I am looking for anowners manual for the ALVIN, MUTOH, K&E, and VEMCO branded “TYPICAL” elbow machine. Any links, web sites, personal contacts, pdf files are welcome. [email protected]
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http://www.vemcocorp.com/elbow_page.htm
This should land you on the Vemco site, and let you download a manual.
But it is fairly simple. The machines are not very complex.
JIGS and FIXTURE--- You answered a post from someone looking for an owners manual for VEMCO. I am making my own drafting machine from scratch. I am using 4 identical squre blocks with 4 equaly spaced holes set 90 degrees apart. There is also a center hole I have already made and assembled the head and clamp on two of them. I have not decided weather to use one or two squares for the center elbow. Two should give me more movement around the board. Question--- this is going to be similar to a standard band machine except I am going to use 4 identical arms with a hole equaly spaced at each end. The center distance will be identical. Do you know of any material in a hardware store that is stiff like a steel ruler but has these two holes? Or maybe a series of holes equaly spaced? Like a stiff hanging strap? I might have to use 4 rulers using two screws in a sltted hole so I can make all 4 the same length. Any ideas? [email protected].
Don't try to reinvent the wheel
I can't really picture what you are describing.
Since Cad programs have become the norm, it is pretty easy to find used drafting machines. I bought two at a Salvation Army thrift store for about $10.
You can probably buy them off ebay or Craigs list, for very little money if you live in or near any of the major metro areas. I'm guessing that it will cost less for a well engineered, well built machine than it will for parts to build your own.
But if you really want to build one just because you want the challenge: Post a few sketches or pictures and I'll give you my opinion.
Why?
Try using a drafting tee square and set of triangles. You won't get a ton of boost from a drafting machine unless you do this work fulltime which is highly unlikely. The tee and triangles will cheaply get you through a project or two, then you will probably get bored with it.
Personally I follow the design process architects and engineers I work with do. They hand sketch concepts very quickly. This is a worthwhile skill that can be used on site or in the client's kitchen. Once they get a bit of agreement its handed off to a CAD operator. From then on the process is on computer.
Just my $0.02 from 20 odd years of drafting and design in AutoCAD.
John