I assembled, glued and clamped my DIY Soldering Station last night. I pushed the model for the top to GitHub if anyone would like a look. I haven't added a call from the main Soldering Station file yet, but I will as I print the trim for the fans and the outlets. In fact, the next phase of this project is building the trim then designing the wiring for the lights, fan and AC/USB outlets.
So let's look at how I added the top shelf to the base first....
The first thing I did was look at my layout in openSCAD. Here is the code:
top(false, false);
module top(bExploded, bCutView){
lapDepth = 0.375;
topOverHang =1.5; // Overhang for front of top shelf
fanSize=3;
outletW =2;
outletH=4;
// Back
rotate(bCutView ? [90,0,0] : [0,0,0])
difference(){
cube([17,.75,7.25]);
translate([13,0,1.625]) cube([outletW,.75,outletH ]);
translate([2,0,2.125]) cube([fanSize,.75,fanSize]);
translate([7,0,2.125]) cube([fanSize,.75,fanSize]);
}
I then figured the locations of my cuts and wrote them on a notepad. I could have printed them, but one is 10 times more likely to remember something that they write in notes so I went old school:
Then I used my trusty speed square to mark my material:
Then I clamped it up and broke out my drill and jig saw:
And checked my hole sizes along the way:
If you have a CNC router, this step will be much easier. A DIY CNC router is in the works for me as I got several scanners and printers in a load of electronic scrap. I also have a 6 amp reciprocating saw motor to use, but I have several other projects to complete before I can build mine. Most importantly, I need to get some walls up on my carport to house it....but I digress.....
Next, I dry fitted the accessories and clamped it up. I know the fan on the left is slightly crooked, but it is close enough to fix with my spiral saw when I cut the holes for the wiring. It is less than 1/8" high on the right side and the left corner, which is low, lines up with the center fan. The jaggedness will be covered by the plastic trim that will also serve to help keep the fans mounted.
To clamp this up I really needed 4 furniture clamps but I only had 2, so I had to cheat a little bit and squeeze some glue in and re-clamp some points. It is also helpful if you have a space that is big enough to hold the entire footprint of this project when clamping so the base can be clamped to the top as level as possible. I will add adjusting feet to mine to make up for the slight amount that mine is not in level.
I also added 4 dowel joints to connect the top to the base for extra strength. I didn't have a drill press so to get my holes drilled as straight as possible I used a small nail to press into the wood at the point where I wanted to drill. I drilled a pilot hole with a tiny bit, then I drilled it out with my 1/4" bit (the size of the dowels). Then I dipped my dowels in Gorilla Glue and taped them in with a rubber mallet:
When the dowel was in place, I cut them with a coping saw and moved on to the next hole:
Then I sanded out the joints so they look smooth.
Since I used a 2"X 4" outlet box, I can just simply drop an AC with USB type outlet in for power, but I don't plan to be so easy on myself. I am going to fix a small power supply that came with a USB hard drive connector for my 12 and 5 VDC rails and use a couple of outlets for my AC line for my soldering guns. In the future I might add a Hakko circuit to power some homemade guns to this, but it should do like it is for now.
The next phase is the design and printing of the printed plastic, so until next time, happy tinkering.....