Here we go again. Making parts/brackets with curved slots

[TJS]

I have been playing around with how to make curved slots as one would do on a rotary table on a milling machine. I have been playing around with specific radii by drawing a circle and then playing with stroke style where you can increase the width of the stroke edge. This would be your actual slot. The circle can be segmented to your desire. Then play with the "Markers" function under stroke style to get the end of the slot you just made to be as the end mill would cut on each end. I have to redo this one because I am not liking the radius I started with. I tried adjusting the curve but then messed up the actual width of the slot. Here is a pic of my bracket that I have been thinking about. There are other simple parts that go with this.

[plasmanewbie]

Something like that would be very fast and easy to draw in Fusion 360. I use Corel a lot and to draw that in Corel would be much the same as what you did in Inkscape. After learning Fusion I wouldn't bother with even trying in Corel or Inkscape. Once you had this drawn in Fusion making the edits you want would also be super easy. Have you ever given Fusion a try?

[adbuch]

TJ - what is the shape of the actual slot you need? Do you have any specific dimensions required? It's easy to draw curved slots with Inkscape, but I would need to know exactly what you are trying to accomplish with the actual slot size - lengths, radii, etc.
David

TJ Slot.jpg (71.69 KiB) Viewed 1405 times

TJ Slot.jpg (71.69 KiB) Viewed 1405 times

[adbuch]

Here is an example.

[adbuch]

Example drawing freehand with Bezier tool to match drawing image. If image was scaled (in Inkscape) to the correct size, then the slot should match the required dimensions.
David

[adbuch]

Here is an example using my dimensioned drawing from above. This method should be of sufficient accuracy for cnc plasma cutting.
David

Dimensioned drawing image imported to Inkscape.

[adbuch]

Something like that would be very fast and easy to draw in Fusion 360. I use Corel a lot and to draw that in Corel would be much the same as what you did in Inkscape. After learning Fusion I wouldn't bother with even trying in Corel or Inkscape. Once you had this drawn in Fusion making the edits you want would also be super easy. Have you ever given Fusion a try?

Plasmanewbie - I agree that for creating an accurate drawing for this curved slot to exact dimensions then Fusion 360 or SolidEdge 2D (both free programs) would be faster and easier to do. I think TJ is just experimenting with Inkscape to see how much he can really do with it, and since he is already familiar with Inkscape it may serve him well for his purpose of creating these curved slots.

I created the curved slot I showed in my dimensioned drawing image using both Fusion 360 and SolidEdge 2D and it was pretty quick and painless with either of these programs. I would normally draw something like this using Design Edge, or in the old days AutoCad 14 - which I still do use for certain tasks.

I just noticed that I may have messed up the dimensions. But you get the idea.

David

[TJS]

David,
No specific dimensions yet. I an in the protype stage. The slot should be .750" wide as there will be a sort of bearing that rides in there. Without going in depth what I am looking for this mechanism to do it will serve two functions. Move out then move down. Hence the slot being horizontal in the beginning for a prescribed length which has yet to be determined. There are other parts that will go along with this item. To get the curve I need I might draw a rectangle (almost like my main outside shape and use that as my slot configuration. I will play and with this and make another one and since now I know how to do screen shots the correct way I hope to share how I do it.
Thanks.
T.J.

[adbuch]

Thanks TJ! Please keep us posted with your progress and let us know if you need any help with your project.

David

[adbuch]

I've been trying to get the exact order of the steps down as it was getting a little bit confusing exactly when to stroke to path. I think I've got it figured out now and will save these steps in my Inkscape folder for future reference. This is to create the curve "freehand". It is faster than drawing circles, trimming, etc. but does not necessarily give a constant radius for the curved portion of the slot.

David

[adbuch]

Here is the slow method drawing and trimming circles, drawing lines, etc. This will give a nice constant radius on the curved portions of the slot. If I had to do it this way, I would switch to Fusion 360 or SolidEdge 2D instead.
David

[plasmanewbie]

Plasmanewbie - I agree that for creating an accurate drawing for this curved slot to exact dimensions then Fusion 360 or SolidEdge 2D (both free programs) would be faster and easier to do. I think TJ is just experimenting with Inkscape to see how much he can really do with it, and since he is already familiar with Inkscape it may serve him well for his purpose of creating these curved slots.

I created the curved slot I showed in my dimensioned drawing image using both Fusion 360 and SolidEdge 2D and it was pretty quick and painless with either of these programs. I would normally draw something like this using Design Edge, or in the old days AutoCad 14 - which I still do use for certain tasks.

I just noticed that I may have messed up the dimensions. But you get the idea.

David

Indeed he may be experimenting and determined to complete this in Inkscape. I know doing parts like this in Corel in the past has left me frustrated, particularly when you need to edit dimensions after the initial drawing. Just suggesting Fusion since it is soooo easy to create and edit in Fusion and I believe it is still free for occasional users. Great job on nailing this in Inkscape David, reviewing your posts and screenshots has been informative no doubt.