Uwe

LOVE that dark butcher block top and metal base you made! I'm contemplating using the ShopBot CNC router I have access to at my local TechShop to create the cutout in a new table top for my flatbed machine, a Consew 225. If it works out, I might make a few extra pretty table tops for the local Detroit market. It seems to me the cutout is fairly standardized for this class of machines. I'm also sure I'm not the first one to think of using a CNC router. The commercially available tops are clearly routed by CNC machines. Is anybody aware of available CAD files for CNC routing or do people re-invent the cutout wheel, so to speak, when they make their own table? I'd like to experiment making the CNC cutout with some cheap(er) plywood before I carve up my precious butcher block tops.

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself here since I signed up a few weeks ago and spend a fair bit of time reading other member's posts. I'm located in Garden City, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. I'm a German import, originally from southern Germany by Lake Constance (Bodensee) near the swiss border. I'm mainly interested in making bags and accessories, although I should probably consider doing adult leather gear for many of my friends. By training and education I'm a computer programmer and engineer, and a self-taught photographer. I do mostly hand stitched items right now, but I'm looking into sewing machines for future work. I have a Consew 225, and I'm tinkering with a new Pfaff 335 right now. I set up an etsy shop with my first few creations here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RawCargo Happy New Year! Uwe (pronounced OO-veh)

I thought I'd post an update to this older thread, since I recently made a little video when I was selling one of my sewing machines. I had just gotten an new iPhone 6 and wanted to try out close-up video shooting and editing capabilities of that phone. You can see the video in all its 1080 HD glory here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg12IXhcqkU The video was filmed and edited entirely on my iPhone 6 using the built in software that comes with iOS 8. The superimposed text elements were added in the youtube annotation editor. Other elements of this little production were seriously low-tech, though. I used scotch tape dispenser as a stand for my phone. I think it's important to lock in focus and exposure for these kinds of close-up shots, otherwise the exposure and focus will change constantly as you move in front of the camera. On my phone, you can touch the screen to lock focus on a specific area and adjust exposure for the duration of that particular video snippet. I hope this helps.