What to machine?
 

I will have access to a machine shop this summer but I can't decide what I should make. I will have approximately 12 four hour sessions to work with. Any ideas?

Oh yeah, and I am already fairly skilled in machining.

Re: What to machine?
 

Make a fully functioning, full-size model of JVN with 16 cool phrases like "I am the real JVN" and stuff like that.
Seriously, see if you can make a new drive base for your robot, and have the rest of your team working on the other components. That would be really cool to drive around and use during fall competitions. I don't know if you have any, but up here in NH we have River Rage Labor Day weekend.

Re: What to machine?
 

Design and manufacture a transmission... :D

Re: What to machine?
 

Then send me pictures >:)

Re: What to machine?
 

Then send me the tranny :p

Re: What to machine?
 

Well, I did that last January and Februrary :p Anyway, I have designed the 2005 drive (6 motor 2 speed) but it requires at least 3 CNC parts per gearbox. I know how to set up and run the CNC but not how to make the program with MasterCAM. I want to do mostly manual work. I could change the shifting dog to a design that is manually machinable but it would not be as good or as trick. Plus without a robot to put it on, what am I going to do with it. I looked under the hood of my truck to see if there was anything I could replace with a machined part but didn't find much other than making a cold air intake which isn't well proven to do much of anything in the way of HP. I spent a while underneath my truck and same story there. Much of the stuff on cars these days is so advanced you can't easily make a replacement part. One thing I could make is a custom aluminum driveshaft but there is no reason.

Any other ideas?

Re: What to machine?
 

Why dont you machine some furniture? You could also make small artistic things, like maybe making a tabletop atypical robot (you know the kind thats made out of a bunch of sqares) that looks neato. You could make some sort of seige engine, like a trbuchet or mangonel. You could make a computer case. Or some sort of awesome motorized thing you can ride on. Maybe more ideas will come to me later

Re: What to machine?
 

If you think it would help, i could show you somewhat how to run MasterCam. For one, you can go to File, Get, then Samples, just to get a small insight in what MasterCam can do.

Re: What to machine?
 

Just go for the CAI and put a K&N cone filter on the end, it might help more than you think.

BTW, I'm in a beginning machining class this summer and kinda new to this, but how would you go about making a cold air intake anyway? Would you get some pipe and put it to the pipe bender, or machine it (<-- if so, how?)

sorry about getting OT