trying to improve my board game

**m.marino** · 19-02-2011

Good luck,

Hope you they meet your needs and who knows you still might end up with a CNC machine and doing your own prototyping.

Michael

**i2i** · 20-02-2011

I have a Denford Microrouter for sale (around A3 size), looks a lot like this newer version.

http://www.denfordata.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=2567

**cubikoman** · 20-02-2011

hi i2i

That looks like a neat piece of kit.

**cubikoman** · 22-02-2011

Hi all,

So as far as I can make out to get going with CNC I need...

1) A machine.
2) pc tower
3) screen
4) controlling software like mach 3
5) design software like vcarve

This seems to have everything http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

What would be a fair price though?

Gavin

**M250cnc** · 22-02-2011

Originally Posted by cubikoman

Hi all,

So as far as I can make out to get going with CNC I need...

Gavin

Somewhere to cut the panels to fit on your machine table

Somewhere to run the machine

Friendly neighbours due to the NOISE

Learning curve on software

Patience

Time

Tooling

Practical ability to make jigs and fixtures to be able to cut your parts

Phil

**m_c** · 22-02-2011

Having looked at the site and video for the game, do you really need CNC?

By the looks of it, you need a grid, which could be as easily made from strips of wood, notched + glued together, 4 sides, and a top & bottom.
All that could be done with a table saw, and a router table (cross cut saw would be far safer/more accurate, but cost more to buy), along with a few jigs, so you can machine parts in batches, then assemble them.

**M250cnc** · 22-02-2011

Originally Posted by m_c

Having looked at the site and video for the game, do you really need CNC?

By the looks of it, you need a grid, which could be as easily made from strips of wood, notched + glued together, 4 sides, and a top & bottom.
All that could be done with a table saw, and a router table (cross cut saw would be far safer/more accurate, but cost more to buy), along with a few jigs, so you can machine parts in batches, then assemble them.

m_c is right.

But to cut large panels you need a dimension saw with a scribing blade these aren't gonna be cheap.

http://www.kelwoodmachinery.co.uk/in...FUgTfAodsVsfdQ

Then to cut a sheet of 8 x 4 you will need a working space of 20 feet minimum a good ceiling height to swing the panels around

To make the sides of your boxes you need to tongue and groove them, all doable on a table saw.

You should also have dust extraction

Its far easier to let someone else do all the work.

Then after laying out all that money who are you gonna blame if they are poor quality.

Phil

**cubikoman** · 24-02-2011

Originally Posted by M250cnc

Somewhere to cut the panels to fit on your machine table

Somewhere to run the machine

Friendly neighbours due to the NOISE

Learning curve on software

Patience

Time

Tooling

Practical ability to make jigs and fixtures to be able to cut your parts

Phil

Good points that I take on board, I don't want to upset the nieghbours!

**cubikoman** · 24-02-2011

Originally Posted by m_c

Having looked at the site and video for the game, do you really need CNC?

By the looks of it, you need a grid, which could be as easily made from strips of wood, notched + glued together, 4 sides, and a top & bottom.
All that could be done with a table saw, and a router table (cross cut saw would be far safer/more accurate, but cost more to buy), along with a few jigs, so you can machine parts in batches, then assemble them.

Thanks for looking at the website and your suggestion. The first 100 grids I commissioned were made in a similar way to what you describe, but I can't see myself making the grids by this method again.
Cost is an issue but it is secondary to time. If I take production into my own hands I will need a quick way to produce a 1,000 games. I'm thinking that CNC would be like having a second employee doing the time consuming grid whilst I get on with the long list of other operations.

My next game http://members.webs.com/MembersB/Edi...geID=203738312 could be improved by having 1mm grooves cut into the ply to create lines. So looking to the future CNC would probably save my marriage!

Gavin

**cubikoman** · 24-02-2011

Originally Posted by M250cnc

m_c is right.

But to cut large panels you need a dimension saw with a scribing blade these aren't gonna be cheap.

http://www.kelwoodmachinery.co.uk/in...FUgTfAodsVsfdQ

Then to cut a sheet of 8 x 4 you will need a working space of 20 feet minimum a good ceiling height to swing the panels around

To make the sides of your boxes you need to tongue and groove them, all doable on a table saw.

You should also have dust extraction

Its far easier to let someone else do all the work.

Then after laying out all that money who are you gonna blame if they are poor quality.

Phil

Hi
Poor quality is one of the issues I'm having to contend with at the moment. Production in the far east is problematic, quality control, lead time, communication, fluctuating exchange rates, etc. I'm now getting the urge to take responsibility for manufacture of key components. It will be a steep learning curve but I can't see how I would produce something worse than what I'm already getting.

Gavin