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R2-D2 wooden frame

from Mike Senna design and Matthew Henricks drawings

Sunday 11 December 2011, by Jean-Pierre, Julien H.


All the versions of this article: [English] [français]

After some works (see section in french), we decided to use Mike Senna version of the frame for R2-D2, based on Matthew Henrick’s blueprints.

Becoming members of R2-D2 Builders Club some weeks after the start of the construction, we have been kicked-off by all the stuff available.

CNC-milled pieces

The frame is made of wood, whereas other parts are in epoxy resin and glass fibers. It is light enough and easy to mill.

Jean-Pierre selected good quality plywood in two thicknesses: 22 mm and 12 mm.

Découpe CNC en cours

Plybois is milled with 6 mm tool and 6 mm depth each time. There is no dark burn marks so everything goes quick and clean.

Zoom sur la fraise cannibale

Rectifying by hand

Once each piece taken from the mill, it is lightly sand to remove the burrs of wood, especially on the inner layers of plywood that do not have the same hardness or the same direction in which the wood cuts the better.

Plateau inférieur en bois

While the plans are drawn to the exact size, the slots have to be sanded until they coincide perfectly.

Anneau du milieu
Rien à voir avec Le Seigneur des Anneaux, c’est Star Wars dont on parle ici !

The two plates have to be adjusted: plans are designed in symmetry, seen from inside the robot. When finished the two pieces, we turn the top plate and check if it is aligned with the bottom plate.

If you see slots that do not fall in front, start by sanding the edges of the slots: do not rely on bending wood, you would get a poor result with no right angles.

Plateau supérieur en bois

This work is painstaking and requires order: when two pieces are identical or just symmetrical, it is imperative to note which fits every slot because the adjustment is specific, as it is the case for the front parts of R2-D2:

Pièces de devant

Assembly

Checking the complete frame assembled to see if it looks like the model. Phew, that’s right!

Ajustage du squelette R2-D2

Collage

To be continued...

Your comments

  • On 13 May 2017 at 12:24, by ericmego87 Replying to: R2-D2 wooden frame

    bonjour
    j aimerai savoir si avec les plan senna on peu remplacer le bois par du styrene sur les plan du R2D2
    amicalement eric

    • On 1 June 2017 at 15:47, by Eric P. Replying to: R2-D2 wooden frame

      Je crains que ce ne sois pas assez solide à dimensions égales. De plus, il n’est pas possible d’envisager y fixer quoi que ce soit (par exemple par vissage) comme on peut le faire dans du bois.
      Cordialement

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