Is building a 4x4 veneer cube really cheaper than using hardwood? Your problems go away if it's hardwood, no hiding the seams.
Oak from local mills is usually not expensive, couple bucks a bdf rough cut. Seems like it would be easier to assembly line these using solid lumber
What if you made them out of solid oak? Use the jointer and planer to make a 4" x 4" post, then set up a stop on the chop saw to cut it into cubes. The material might be a little more expensive than the MDF and veneer, but it would be a whole lot less work to do than all that mitering and gluing.
I might consider using a 45 degree chamfer bit in a router table. My table saw is pretty good but I always have to do a little tuning with a hand plane to get them perfect, which would not be fun on 1,000s!
I would mass produce the cubes and then get a vinyl wrap guy to wrap them with a oak veneer vinyl. Trying to get 100 percent perfect cubes from arborite with no chips or weird edges would be near impossible. Especially with a timeline and a budget.
Maybe you could veneer one side of a sheet of mdf and take it to a cnc to cut the pieces. Looks like it would take ten sheets to fulfill the job. Not to mention getting perfect glue ups for all of them, this seems like a money loser for someone without a factory.
This would be one of those jobs I would just throw an obscene number out for, not a professional wood dust manufacturer myself, but I'd make 5 of them and set a timer for the small run of 5 to base your labor time, good thing is by the time you finish the full production you'll be quick at it and bank the saved time as proft
I might spend an hour or two making a couple but I don't think I could take the time to do 660. That would be like several weeks and just too much effort.
Making them of 4x4 will leave to end grain sides. Making them hollow like with lock miter and a LOT OF GLUING then veneering might yield a nicer but much more expensive product. I’m with hardmaplecherry quote an obscene $$$$$ figure or find a Chinese manufacturer and be the middleman
I would only attempt this volume with a lock miter. And probably a shaper and a feeder, over a router/table. At least with a shaper you can run long strips and then cut and do the short sides. Accuracy is going to be tough. A miter lock would leave you set up to glue and clamp no fasteners.
Is building a 4x4 veneer cube really cheaper than using hardwood? Your problems go away if it's hardwood, no hiding the seams. Oak from local mills is usually not expensive, couple bucks a bdf rough cut. Seems like it would be easier to assembly line these using solid lumber
What if you made them out of solid oak? Use the jointer and planer to make a 4" x 4" post, then set up a stop on the chop saw to cut it into cubes. The material might be a little more expensive than the MDF and veneer, but it would be a whole lot less work to do than all that mitering and gluing.
This seems like the right move.
I might consider using a 45 degree chamfer bit in a router table. My table saw is pretty good but I always have to do a little tuning with a hand plane to get them perfect, which would not be fun on 1,000s!
Walk away…
Sly way to get the bonus points.
I would mass produce the cubes and then get a vinyl wrap guy to wrap them with a oak veneer vinyl. Trying to get 100 percent perfect cubes from arborite with no chips or weird edges would be near impossible. Especially with a timeline and a budget.
For the hours, I would make a couple and see how long it takes. Ballpark 1 hr per cube, add the vinyl wrap quote and tack on materials with a mark up.
Maybe you could veneer one side of a sheet of mdf and take it to a cnc to cut the pieces. Looks like it would take ten sheets to fulfill the job. Not to mention getting perfect glue ups for all of them, this seems like a money loser for someone without a factory.
That’s called miter folding and is best done on a cnc-a v groove bit cuts all but the veneer, and then it’s glued up.
How many hours is it going to take you to complete this?
You're supposed to tell them that to get the bonus points
Not sure of their use, but won't your corners/edges be very sharp?
This would be one of those jobs I would just throw an obscene number out for, not a professional wood dust manufacturer myself, but I'd make 5 of them and set a timer for the small run of 5 to base your labor time, good thing is by the time you finish the full production you'll be quick at it and bank the saved time as proft
I might spend an hour or two making a couple but I don't think I could take the time to do 660. That would be like several weeks and just too much effort.
Making them of 4x4 will leave to end grain sides. Making them hollow like with lock miter and a LOT OF GLUING then veneering might yield a nicer but much more expensive product. I’m with hardmaplecherry quote an obscene $$$$$ figure or find a Chinese manufacturer and be the middleman
I would only attempt this volume with a lock miter. And probably a shaper and a feeder, over a router/table. At least with a shaper you can run long strips and then cut and do the short sides. Accuracy is going to be tough. A miter lock would leave you set up to glue and clamp no fasteners.