These last few weeks we were tasked with using Carvey CNC machine to cut a noun out of wood. This is the noun I chose; I decided to go with a monkey because it’s my favorite animal! First, I downloaded the file from thenounproject.com. Then, I went to easel and imported my file. I picked a cut depth of 1/8 inches to cut main shape, and then I cut an outline of the monkey all the way through the wood.

Cutting my monkey proved to be more difficult than I expected, seeing as I have never used the Carvey. I started out using the 1/16 inch fishtail down cut bit. My first cut turned out pretty good, but I had to stop the cut before the Carvey was finished because I quickly realized that there was no way this bit would be able to cut the outline of the monkey all the way through the wood.

So, I recut and decided the change the bit to the 1/8 inch straight cut bit when it was time to cut the outline. But, my wood wasn’t clamped down enough for my next two attempts, so they didn’t come out right.

 I had some trouble clamping down the wood in the beginning, but, with some help, I was able to successfully clamp down the wood and create a nice cut. After it was time to cut the outline, I realized the Carvey didn’t cut all the way through each part of the monkey. So, I decided the use the ultrasonic knife to cut through the parts that did cut with the Carvey. I then sanded the edges to create a cleaner look.

After three unsuccessful attempts, I was finally able to create two monkeys I was happy with!

It took me an ungodly amount of time to figure out the best way to clamp the wood and how to change the bit; I spent about 3.5 hrs total, and, at about $10/hr that totals to $35. I was assisted my a TA for about 30 min, and at $10/hr, that totals to $5. I used 5 pieces of wood, which cost about $2. The machine time on the Carvey was about 1 hr, and at about $20/hr, that totals to $20. Adding everything up, the total comes out to $62.

My monkey is in front of number 1!