Please Ben

JackFrost22 · Post by **JackFrost22** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 7:26 am

Ben I think you should make the cases to some of your portables like after your book comes out so that some of us can make portables as visualy pleasing as yours.

Quall · Post by **Quall** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 5:06 pm

I think the main point of the book is to have directions on making it, case and all....

Post by **Sparkfist** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 6:09 pm

Yeah and please give a show of hands as to how many of you on the MB have a CNC machine? *takes a look* Thats what I thought. I was thinking of asking Ben if he could do that, well procrastination strikes again.

cennar · Post by **cennar** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 6:14 pm

yeah im all up for mr ben but i dont think i want to be every one with a ben clone, i wont ignore his tecnqes or any thing but i would like to you know make my own stuff to my own likenes.

JackFrost22 · Post by **JackFrost22** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 6:21 pm

I know but still its cool but a do have a cnc shop down the street from me Sparkfirst. And I'm buying a Milling machine which can be used the same way but its manual.

cennar · Post by **cennar** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 7:30 pm

yeah also you can buy a block of plastic the thicknes thats right and just chop it with a dreamel, and a drill press

Post by **Sparkfist** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 7:39 pm

cennar wrote:yeah also you can buy a block of plastic the thicknes thats right and just chop it with a dreamel, and a drill press

Easier said then done. I for one wouldnt use tradional wood/metal working tools on plastic. They just dont work together well. But if your gunho to try anyways a drill press is of little use so is a dremal, the CNC machines of now are more like automated routers then anyother tool. You can send and invest the time to make a custom jig to make your own cases but that would be of little incentive to simply have a machine do it for you. Also as Ben has all his cases already designed, and from what I recall he got his shop's old CNC making cases is only a concern of time.

So if you wanted to re-work the question then how about, "Ben can you put your CNC cases CAD drawing in your download section so that we can see about making cases like yours?" Ben making CNC cases and selling them like his portables would be better for many of us, its faster that way (dont for get better looking).

Geebs(not signed in) · Mon Sep 06, 2004 3:50 am

You can use a routing table to cut plastic... It the same as a CNC machine, but you have to manually move the plastic. Instead of the router moving automatically. And you can use both metal and wood bits on it, because plastic is softer than metal and most types of wood. you might have to construct a rip fence, or some sort of jig to get the exact shape you want. But its a hell of a lot cheaper than having to buy a CNC machine or hiring someone to do it for you.

Post by **Sparkfist** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 8:32 am

Well I said you dont wany wood/metal bits as yes plastic is softer and it has a greater potental to gum up the router. Also you wouldnt be moving the plastic, you'd be moving the router, the difference between using a CNC and a router is you have to stop after each pass lower the bit and go again. Making a jig, I've seen jigs made for routers and they are by no means cheap even if you use partical board(very cheap).

JackFrost22 · Post by **JackFrost22** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 10:45 am

The plastic gets too hot with a regular router and it melts.

cennar · Post by **cennar** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 2:08 pm

guys who has ever made a portalbe.. and who has not had the luxury or the money to get a router a dreamel a cnc machine or the plastic.. the suprise portable on my site was made with non of those. the case what ever i could find. i poked holes for the buttons with a stake knife.. last time i used a dreamel on a project i had no problem with melting the nes case i was modifying.. and let me tell you the 2 dollor case cut with a stake knife is the best looking project ive made, and gets strange atention from my friends... you dont need much for a portable project so folks if you do have a dreamel and a drill press, and you got the money for a big block of plastic... just try it out! also if your worried about clean cuts theres a thing called sand paper.

also theres the hole thing where all the portables will end up looking like bens an operating like bens, cus his cases are designed for his stuff not a hole lot of flexablity for the rest.. and besides all that i would still like to get the first noac portable, not the forty2 one.

JackFrost22 · Post by **JackFrost22** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 3:43 pm

I agree I'm building a 2600 portable right now and I'm using a dollar store tupperware conanier and so far it looks great. I was just thinking about the cases because its cheaper thanm buying a Ben unit.

Post by **benheck** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:06 pm

Please keep in mind that of the 8 portables in my book, 4 of them can be done WITHOUT a CNC machine. So it's 50/50, and in general I've tried to make the non-CNC units cooler than the CNC ones because they'll be of use to the most people.

On another token, not only do I have a router which I can use to make cases for people, but my old job has a pretty kick-butt Laser Engraver that they run for about $1/minute. You can cut a portable in about 25-30 minutes, so it's quite reasonable. Both of these venues will be advertised by my site once the book comes out.

Hope this helps!

Post by **gannon** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:11 pm

yay!!

Post by **SpongeBuell** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:13 pm

very nice

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