8. Computer-controlled machining

"make something big"

Lots of ideas...and brain freeze

Somehow I got totally stuck with this assignment. I have lots of ideas, but nothing that I managed to work out. It is quite interesting to experience. I am thinking about all kinds of possibilities. However, integrating everything I've learned last week and at the same time developing an idea from thought to finished product in one (mental) go, is too much. So in a sense, a good learning experience to run into all these obstacles that are keeping me from moving forward now.
And I know what needs to be done: just get on with it, small steps.

Sketches

Here are some of my ideas:

Update: prototyping an idea

Somehow, working on another assignment helped me to get unstuck on this one. I think what happened is that having something else to work on, took the pressure off of having to come up with something for this assignment.
The idea that stuck in my head is making something that can hold itself in place without additional parts. In this case, I was thinking about fixing a part in place by applying three forces onto it: two on either end in one direction, and another between those in opposite direction.
I'd like to make something elegant that looks fragile, but is actually quite strong. The idea I have is to use three rings to fix standing ribs in place to form the skeleton of a bucket, a lamp or table.

Using the lasercutter I made several iterations of the design. I believe I am getting to a stage where I am going to make a half-size version on the shopbot to get a better feel for the dimensioning with the material I want to make the end piece in.
Here the design had too much flexibility. I experimented with the tolerance and positioning of the slots for the middle ring and I found a better design that is now much more rigid.

update 2

I was planning to turn this design into a larger object for plants or a chair. However, after discussing with Ruud from the Fablab at de Waag I decided to leave this project for a later date.

Make something big: a drawing table

I decided to make a small table for my nephew that he can use to make drawings on. I made a design with a top that can be removed to reveal a storage space for paper and pencils. It is 300 x 400 x 250 mm in size. Here is a render and a 3D view of the design:

I bought a large piece of wood from a local vendor and made sure it could hold all the parts of my design. After modeling the table in Rhinoceros, I copied all the parts to another layer in Rhinoceros. Then, I laid them flat an arranged them in an optimal configuration (meaning: least amount of surface, in order to save material). I made sure there was at least enough space around the parts for the milling bit to travel throuh. Then, I measured the outer dimensions of that surface and went to the store to get a piece of wood that was large enough.
note: before that, I had already checked what the thickness of the wood was that the vendor sells, so I could take that into account in my design.

Additional features that I might add later on

Lasercut graphics

I could decorate the table with graphics, letters and numbers. I created Illustrator files that I can use with the lasercutter to engrave onto the surfaces of the drawing table.

Turn all graphics and typography into outlines and vector shapes. Lines should be 0.001pt and a solid color, like 100% red. Lines and fills should have different colors, so you can set different settings for the lasercutter.

Spirograph and shapes insert

Also after the Fab Academy, I am also planning to mill a pocket in the top surface of the table and then cut a spirograph-inspired shape from acrylic on the lasercutter. The pocket will be large enough to hold an A4-sized paper sheet. Other shapes might be geomatric shapes or countries.

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