This could get expensive

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adamsredlines

Sharpshooter
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So I started a new job right before Thanksgiving....back doing mechanical design, now at a fab shop. Been working on stuff for them and finally asked about personal projects and found out they charge employees wholesale for metal and basically nothing for cut/weld/bend time.

Have a few little ideas in the works, first project is some different paddles for the backyard ranges Texas Star. It has 3" paddles, and got a test piece 4" cut which fit great so tomorrow I'll "order" a full set of 4" and 5" ones. Orange below is the original 3", raw is 4". Can swap them out based on shooter/experience level.

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I had some down time today so modeled up a target like the MGM spinner. I'll request a "quote" on it tomorrow but I suspect it should be a mere fraction of the cost of ordering one from MGM.

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adamsredlines

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Requested a quote for the bigger paddles today, shop manager asked what I was making and how big. I showed him, he said they can add it to "drop" which is the dead area between parts that customers are buying and need to get cut...so if I can wait til the next sheet of that runs they'll add them in and it's free. They're running some of that steel tonight so they should be done when I get to work on Monday.


Sounds like most of the parts of the spinner can be added the same way so heck yeah!
 

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Ok, trying to make the spinner pretty modular. First batch of small parts are being added to the next 1/2" run to he cut from drop. IF my modular design works out, I may be able to make these available at a fraction of the cost of the MGM. Those wouldn't be from drop, but still significantly cheaper and would bolt together.
 

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Gonna try it this way, bolt together with replaceable paddles. Paddles will be readily available ones that are 1/2" AR500 (about $50 for the pair 8"/10") and the rest of the arm/pivot all bolts together and is overkill robust/made from 1/2" mild steel. IF it works well and I make a few, I'd probably see about offering them as a kit minus hardware and the stand legs to save shipping cost, as that stuff is readily available and easy to do.

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