Hi,
I’ve only just discovered Make Hack Void, and honestly, it sounds like one of the coolest ideas ever.
Although I’m currently finishing off a thesis, and I won’t have time to do start any projects (or visit the space) for a couple of months, I thought it would be a good to ask a few questions I have now. Plus I need a procrastination distraction right this second.
So the wiki seems to be missing a whole heap of pages or some of the links are broken, so I couldn’t find all that much information on the space you have. So some of my questions might be a bit silly, so please forgive me.
I’m mostly interested in working with wood, and in particular learning to use a CNC cutter/router. You facilities list says you have “small scale CNC engraver and large format plotter/cutter” - is this equipment suitable for cutting large sheets of plywood? Are there any plans to have a workshop for teaching the use of a CNC machine? I couldn’t find anything in the calendar. I’m also interested in what “Machine area: Heavy benches, machine tools, welder, power tools – for heavy duty projects” entails. Have you got other woodworking tools such as table saw, thicknesser/planer, belt/disc sanders, etc?
And lastly, I’d like to just briefly explain what I’ve got in mind for my first project, and see if someone can suggest how to go about it and whether you think it might be an appropriate undertaking in the MHV space:
In short, I’m very keen on getting into DIY audio, and in particular building speakers. I have modelled an entire cabinet/enclosure in sketchup and am keen to CNC cut the pieces out of plywood, before getting down and dirty with my hands to fit it together, solder up the electronics etc, paint/veneer and so on. I probably have the means to get most things I need to do at home, with exception to the plywood sheet cutting. I just cannot cut anything straight enough, and so I came up with the idea of CNC routing/cutting.
What sort of format does the CNC router need? I assume its not as simple as I just give it my sketchup model and it cuts the ‘components’ automatically? And considering my serious lack of skills in pretty much any other software, are there options to get help on this sort of thing? Either through MHV or elsewhere, say online?
Anyway, hope that’s not too much!
Thanks guys.