Any progress reports from any of these manufacturers? Have most of the tops been abandoned? Just to add to the list, what about the cast delrin top from YoYo Factory discussed here? Also the company link in the Northspin thread is gone so I assume that chance is gone (that top was just a computer rendering anyway).
The Metal BK is coming... eventually. Duncan commits to doing it, then quickly gets distracted by a fast-selling yoyo of some sort and switches gears to meet those production demands. They want to make it, but their US manufacturing is limited to a single shop with apparently somewhat limited capacity.
If only we knew someone who is six months away from his phd in marketing...someone who teaches distribution...
Plus, I am not looking to build a business. I just want a community machine that we can all use to make our tops. I mean, how much is an NC machine that meets our top making needs?
This guy seems perfect:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bolton-12-3-5-x-30-CNC-Metal-Lathe-Turning-Lathe-FREE-SHIPPING-3-Phase-220V-/380465635058?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D21%26pmod%3D251176709785%26ps%3D54
Now we just need 23 people with 500 bucks. I will volunteer as lead makerHuman for the first year.
I can produce tops all day long if I could sell 100 of each, but it doesn't seem to work with the current community size. There are a -lot- of machine shops out there if you want to make something.. some of them are even good. The problem is that setting up the machines takes time and money, so you have to produce enough to cover those costs.
The machines aren't 'that' expensive (relatively).. but you need shop space (expensive), huge amounts of specialized power (also expensive.. these things don't just plug into a wall), and people with the knowledge and skill to run the tools. This isn't a 1 time investment kind of thing, it's a very pricey proposition.
If you're looking for the ability to make 1-off type stuff.. you're better off investing in a small low-end machine like a Sherline CNC. They are slow and underpowered, but you could make single pieces for relatively low investment cost. They run about $2500, plug into the wall, and can sit on your workbench comfortably. You'd be limited to things like delrin or wood realistically, but that's what everybody really likes anyway. You'll still need the skill and knowledge required to machine things properly, and the ability to generate G-Code and set up the machine properly. Feel free to put it at my house
Kyle
