Hello -
I'm just getting started on the CNCZone here. I run a small model airplane (rc) kit company out of my home here in Santa Cruz, CA. I do all my kit production using a kit built laser cutter (by Emission Technologies). So my background in CNC is limited to 2 axis work (well I guess some folks would consider a laser cutter 2 1/2 axis right?) Anyway, I'm considering building a CNC for my shop, so that I can create plugs for vac forming and fiberglass part production. I'm hoping to machine cowls, canopies, spinners etc from either hard wood or foam, so that I can create molds for those parts. Attached are a few pics of a cowl I made using laser cut stacks of balsa, which I then sanded and primed. Doing shapes like this is fairly straight forward, but when it comes to more complex shapes, this method can fall short. So, I'm hoping to either build/assemble a system that would suit my needs. I'm wondering if there are any CNC folks in the Santa Cruz/San Jose area who would be willing to let me check out their rigs, or perhaps even offer me some help and guidance. Ideally, what I'm looking to build would be something on the smaller end (no larger than 12X24 cutting bed) but that would have a good amount of Z travel - say 6" or even more.
Thanks
-Sky