For the second endplate I decided to try replicate by hand the piece previously cut on the CNC machine.  I imagined that providing the overhang of the blank material – which I am currently cutting on screen, is less than the stepover distance of the bit I intended be use. It should work with a minimal waste of material.

So after I cut the piece, I cleaned the faces of the blank and template with methylated spirit and bonded the surfaces with double sided tape. I drilled through the holes of the template using a 5mm bit, and cut the excess bit from the slanted edge.  I prepared to hand router using a two flute straight edge trimming cutter. The bearing would run along the template and the cutting blades would take off the remaining material on the blank – but then this happen.

And in slow motion.

I didn’t realise but the bit was travelling up in the collet – and eventually the bearing was not touching the material.  Very dangerous – I nearly lost some skin and my camera.

So after I narrowly avoided a permanent reminder of my lesson, I used the router in a plunge base and finished the job off.  I prised the pieces apart and compared them.  They seemed pretty good but I am going to use the CNC machine with a variable speed router to finish the other two.

I forgot to mention that I used painters turpentine to clean the double sided tape off the aluminium.

So I’d just like to introduce you to pillars of the CNC community here.  I am quite chuffed with myself.  Like I said in the previous video I really could have done this probably with several (laminated) 3mm aluminium.  It would have been a lot easier to cut on the CNC machine.

I think I am going to get busy replacing these and seeing how they fit.

There are slight discrepancies in each of the plates seeing as I tired slightly different cutting methods for each one but the holes line up which means everything seems square.

Once I adjust the C Beam Linear actuator I will have a cutting capacity of 11cm and this can be further increased by removing the waste-board – although I will have to re-level them.

As always, if you found this video interesting please leave a comment, share or sacrifice a thumb to the algorithm Gods.  Thanks for watching.