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Mini Vac Former

My wife and I had a bread machine. One day it decided that it just couldn't handle another loaf of honey oatmeal bread, and leapt off the counter, spilling dough everywhere.

The sad tale of Breadman is not over yet!

I got the idea into my head to make a small demonstration style vacuum forming machine using its heater as a base. When I opened it up, I was a bit overwhelmed to see this:

Hrm... A bit more complicated than I was hoping.

But, sometimes the simple approach works:

I welded up a steel frame for the plastic:

A 5.5" square platen:

Cut down the height of the oven:

Built up a wood cart for it. The wiring is mostly in a junction box deep in the heart of it all.

Outlet on the back for the vacuum. The switch on the front flips the outlet on and off.

Speaking of vacuums, by $20 shop vac:

Propping the platen up for a test:

And the test pull!

Quick apoxie sculpt clone head:

No vent holes in him, so the pull was REALLY soft.

Sanded him up and drilled a bunch of holes:

And now the thing is done!

Once the paint is fully dry I can mount the Lexan front.

Woo!

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