[MetalShavings]

Before I describe the questions to which I'm looking for answers let me state up front the I SUCK at Math.

I've drawn a rectangular part measuring 2.5L x 1.00W x .425D with six small horizontally patterned holes running down the center length of it. The holes are .0625" in diameter.

I'm trying to chamfer the mouths of the holes so that it forms a funnel from tops of my holes down to .125" below the top-face of my part.

Chamfering the mouths of these small holes is easy enough, it's getting the dimensions of the chamfer/funnel to come out the sizes I need them to be that's giving me fits.

I'm wanting the mouths of my chamfer/funnel to measure .191" at the big end and .0625" at the small end; with a depth of .125".

Can one of you more experienced SolidWorks guys give me a clue how to calculate the numerical values that I'd enter in order to get the chamfer dimensions I listed above?

I've been trying to do it myself by stair-stepping my values up and down to see what dimensions it give me but, nothing I've entered has given me the dimensions I've been shooting for.

There has to be an easier way to calculate these numbers than the Hit-N-Miss way that I've been doing it.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

MetalShavings

[Kiwi]

I'm wanting the mouths of my chamfer/funnel to measure .191" at the big end and .0625" at the small end; with a depth of .125".

Just draw the shape on a new sketch, get your unknown figure. Then delete the sketch.

[MetalShavings]

Hi Kiwi:

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm afraid I don't quite get what your saying.

Making a new drawing of the correct dimensions is easy enough; and deleting the sketch is even easier but, how will that give me the numerical values to input into the "Depth/Angle" fields of the chamfer tool.

I'm confident you know what you're talking about but I suspect there's a little more to what you've suggested.

If I make a new drawing of a funnel shape with the large end of the funnel at .191" and the small end at .0625" that is .125" from top to bottom, what have I accomplished? I already knew those dimensions.

I may be able to get the correct angle dimension out of this new drawing (haven't tried it yet) but that still leaves the "Distance" number to figure out.

I'm wanting to find the correct input numbers for the Chamfer tool to output a Chamfer/funnel shape who's dimensions equal those I've listed.

Unfortunately for me, I've only been working with SolidWorks for just a couple of weeks. I may not be asking my question in a way that makes sense to the more experienced SolidWorks users.

MetalShavings.

[Kiwi]

....If I make a new drawing of a funnel shape with the large end of the funnel at .191" and the small end at .0625" that is .125" from top to bottom, what have I accomplished? I already knew those dimensions....

See pic below.

[MetalShavings]

Hi again Kiwi:

And thanks again for your replies and patience.

I broke out my hand held calculator last night and played around with trying to solve my "Chamfer Tool" problem.

It finally came to me that the input dimension of one of the fields in the "Distance/Angle" fields would be arrived at by subtracting the diameter of my .0625" thru-hole from the .191" diameter of the mouth of my chamfer. Then dividing the answer (.1285) by two. This would give me the input number of .06425".

It may be hard to believe for those of you that aren't mathematically challenged like myself but, it took me almost two hours to figure that out; not counting the time I spent the day before with my hit-N-miss technique.

When I checked my email this morning I found that you'd posted another reply to my plea for help. Low N Behold, it was confirmation from Kiwi that I'd stumbled onto the answer I was looking for.

I must have read and re-read your previous answer a half a dozen time thinking that I may have missed something. I was thinking, "How in the heck will making a drawing of a funnel shape give me the numbers I'm looking for?"

It really didn't make any sense to me but, I tried it any way. I played around with it for about a half hour and still couldn't get anything out of it.

A while later as I was sitting in the "Throne Room" I got to thinking about the .191" dimension I was trying to get the Chamfer Tool to give me. I do some of my best thinking in the "Throne Room."

It occurred to me that before, I'd been entering .0955". It hadn't figured the .0625" diameter of the thru-hole into my equation.

Many thanks Kiwi. If not for your replies I wouldn't have figured this one out.

Incidently, when I made my drawing of the funnel shape as you had suggested. I tried to measure the angle of the outside of my funnel but was unable to do so. There's supposed to be a way to measure these angles but I couldn't find the tool to do it with.

Following the directions in the "Help" menu, I looked in the "Tools" drop down menu for the "Dimensions-Angle" selection but it was nowhere to be found. Maybe I did that wrong to.

Did you measure the angle mathematically on your own, or did you use the tool I'm eluding to? How did you access that tool?

MetalShavings.

[Gerry Sweetland]

Hi Metalshavings,
do you have Hole Wizard in your version of Solid Works?
If so I would just use that rather than the chamfer tool.
I had to make a quick sketch to get the angle but everything else is there in hole wizard under custom sizing to fill in the data.
Take a look at this...
Gerry

[MetalShavings]

Hi Gerry:

Yes I do have the "Hole Wizard" feature.

It looks as though there are more than just a couple of ways to skin this problematic-cat.

The reason I went with the Chamfer method was because I'm transitioning out of TurboCAD 3D to SollidWorks. The Chamfer tool more closely resembles the way I'd do it using TurboCAD.

Don't know if that makes any sense but, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

It never occurred to me to use the Hole Wizard. How do you get the widest part of the head of your screw to come out a specific diameter?

I've used the Hole wizards a few times within the last couple of weeks making up my first drawings. All I did was pick a screw from the screw-type list and a size from the drop down menu.

I never really tried to increase or decrease diameters; just the length.

MetalShavings

[Gerry Sweetland]

Hi Metal Shavings
Look at the the screen cap I have for the Solid Works window on the left of my attachment above. See where it says Custom Sizing towards the bottom of the Property Manager. By default when you open Hole Wizard the little black arrow next to Custom Sizing is pointing down, if you click on that little black arrow it will reveal the custom sizing data entry area (in yellow on the screen cap). Once you choose to use custom sizing the standard data for screw size, etc. no longer applies. Also, look at the Type > Hole Specification I choose, it is Countersink. This will give you the Custom Sizing options for that type of hole.
Gerry

[Kiwi]

....Did you measure the angle mathematically on your own, or did you use the tool I'm eluding to? How did you access that tool?...

Used the standard measuring tool.
This is one of the many reasons why SolidWorks is a great program, one tool measures horizontal. vertical and angles.

[MetalShavings]

OK Gerry:

I think I got it now. Many thanks.

Kiwi:

I've tried using the "Standard Measuring Tool" and it's worked perfectly on just about everything I've used it on; except the angles.

I get the feeling that I'm not touching off on the correct points in order to get my Angle measurements.

It looks like you touched off on the upper left corner of the drawing and the left longer left vertical line on the shank of your drawing. Is this correct?

I tried touching one or both of the angles lines and just got the length of that line. I then tried touching off on both ends of the angled line and still got a length measurement.

Based on my short previous experience with this software, I know the answer is an easy one because each time I encounter a problem then figure it out, I can't help thinking to myself, "Damn, that was easy." But that's only after I've trudged through the hardship of figuring it out.

I'm really glad you guys seem to have alot of patience.

I must say that even though I've run into a few hurdles like this Chamfer Tool thing, over-all the learning curve isn't as steep as I thought it would be. I've been able to make up my first drawing pretty well.

Now I have to load them into my CAM software and see what troubles await me there.

Here are a couple of my first drawings. They're renderings of a project I'm presently working on. Pardon the type-O's in the pictures. I was in a hurry to post them to my friends in another forum.

Although you owe me no favors, I ask that you offer no Critiques this time around. It's my first time out with this software and I'm just glad to have gotten this far in such a short time. I just don't want anyone to kill my ambitions with any misplaced but well-intended critiques.

Any future picture posts will be fair-game.

I don't want to end this particular post without thanking you again for all your help. Thanks Gerry, Thanks Kiwi.