Bosch Power Tools is in the business of creating, well, power tools. Good ones. So naturally, when I was approached by their marketing team on a Thursday afternoon about a new project, I accepted the job with enthusiasm. Even with a very tight deadline: due by the upcoming Monday. In most cases, a 72 hour window of time is unrealistic. This project was a little different and definitelygoing to be a challenge, but I was up for this challenge!
(You might be asking, why, would a global tool giant like Bosch come to me to build a prototype tool when they could have their pick from many manufacturing facilities all over the world? Simple: all those other places couldn’t complete this task in the 72 hour deadline. Seriously, it was that simple.)
The project was this; build a fully-functioning reciprocating saw and make it look like a possible production Bosch tool. The tool was purely for presentational purposes, so it obviously didn’t need to perform to any drop tests, stress tests, or whatever tests they put tools through before they go to market. It also didn’t have to be an exact match as far as aesthetics went, but needed to be close….I don’t have any fancy mold-making machines or an engineer tucked in my back pocket. What I do have, so I’m told, is a creative brain that would allow me to sculpt this tool. Ok, ok,….I guess I should tell you that I was also given a competitors (who shall remain nameless) tool that was on the market at the time. I would use this tool as a platform for building the Bosch prototype. Check out the following pics of the progress…
Okay….I think we’re done! A fully-functioning Bosch recipe saw prototype.
The actual production tool. Available in stores now.
The competitor’s tool: I used this as a platform in which to model the Bosch.
This is a scaled-model made of foam that represented the overall shape that the production tool would be based off of.
The internal components.
A critical part of the project was to get the electronics back inside the tool, as much of the original plastic body was going to be cut out.
There’s not much room for the wires inside the current tool…..I forced myself not to worry too much about this until the end.
The battery would have to slide back in just like the original. All the black rubber grip was going to have be cut out also.
This is the area where the gearbox that moves the blade back and forth is attached.
The yellow circle is showing the battery level indicator. Bosch would have one on their tool, but it will be placed in the front of the tool.
At this point, I’ve roughed out the new style lines. The body parts are separated by a thin piece of acrylic. This worked well to build up the body lines so that they were symmetrical.
The red and black marker lines represent areas where I needed to add and remove the filler material for the body lines. For this project, I used Bondo.
On the bottom right of the picture, you can see the addition of Bondo in relation to the original body. I’m not sure at this point if I will have to remove the vent fins….
….yea, why not. The competitors tool had a different vent style than the one that Bosch was going to use. I might as well be true to the actual tool as possible!
At this point, I’m unsure as to how much of the original body I will need to cut out…..but I won’t know unless I go one way or the other….we shall see!
After I cut out the vent fins, I needed to test the motor and just how much of the body I can eliminate.
I filled the area with Bondo and then pressed the motor into the Bondo before it could set. This will act as a molded mount that will hold the motor when the tool goes back together.
This shows the impression of the motor in the hardened Bondo.
After getting the motor in the right place, I started to cut out the new vent fins and refine some of those body lines.
There’s a couple different colors visible in the project now. The blue/gray color is primer, the pink is Bondo, and the bright red is the ABS plastic.
The left shows the new vent fins vs the right pic that has yet to be sculpted.
Cut, fill, sand…..cut, fill, sand…..cut, fill, sand……this became my mantra.
As I refined a lot of the body lines in the tool, I kept finding myself cutting back into the ABS plastic.I knew this was going to happen, but I didn’t know exactly how much. At some points, I started to worry if the tool would be too fragile to handle.
So it turns out, I should have removed more of the original body around the motor before I added the Bondo. The knife is pointing to one of the problem areas. Ahhh…..live and learn, right?
I’m pretty satisfied at this point with the rough style lines. Now it’s time to apply some glazing putty to fill in some of those big voids, chips, and holes.
The red, crumbly-looking stuff is the glazing putty after it has dried. Most of this material is going to be removed.
Apparently, my own layout lines confused me…..I just realized that I cut the vents in the wrong place!
Vent line problem solved….now I need to take a look at the layout of the rubber grip aesthetics that will go on to the production tool. (For this project, I’m not actually going to use rubber. I’ll just paint it flat black.)
The competitors tool handle was much wider than the Bosch. So…..I need to remove a considerable amount of plastic from the handle, apply Bondo, and re-sculpt.
Time for a test fit of the internals to make sure the new body will still fit.
The second coat of primer to be applied to this tool.
Add a little blue paint….
…refitting the electronics….
A comparison of the old body vs the new. A quick glance may not reveal any differences, but if you study the picture for a bit, you will see the changes.
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