This project was a nice change of pace. Much less hands on than the sewing and crate. The first thing I did was determine the ideal kerf measurements. I saw that previous completed projects were using a kerf between 0.004 and 0.005 inches. I decided to test out some of the values in between by using the laser cutter to cut two sides of the box and see how nicely they would fit. During this time, I was also adjusting the laser settings to see what would give the best cut. 0.004 inches was nearly perfect, whereas 0.0045 inches was way too tight. I eventually settled on using a kerf of 0.0043 inches. Pictured below is the 2 sides I cut out with this kerf value.
Next I wanted to test out the owl engraving. This is where I encountered some issues. To not waste too much space, I was engraving a small 2×1 inch owl. I noticed that after the laser cutter made the engraving, it would proceed to cut the entire owl out. I double checked my vector settings, but still encountered the same issue. After getting some help from a lab assistant, I realized I was using an incorrect stroke setting for the engraving in illustrator. After fixing it, the engraving came out perfectly.
Finally, it was time to cut out the full size box with the engravings. Everything was looking good until the final cut for the last 2 pieces. The laser stopped before cutting the final lines for those pieces. I then realized my mistake…my box file in illustrator was barely out of bounds causing the cut to not finish! It looked like this on the board
To solve this, I simply shifted the box lines back in bounds and reprinted the last 2 pieces. The cuts were made successfully, and I finished up by assembling the box together. The end result was a really tightly nit box!
Cost Breakdown
$15 for a square yard of 1/4″ thick plywood
$36 for 3 hours of labor at $12/hr
$0 for equipment usage (Thank you OEDK)
Total Cost: ~$51
