Machining an L plate

jcothron wrote in post #14377822
If you value your time at a reasonable rate, it will take long enough to make $150 seem pretty cheap...assuming you end with something of comparable quality to an RRS plate.

This project is more a labor of love, not an attempt to save money. To custom design and machine an aluminum L-plate will cost much more than the price of buying one off the shelf for $150.

I will have to go home and look again but the bottom of my T3 is flat, the side has a few curves but a L bracket by name is nothing more then a metal L bracket. The cut out sections for weight and access to areas on the camera, and most look extremly over engineered (nothing wrong with that). And yes you can use a laser scanner ... will I no I see no need for that kind of detail.

Indecent Exposure wrote in post #14379942
This project is more a labor of love, not an attempt to save money. To custom design and machine an aluminum L-plate will cost much more than the price of buying one off the shelf for $150.

In that case I can see doing it Some things you just do for fun

jcothron wrote in post #14379939
I use to do this kind of work. I'd say (at an estimate) that initial layout and rough cuts would consume about 4 hours solid work. Radiusing the edges, final finishing (getting rid of tool marks), and paint prep at least another two hours. That's about six hours invested... or you can pay $150.

Granted it would fun to do, but so would shooting for six hours somewhere. Easy choice for me.

Not so sure on your time there ... Solidworks time 1 hour max ... drop it into mastercam and cnc code is spit out in another 15min, about a half hour of machine time, a little grinding and deburing then paint. Total if I worked non stop on it maybe 3 hours. Now I will do the design over the weekend at home and drop it into the cnc when the machine has an opening at work so it will be a couple day process for me.

Littlejon Dsgn wrote in post #14379944
I will have to go home and look again but the bottom of my T3 is flat, the side has a few curves but a L bracket by name is nothing more then a metal L bracket. The cut out sections for weight and access to areas on the camera, and most look extremly over engineered (nothing wrong with that). And yes you can use a laser scanner ... will I no I see no need for that kind of detail.

If details aren't your thing, check this out: Sunwayfoto Universal L-Plate. Bottom plate even shifts to accommodate cables and whatnot.

Thats still $90 and universal is not my thing

Littlejon Dsgn wrote in post #14380065
Thats still $90 and universal is not my thing

True that.

jcothron wrote in post #14379939
I use to do this kind of work. I'd say (at an estimate) that initial layout and rough cuts would consume about 4 hours solid work. Radiusing the edges, final finishing (getting rid of tool marks), and paint prep at least another two hours. That's about six hours invested... or you can pay $150.

Granted it would fun to do, but so would shooting for six hours somewhere. Easy choice for me.

I like that analogy too, $150 / 6 Hours = $25 an hour. One could also determine if its worth it based on how much they make and what theyd rather be doing with their time.

Not that that has anything to do with this thread, but just saying...

Littlejon Dsgn wrote in post #14379968
Not so sure on your time there ... Solidworks time 1 hour max ... drop it into mastercam and cnc code is spit out in another 15min, about a half hour of machine time, a little grinding and deburing then paint. Total if I worked non stop on it maybe 3 hours. Now I will do the design over the weekend at home and drop it into the cnc when the machine has an opening at work so it will be a couple day process for me.

Yeah CNC is a different story. I'm talking old school

jcothron wrote in post #14380168
Yeah CNC is a different story. I'm talking old school

Old school lol I would spend the $150 For me I just enjoy designing and building my own stuff, most of the time I spend just as much as buying it, but guess what its one of a kind and I can say I made it.

I wonder how many prototypes Kirk and RRS go through when designing a plate for a new camera. I doubt the first unit is fit for sale. Also, part of the usefulness of an L-plate is that you can flip it over and maintain the same composition. I bet getting the markings in exactly the right place is a bit tricky.

Will mine be dead spot on NO, will it be close enough that I wont be able to see the difference YES. Grab a pair of calipers and measure stuff for a living, its not all that hard lol. I take phyical parts and draw them in Solidworks all day, and design additional items to be bolted or welded on. Its not all that hard

I am sure they do a few prototypes, they are also selling theirs for $150 a pop and can afford to do that. I am sure their designer can whip one out in a day, if plates and brackets and what not are all you do, its a cake walk.

jcothron wrote in post #14380168
Yeah CNC is a different story. I'm talking old school

If you show up here with an L-Plate whittled out of wood either I'm going to laugh or pay you to make me one. Probably both.

Indecent Exposure wrote in post #14380249
If you show up here with an L-Plate whittled out of wood either I'm going to laugh or pay you to make me one. Probably both.

that would be very cool, wooden L plate

Indecent Exposure wrote in post #14380249
If you show up here with an L-Plate whittled out of wood either I'm going to laugh or pay you to make me one. Probably both.

LOL, that would be perfect wouldn't it? That's a little older than I meant though. When learned to work with metal, well...at least in the place I learned it CNC's weren't available. We had mills and lathes, and they were all manual operated.

It's quite often I miss using them too! There is something special about machining.