For this CNC project, I decided to CNC some bears, because I think bears are cute! 🙂 I followed the intermediate requirements as I liked how the different height of cuts appeared.

Choosing the design

I went onto the noun project and decided on using this vector file, because I thought the inner features would look great when popped out!

CNC-ing on the nomad

I set up my wood on the Nomad, using 3 pieces of tape, placing 3 tabs and went to cutting! Although my first cut was successful, it was at this moment when I realized it was too small :(. Despite it being 3 inches long, it was 2 inches tall, so I needed to re-cut to fit the project criteria.

using the SHAPEOKO

I picked out my wood again and switched out where the pockets were placed to see if I liked the appearance more. I then secured the piece and started my cut.

However, when I pressed start, I immediately realized I did not turn on the spindle as the CNC machine started making scary noises. I stopped the cut and accessed the damage. The bit went off course and tore the wood. Thankfully, it did not break the bit! Next time, I will make sure to check that the spindle is turned on before a cut begins. After getting some help from a lab technician, we turned on the spinal, and tried again using the same piece of wood to see if that fixed the issue. It did. 🤦

Unfortunately the wood couldn’t be salvaged as the cut made previously when the spindle was off was still noticeable when I changed the pockets. I also realized I not like the appearance of the changed pockets as much, so I went back to my original pocket placement. So, I started a second cut and it went smoothly!

 

I will assess the simulation of the cut for longer to assure that I like the appearance, instead of wasting time making a cut I won’t like as much.

 

Then, when I tried to cut my second bear, the computer suddenly refused to connect to the machine :’). So I switched to the Nomad!

USING the nomad…again

I then switched over to the Nomad and used a piece of scrap wood to create my second cut. I added the 3 strips of double-sided tape onto the back, and began the cut using the same file from the other computer from the Shapeoko computer after converting it to ensure that the dimensions were exact.

The cut was going great until at 99.49% when my tape decided it had enough, and started to unstick, and cut into the bear.

I quickly stopped the cut when it moved, but I found that the cut was essentially done, and only a small layer of wood was left to remove. I popped the wood out and decided to improve the wood’s appearance instead of starting another cut, as at the time I couldn’t find any wood.

post-processing

I took my two pieces of wood, and used the band saw to clean up the jagged edges of the wood. I then sanded both the surfaces and edges of the piece with 80 grit sandpaper, then sanded with 220 grit to make the surface softer.

Likewise, I then stained the outer part of the bear with a dark walnut stain, being sure to cover the mouth and ears with masking tape, then wiping with a towel after 2 minutes.

I then used mineral oil to stain the ears and mouth lighter to add some contrast to the bear and make it look like a teddy bear.

After waiting overnight for the stains to dry, I covered everything except the nose and mouth with masking tape. I then went in with a black stain for the nose and mouth using a thin wooden dowel, being careful to not get black stain onto the rest of the surface.

However, I was not careful enough…the black stain went all over the mouth, and it looked so hideous :(. I tried wiping with a towel but that didn’t work :’).

I then started panicking, and tried to wipe off the stain with Goo Gone, but it ended up just smearing the stain around. As a desperate last ditch effort, I sanded the mouth using 80 grit sandpaper to 220 grit sandpaper to see if it’d remove the layer of wood with stain. Luckily, this worked! The black stain came off, and I re-stained the mouth with mineral oil. Some of the eyes also had the stain sanded off by accident, so I re-applied some stain to cover up this mistake.

COST ESTIMATE:

• Materials:
  • Wood (1 piece of 1″ x 3″ x 8′, $2.54 on Home Depot): $4.32
  • Stain
    • Dark Walnut ($7.98 on Home Depot, used 0.5 oz): $0.50
    • Mineral Oil ($12.98 for 12 oz on Home Depot, used 0.5 oz): $0.54
    • True Black ($7.98 on Home Depot, used 0.5 oz): $0.50
  • Goo Gone ($6.29 on Amazon): $6.29
• Labor 4 hours at $15 an hour: $60

TOTAL: $72.15