(Frusterated) Homemade Hardware Saber

[dgdve]

ok the dremel(rotary tool) is not for cutting holes.. its more for cutting lines and then you sand to shape corners. To cut holes(drill) you need a center punch(this marks the hole and stops your drill bit from skipping, a very common occurance when drilling into rounded objects), a vice(padded preferable) to hold the hilt while you drill into it. and a drill(battery operated is fine but drill press is the best) then you drill a pilot hole(small diameter) to guide your actual bit which will be the size hole you want, clean the edges with some very fine(220 is good) sand paper.

now for the dremel, mark/tape off area's to be removed, always move in the direction the wheel spins.. its much easier. always cut inside the lines then switch bits and sand away excess until you reach your lines(when your new cut WAY inside the lines.. its more sanding but less %chance to screw something up). I hope this helps
~dave

oo ooo "Always wear proper eye protection when blah blah, you know the deal"

[cardcollector]

Here's a tutorial...
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...ead.php?t=1544

hope it gives you a few ideas.

[vargose]

I started with the big yellow box as well. Made four static hilts before I ever made one with an LED. My first two LED sabers were sinktubes based on what I learned at the big yellow box. Saber Craft was also helpful for "ideas". Check out my sabers too. Some day I'll post tutorials, but it'd be pretty easy to identify the parts just by looking.

[gthmnyt2580]

ok the dremel(rotary tool) is not for cutting holes.. its more for cutting lines and then you sand to shape corners. To cut holes(drill) you need a center punch(this marks the hole and stops your drill bit from skipping, a very common occurance when drilling into rounded objects), a vice(padded preferable) to hold the hilt while you drill into it. and a drill(battery operated is fine but drill press is the best) then you drill a pilot hole(small diameter) to guide your actual bit which will be the size hole you want, clean the edges with some very fine(220 is good) sand paper.

now for the dremel, mark/tape off area's to be removed, always move in the direction the wheel spins.. its much easier. always cut inside the lines then switch bits and sand away excess until you reach your lines(when your new cut WAY inside the lines.. its more sanding but less %chance to screw something up). I hope this helps
~dave

oo ooo "Always wear proper eye protection when blah blah, you know the deal"

Dave has it right on the money with his description of everything....Dremel has a "Cut-off Wheel Accessory Set" that you should be able to pick up at your local hardware store or Home Depot if you have one close to you. It's a great set that has different size cut off wheels as well as reinforced cut off wheels for heavier duty things. I picked one up a few weeks ago when i started my last saber. Once you've got that, you can try using some of the design templates that the Big Yellow Box site has just to practice using the tool. Also, like Dave said. DEFINITELY always wear proper eye protection. If I didnt wear my safety glasses this past weekend, I would have lost an eye when one of the thinner cut-off wheels broke off while i was cutting the tube and hit the glasses. Good luck with everything.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

It's a good idea to wear a dust mask too. Metal dust up your nose is nasty.

[gthmnyt2580]

It's a good idea to wear a dust mask too. Metal dust up your nose is nasty.

Good point. PVC dust is pretty bad too

[ArkaiHalon]

It's a good idea to wear a dust mask too. Metal dust up your nose is nasty.

But it does make blowing your nose an adventure.


Back to topic, lots of good information has been posted here, and there are several walkthroughs on hardware sabers in the walk through.

And although the BYB is not updated anymore, they still have full step by step instrucitons on how to build the saber and fit the parts together.

[Jedi-Loreen]

As I recall, the BYB site does tell you how to cut holes and shrouds and overlays with a Dremel. Did you click on all the photos? It pretty much takes you step-by-step through the process of making those sabers on the site. Maybe you just need to learn how to use your Dremel?

Have you looked at the MHS parts in the Store? I don't know how you could think they are hardware parts, if you have. They are custom made parts.

Hardware parts are what you already have been trying to use to make your sink tube saber.

[Lord Dottore Matto]

Please read the threads in the links from my SIG. Simply leave the electronics out and you will have built your own realistic looking saber in 10 minutes after your TCSS parts arrive in the mail. If you decide to try something more challenging in the future, you need to show a little initiative and just jump in, try things, experiment. These are the ways to learn. If you put in the effort, in a month's time you will look back at these questions and wonder how you could possibly have asked them. Seriously, read the links in my sig and you, like the 12-year-olds on this site, can EVEN build one with electronics in it if you want. You can do it!

yes, I can hear this question coming, so...it is the one that says "LDM's Basic Saber-build Step-by-Step Tutorial"...just click on it and away you go to enlightenment.

[lynda1234]

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