CNC brick walls

[melph1]

Hi

Does anybody know whether this is something that is done.

I was considering using a cnc machine to mill out brick wall sheets from foam board (plastic faced). Whilst i could design this in a computer program, my bricks would not have texture.

Any there any cnc files out there with textured 1:22 scale bricks? Ive searched but everything seems to be related to 3d printing.

 

[mike]

I think a company produces buildings to order this way? Brunel buildings? So I guess it's possable...

 

[JimmyB]

I have 2 bridges commissioned from Brunel and they informed me they were CNC machined.

 

[PhilP]

The way we use foamboard is to score the mortar lines in, leaving the surface coating intact.
If you machine through that outer coating, will you affect the strength (and long-term stability, perhaps) of the material?

PhilP

 

[LGB-Sid]

I bought a small desk top CNC machine to do this on foam board, and have made a few parts this way , it makes a right mess cutting foam board so not a job for the dining room table it also kills cutters quick, I used 5mm think board and cutting 1mm depth was enough for bricks to stand out well , so far nothing has fallen to bits that I made this way. The suface texture I did by pressing very course sand paper onto it to make a impression on the bricks.

 

[melph1]

I bought a small desk top CNC machine to do this on foam board, and have made a few parts this way , it makes a right mess cutting foam board so not a job for the dining room table it also kills cutters quick, I used 5mm think board and cutting 1mm depth was enough for bricks to stand out well , so far nothing has fallen to bits that I made this way. The suface texture I did by pressing very course sand paper onto it to make a impression on the bricks.

I used to own a cnc machine for woodworking......mess is an understatement!! I sold that machine, but since i have started scratch building, i decided to to investigate cnc as an option.

LGB-Sid so using a piece of sandpaper post cnc cutting gives you the rough texture. Could i ask, where did you get the file for the brick wall?

 

[melph1]

The way we use foamboard is to score the mortar lines in, leaving the surface coating intact.
If you machine through that outer coating, will you affect the strength (and long-term stability, perhaps) of the material?

PhilP

Hi. Yes i have used this method for the first building i have made. The results were ok, but i definitely need practise.

As for cnc on foam board.....i am guessing just going down 1mm in depth is all i would do, but there could be risk of the foam being exposed and water ingress

 

[JimmyB]

Just a thought, instead of a end mill (I assume this is what you would cut with) what about something that doesn't cut, pointed like a centre punch that indents the foam board, and maybe the best of both worlds.

 

[melph1]

That's an idea.

 

[a98087]

Could you wire brush or run a wood file/rasp over the cnc brickwork to add texture?

Dan

 

[melph1]

Ive used wire brush to successfully recreate a wood grain / effect.

Going back to cnc question. A cnc machine is a reasonable amount of investment. One machine = many sheets of pre made brick. If the files are out there for brick work, thats one less problem to over come. Otherwise, shop bought brick work / scoring the board is how i will work.

 

[LGB-Sid]

As mine was just a small desktop CNC machine it didn't have the power to use a center punch sort of tool to mark the surface, if it had that would have been great, and a lot less mess. It needed something that would actually cut, as the board is PVC foamboard all the way through then the cuts in it have not really caused me any problems, but I do spray paint all my building with a Plastic primer and the final coat after all painting is a matt sealer.

The Brick patterns are just Lines that the cutter follows so I drew my own in Autocad, but any simply drawing program could be used as the file is then imported into the CNC driving software.

 

[dunnyrail]

Could you wire brush or run a wood file/rasp over the cnc brickwork to add texture?

Dan

Gentle tapping with a rough lump hammer works quite well.

 

[ebay mike]

Hi

Does anybody know whether this is something that is done.

I was considering using a cnc machine to mill out brick wall sheets from foam board (plastic faced). Whilst i could design this in a computer program, my bricks would not have texture.

Any there any cnc files out there with textured 1:22 scale bricks? Ive searched but everything seems to be related to 3d printing.

If LGBsid got good texture results from sandpaper how about a roller with a sheet of coarse grit attached - this would enable a whole sheet to be done fairly quickly prior to any other work.

 

[LGB-Sid]

If LGBsid got good texture results from sandpaper how about a roller with a sheet of coarse grit attached - this would enable a whole sheet to be done fairly quickly prior to any other work.

That was may way of thinking I found the rubber rollers you use for wall papering the edges , but didn't get round to getting them, I use the course sandpaper on all the surfaces I make just about , Bricks, Paving , wall capping

 

[ebay mike]

That was may way of thinking I found the rubber rollers you use for wall papering the edges , but didn't get round to getting them, I use the course sandpaper on all the surfaces I make just about , Bricks, Paving , wall capping

I've got one of those wallpaper rollers but it's a bit small. I reckon you could knock a bigger version up using a large paint roller and some plumbing pipe.

 

[PhilP]

For rough stone.. I have had some success putting a piece of foamboard out on the road...
Once a few vehicles have driven over it, you get a decent relief pattern from the road surface.

PhilP

 

[JimmyB]

Gentle tapping with a rough lump hammer works quite well.

Somebody found the lump hammer then

 

[PhilP]

Oi!

Give it back!

 

[mike]

I use a wire brush...when I've finished scribing in the horizontal lines,and then the vertical ones