Making something BIG. Turning wooden sheets into a dog fortress!
This week's directive is to "Make Something Big" using the CNC Router. I decided to design and build a custom wooden house for my dog. The challenge? It must be assembled entirely using press-fit joints, meaning no glue, no nails, and no screws allowed!
Before cutting our final projects, the team tested the CNC router's runout, alignment, speeds, feeds, and toolpaths. We determined the exact tolerances needed for our press-fit joints in the plywood we are using.
To ensure the house is structurally sound and easy to assemble, I modeled every piece parametrically in SolidWorks. I used a "dog-bone" technique on the inner corners so the CNC router bit could clear the joints properly.
Once the 3D model was ready, I exported the faces as DXF files and imported them into our CAM software to generate the G-Code. I configured three types of toolpaths:
Time for the heavy machinery! We secured the wooden board to the CNC bed, set the zero coordinates, and let the router do its magic.
After the CNC finished, the manual labor started. Removing tabs, sanding every edge to prevent splinters, assembling the press-fit structure, and applying varnish to protect the dog fortress from the weather. Here is the full process compiled:
The dog fortress is complete! The structure is incredibly rigid thanks to the tight tolerances of the press-fit joints, and most importantly, the client approves of the final result.
Week 7 is complete. The transition from digital CAD to a massive physical object using the CNC router was a success.