CNC Cutting Board

If this project was done with traditional woodworking techniques it would take a while to explain. Luckily I've branched out from traditional woodworking techniques and this was a fairly simple weekend project. The design is done in V-Carve and the execution is done on the OneFinity CNC. There are three carves. The first is with a v-bit and it carves out the lettering. The second is a 1/2 inch round nose to do the juice groove. The third is a 1/4 inch end mill to cut the board out. There is a slight curve to all sides which adds very little complexity except when creating the design. Everything is finished off with bronze epoxy and a mineral oil finish. Material is Sapele. 

R2D2 is Born

I'm not sure how much of this build I'll post to this particular blog. It's going to be a multi-year project that will probably never be 100% done and it really deserves a blog on it's own. I'm struggling with how to gather the content because there isn't really a clear set of steps and so far we're working on bits and pieces randomly. That means that we'll probably be building and rebuilding and making plenty of mistakes that I'm not eager to post on a blog in the order that I make them. For now I'll take plenty of pictures and consider adding a proper post here when I reach a particular milestone.

In case you hadn't already figured it out a friend of mine and I have started to build R2D2. Everything you need to get started is on Astromech.Net though we are discovering that doesn't mean everything you need to finish is there. There are so many different approaches to the build that it's hard to get clear instructions on anything. We've gone with a plywood frame because I can cut it on my CNC and we'll be 3D printing what we can. Others have gone with an aluminum frame and you can also go with Styrene or even 3D print the entire thing. They DXF files for the pieces have been very precise and even though we are using different materials and files for different parts, everything is to a standard spec so they fit together nicely. We'll build what we can though there are some parts such as the dome that we will have purchase. Check back in about 2 years as this will definitely be a 'when we have time' project rather than a build from start to finish all at once. One thing we've discovered is we may run into supply chain issues for key parts such as the wheels, controllers etc. Should still be a lot of fun. 

Bathroom Cabinet

Most of the time I take on projects that would be too expensive to buy or are a style that you can't usually buy. I will do these for myself or friends. I try to avoid doing projects for anyone that can easily be purchased, typically for less money than I can make them. The exception though is when it's a project that I feel should last forever. The cabinet here could likely be picked up from Ikea as it has very similar lines to their furniture however this one is solid wood and proper plywood with glass doors. It's 36 inches wide and 60 inches tall. It was originally designed to fit in our bathroom and the paint is the same colour as the cabinets however we felt it fit better just outside the bathroom. It's specifically designed to be 3 toilet paper rolls deep. With covid we learned the importance of having a good stock pile. We only have 2 packages so we should probably replenish. I included one fixed shelf in the middle so it would be sturdy and the shelves in each section are adjustable. It has plenty of room for all the lotions and potions my wife keeps on hands and of course plenty of room for toilet paper. 

CNC Cabinet

I've decided to cheat. Historically my woodworking has been what Mark Spagnuolo refers to as Hybrid Woodworking. It involves power tools for much of the stock prep and major cuts and hand tools for the finer details. This has worked well for me in the past. Recently however I've found I have a few projects that require more precision. For instance I'd like to do engraving or cribbage boards with carvings. These of course can be done by hand but I don't have that kind of time. I decided a couple years ago that it was time for a CNC. I've got some big projects planned but in the meantime I'm doing smaller projects that allow me to practice the art of CAD design and figuring out the right order of operations to do a new suite of projects. I had decided I wanted to have a CNC a few years ago but unfortunately there was nothing on the market that met my criteria of moderate cost, accurate, sturdy a good size for woodworking and easy to set up. There are expensive machines and then there were hobby machines that used belts which tended to stretch. When the Onefinity came on the market I knew it was what I was looking for.

My shop is a two car garage and I find I'm often dropping wood on things so I felt it was important for me to have a proper cabinet for the CNC. I thought about doing just the table but that wouldn't protect the sensitive equipment plus it wouldn't allow me to control the dust they way I wanted to. The cabinet I ended up building has a 48/48 table, is 36 inches high at the bed and has a further 36 inches above the table. I wired up plugs for the machine, the router and the lights so I can easily turn things on and off. It's worked out quite well and I've done some projects for Christmas including this beer paddle with engraving that I would not have been able to do. Many more projects planned.