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jleiwig

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Way back in the day someone was making something similar to this and offering it for sale. I'm not really interested in starting a business with it, but I know people with CNC machines and I'm checking on how much it would cost to have this made out of PVC. Would there be any interest in this sort of thing?

I couldn't find the original thread, so if someone is still selling these let me know and I won't pursue it any further.

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Maverick KB

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I understand what you were getting at. I work with all of these materials. HDPE wouldn't scuff as easily as PVC and the right type will hold up better than aluminum. One dent in soft aluminum and it's done. HDPE can be some seriously rugged stuff. Added benefit is the no stick. Not sure why you would need it, but it would be hard to glue anything to it.


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Maverick KB

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I'll get started on a version of this.


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What software do you work with? I can send you my Aspire file if you like. The only thing I'd ask is you send me one. I made each drill hole .03 larger than the specific drill bit size, so you will have to run a test file first.

Let me know.

I have plenty of software. I have VCarve Desktop. Aspire works well with VCarve Pro, but I've never tried to use Aspire files with Desktop. I've also got a couple versions of CAD software and more.

I've got a few material options on the way. .25" HDPE in Black, .177" ABS white, .5" UHMW white.

I'm betting on the UHMW being the winner here and I've got some other ideas in mind for the ABS. The UHMW is about 15 times more abrasive resistant than carbon steel, and a lower friction coefficient than nylon and Delrin, so the recesses should hold up over time to constant insertion and removal of bits/tubes. (This would also make a great sizing guide for figuring out what size a random tube is)

I'd be more than happy to send you one as I prototype it out for the work you've got in it. If all goes according to plan, I'm anticipating a final price to be around $20 for IAP memebers.
 

adirondak5

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I made one for myself a while back using Aspire to model and toolpath it . I used .250" thick CandleStone , its a solid surface material used mostly for Lithophanes . I cut all the holes .005" oversize , that seemed to me to work well for ease of slipping the bits in and out . It does come in very handy for storing and retrieving my pen bits .

OAIGQQP.png
 

jleiwig

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I made one for myself a while back using Aspire to model and toolpath it . I used .250" thick CandleStone , its a solid surface material used mostly for Lithophanes . I cut all the holes .005" oversize , that seemed to me to work well for ease of slipping the bits in and out . It does come in very handy for storing and retrieving my pen bits .

OAIGQQP.png

Great Job! What did you colorfill the engraving with? Paint? Rubnbuff?
 

adirondak5

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I made one for myself a while back using Aspire to model and toolpath it . I used .250" thick CandleStone , its a solid surface material used mostly for Lithophanes . I cut all the holes .005" oversize , that seemed to me to work well for ease of slipping the bits in and out . It does come in very handy for storing and retrieving my pen bits .

OAIGQQP.png

Great Job! What did you colorfill the engraving with? Paint? Rubnbuff?

Thanks .
I used black spray paint , after v-carving the letters and numbers , then just sanded the over spray off . I did do another where I just sprayed the whole top black and v- carved the numbers and letters as the base material is white , it shows up good as you can see in the picture but I wasn't sure how the painted surface would hold up so I ended up making the white with black lettering .

JiIwZsO.png
 

Terredax

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Just an FYI... there are many styles of these available commercially... for just a few dollars. They come in plastic, aluminum and stainless.
Also, with a drill bit set, the sizes are marked by number, fraction, decimal, and letter right inside the box and the box is included. There are various places to get the 115 pc. sets at a decent price.
Cross references are free all over the interwebs. Print one and place it above the work bench. We have several laminated versions from a tool dealer.
 

jleiwig

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Just an FYI... there are many styles of these available commercially... for just a few dollars. They come in plastic, aluminum and stainless.
Also, with a drill bit set, the sizes are marked by number, fraction, decimal, and letter right inside the box and the box is included. There are various places to get the 115 pc. sets at a decent price.
Cross references are free all over the interwebs. Print one and place it above the work bench. We have several laminated versions from a tool dealer.

There is nothing with only the pen size drills only anywhere that I can find. That is specifically what we are talking about here, not 115 pc drill bit sets.:confused:
 

Terredax

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There is nothing with only the pen size drills only anywhere that I can find. That is specifically what we are talking about here, not 115 pc drill bit sets.:confused:

Why only pen sizes? The large gauges include all of the pen sizes along with others.
These are going to be sold for $20, yet for another $50, you would have 115 drill bits with all of the markings of this gauge, in a box. That would be any size bit a person could ever need, and would have the bits for kit-less if one decided to go that rout later. Just a better investment than a unitasking plate.
A person could also make their own plate by using their pen making drill bits.
The plate could be cut to the over-all, final dimension and then drill the holes as the bits are acquired.
 

jleiwig

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There is nothing with only the pen size drills only anywhere that I can find. That is specifically what we are talking about here, not 115 pc drill bit sets.:confused:

Why only pen sizes? The large gauges include all of the pen sizes along with others.
These are going to be sold for $20, yet for another $50, you would have 115 drill bits with all of the markings of this gauge, in a box. That would be any size bit a person could ever need, and would have the bits for kit-less if one decided to go that rout later. Just a better investment than a unitasking plate.
A person could also make their own plate by using their pen making drill bits.
The plate could be cut to the over-all, final dimension and then drill the holes as the bits are acquired.

Some of us want a quality set of pen drill bits to be used for pen making and nothing else and then something classy to organize them in. It really is as simple as that regardless of what you are trying to make it otherwise.

This idea obviously isn't for you....you've made your point now move on and crap on someone else's thread and leave this one for people who do think it's a good idea. That's who this thread was started for.
 

donstephan

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Glad I saw the prior post and had time to remove mine. Very harsh comments. Not everyone knows there are complete drill bit gauges and they are handy, so there's nothing wrong with pointing that out. I thought the purpose of this forum was to share information and encourage all. My two cents. Now you have a second person to jump on.
 
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Maverick KB

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I have several sets of drill bits and I've made several stands on my own just using those drill bits to make the holes in a scrap of wood. There's no reason not to have the full set, but I find myself going after the same bits over and over. This is more about having the most common close by easy to reach easy to identify. Then when something else fun comes along, I can pull out the full kit.

Everyone has a preference and a unique work flow.


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Terredax

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I drew one up real quick and did some figures.
I can make them from 1/2" Corian for $15 each plus shipping. So, it would be just slightly more than you want for a thinner material without shipping.

I could probably do them for less, if I ran a large batch of them.
The configuration could also be altered to any design.


EP1TlYT.png
 

Skie_M

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No ... no jumping on people just for asking questions, guys!


It's a valid point, you can easily obtain marked drill bits in a complete set, but what if you don't want the whole set? How often do you need a 13/32" bit when making a pen? Why would you need a 1/32" bit in penmaking either?

Having a nice index at your fingertips that not only gives you the sizes of the bits, it also keeps your bits handy and organized ... that's the point of this item.

Many penmakers just starting out have a really cheap set of drill bits, so they pick up the bits being sold through PSI or wherever they get their kits from, because it's simply a better quality bit to use ... but where to put it? Keeping all these separate bits in a drawer invites injury, wasted time looking for the right bit, and a decently bad opportunity to lose the bit you need or GRAB THE WRONG BIT. Organization is the key to avoiding all of that.

If you can get by just using the drill bit index that came with your bits, then congrats ... you can save some money! If you can make your own version of this so that you don't have to go hunt down the correct bits, then congrats ... you can save some money!
 

Terredax

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Some of us want a quality set of pen drill bits to be used for pen making and nothing else and then something classy to organize them in. It really is as simple as that regardless of what you are trying to make it otherwise.

This idea obviously isn't for you....you've made your point now move on and crap on someone else's thread and leave this one for people who do think it's a good idea. That's who this thread was started for.

That is great marketing for a product you want to sell on an open forum.

I'm sure people will line up to support that type of attitude. The idea was taken from someone else, and you hope to gain from it. Then you want to criticize someone for asking questions.
 

Maverick KB

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Some of us want a quality set of pen drill bits to be used for pen making and nothing else and then something classy to organize them in. It really is as simple as that regardless of what you are trying to make it otherwise.

This idea obviously isn't for you....you've made your point now move on and crap on someone else's thread and leave this one for people who do think it's a good idea. That's who this thread was started for.

That is great marketing for a product you want to sell on an open forum.

I'm sure people will line up to support that type of attitude. The idea was taken from someone else, and you hope to gain from it. Then you want to criticize someone for asking questions.

Just to clear up a couple things, the OP is not trying to sell or gain from this. I in fact was the first to step up and offer to make them. In this forum and here, I am not trying to gain monetarily for them, but rather find it to be an interesting opportunity to work with some materials I'm familiar with in a different way. I stand to gain knowledge. The product result I'm offering up here to IAP members who are interested in something like this for cost.

I'm also pleased to say, the new materials have arrived and I will be playing around with this in the next couple of days.
 

Smitty37

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The only difficulty I see in how inclusive to make it. I have not seen any that include all of the bits that might be used making kits that I used to sell.
 

Marmotjr

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I'd do a run on my 3d printer, but I can't guarantee the level of tolerance required on this particular printer.

EDIT: Ahhh... missed page 2 &3 of the thread... rest of post redacted.
 
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