Aldringham
Active Member
Such an incredible build! Can't wait to see it when it's done, thank you for documenting your progress so well!
cinderbike
Active Member
Can't wait to see the finished product!
Daegurth
New Member
Much appreciated, everyone! 
I'm not super happy with the overall outcome of this build, but some individual parts I really like, and the overall process has been fairly enlightening. Can't wait to get a crack at v.2!
Alright, let's get this last update rolling. These aren't really organised in any way. Also, as it happens, I got some time today for assembly, so there are some initial completion shots too! Yay!
Rigging a center square from a pair of combination squares to mark the bottom front knob. Trickier part to make than it looks; a lot of setting up the compound, because the angles are all just weird.
In future I need to remember to center drill the back half of the stock I turn it from and not simply turn it from the end of a bar through the lathe head. There's no way of turning it around to grip and center drill once it has the rings in it, and of course no way to realistically hold it (short of some weird double-taper collet system thingy) once you've parted it off, so this'll be another part where a little waste will be a necessity for proper accuracy. As it was, I jiggered this thing up to mark the center and drill press it, and of course it's slightly off-center and slightly non-concentric, but fortunately it happened to work out on this build.
Layout on the front and rear plates was fairly straightforward, after some measurement shenanigans. I love the look of Dykem layout!
Front. Slightly unconvinced about that lower center screw's location, but that's an issue to be corrected for v.2.
The solution for side plate spacers. In retrospect, should've layered strips and cut off pads from that, rather than the other way around, but never mind. Just a couple wasted hours.
Pads going on the plates.
Spacer'd.
Ready for assembly!
Nomnomnomnom
The screwing in from both sides on a 4-layer frame is obviously somewhat of a problem. Up top it's ok because the trigger screws are singular, and the safety mechanism is a core, but near the bottom of the grip, there's nothing holding it together. So I used an OpenBuilds screw and an M5 locknut to make these ultra-low profile 60 degree taper fasteners that'll lock the grip end of the frame together, hidden under the grips themselves (in that big center hole you see in earlier pics, just chamfered with a center drill).
Boom:
Just quickly taken at my desk here after assembly. I'll be disassembling it again for an intro/demo/assembly video anyway, and of course beauty shots will ensue, so there'll be higher quality images to come.
But for now, that's the lot!
I'm not super happy with the overall outcome of this build, but some individual parts I really like, and the overall process has been fairly enlightening. Can't wait to get a crack at v.2!Alright, let's get this last update rolling. These aren't really organised in any way. Also, as it happens, I got some time today for assembly, so there are some initial completion shots too! Yay!
Rigging a center square from a pair of combination squares to mark the bottom front knob. Trickier part to make than it looks; a lot of setting up the compound, because the angles are all just weird.
In future I need to remember to center drill the back half of the stock I turn it from and not simply turn it from the end of a bar through the lathe head. There's no way of turning it around to grip and center drill once it has the rings in it, and of course no way to realistically hold it (short of some weird double-taper collet system thingy) once you've parted it off, so this'll be another part where a little waste will be a necessity for proper accuracy. As it was, I jiggered this thing up to mark the center and drill press it, and of course it's slightly off-center and slightly non-concentric, but fortunately it happened to work out on this build.
Layout on the front and rear plates was fairly straightforward, after some measurement shenanigans. I love the look of Dykem layout!
Front. Slightly unconvinced about that lower center screw's location, but that's an issue to be corrected for v.2.
The solution for side plate spacers. In retrospect, should've layered strips and cut off pads from that, rather than the other way around, but never mind. Just a couple wasted hours.
Pads going on the plates.
Spacer'd.
Ready for assembly!
Nomnomnomnom
The screwing in from both sides on a 4-layer frame is obviously somewhat of a problem. Up top it's ok because the trigger screws are singular, and the safety mechanism is a core, but near the bottom of the grip, there's nothing holding it together. So I used an OpenBuilds screw and an M5 locknut to make these ultra-low profile 60 degree taper fasteners that'll lock the grip end of the frame together, hidden under the grips themselves (in that big center hole you see in earlier pics, just chamfered with a center drill).
Boom:
Just quickly taken at my desk here after assembly. I'll be disassembling it again for an intro/demo/assembly video anyway, and of course beauty shots will ensue, so there'll be higher quality images to come.
But for now, that's the lot!
agh....please make a kit run...I think I have to have this....
Absolutely beautiful. One day I will have a metal version done
Friendly flyer
Well-Known Member
Stunning job!
How did you do those beautiful burn marks on the barrel end?
How did you do those beautiful burn marks on the barrel end?
Daegurth
New Member
You find one other person to put in $850 apiece up front, or two other people to put in $750 each up front, I'll do a v.2 run! Otherwise, sadly, any future improvements/runs will have to wait on future tooling acquisitions.
Yeah, photography is a thing that I also do, so I consider it rather critical.
(Not that the odd out-of-focus shot due to only having two hands doesn't occasionally slip through!)Weighs between 2-3lb, it feels like. The stainless parts and fasteners definitely contribute a substantial amount. Unfortunately I don't use by-weight Smooth-On products yet, so I don't have an accurate scale. More than a solid one-piece turned aluminum lightsaber, though, it has a solid presence in the hand.
Well, this one probably won't, but the way I constructed it, v.2 certainly could. More than enough room for some microswitches, LEDs, an Arduino Pro Micro or similar board, and a good-size (maybe 50mm?) speaker driver, if a spot for an 18650 can be found somewhere.
Good question, thought I'd already answered this! Well, right there is the reason I made the barrel from stainless instead of aluminum, because you can't do this with aluminum:
MAP-Pro (fake MAPP) makes real short work of it, you've just gotta watch your colours carefully and then allow it to equilibrate some after soaking, because the heat will continue travelling after you cut the gas. Fortunately stainless is a horrible thermal conductor, so you have plenty of reaction time to look and get ready to quench. Notice from the final layout pics that the base of the tip insert is still gold.
cayman shen
Master Member
Daddy wants.
dlambert
Well-Known Member
Really, really nice. So jealous! [emoji4]
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