Arkham Asylum/City Grapple Gun VIDEO Build - Progress pic added

Great video Matt. I don't know if you've already come up with an idea for those vents, but look into "Finger Joint Jig's." They're commonly used for woodworking but I'm positive you'll find a way to make it work to your advantage. Looking forward to the finished piece!
 
Ah yes. Just did some searching. that is basically what I am trying to achieve, though with the tools I have on hand. Which sadly does not include a table saw :lol

But yeah, same idea. Very nice.
 
Would it have been easier to route a section out of the top and sides and then heat form a piece of styrene with slots cut out on top where you want the detail? That way the styrene piece will sit in the routered area and be flush with the rest of the piece while you have the needed slots.
 
Interesting suggestion. Though if I'm picturing it right, I'm then faced with a TON of work puttying and sanding to make the styrene flush with the body. I also don't have a good method for heat forming.

As with many parts of this build, there are many ways to skin a cat. I really appreciate the feedback and insight, and love hearing about how others would accomplish the same thing.

A dude posted something on the yahoo video that revealed a shortcoming in my jig design, so I redrew it. Now it's a lot more flexible, and should also be more accurate. The real shortcoming of the design is the dremel router tool. It's really not very rigid, but I'm hoping that because I'm cutting a soft material like resin, it will work out. We shall see.
 
Matt, I've been following these videos and loving them; thanks for taking the time and effort to make them :thumbsup

Ah yes. Just did some searching. that is basically what I am trying to achieve, though with the tools I have on hand. Which sadly does not include a table saw :lol

But yeah, same idea. Very nice.

This might be an option; don't have one myself so I can't comment on it, but the second link is from a forum with both pro and con comments.

Mini Table Saw - 4" Mighty-Mite Mini Table Saw

mini table saw - RC Groups
 
How long is the router bit? I'm thinking you should, provided you have the clamps, be able to clamp the piece to your work bench along with a guide made of wood and cut the slots in. It would be similar to a dovetail jig. Give me a few minutes here and I'll try to illustrate what I'm talking about.

Edit: Illustrated:
Jig.jpg
 
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Interesting, though if I'm understanding it right, that won't give me the cuts I need. Another limitation is that my "work bench" is basically a folding plastic table, so I can't really clamp anything to it. The underside is a weird, non flat shape.

I've finished my design for the jig, and it's about half way built. It's taking longer than I had hoped as I'm filming as I go, and then I have to edit things together. All good, don't get me wrong, but I probably would have been finished with it by now.

It's WAY over-designed, but as mentioned here and elsewhere, that's the way I like it.

I just finished rendering the latest video. It takes you through about the first third of the jig build. I'll start uploading shortly.
 
I love these videoes and I laugh because some of your techniques in troubleshooting and building jigs and the like are very close to the same way I build mine...
 
Thanks guys! I'm glad to know they are not only entertaining ,but also helpful.

Lots of progress today, and I have another 2 videos in the works.

As a sneak preview, I got the jig finished, and did some tests. Long story short, some things worked and some things did not. A few changes to be made, and then another attempt.
 
From what I saw in the last video it seems like the jig is going to only work for pieces that are the same width as the piece you built it for. That seems like a lot of work for one piece. Any reason you didn't try to expand the design for it to fit other pieces that are of different width?
 
From what I saw in the last video it seems like the jig is going to only work for pieces that are the same width as the piece you built it for. That seems like a lot of work for one piece. Any reason you didn't try to expand the design for it to fit other pieces that are of different width?

Good question. And yes, you are correct. this is a very "single purpose" jig. I will only be cutting a few slots into a few bodies, then I'll be done with it.

Also, I plan on buying a mill soon. In fact, I planned on having one by now, but some logistics got in the way of its acquisition. So this super elaborate jig system is really just a stop gap measure until I can get that mill.

I also find that the more complicated things get, the less chance they have of succeeding. By keeping it simple, I eliminated a lot of variables that could have led to its failure.
 
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