Sooner Boomer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2011
- Messages
- 5,750
- Reaction score
- 4,436
Just had an idea for cutting slots in body tubes for TTW fins.
I had a couple of years drafting when I was in high school. I learned how to work in pencil and ink media. We had pens with fixed tips, but the less expensive drafting kits had pens with nibs that could adjust the distance between them to draw wider or narrower lines. This is the compass from my set:
I was thinking this would make a great way to be able to cut variable width slots in body tubes, if only these were knives.
What I came up with is adjustable, but not as easy as turning a thumbscrew. The basses of most hobby knives have a slit cut in them. A #2-56 machine screw will just fit through the slit. I didn't have an appropriate piece of thin metal to use, so I used a different style blade for the center piece.
As you can see, I put the screw through the blade, tightened a nut down on the blade, followed by a second blade (the different type), another blade and nut.
You can go as close as the two cutting blades together (other blade would be bolted on the outside)., or you can use a combination of blade placement or nuts/washers/shims to get the width of cut you want. BE CAREFUL - THESE BLADES ARE SHARP!
I had a couple of years drafting when I was in high school. I learned how to work in pencil and ink media. We had pens with fixed tips, but the less expensive drafting kits had pens with nibs that could adjust the distance between them to draw wider or narrower lines. This is the compass from my set:
I was thinking this would make a great way to be able to cut variable width slots in body tubes, if only these were knives.
What I came up with is adjustable, but not as easy as turning a thumbscrew. The basses of most hobby knives have a slit cut in them. A #2-56 machine screw will just fit through the slit. I didn't have an appropriate piece of thin metal to use, so I used a different style blade for the center piece.
As you can see, I put the screw through the blade, tightened a nut down on the blade, followed by a second blade (the different type), another blade and nut.
You can go as close as the two cutting blades together (other blade would be bolted on the outside)., or you can use a combination of blade placement or nuts/washers/shims to get the width of cut you want. BE CAREFUL - THESE BLADES ARE SHARP!