CNC Shark Forum

Flyball boxes! I used to make these using a router table and templates. That was ok when I was making 10 boxes a year. I switched production to my HD 520 when I received orders for 20 boxes since the start of 2021! This is a box style of my own design working with some premier flyball teams and have become quite popular. Box dimensions are restricted by the sports governing bodies, North American Flyball Association (NAFA) and United Flyball League International (U-FLI). I build a 24" wide heavy box, 24" Lite box and a 30" box. These are shipped all over the US and Canada.

Flyball - the fastest sport on four legs. A team consists of four dogs, four handlers and a box loader. The four-dog team runs a relay race 41 feet over four jumps, strike the flyball box which launches a ball they catch and then they run back over the jumps. Fast dogs can complete the course in less than 4 seconds (current team record is 14.433 seconds). Flyball is open to all breeds of dogs.

The boxes are constructed of Baltic Birch ply cut on my HD 520. The thruster parts (mechanisms that shoot the ball) are machined on my Horizontal/Vertical Mill and metal lathe.

Very nice!

Can you share a bit about your process? What sort of wood do you use? And what sort of finish?

Material for the box is Baltic Birch Ply. BB provides good strength due to the additional plies and has good weight characteristics for this application (need some weight to handle a Malinois charging at 19mph hitting that box, but not too much that the box loader can't pick up the box to bring into the ring). Some parts are 19mm (3/4) thick, others are 16mm (5/8). I use automotive paint for the finish. Two coats of automotive fill primer then I wet sand with 600 grit, provides a finish as smooth as a baby's butt. I usually use a color coat from Custom Paints, specifically their Kustom Canz line. I have used other brands (such as dupli-color) but Custom Paints is superior in both finish and available colors. Two coats of base followed by two coats of color. When done, I apply two coats of clear coat.

Thrusters are machined from aluminum with 300 series stainless steel shafts and springs.

Beautiful. I would never have guessed baltic ply was used by looking at it. Automotive filler and paint? I'll have to try that.