Computer-Controlled Cutting Assignment Week of February 12, 2014: Pursuing my human body theme, I am also inspired by the sutures in the cranium and a chair by Sebastien Wierinck in makezine.com (Thank you to Shawn for the makezine link.) I would like to make a model which impresses upon my students the puzzle-like nature of the fixed joints in a cranium.
	Photoshop was employed to draw the puzzle image: elliptical marquee tool, snapping to a grid to make multiple circles the same size offset by one square, line tool to create and connect tangents, duplicate, erase and tweak, translate, rotate and copied to assure fit.Then the image and I went to the Fab Lab where I discovered I would have saved myself several steps if the image was drawn in red, not black.	After a very patient lesson in setting up laser cutter, a trial puzzle piece was created on Bristol board.
Next, we loaded a piece of corrugated cardboard and produced a cut which did not entirely pierce the cardboard. We bumped the power up to 80% and slowed the speed down to 30% and met with success. Sixty pieces ensued.	My original intention was to create a cranium box with two eye orbits and a nasal cavity, 5X5 pieces on the front, 5X3 pieces for the sides.	It was quickly apparent that there were many engineering flaws in my design. The interior would need serious internal supports if the thing was to stand. I added back the nasal cavity piece in hopes of increasing structural integrity and creating an upright cranial box. It looked good from the front and then fell over.
Not to be daunted by failure, I realized my puzzle pieces fit together quite nicely into a small box.	Therefore, I turned all of my pieces into small boxes and fashioned a skull with eye orbits from the boxes.	What I learned: As I have never operated a laser cutter before, I can safely say everything was new knowledge to me. Raster before you vector. High power, low speed provides the most intense cut. How to clean the mirrors and unclog the cone. Once at home, I also learned don't involve the cat. Mickie Flores Home