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Lasers are for wusses. Milling is where it's at!

A project log for CD/DVD mechanisms and cartesian thinggie[s?]

DVD-laser-etcher, dremmel-router, possibly a 3D printer? Who knows!

eric-hertzEric Hertz 06/20/2022 at 05:164 Comments

I'm obviously late to the game on this one...

@Paul McClay has gotten high recognition in a previous HaD Prize for his #Minamil: a minimal CNC mill. And friends. 

Which, looks to have spawned from his prior *use of* (being more than "experiments with") CD/DVD slides in a CNC mill using a rotary-tool. #CDCNC Nicely Done! Can't believe I hadn't thought of it.

Also, he explains well a phenomenon that could befuddle nearly any aspiring CNC DIYer... Did you know there's such thing as cutting too *slow*?

Check out his work!

Discussions

Paul McClay wrote 06/21/2022 at 23:14 point

/blush/ thanks for your kind words!

but... but... "dremel-router" is in your project blurb ... ? (It was already there, right? I think it was part of why I started reading... Unless I'm just that suggestible.)

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Eric Hertz wrote 10/26/2022 at 01:16 point

I may be forgetful... But, I think it was one of those "maybe plausible" ideas that I could never actually figure out how to implement. "How's that tiny stepper motor going to move a heavy dremmel tool?"

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Paul McClay wrote 11/04/2022 at 07:52 point

The first idea -- that actually kinda worked -- was to not move the heavy tool at all :)

Now (approaching 2023) I wonder if optical drives have been out of style long enough to be mostly junked already and not so ubiquitous for scavenge anymore.

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Eric Hertz wrote 11/04/2022 at 21:24 point

You, quite literally, turned the problem upside-down!

And... Indeed, I've seen plain ol' CD/ DVD drives for sale at surplus places for more than they cost new back in the burner-era!

Got me thinking about how many fewer mechanisms we have floating around these days; so many folk moved on to laser printers, thermal for receipts, SSDs... Even touchscreens replacing buttons, switches, and knobs!

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