Coming into this project, I had not touched or prepared a file to CNC before. I decided to work with something small, but that I would like to keep afterwards too. I started with a piece of MDF that was aprox 12″ by 16″. I cut this into smaller pieces that would fit into the CNC machine.

I loaded up the file on Easel, Carvey’s software, and proceeded with the cut.

I cut using just the 1/8 in bit and it took less than 1 hour to complete. Looking back I could have done a more detailed pass following the first cut with a 1/16 in bit.

The Carvey was very aesthetic in the cuts and yet some of the finer details fell off from the design.

After the Cut finished, I sanded down the pieces to remove any stray discrepencies and to smooth the final piece.

After the piece was nice and smooth, I applied a “Crystal Clear Enamel” to coat it with a protective layer.

The clear coat came out well and gave the final look a nice, darker tone. Enjoy these nice photos of my car!

After realizing how to CNC, I decided to create a new piece that involved multiple depths and multiple bits. However, due to the stripped thread of the CNC Machine, I was not able to proceed with this next project. Here is how the setup was going to be. I will still attempt this cut and update this as I proceed.

Overall costs associated with the manufacturing:

MDF Board 12″ by 8″= $10

Lab0r = 4 hours * typical Rice student pay $10 = $40

Machine time = 1 hours = $10

total cost for the two objects = $10+$40+$10 = $60