On Aug 15, 7:10*pm, "Peter Dohm" wrote:
"R" wrote in message

...



Anthony W wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good forum for home machine work? *Not the news
group, that's a madhouse...

Tony

The Home Machinist
http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/

The Home Shop Machinist & Machinist's Workshop BBS
http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/

If you have some metalworking or machining experience this group has the
most expertise. They do not tolerate well inane questions from wannabes.. A
wealth of knowledge can be gained by, even, lurking here.

*Practical Machinist
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/

Looking at this thread makes me just a little curious whether the
relationship of cost and capability may have brought the CNC routing/milling
process to make precision foam cores--such as used in the Vari-Eze and its
derivatives--within reasonable reach of the home builder. *The hot wire
method worked reasonably well in its day; but was limited to certain types
of foam and also resulted in a slight sag in the shape of the resulting
parts.

Of course, I have kept a list of the above forum locations; and I am curious
if anyone happens to know the present cost of setting up that sort of CNC
system for the cores in something like a Vari-Eze.

Peter

Back in the '80's I was allowed to watch a huge CNC machine at Martin
Marietta in Waterton, CO carve a Learjet wing out of an enormous
aluminum billet. When finished, it was complete right down to 6-32
tapped holes.

I've kicked around a "wing machine" idea for years. My idea was to
cut female molds and then build the aircraft using standard wet layup
composite techniques.