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Pete

GoE Labs: How-To, HotSaw Table, The Mach 2 EZ (also Turbo) that Anyone Can Make

PRELIMINARY RELEASE (still needs a little work, but is mostly here)

I love Steve_O's Deluxe Table but for me its a bit intimidating (ok well a lot because I don't weld or laminate).

So I came up with this Simple easy to make version ( M2 EZ )
Adjust the dimensions to your taste, and use it with the GoE Labs: How-To!,Hot-Wire Foam Cutter, Core, variable power, Power...



Scroll Saw
Item Qty $$$$$ Description
1 ? ea $0.99 set guitar string
2 1 ea $ 9.99. 1 in stock aluminum bar 1/8 thick 6 foot
3 1 ea $ 3.00 3/8 B-C Plywood, 2' x 20 in
4 2 ea $ 1.00 2 x 4 x 20 in
5 3 ea $ 0.02 1 in Multi Screw
6 2 ea $ 0.04 #10 x 1/2 Screw
7 5 ea $ 0.03 1/2 in wood screw


Assemble the base


Drill a hole in the center of the table about 3/4 of an inch
and Attach the 2 x 4 's to the short (20 in) side

Cut, bend and drill the aluminum

Cut a 29 inch piece from the aluminum bar
drill 3 (size) holes on both ends, starting at around 1/2 inch from the end
add a 4th hole to one of the ends somewhere between the existing holes

Now we bend the piece, by hand should be fine. You want to have the bend, about 8 in diameter, in the center of the piece. Bend it about 75 degrees ( less than 90 degrees) as this will give us some tension when we install the cutting wire.



The other end is a 12 inch piece of the aluminum, drill 3 holes (x) about 1/2 in from ea end and the center.
Drill an additional hole 1/2 in from the existing on on one end.

On the other end take your hacksaw and cut a channel from the edge into the hole (this is where the wire will slide in and catch the steel ball end of the guitar string.


Screw it all together


Screw the short aluminum piece diagonally across the bottom of your table. The end with the notch should align in the center of the 3/4 in hole


Using the 3 mulit screws attach the bent aluminum arm to the center of the 20 inch side of the table into the 2 x 4.


on the end over the table, the wire will feed through the end hole.
The other 2 holes are for the #10 screws, don't screw these home, we'll want them up .


Add some wire and Hook it up

Using the extra holes in your aluminum pieces attach some hookup wire (or zip cord ) to a screw through these holes. Be sure the wire is stripped back sufficiently to make good clean contact to the aluminum.
(optionally staple the wires in place)


hook the zip cord up to your power supply (wire nuts or terminal strip options)


Add your cutting wire

Feed the end of the wire with the ball on it through the hole and into the slot of the aluminum.
Take the other end and feed the wire into the hole on the end of the bow. Push the bow down so the arm is horizontal, then use the 2 screws as a cleat to secure the wire. Running the wire in a figure 8 a couple times, then wrapping around one of the screws should work nicely.

That's it

Happy Carving

Tags: goe labs, carving, cutter, foam, goe, hot wire, hot-wire, hotcutter, how to, how-to

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Pete Comment by Pete on April 20, 2010 at 8:22am
you may want to add an akigator clip to the arm/wire so you can control where the heat is concentrated. generally there will be some flex on the wire, but a going slow and turning up the heat helps a lot. A slightly thicker string will also help. Try experimenting with strings, you may have a larger "blade cut" (loosing some extra foam) but it does make some difference.

Some buzzing is normal, as long as it doesn't sound/feel like a cell phone you should be fine.
Chris L Comment by Chris L on April 20, 2010 at 1:54am
Great how-to! Just finished building my table and had a few quick questions for you (and others who have built this).

1) While cutting the foam the string will bend/flex quite a bit, causing a loss of 'precision' on the cut, and pushing it against the sides of the hole cut in the base wood. Does this happen with your setup? I am using a .016 string (thickest I could find that was straight one piece not wound). Maybe I don't have the dimmer/temp high enough?

2) My control box creats a buzzing noise I assume is normal since there's a dimmer inside. However, I also noticed the guitar string itself makes a buzzing/humming noise when I turn the unit on. Is this normal?

Thanks, and keep up the good work!
operatingnurse Comment by operatingnurse on March 21, 2010 at 6:07pm
Next weekend this baby is all mine!
Steve Comment by Steve on November 21, 2009 at 7:45pm
Well I just made the wooden base part. I even had a small piece of aluminum for the under side and cut the hole and screwed to the bottom. I need to get a few part for the power supply part. I am on my way to foam cutting greatness!
Dr Morbius Comment by Dr Morbius on May 6, 2009 at 4:40am
So THAT'S what a proper how-to looks like..I gotsta make me one of these!
Jeff Comment by Jeff on April 30, 2009 at 9:02pm
Nice Job with the pics
mysfit Comment by mysfit on April 30, 2009 at 6:05pm
Oh good!
I don't weld either and am trying to figure out how to make it without welding. I like the idea of the under table piece being attached to the table!
Steve O Comment by Steve O on April 28, 2009 at 10:11pm
You the man Pete!
Dixie Comment by Dixie on April 27, 2009 at 8:52am
Very nice work, Pete - thanks for the awesome instructions. This is going to allow even more people to make this "oh-I've-so-gotta-have-that" table! Thank you for all of your hard work in developing all these ideas!

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