[widgitmaster]

So far I like the idea of an external USB keyboard with a plastic cover! All other ideas are way too expensive, or impractical for a retirees hobby shop! At present, my fixed income is spread mighty thin! My time is spent either in the garage tinkering or on eBay drooling over items I cant afford!

My CNC router project was motivated by shear boredom, fortunately it has all worked out for the better! Now I have something really neat to fiddle with for the rest of my life! With a little luck, I'll be able to make some nice trinkets for gifts this holiday! The BobCAD/CAM-ART software I purchased will be the next priority, and carving images into a sheet of Plexiglas sounds really intriguing!

As soon as I find a good deal on a small vacuum cleaner, I'll make up a fuzzy boot to surround the spindle! That should keep some of the dust under control!

Last night I was playing with the Image-to-gcode program, witch will allow me to take an image of my computer club's business card http://bugclub.org/ , and engrave it into a large sheet of Plexiglas! I plan on presenting it to the club at their Christmas party in December! This CNC machining is just plain cool!

Never bored anymore!
Eric

[tpworks]

build a plexi box around your machine

[widgitmaster]

I have already thought of that, but not for the dust! It would help keep the noise down!

Eric!

[Isoprenia]

It would have to be a thermo plastic, Ie softens /melts with heat long before decomposing. vinyls may be one choice, also thermoplastic urethanes (TPU), another , I used sometime back a dental material that is used for making mouthgards, that would work well but it is sold only as "Mouthgard Plastic" and not by other identifying names it only comes in 6" square sheets for dental , it's a google project to identify it. I believe the commericial keyboard that was covered with a membrane used silicone , that process is a lot more complicated, and cheaper for you to buy the keyboard at $100. you could rig vacuum forming for under $10 if you already have a shop vac and a heat gun. For that matter get another keyboard like the one you already have for a pattern , even if you have to ruin it by gluing the keys It will likely be less expensive than machining a pattern. keyboards a dirt cheap until you want something special.

in the end silicone will be the best choice for hot chips as it can stand temps of 500 degrees or more, the thermo plastics wont. I have a fleece jacket with lots of chips permanantly fused in

bh

[Isoprenia]

try these one of the links is a silicone rollup for under 20 bucks, we looked at it for a for a product, the customer wanted the high end unit. these should be available locally , they are made to roll up ad tuck into a briefcase, completely sealed in rubber.

http://www.ikey.com/index.aspx
http://www.thenerds.net/index.php?pa...d=8&pn=FLX1000
http://www.ruggedtech.com/

industrial and commericial silicone keyboards

as low as $20 as much as $500

go forth and google ...Silicone keyboards

[Rance]

Eric, For your vacuum, go to a vacuum repair place and you should be able to pick up a used one to do what you want for $5 or less. Better yet, go to www.freecycle.org and get one for FREE (Gerry, my favorite word again). You could probably pick one up at a yard sale for $3 but you might have to spend $5 in gas ..., but that wouldn't be free now would it?

At only $5 a pop, you could go through many of these and still be ahead of getting a 'real' dust collection system. Hope this helps.

Rance