More Leg Work

Did some more leg work this weekend.  Made a template out of 1/4" plywood for cutting out the arm pits.

 

I then used it to cut out the arm pits on the two 3/4" center pieces using a router with a pattern wheel.  In addition I also cut out the center of the both 3/4" pieces.  This provides room inside the leg for the bolts that attach the shoulder hubs to the legs, space for the wiring to the foot motors and helps make the legs lighter.  You don't want to remove too much however or the leg might not be durable enough.  Leave enough material for structural integrity and to glue the other pieces too.

 

Next I routed out a 4-1/8" circle out the two 1/2" pieces that face the body.  These holes provide clearance for the shoulder hub pipe bolts.

All of this is just like with the original legs only last time I hand drew and cut out each arm pit on each piece independently.  This time around I'll use the template to ensure all the arm pit cutouts match up.  As a side note, despite not having used this arm pit template last time, I still somehow managed to get them practically identical to each other.

No updates next weekend.  Will be too busy with something else.  Hopefully the week after I can get more done.  Until then,

John

Pass Me A Leg

Got a lot done today.  The template turned out real nice once I finished trimming and sanding it.

I then proceeded to cut out all the pieces for both legs.

They're mostly ready now.  All that's left it to cut out the arm pit pockets. hollow out the center piece for the wiring and drill holes for the ankle bolts and shoulder hubs.  Will tackle this next weekend.

John

Happened To Be In The Neighborhood

No, you're not imagining things.  This is an actual progress blog post.

Got bored today so decided to try doing a little something in my work shop.  As I've stated before, I'm wanting to make new legs for R6 due to some minor imperfections occurring over time.  I still have the original template I used for the first set of legs but it has become a little too worn out to be useful anymore.  So I'm starting by making a new template.  Now the template's purpose is to be the master cut that is used to make copies off of.  Think of it like the piece of paper you scan on a copier or as a cookie cutter.  I've tried making a new template a couple of times last year actually but they didn't turn out well so I never mentioned it.  But today I think I finally have drawn the perfect (or near enough) template.  Next trick however is cutting it without altering the outlines I drew.  That has always been the trickiest and most troublesome part.  I have already rough cut the template with a jig-saw and tomorrow plan to use a scroll-saw to fine trim the rest off.  If that goes without a hitch, I can then use my router and a pattern bit to cookie-cut more pieces for making the legs.

The process will be the same as the first set of legs.  Only difference will be better quality measurements and cuts.

I'll post again tomorrow if I get anything more accomplished.

John

Status update 2015

I know, I know.  I completely dropped the ball last year with any new news or old news.

So here's the deal.  First, I have not stopped wanting to finish building R6-C9.  I even started making new legs for him but made a huge mistake in making the new template that I didn't notice until I had already made several pieces....all of which I had to scrap and at that point I had to walk away and regroup.  Second, I have my own house now so while that means I finally have space for a proper workshop, I also have the house itself that needs some TLC which must take priority over any hobbies.  Plus the long hours at my job and you get little time and little money left over.

I hope to get started doing something with R6 this year, even if it's little steps at a time.  Try to focus on one detail at a time.  And if I can manage that, I'll post something about it when able.  No promises when that'll happen.

As for back logged updates like Droid-Con's 2 and 3, I'll try to get those posted before I do any other postings.

BTW, the Episode VII teaser is released and looks AWESOME!  Can't wait.  Only 12 months until the new movie is in theaters!  I plan to take vacation that week so I can get the earliest showing.

John