A quick weekend project: New wood HVAC vents

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  • tfischer
    Veteran Member
    • Jul 2003
    • 2343
    • Plymouth (Minneapolis), MN, USA.
    • BT3100

    A quick weekend project: New wood HVAC vents

    Made some replacement HVAC vents this weekend. My youngest sobn helped me cut them out. They replace some wood-look plastic ones which, as you can see, were not in good shape.

    We'll see how they hold up. The two plastic ones are in such bad condition because they are near our dining room table, and if a leg gets put on them, they don't hold up at all. I got the plastic ones because they were low profile but they're way too fragile.

    Was going to buy some new wood ones but then I realized I could just make them. Total cost, $0 since I had everything on hand.
  • cwsmith
    Veteran Member
    • Dec 2005
    • 2737
    • NY Southern Tier, USA.
    • BT3100-1

    #2
    Very nice work! I'm not familiar with the machine you are using, though I do seem to recall seeing it at one time (from the domino-like patterns I see on the layout board. Would you mind elaborating on that?

    You may well be surprised at how well they hold up. I made a rather 'cheap and dirty' vent plate in our library more than then years ago. Just used some pine, and ran it over the router table using a cove bit, cutting front and back sides to make a lattice-like grill. It's just painted. I expected between the heat of the winter and the air-conditioning in the summer, that it would probably eventually shrink to some degree and crack. It still there and looks as good as the day I installed it. (Well, as good as 'cheap and dirty', little planning job can be anyway.)

    CWS
    Think it Through Before You Do!

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    • billwmeyer
      Veteran Member
      • Feb 2003
      • 1858
      • Weir, Ks, USA.
      • BT3000

      #3
      They look great. I had that in my to do list at one time. I too am interested in how you made them and that machine.
      "I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in."-Kenny Rogers

      Comment

      • tfischer
        Veteran Member
        • Jul 2003
        • 2343
        • Plymouth (Minneapolis), MN, USA.
        • BT3100

        #4
        Thanks. The router is a Shaper Origin, which is a handheld CNC. I created a quick model in Sketchup and exported the rear face as an SVG file into the Shaper. From there you simply follow the lines (it does the fine movements for you, you do the coarse ones) and set the depth for each pass. I've owned that tool for about a year now and have only had the time to just begin to get to know it.

        My other recent project I used it on was a bartop arcade machine, which maybe I'll get some pics posted here soon.

        Comment

        • LCHIEN
          Internet Fact Checker
          • Dec 2002
          • 20914
          • Katy, TX, USA.
          • BT3000 vintage 1999

          #5
          Looks great, I'm sure they will serve well.
          Loring in Katy, TX USA
          If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
          BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

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