Thanks for the kind words, everybody. I just get a kick out of designing and building stuff myself. I hate paying retail ;)

I'd love to help you out, but I'm BURIED in other projects around the house. I'm balls deep in a resto-mod of a twin turbo LS 64 Buick Skylark for my father in law...I've had it taking up space in my garage for a couple years now, and he's getting antsy for some more progress...though he's been pretty tolerant of me working on my own stuff ...nice guy. lol. I will say, that I've got about $70 into materials into it, and I can provide any additional details about it if you would find it helpful.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...psd0gmxzbn.jpg

Thanks. My wife is very understanding and even somewhat supportive of my machine tool obsession. ha.

Hell ya. I've been wanting to snag a 3D printer of my own for some time....but I think my next shop tool purchase is going to also be a table-top CNC. I really like the Shapeoko.

You should post up some of the stuff you've 3D printed for your boat. I'd love to get some more ideas.

that thing looks like medusa..lol

Yea just wait till the downpipes, wastegates, and all the charge plumbing are in...haha.

Man I picked up a wanhao 3dv2 printer and love it. 100% right then when designed correctly and good settings with ABS you can make some really really strong parts

If you'd be OK with SS, I know a guy that has a plasma table. :)

But heck, it may be cheaper to use mild steel and have it powdercoated.

Good work OP!

What are the size limits? I'd like to redo my guage panels but wondered if that swung wide enough.

Hey Wasted Income, we got a 3D printer here at work and are playing with it...how did you get the part so smooth after the print? We have been impressed with our little machine here...we purchased it as a kit then took 3 days to assemble it. :)

Wally, it was smoothed out via acetone vapor. Here's a link with some info.

http://makezine.com/2014/09/24/smoot...acetone-vapor/

I am really REALLY waiting for an affordable metal 3D printer, since I prefer metalworking and most of the stuff that I build/make/fabricate/machine for my hot rods is metal.

My alma mater has been working on developing a metal 3D printer using a MIG welder. Pretty slick, and fairly crude, but it can only get better from here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZIVJ1Rb48I

We mess around with some 3D printing stuff at work, too. We have a couple dozen 3D printers, and I wish I could say more about it, but we have been collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who happens to have the world's largest 3D printer on some cool stuff.

Lets just say that we used their printer to make, as far as I know, the world's largest 3D printed object....it's 1400 lbs, 20 feet long, and 8 feet wide, and made from carbon-fiber reinforced ABS plastic.

Ah Ok thats what we have been playing with as well but we are making our own filament out of Kynar and Pylopro plastics and they dont react the same way as the ABS and PLA does to acetone thanks :D