D3D Pro v23.12 Data Collection
Sun Mar 3, 2024
Work today was on cutting rebar for the first printer frame. It took 9.5 - 10.5 minutes to cut through a piece of 1/2" rebar with a hack saw (fresh blade, 24 teeth/inch). Time increased slightly as time went on. Please note that the cuts were made with consideration for the amount of noise being made; I live in an apartment with neighbors above, below, and to the side of me who could have potentially heard my work. It didn't cause too much noise as reported by a person in the next room over.
The amount of time taken per cut is too high to be efficient/effective for future printer builds. There are 12 cuts per printer at approximately 10 minutes per cut for a total of 120 minutes/2 man hours of continuous cutting. Reflecting on that fact, I put in an order for a rotary tool at Menards. My hope is that the metal cutoff wheels that come with the kit will be sufficient to cut through the rods and rebar for much faster productivity.
Notes taken while performing work:
- Buy metallic sharpie for marking cuts (The standard black sharpies blend in without bright light.)
- Ensure rebar is properly secured for cutting with either clamps or a vice.
- A carbide/diamond grit blade may cut faster and with less jumping.
- Don't break your vise by over-tightening. (I broke a small cast iron vise I bought from Menards.)
- Buy a level to help ensure vertical cut straightness. (May not be necessary if you vise has a clamp for round objects.)
- Buy sandpaper/grinder for burrs. (This note will be covered by the rotary tool's grinding tips).
- Mark your cuts with 1-2mm extra space for the width of the blade/cut.
- The rebar can get hot if cut quickly. Wear gloves or be cautious of this fact to prevent burns.
- Remember to loosen tension on hack saw after use.
- Investigate source of issue in frame connector corners that causes misalignment of step screw & nut.
- Always cut in the same groove. Switching to a new groove in the metal causes dimension inaccuracies.
- Measure twice, cut small groove, measure to edge of groove, adjust and repeat until perfect.