend the roller, or bearing just off of the top of printer surface...randy.

 

i plan on cutting this mod on my phalty, yoram. out of wood...actually i wanted to do the same for the spring mod. but my machine is down, til i get my new drive chip. all my hobby stuff i keep seperate from my work life.....all my work is in my basement, and ther is no metal cutting machines down ther, except maybe the scroll saw if it could be considered that. i keep the rc out of my work, as to maintain the fun aspect. randy.

 

I haven't tried yet but I bet the mdf will accept a tap too. Then you could just screw the bolts right into the wood.

 

yea shawn, after you tap wood, ya can do the old ca harden trick, then retap holes. i will get some aluminum flat strip at the hardware store thou. maybe do mark's slot reinforcement under the cut slot wile im at it. we will have the best "old school" phlattys around, lols. randy.

 

I did the slot reinforcement a long time ago. It helps alot.

 

yea shawn, my chips will be here tomorrow....im gonna stop at the pc store on the ride home from work, and pick up some thermal epoxy for them huge sinks....on the down side, i have to cut a taller control board cover now as the sinks are alot taller. oh well, im gettin more user friendly with sketchup now. maybe a new v-tab phlatcode will be out....randy.

 

Well, after giving the rail idea some thought about why I'd need them, I decided there are a lot of things I could do with a longer cutting area than my mill as far as balsa ribs go. So I rattled the peanut around for a few minutes and decided to do like a printers press and table saw combined. The bottom narrow strip is screwed on, a couple bolts are mounted to provide lock down for the support plate via wing nuts which hold the slide-able/removable fence guides. All done in 5 Ply 1/8''.

Here's the quick and dirty Attached files

 

66tbird, ,when i build my version of shawn's fence mod idea, i really want to stick with my roller mod for the fences....even thou your mod looks like it will give the same results also..... i have to keep the front of my printer clean, as that area is going to be the surface my front shelf will mount to. man, i really like all the good ideas the fellas have for mark's phlatprinter. randy.

 

Good idea Tbird. If you try it that way, you might find the side fences need to be real sturdy and not able to move at all. I found there is alot of side force going against them.