Homemade Christmas gifts

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Alright, let's see the Christmas gifts you've been working on. I've made a couple... so I'll get the thread started.Yesterday I wanted to make a bottle opener as a gift. I know you can buy these for a couple bucks at the quicky mart but I want to make one out of 316 stainless shaped like a shark. So I drew up a shark, created the cut path and attempted to cut it out. Broke the endmill. I changed to took but when I restarted... I discovered the part had moved. So, attempt number 2 I slowed it down a bit and got it profiled with the 1/4" endmill. I then cleaned up the mouth with an 1/8" endmill. I then put it one surface grinder with some double sided tape and cleaned it up real nice. Of course I had to go buy a soda to test it. I'll likely drill it for a keychain later... I'll him decide if it will be drilled or not.
Reply:My Wife wanted a slotted serving spoon and some hot mitts. I found the hot mitts easy enough but every store I went to either didn't have a slotted spoons, they were sold out, or they were plastic junk. So in desperation, I selected a stainless steel basting spoon... nice and big... and I figured I could put some slots in easy enough. I thought up a bunch of ways to fixture the spoon. In the end I opted to fill the spoon with machinable wax and then heat up plate in the vise and smoosh the spoon onto the plate like you'd do with dop wax. Only problem... I didn't get the spoon square on the vise before the wax cooled. So I rotated the vise and squared up the spoon by eye. I then toe clamped each end for good measure. Slots only took a few minutes. I then heated the spoon with the torch to free it from the wax. A few minutes of hand deburring and it was done. I hope she will always think of me when she uses the spoon and the crazy amount of work it took to mill a few slots. I stated by building a 3d model of the spoon. Nothing too exact as all I had a the house was a tape measure. This allowed me to check the cut depth and such.I then filled the spoon with wax. I used a combination of a hot plate and torch to get the wax laid in. I had to build up wax up a bit as the center was lower than the ends.The spoon has been dopped to the plate and clamped down.Slots are done. The wax worked perfectly to support the thin material.Spoon freed from the wax fixture ready to be deburred.
Reply:best thing about knowing how to weld and machine is you can make anything you want
Reply:Nifty!Why not on the plasma table?Regards,RobGreat Basin WeldingInstagramBlue weldersRed weldersMy luscious Table DIY TIG Torch cooler
Reply:Handy...,Very cool......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by skipweidnerbest thing about knowing how to weld and machine is you can make anything you want
Reply:Originally Posted by skipweidnerbest thing about knowing how to weld and machine is you can make anything you want
Reply:I'll play. Cheap, easy, and has that "I made it for you" apeal.
Reply:@ forhire - nice work!  Cool to see you go from a concept to FormZ and then to the mill to create a product.  Your projects always reminds me that a Bridgeport mill is needed in our shop. "Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:Nice! I like the wax idea, good tip. Yes, we all spend $20 when you can buy it for less, however we need you use the thousands of dollars we spend on our toys ! I made a horseshoe wine bottle holder and snowman.
Reply:Pardon the glare off the rookie paint job. Attached Images
Reply:made this last night in about 1 hour or more. It's .040 and some .0625 aluminum and the stem is about 1/4 inch. Not the best looking but it's the effort that counts right. Didn't brush it or acetone anything. Didn't have any red white or brown paint.
Reply:Nice motolife!! Same here, I've made so many of these ****ing things that the last time I made them I programmed my old jobs waterjet to cut up a whole 4x8 sheet of 1/16 plate for the petals x) MASS PRODUCTION FOR THE WIN Attached ImagesMiller Spoolmate 200 w/t S-52 WirefeederMM 211'09 Miller Trailblazer 302
Reply:Originally Posted by Ian DuffinNice motolife!! Same here, I've made so many of these ****ing things that the last time I made them I programmed my old jobs waterjet to cut up a whole 4x8 sheet of 1/16 plate for the petals x) MASS PRODUCTION FOR THE WIN
Reply:That looks really good Ian!! I can tell you have made a couple! Made mine out of aluminum because I have no plasma cutter to cut out steel. Did it with hand shears. Aluminum is alot easier to work with and I hate steel slivers!!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by forhireThanks Ian... my wife was looking over my shoulder and said... you can make me one of those roses.  Do you have a link to how they are made? Her birthday is in May... I might be able to figure it out by then.
Reply:I made a couple of gifts for my family this year. First was a firepit for my brother and his family to use at the Rose Parade. They live one street away from the Parade Route in Pasadena and camp out every year. The tub is 30" in diameter x 14" high and is 38" overall width x 26.5" overall Height.
Reply:The second was a custom address sign and post for my parents mountain cabin.
Reply:That is some nice stuff! I bet everyone was stoked!