I like to try to learn something new in everything I do. For my bowl, I wanted to push my limits in SolidWorks and my CNC programming. I have never really liked how the cradles attach to a Berkeley bowl and I hate installing them even more. While working with Beerjet, we came up with an idea of integrating the cradle into a spacer.
I wanted to also integrate the bowl plug and vane extensions into this spacer that would extend back into the droop for water control, but I didn't have the time nor the guts to machine out 7/8" of my bowl vanes, potentially scrapping my bowl, and fit new extended vanes.
My intent was to come up with a design totally unique from what I had done in the past as well as what the copycats are doing. The contours are all elliptical radii, blending the spacer/cradle into the original contour of the bowl.
The bowl and spacer/cradle were modeled as one so that the contours blend seamlessly. The single model was then cut into two separate part detail models, one for the bowl and one for the spacer/cradle. The two separate detail models were then inserted into an assembly model.
The assembly model was imported into MasterCAM and code was generated to machine both parts assembled together.